Patañjali's Raja Yoga Sutras: Sadhana Pada - Ashtanga Yoga

10. Meditation - The Key to Reduce Fallacies

It is possible to reduce these fallacies with a normal day-to-day awareness and by intellectually trying to reduce them into more subtle/signless/invisible forms. The only way this can be done is through the techniques of getting the mind to the level of complete absorption, done though ‘dhyana’ known as the vehicle of the absorbed mind. Making these into their most subtle form will make it impossible to track or predict your behavior, you will have all personalities and traits.

11. Cognitive Fallacies and Karma

The residue of karma, which is due to the root of the kleshas, leads to lives future and present, seen and unseen and the pain associated with it. What is meant by ‘unseen’ here is our organs, our minds, our future, etc. Our past lives are ‘seen’ but they are obstructed by memory which is the result of the residue of cause and effect, impressions left in the individual consciousness (soul) which were caused by the existence of the cognitive fallacies.

12. Cognitive Fallacies and Karma - Continued

There are three types of Karma. The first is called ‘sanchita’ which is the storehouse of Karma dating all the way back to the Big Bang. The second type of Karma is called ‘prarabdha’ which is the part coming active right now where the present factors are triggering the karmic ‘seeds’ stored in ‘sanchita’ to become active. The third is ‘agami’ which is described as future karma or the fruits of our current actions.

13. Going beyond Karma

Karma is determined by three factors. ‘Bhagaha’ is the events that happened to us in our life and the way these were experienced by the person. ‘Ayur’ is our life-span or how long we will live in this body which is also influenced by our sanchita karma. And ‘jati’ is the species or class of animal being that we are born in as well as the type of family, nation, time period, etc. These three factors mature by themselves out of sanchita ever since the Big Bang and they will continue to mature until the root of the kleshas exist. To stop this, we must cut the fallacies at the root, which is ‘avidya’ or the initial misidentification of the self. Only then can we go beyond Karma.

14. Foundations of a Joyous Experience

There are two factors in experiencing our karma, internal and external and both of these are coming out of our own storehouse of karmas as they are intersecting with other’s, creating very complex destinies. The desire to evolve and have higher experiences of consciousness is also a fruit of past karmas. If this caught, internalized and amplified, it will lead to higher virtuous cycles internally and externally and will lead you to take your destiny in your own hands.

15. To the Wise, All is Painful

To the wise, all is painful because of three factors. The first is pain as a consequence of an action or the direct consequence of a pleasure seeking activity. The second is the anticipation of loss. The third is creating new impressions of cause and effect by craving for this new sense of pleasure to be felt again.

16. Avoid Future Pain

Since it is difficult to avoid future pain when we don’t know what the future will bring, we are asked to see our destiny more clearly by seeing the subtle effect of our actions, thoughts, emotions, external reality, etc. By doing this, we are able to have more wisdom over the kind of pain that these cause and allows us to detach from the painful potential consequences of these. The only way to not feel pain from a painful event is by changing our mindset into the higher mind which reacts differently to the same stimulus and instead of seeing it as being painful, sees it as an event causing learning, strengthening and evolution.

17. The Cause of Suffering or Pain

What causes avidya, which is at the root of all pain and karma, is the union between the seer and the seen. The body is the ‘seen’ as we see the body and use the body to experience the outside world through the five senses. These are part of our external self and not internal. When the separation happens between the internal self and the external self is when we know our own immortality (viyoga) and it is through stages of viyoga or detachment that we move into higher stages of yoga (union).

18. Sattva, Rajas & Tamas - The Three Modes of the Mind

The ‘seen’ is composed of three qualities of illumination, activity and inertia which exist in all of us in different combinations. The illumined mind (sattva) which is curious and analytical leads us to the truth. The active mind (rajas) is the one that executes and speaks. The static mind (tamas) is the one that refuses to change, has fixed frames, prejudices and fallacies. The psychosomatic self (seen), composed of the body-mind being, the sense organs and the physical structure that make up the body exists simply for the enjoyment of the seer/self. There is a deep desire to go through the experiences we need to go through, both positive and negative, and this desire is based on subconscious completion, where these experiences make us feel more complete about ourselves.

