HOW TO REMOVE OBSTACLES AND FINDING TRUTH (SAMADHI PADA)

 

                

                          HOW TO FINDING THE TRUTH 

                                    OF OUR LIFE

                   THE PRACTICE OF TECHNIQUE LIKE CHANTING OF AUM REMOVES OBSTACLES, ONE BY ONE, AND THE MIND ATTAINS  TRANQUILLITY. AS A RESULT, THE INNER SOURCE OF UNIVERSAL POWER AND ALMOST INFINITE ENERGY IS MANIFESTED.

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                       VYADHI-STYANA-SAM'SAYA-ALASYA-AVIRATI-BHRANTI-

                       DHARSANA-ALABDHA-BHUMIKA-ANAVASTHIRATVAM CITTA-

                      VIKSEPAS TE'NTTERAYAH

                  THESE OBSTACLES AND DISTRACTIONS ARE SICKNESS, DULLNESS, DOUBT, CARELESSNESS, LAZINESS, SOME ADDICTIONS, FALSE VIEWS, NON-ATTAINMENT OF A SPIRITUAL STAGE AND INSTABILITY.

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                       DUHKHA-DAURMANASYANGAM-EJAYATVA-SVASA-PRAVASA

                       VIKSEPA-SAHABHUVAH

                   A DISSATISFIED, DESPAIRING BODY AND UNSTEADY INHALATION AND EXHALATION ACCOMPANY AND DISTRACTIONS.

                      WHAT IS TO BE SPEACIALLY NOTED IS THAT ACCORDING TO PATANJALI, A DESPAIRING AND DISSATISFIED PERSON'S INHALATION AND EXHALATION ARE UNSTEADY. IN ORDER TO COUNTERACT THE DISSATISFACTION AND DESPAIR, THE PRACTICE ARE LISTED ONE AFTER ANOTHER.

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                     TAT-PRATISEDHARTHAM EKA-TATTVABHYASAI

                   

         FOR THE PURPOSE OF  COUNTERACTING THEM, THERE IS THE PRACTICE OF SINGLE-POINTEDNESS.

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                   MAITRI-KARUNA-MUDITOPESANAM SUKHA-DUHKHA-

                   PUNIYAPUNYA-VISAYANAM BHAVANATAS CITTA 

                   PRASADANAM

                      PURIFICATION OF THE M IND CAN BE BROUGHT ABOUT BY CULTIVATION OF FRIENDLINESS, COMPASSION, HAPPINESS AND EQUANIMITY (NOT ONLY IN CONDITIONS OF PLEASURE BUT EVEN IN CONDITIONS OF DISSATISFACTION) RECOGNITION AND NON-RECOGNITION OF MERIT.

                     THE KEY TENETS OF THE SCIENCE 

                            OF PATANJALI'S YOGA ARE

               ❤   1. THAT THE BODY AND  MIND INFLUENCE EACH OTHER MUTUALLY. THE DIFFERENT POSTURES CALLED ASANAS (EXPLAINED IN THE NEXT CHAPTER) INFLUENCE THE MIND BY ENSURING A HEALTHY BODY. AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, THEY REGULATE THE FUNCTIONING OF THE ENDOCRINE GLANDS THAT SECRETE SEROTONIN, DOPAMINE AND OTHER NEUTRANSMITTERS THAT GREATLY INFLUENCE OUR MOODS AND CONTRIBUTE TO THE FEEL-GOOD FACTOR.

               ❤  2.  THAT THE MIND WHEN FREE OF DISTRACTIONS AND IMPURITIES EXPERIENCES PURE, UNMODIFIED CONSCIOUSNESS CALLED THE PURUSHA, WHICH IS SUPRA-BLISSFUL AND BEYON ALL CONDITIONING.

