Spiritual text 5

Mysteries of the soul week 5: controlling the five states of mind

Spiritual text: The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali 1:2-16

 

This union (or yoga) is achieved through the subjugation of the psychic nature, and the restraint of the chitta (or mind).

When this has been accomplished, the yogi knows himself as he is in reality.

Up till now the inner man has identified himself with his forms and with their active modifications.

The mind states are five, and are subject to pleasure or pain; they are painful or not painful.

These modifications (activities) are correct knowledge, incorrect knowledge, fancy, passivity (sleep) and memory.

The basis of correct knowledge is correct perception, correct deduction, and correct witness (or accurate evidence).

Incorrect knowledge is based upon perception of the form and not upon the state of being.

Fancy rests upon images which have no real existence. Passivity (sleep) is based upon the quiescent state of the vrittis (or upon the non-perception of  the senses.)

Memory is the holding on to that which has been known.

The control of these modifications of the internal organ, the mind, is to be brought about through tireless endeavour and through non-attachment.

Tireless endeavour is the constant effort to restrain the modifications of the mind.

When the object to be gained is sufficiently valued, and the efforts towards its attainment are persistently followed without intermission, then the steadiness of the mind (restraint of the vrittis) is secured.

Non-attachment is freedom from longing for all objects of desire, either earthly or traditional, either here or hereafter. The consummation of this non-attachment results in an exact knowledge of the spiritual man when liberated from the qualities or gunas.