Christians or Hindus?
Q: Are you Saint Thomas Christians or Hindus? To us they are the same thing. Jesus lived in India from the age of fourteen until he returned to Israel when he was thirty. There he taught the dharma he had learned in India and incurred … Continue reading
How to Develop Sattwa Guna
Q: Can you please guide me as to how to increase the predominance of sattwa guna so as to move steadily in the path of devotion while continence is being practiced? Two things are necessary to help the sadhaka increase in sattwa, and both are … Continue reading
Is Exoteric Religion Necessary?
Q: Is an exoteric religious tradition necessary? Though it may not be easy to see how or why, everything in this world is necessary and has a purpose. There are two classes of human beings: those that are mostly aware of external existence and therefore … Continue reading
How and Why to Purify the Memory
Q: What are the indications of purification of memory in the context of the Nerve of Memory? In the Sri Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita (English version: The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna) we find the most authoritative teaching about both the nerve (nadi) and its indications. On … Continue reading
Why Are People Born with Psychic Abilities?
Sutra 19 of Book One of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali 19. Of those who are Videhas and Prakrtilayas birth is the cause. Patanjali is now discussing those people who from birth are seen to possess marked psychic faculties and psychic powers–even to a miraculous degree. Such … Continue reading
Patanjali’s Two Types of Samadhi
Sutras 17 and 18 of Book One of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali 17. Samprajñata Samadhi is that which is accompanied by reasoning, reflection, bliss and sense of pure being. Samprajñata samadhi, also known as savikalpa samadhi, is defined by A Brief Sanskrit Glossary as: “State of … Continue reading