19. The Levels of Subtlety of an Object

There are four levels of subtlety of an object. ‘Visesa’ is distinguishable or non-subtle, ‘avisesa’ is non-distinguishable or uniform, ‘lingamat’ is known as ‘only sign’ where the object cannot be seen except by its signs and finally, ‘alingani’ is ‘signless’ or very subtle.

20. Your True Self - Pure Consciousness

We are all absolute consciousness, however, it is individualized consciousness, also known as the soul, which prevents this knowledge and the experience of absolute consciousness and creates multiple layers of separation from that one unity.

21. Individual Soul & Destiny

Every event that ever happened in our life and the way that it happened as well as every single desire and fear that we are born with exists solely for the completion of the soul. We are reborn again and again until we are able to satisfy every desire and release every fear until our individual soul is born into a higher consciousness and finally reaches ‘laya’ (dissolution from individual to absolute consciousness).

22. Individual Perception and Reality

Just because you have climbed a certain level of consciousness and see reality completely differently doesn’t mean that that reality is different for those who haven’t climbed that level of consciousness. Others cannot see what you see who aren’t on the same level of consciousness as you. We shouldn’t try to make somebody else understand our own version of reality, but rather to move the other person’s state of consciousness into the next level so that they can, by themselves perceive a more subtle and real state of reality.

23. Samyoga - Complete Identification of the Self (1)

‘Samyoga’ means complete union, union between the soul-self, absolute-self and the ego-self (owns body and senses) which is the realization of the power of God and that which is owned by God.

24. Samyoga - Complete Identification of the Self (2)

There are three levels of Yoga. The first level is the union between the body and the ego-mind where there is total identification with the body. The ego mind borrows consciousness from the soul, the body borrows consciousness from the ego mind and the soul is the owner of th ego mind. The second level of yoga is the union between the ego mind and soul. The third level of yoga is the union between the universal ego and the individual soul. If we stand at the point where two of these come together (the body with the ego, the ego with the soul, the soul with universal consciousness) observing, then we will see the complete power of that level. All properties and qualities of each other on these levels leads to a great sense of completion and overcoming all levels of limitations (physical, psychological and extra material).

25. The Cause of Samyoga (1)

The cause of this union is avidya (wrong knowing) or cognitive fallacies that act as locks at each level that block us from reaching a higher understanding of who we truly are. These locks are called ‘granthis’ and they have to be broken one after the other to reach absolute consciousness, through kundalini. They are called ‘Brahma’, ‘Vishnu’ and ‘Rudra’ granthi and are located at the muladhara, anahata and ajna chakras respectively.

27. Ultimate Liberation - Beyond Samyoga

There is an immediate sense of liberation/freedom when we stop identifying with a lower level of consciousness.

28. Discernment - The Path to the Liberation

We can only move through these different levels of subtlety through the method of discernment (viveka). Initially intellectual, and then with the practice of yoga, we go into intuition and then absolute knowledge. The method for achieving the disjunction from the idea of “I am the body” is the discernment of seeing and experiencing the more subtle levels of our own self. When we separate from this, we unite with something else.

29. The Seven Levels of Discernment (1)

There are seven levels of ‘prajna’ (a very high state of intuition or cognitive awareness). The first is when we know the things that cause pain and that have to be warded off or knowing what has to be done in order for us to have a painless present and future. This leads us to knowing the purest intention for us to keep evolving and attain freedom. The second is knowing the underlying cause of what causes pain ie.attachment, addiction, etc. At this level, we have a very fine intellectual mind, very close to the border between the intellect and intuition (which lies in the subconscious). The third level is making the mind so fine that now the intellectual mind is almost inactive, it is only reflecting something passed down from intuition. It knows how to remove the causes behind the conscious effects, seeing and experiencing the subconscious causes behind the pain causing thoughts, emotions and memories.

