Integrating Ancient Wisdom in Modern Life: Mystical Power
- With sixth limb Dharana Vibhooti Pada starts. Chapter I is on knowledge, information and Chapter II is techniques, practicality and Chapter III is on fruits. Fruits of both mystical power and Truth. With the knowledge and practicality the individual has become mature for selection.
- Vibhooti means sacred ash, mystical power and ultimate truth. Sacred ash means to burn Me, Mine and Not-Mine. No experience as such is spiritual; all experiences are mind games. Beware of it. Whatever can be seen will be part of the illusory world. The seer is the truth, not the seen. For the ultimate truth, everything has to be sacrificed, all so-called spiritual experiences, esoteric knowledge, miracles. Everything has to be dropped. One has to come to the ultimate experience – which is not an experience…. The seer is the witness, and only the witness is the truth.
- The right perspective towards self and life around us is the gift of Yama and Niyama to humanity. Stillness and health of the body is a gift of Asana. The fluctuating mind and loss of energy can be conserved by the practice of Pranayama. Pratyahara is the practice of purifying the senses so that the mind can be focused and the senses guided through our consciousness.
- Patanjali has divided yoga into eight parts. His division is clear-cut, very scientific. Starting from the very physical body and going through the mind and ultimately to the being, the very presence, known as Samadhi. Through the first four limbs, one learns to develop one’s world of personality and senses. Pratyahara is that state of the individual mind where the movement of memory and the movement of the senses cease and it creates awareness of your true self and helps prepare you for the deeper, inner journey of the next three limbs.
- Many mystical powers can be gained by the practice of Vibhooti Pada. But that is not the destination. They are by-products and obstacles in the path of self-realisation. Self-realisation happens only when all the experience disappears and one is left alone, nothing else. Then you turn upon yourself, then you fall into your source. One can move towards the destination with the understanding that everything is temporary except inner strength and inner wisdom. This understanding will not allow you to glamorise towards mystical powers but help you to focus on self-realisation.
- By shrinking the five senses inwardly, Pratyahara will help us to reduce the number of thoughts to the essential few. Dharana will help us to let go of essential thoughts by concentrating on one object.
- Dharana is concentrating on one object. After mastering this, one can proceed to one-point meditation, which is called Dhyana. By mastering singlepoint meditation one can realise no-self and witnessing outer object and inner empty space simultaneously is called Samadhi.
