Is Meditation Dumbo’s Magic Feather?
Q: Will meditation alone improve ones moral sensibility? Will one naturally move toward the good as one meditates? If meditation alone would improve one’s moral sense or automatically move us toward the good, Patanjali would not have outlined the ten principles of yama and niyama … Continue reading
When the Mind and the Self Are One
Q: What is “chitta”? What is the meaning of “when the mind and Self are one”? A Brief Sanskrit Glossary defines chitta in this way: “The subtle energy that is the substance of the mind, and therefore the mind itself; mind in all its aspects; … Continue reading
Can Women Attain Liberation?
Anandamayi Ma Even today in India there are people who believe that there is no need for a woman to engage in meditation because it is impossible for a woman to attain liberation. My friend, Saguna Hejmadi (a cousin of Papa Ramdas of Anandashram), was … Continue reading
The Perfect Tranquility of Lahiri Mahasaya
“The Vedas are such that their scope is confined to the three gunas; be free from those three gunas, indifferent toward the pairs of opposites, permanently fixed in reality, free from thoughts of acquisition and possessiveness, and possessed of the Self.” (Bhagavad Gita 2:45). “Permanently … Continue reading
What Happens to the Yogi in Samadhi?
Sutras 40 through 46 of Book One of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali Sutra 1:40. His mastery extends from the finest atom to the greatest infinity. This is not as big a leap as it seems, for it does not mean that after the preceding steps the … Continue reading
Seven Ways to Purify the Mind, Part 2
Sutras 36 through 39 of Book One of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali Sutra 1:36. Also (through) serene [vishoka] or luminous [jyotishmati] (states experienced within). Vishoka means “blissful; serene; free of grief, suffering or sorrow.” Jyotishmati means “effulgence; full of light.” Inner experience of a higher … Continue reading