30. The Seven Levels of Discernment (2)

The fourth level is accomplishing the removal of all these pain causing obstacles from the deep subconscious. Our feelings, thoughts and the way that we look at our memory completely changes, where we now see the story of our life completely differently because we are a completely different character. We have amplified, purified and intensified. With the fifth level, we are going beyond the sattva/pure accomplishment. The mind has now gained completion, the highest satisfaction that our soul can go through and experience, similar to the bliss experienced in deep sleep. At the sixth level, all the traits of the soul that have been gathered come together and unify into one common consciousness, leading to absolution, the seventh level of prajna.

31. The Path to Higher Discernment/Awareness

By practicing yoga, we are able to reduce fallacies through their purification which happens due to light being thrown on them, the light of wisdom or higher cognitive understanding.

32. Ashtanga Yoga System - The Eight Limbs

The eight limbs of yoga are yama, niyama, asana, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana, and samadhi. ‘Yamas’ are ways of being that you control and ‘niyamas’ are behaviors that you allow to arise. There are two ways in ‘asana’ (physical posture). The first is for the body to do the moving and the second is for the body to remain still and to move into the mind through stillness. Without a fit body and without awareness of your breathing cycles, we cannot achieve stillness of the body or of the breath which then leads to stillness of the mind. ‘Pranayama’ is the controlled sensitization to the lifeforce. ‘Pratyahara’ is the internalization of senses into one sense. ‘Dharana’ is the practice of the mind assuming another mind. ‘Dhyana’ is the one-pointed mind or total absorption of the mind and ‘samadhi’ is the gateway to higher consciousness.

33. The Five Yamas

The five yamas are ‘ahimsa’ (gentleness), ‘satya’ (truthfulness), ‘asteya’ (non-stealing), ‘brahmacharya’ (celibacy) and ‘aparigraha’ (non-possessiveness).

34. The Great Resolution (1)

The synchronicity between our thoughts, intentions, words and ultimate action. We must try to limit what we say to what we really mean. If that is done, then every word we utter becomes true.

35. The Great Resolution (2)

The way that we look at the world outside is a reflection of the way that we look at ourselves. The practice of the yamas (control/counter factors) and niyamas (automatic factors that lead to evolution) must come together and be employed in every moment in order to change this reflection positively.

36. The Great Resolution (3)

Disrespecting or discriminating against something is a reflection of the negativity we have towards a part of ourselves. Applying these qualities across all time leads to he power/shakti that come out of the yamas and niyamas that then give ‘siddhi’ (accomplishment) on this path of yoga going into higher levels.

37. The Five Niyamas

The five niyamas are ‘shoucha’ (purity/cleanliness) ‘santosha’ (self-contentment), ‘tapas’ (intensity/ascetism), ‘swadyaye’ (self-study) and ‘ishwarapranidhana’ (depositing of life-force unto God).

38. Using the Counter-Method

How do we hold an intention when there are all kinds of opposing thoughts coming in the mind? Whenever there is a counter to our initial intention, word, etc. then we should use a counter to that, ie. turning anger into love. There is no logic behind this process, we should just immediately do it by the force of our willpower, which is the way to overcome the opposing obstacles to our original intentions.

39. Why to use the Counter-Method?

When there is physical, psychological and emotional ‘himsa’ (harm) done by our words, actions, thoughts, etc. to somebody, its effects are felt in lives seen and unseen as infinite vicious cycles of pain that one cannot break out of. By applying these counters, not only are we saving the other person from coming to any harm, we are also saving our own destiny from coming to harm.

40. Yama - The Practice of Ahimsa

If we practice non-harming (benevolence) by our thoughts, words, feelings and actions, nothing in this world can ever harm you because no being can have aggression towards the thing that doesn’t have an iota of aggression within it. Aggression is stimulated by fear and so, by practicing ahimsa, you lose all fear.

41. Yama - The Practice of Satya (1)

By the internalization of truth/honesty, there is a power that comes to this person here whatever this person says will come true (prophetic). The reason for this is, by long practice, the person’s words and thoughts are so synchronized with their behavior and actions that they are now in total synchronicity with an external reality of the universe. When they say something about the future, they are synchronizing their minds with a potential frequency/wave in the future.

