3.1
Concentration is the
unwavering focus of attention on a single object in consciousness.
3.2
Meditation is the
effortless flow of sustained concentration.
3.3
Reflection is when objects
in consciousness are directly experienced as they are, free of mind, with no
degree of separation.
3.4
Concentration, meditation,
reflection. These three constitute samyama – detached awareness.
3.5
Through mastery of samyama, the essence of wisdom is
illuminated.
3.6
It is applied in stages.
3.7
The three aspects of samyama, are more intimate and internal
than are the five self-restraints previously described.
3.8
But even these are
external to the seedless absorption of samadhi.
3.9
Thoughts arise from
no-thought, play out, then vanish. In
the emptiness between thoughts, the mind is capable of self-reflection.
3.10
When thought is absent,
the flow of mind is stilled.
3.11
When mental distractions
disappear, what remains is one-pointed awareness.
3.12
One-pointedness is when
the arising thought and the vanishing thought are the same – with no gap
between.
3.13
In this state, the mind
passes beyond the realm of forms and sense organs – beyond observation of attributes,
ideas of purpose, and perception of apparent change.
3.14
The three properties of
specific forms are: potential characteristics, manifest characteristics, and
the unmanifest source common to all forms.
3.15
The interplay of these
three properties creates the appearance of evolutionary change.
3.16
The practice of samyama on the triple-nature of specific
forms leads to an understanding of past and future manifestations.
3.17
The sound of a word, the
object it denotes, and the thought conjured up by the word are confused by the
ordinary mind as being the same. By
practicing samyama on the distinction
between these, the yogi comes to
understand the meaning of sounds made by all living things.
3.18
By practicing samyama on the flow of thought-images,
knowledge of previous existence arises.
3.19
By practicing samyama on others, knowledge of their
thoughts arises.
3.20
However, the object of
another’s thoughts – being distinct from thought itself – cannot be known by
the practice of samyama.
3.21
By practicing samyama on the essential nature of his
own form, the yogi gains control over
the emanations that make his body visible to others.
3.22
In this way also, he gains
control of the emanations of sound, smell, and substance of his body, and can
thus vanish completely from the senses of others.
3.23
Some actions in life bear
fruit quickly, others ripen late. By
practicing samyama on the karma of his life, a yogi comes to know the exact time it
will end. This can also be known through
signs and omens.
3.24
By practicing samyama on empathy, compassion, and
non-attachment, one gains union with others.
3.25
By practicing samyama on any attribute of an element
or animal – such as the strength of an elephant – that attribute will be
attained.
3.26
By practicing samyama on the inner light, one
perceives the subtle, the hidden, the mysterious and minute.
3.27
By practicing samyama on the sun, one gains knowledge
of the planetary worlds.
3.28
By practicing samyama on the moon, one gains knowledge
of the positions of stars.
3.29
By practicing samyama on the pole star, one gains
knowledge of the movement of stars.
3.30
By practicing samyama on the center point of the body,
one gains knowledge of the systems of the body.
3.31
By practicing samyama on the throat center, one gains
control over thoughts of hunger and thirst.
3.32
By practicing samyama on the “tortoise” nerve duct in
the chest, one becomes immovable.
3.33
By practicing samyama on the radiant center of the
head, one attains visions of perfected beings.
3.34
Also, all these things can
be known without samyama – on the
spontaneous clear light of Realization.
3.35
By practicing samyama on the heart, the working of
one’s mind – and the minds of others – can be known.
3.36
The bondage of experience
results from a failure to discriminate between the highest aspects of personal
identity and the true Self – which are completely different. The spiritual aspect of personal identity is
merely an agent of Self – which is totally independent and exists for its own
sake. Practicing samyama on personal
identity as separate from Self leads to Self-knowledge.
3.37
Through samyama there arises a spontaneous
realization, and the powers of hearing, touch, vision, taste, and smell reach
beyond the sense organs to the realm of extra-sensory intuition.
3.38
They are powers in worldly
experience, but obstacles to samadhi.
3.39
When the bods of sense
experience are loosened and the mode of transference understood, the
consciousness of a yogi can enter
another body.
3.40
By mastering the vital
force that governs the upper chest, the yogi
can rise above water, swamps, thorny paths and the like, and ascend at will.
3.41
By mastering the vital
force the moves the abdomen, the yogi
can emit a blazing radiance.
3.42
Through samyama on the relationship of the ear
to the Void comes divine hearing.
3.43
Through samyama on the relationship of the body
to the Void, comes the lightness of cotton and the ability to move through
space.
3.44
Through samyama on awareness without the body –
the great incorporeal Awareness – the veil that obscures the light dissolves.
3.45
Through samyama on the five aspects of forms –
gross manifestation, elemental nature, subtle characteristics, interplay of the
three gunas, and significance to the
observer – the yogi obtains mastery
over forms.
3.46
Thus he can become the
microcosm and attain all other powers, as well as perfect the body – which is
no longer subject to the laws of form.
3.47
Perfection of the body
includes beauty, grace, strength, and the crystal hardness of a diamond.
3.48
Mastery of the senses
comes through samyama on the
mechanism of perception, on the essential nature of the sense organs, on the
sense of personal identity, on the interplay of the three gunas, and on the experience being created.
3.49
Thus the yogi can move at the speed of thought,
perceive without senses, and transmute matter from one form to another.
3.50
Through samyama on the distinction between the
spiritual component of personal identity and the true Self, one becomes
all-knowing and attains mastery over all things.
3.51
Through indifference to
all these powers, the seeds of bondage and sorrow are destroyed and unity is
attained.
3.52
When divine beings appear
to flatter and invite the yogi to
join them, attachment and pride must be avoided, otherwise he will fall once
more into ignorance.
3.53
Through samyama on the smallest movement of time
and on the succession of moments, one attains the capacity of discernment.
3.54
Thus one can distinguish
between identical objects that cannot be distinguished by species,
characteristics, or position in space.
3.55
Wisdom born of discernment
delivers one from ignorance. It
comprehends all things at once – what has been and what will be – in an eternal
moment without succession.
3.56
When the mind is as clear
and empty as Self, liberation occurs and Unity obtains.