              ❤   3.  THAT BY CONSCIOUSLY CULTIVATING FRIENDLINESS, COMPASSION AND EQUANIMITY, THE MIND BECOMES TRANQUIL IN THE MIDST OF ALL CIRCUMSTANCES. HERE, FRIENDLINESS AND COMPASSION ARE NOT MORAL PRECEPTS, BUT ACTIVE PRACTICAL  METHODS BY WHICH THE MIND TURNS TRANQUIL.

                  ONE'S BEHAVIOUR IN DAY-TO-DAY LIFE IS, THEREFORE, SELF-MONITORED AND ADAPTED TO BRING ABOUT INNER CHANGE. THIS CAN BE DEFINED AS OUTER AND INNER MINDFULNESS. YOGA RESTS ON THE PRINCIPLE THAT AS BOTH ARE INTER-RELATED, THEY ARE EFFECTIVE PRACTICAL TECHNIQUES TO BRING ABOUT A STEP-BY-STEP TRANSFORMATION.

                     HERE IS A PRACTICAL EXAMPLE. STAND BEFORE A MIRROR. OBSERVE THE EXPRESSION ON YOUR FACE. DOES IT LOOK DULL, GAUNT, SAD, ANGRY? WELL, FORCE YOURSELF TO SMILE. THINK OF A FUNNY JOKE OR JUST BRING ABOUT AN ARTIFICIAL EXPRESSION OF SMILING WIDELY OR LAUGHING AT SOMETHING, PERHAPS JUST AT YOUR OWN COMIC FACE. WHEN YOU ARE ACTUALLY HAPPY, THE BRAIN ACTIVATES THE FACIAL MUSCLES TO BRING ABOUT A SMILING OR LAUGHING EXPRESSION.

                IT WORKS BOTH WAYS. WHEN YOU CHANGE YOUR EXPRESSION DELIBERATELY, THE MESSAGE GOES TO THE BRAIN THAT THE FACIAL MUSCLES ARE IN SMILE MODE AND THE BRAIN LINKS IT TO THE PLEASURE OR HAPPINESS CENTRE AND LO! HAPPINESS IS GENERATED AND IS AGAIN TRANSMITTED TO THE FACIAL MUSCLE, AND YOU SMILE GENUINELY.

                THERE ARE OTHER METHODS TO PULL ONE OUT OF MISERABLE, SAD STATES. NOTE SUTRA 31, WHICH EXPLAINS THAT A DESPAIRING AND DISSATISFIED PERSON'S INHALATION AND EXHALATION ARE UNSTEADY.

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                      PRACHCHARDANA-VIDHARANABHYAM VA PRANASYA

                   ONE OF THE METHODS TO RESTORE BALANCE AND TRANQUILITY IS BY EXPLULSION AND RETENTION OF BREATH. PRANAYAMA OR THE COORDINATION OF BREATH WILL BE DISCUSSED IN DETAIL IN THE CHAPTER ON THE EIGHT PARTS OF YOGA. ASHTANGA.

                    A SIMPLE METHOD WHICH CAN BE DISCUSSED HERE IS WHAT IS CALLED THE HAMSA TECHNIQUE.

                  SIT IN A COMFORTABLE POSTURE, ERECT IF POSSIBLE, AND CLOSING YOUR EYES, PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR INHALATION AND EXHALATION WITHOUT ATTEMTPTING TO CONTROL THE RHYTHM IN ANY MANNER. WHEN YOU INHALE, MENTALLY CHANT THE SOUND "HAM" (HUM) AND WHEN YOU EXHALE, CHANT 'SA' . AFTER A WHILE, YOU FEEL LIKE GIVING A DEEP SIGH. THIS IS A SIGN THAT THE MEDITATION IS DEPENTING AND THE MIND IS SLOWLY BUT STEADILY FREEING ITSELF OF DISTRACTIONS AND SETTLING DOWN IN PEACE AND TRANQUILLITY.

                    THE TECHNIQUE IS SIMILAR TO VIPASSANA BREATHING WHERE HAMSA IS NOT CHANTED, BUT IMPORTANCE IS PLACED ON BEING AWARE OF THE BREATHING.