42. Yama - The Practice of Satya (2)

To practice these ten factors (yamas and niyamas) skillfully together leads to skill in life.

43. Yama - The Practice of Asteya

By mastering non-taking, all of the precious stones in life present themselves naturally. When we want to take something, we should rather ask ourself how much we can give. Giving rather than taking gies us in return unimaginable positive fruits. When we are not desiring but rather giving towards in (knowledge, love, etc.), all limitations of receiving are taken away because we have taken away all limitations to giving.

44. Yama - The Practice of Brahmacharya (1)

‘Brahma’ means force and ‘charya’ means the way of and so there are two levels of brahmacharya that we can practice. The first level is celibacy which is the external/physical part. It is the practice of not having sexual relationships with anybody, including ourself and the storage and transformation of that sexual energy into a higher type in order to accomplish whatever we want. Releasing sexual energy makes us have less energy to accomplish our tasks in the day-to-day and increases the time that it will take to accomplish it. We store this energy in the prana body as ‘ojas shakti’ (highest energy) that then, from muladhara, fuels all the other chakras through kundalini.

45. Yama - The Practice of Brahmacharya (2)

Objects do not exist in the way that we see them since we have created the visual perception of what we see in the world through our sense organs and mind. Then, if we have mentally created this person in front of us, woman or man, then he is our ‘mind son’ which would make it incestuous to have sex with our child. It is the same with our emotions, all emotions, positive and negative are created in the mind and so not liking some emotions is like not liking or accepting our own child. ‘Ojas shakti’ gives ‘vidya’ which is great courage, perseverance and fortitude, which depends on the preservation of sexuality and with this, no obstacle can stand in our path.

46. Yama - The Practice of Aparigraha (1)

When we stabilize our out-going possessiveness, anything that attracts us through our senses and memories and the idea that possessing something will bring us happiness, then we start getting knowledge from our past lives and complete inner understanding and seeing.

47. Yama - The Practice of Aparigraha (2)

What we find beautiful and attractive and what we desire comes from past lives. When we are so close to these desires, we cannot see but it is only when taking a step back from these attachments that allows us to see that they all come from deep sense impressions from past lives.

48. Niyama - The Practice of Saucha

With cleanliness comes detachment from one’s own body and mind. The body can never be pure and so one can never love the body as if it’s completely pure which leads us to always seeing the body as something that is limited. In the same, hygiene of the mind and mental processes can never be completely pure, creating distance from our own mind and its impurity.

49. Niyama - The Fruit of Saucha

There are five fruits to saucha. The first is ‘sattvashuddhi’ which is the purification of all that is not yet clear/pure to its clearest state. The body, mind and memories are all brought from their state of impurity into their highest level of impurity which leads to the disappearance of cognitive fallacies. The second is ‘saumanasyai’ which is attaining ‘a beautiful mind’, the balance of the mind and inner satisfaction of losing the previously mentioned burdens. The third is ‘ekagrata’ which is the one-pointedness of the mind or the complete absorption into what it is doing. The fourth is ‘indrayajaya’ described as the victory over the senses, seeing that everything that the senses perceive as beautiful brings us closer to the essence (soul) of the thing.

50. Niyama - The Practice of Santosha

‘Santosha’ is the contentment and satisfaction within ourself, where every moment becomes beautiful, unique and incomparable. To achieve this, we need to understand that pleasure or happiness acquired from an object is ephemeral and limited to that object.

51. Niyama - The Practice of Tapas

Fire intensity is that which makes the body and the senses perfect and reduces the impurities (cognitive) which allows us to reach peak homeostasis. Tapas/intensity must be brought into everything we do. The secret to achieving this intensity is detachment, being fully detached from the distracting thoughts and emotions and not letting other moments into this moment. Fiery detachment leads to fiery intensity.

52. Niyama - The Practice of Svadhyaya

Studying the self by the self leads to communion with the deity of choice. When we are in communion with our own self, then we are in oneness with ourself as divinity. The divinity that was initially projected out of that absolute consciousness is the nature of our soul.

53. Niyama - The Practice of Ishvarapranidhana

We should deposit our life-force onto God for the sake of Samadhi. Once soul realization has happened, the next step is its dissolution which can only happen if it decides to let go of itself. By doing this, the mind itself dissolves from the soul mind into the mind of absolute consciousness/samadhi.

54. Asana - The Third Limb

‘Asana’ means foundation where the body acts as a foundation for reaching the objectives of yoga faster. The external asana is the physical posture done in order to keep the energy parts/nadis of the body working well. The senses and the mind are sitting on the seat of the body, if the seat is not stable or strong, the senses and the mind aren’t going to be stable and strong. Internal asanas are for the mind and the senses where the body needs to be still and stillness can only be achieved through movement. If we want to train the senses, we have to still the body. To train the mind, still the senses and to go to higher consciousness, still the mind.

55. How to Practice Asanas ?

Asanas need to be practiced again and again until it is effortless and we have an experience of touching the infinite. From touching with infinity through asanas, to the sensing of the infinity, to being infinite.

56. The Fruit of Successful Asana Practice

Upon the achievement of the levels of asanas, stops arising the dualities. One is no longer affected by the opposites ie. hot and cold, pain and pleasure, gain and loss, death and life, etc. Going beyond all of these opposites experientially from the they correspond to (physically, emotionally, sensorial cognitive, etc.) balances and cancels these opposites and brings everything into neutrality, reaching zero point. We learn and progress by not seeing opposites but by only seeing constant progress.

57. Pranayama - The Fourth Limb

Established in the mind that is following the yamas and niyamas and the beautiful mind established in the asanas, the psychosomatic being of yourself can now practice the interruption of the flow of inhale and exhale, called pranayama and known as the control or expansion of prana. The practice of pranayama is divided into three steps, either the sensitization/ awareness of prana, the control of prana and finally, the amplification of prana.

58. The Three Types of Pranayama

There are nine ways of pranayama. First, is ‘bahya’ or external retention. Second, is ‘abhyantra’ or internal retention. Third, is ‘stambha’ or still. Fourth, is ‘vrittihhi’ or moving. Fifth, is ‘desha’ which means place and talks about the place in the body that the breath is located. Sixth, is ‘kala’ which means time and talks about the duration for each inhale, exhale and retention. Seventh, is ‘samkhya’ which means number and talks about how many times we do each inhale/exhale set. Eighth, is ‘deergha’ or prolonged breathing. And ninth, is ‘sookshma’ which means subtle and talks about the practice of not breathing air but rather breathing prana.

59. The Fourth Pranayama

The first three pranayamas are inhalation, exhalation and holding and the fourth pranayama is the automatic holding of the breath which is often done unconsciously when any intense emotion which absorbs the mind completely occurs. As we increase our retention, we increase our life expectancy, our metabolic rate is affected and cellular degeneration is slowed down.

60. The Fruit of Successful Pranayama Practice

The ultimate goal of pranayama is achieving ‘kevala kumbhaka’. Upon this achievement, the obstruction upon the Light dies away. We are the Light, it is our true self that is obstructed by the idea of ‘I’ as the body, the senses, the mind, the memory, etc. With kevala kumbhaka, the mind gets absorbed in the light of the true self.

61. Preparation for Dharana

When we see our true self, at that time, the mind which is established in the true self is eligible for dharana. Once we know that we exist, the practice of kevala kumbhaka allows us to change everything that gives us individual character into anything we want

62. Pratyahara - The Fifth Limb

Pratyahara is the bridge between the internal and the external. After pranayama, there is no more external, there are no more objects connected anymore to the idea of self, we experience the self as pure consciousness only. It is the withdrawal of the senses into where they come from (consciousness) and bringing them into one synesthesia.

63. Mastery over the Senses

Pratyahara is the victory over the senses. Usually, we don’t control what we hear, how we interpret things, how it makes us feel, etc. But now, we can hear the sound in its multiple subtle levels and our response to it is not connected to memory anymore but rather connected to the unique moment. These levels of perception and cognition are all merged together to form one common sensory experience where the senses are coming in unfiltered leading us to experience pure perception.