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The Yoga Sutras Patanjali

Absorption Passage

Introduction

Now yoga furthers instruction. Yoga is mind fluctuations mastery. When mind fluctuations are mastered the seer's nature is steady. If mind fluctuations are not mastered, then the seer's nature fluctuates with forms.

Fluctuations

The fluctuations are five, and harmful or harmless. They are right knowledge, misperception, imagination, sleep, and memory. Direct perception, reasoning, and legitimate testimony are right knowledge. Misperception is false knowledge, not established in the form being perceived. Speakable knowledge following from an unreal object is imagination. Absence of support for cognition is the fluctuation sleep. Experienced objects not lost is memory.

Renunciation

That is mastered through renunciative practice. There with steady effort practice. The base of yoga becomes stable after practicing renunciation with devotion for a long time. Seeing and hearing objects without desire and with consciousness of control is renunciation. Discernment of the modes of nature frees the supreme Consciousness from desire.

Object Absorption

Forms of coarse thought, subtle thought, joy, and sense of separate self accompany object absorption. The practice of stopping cognition precedes the other kind of practice that works with subliminal impressions. Born into the world is the cognition of those who leave their bodies and merge with nature. For other people, faith, energy, memory, and knowledge about absorption come first. Absorption is near and happens more quickly for those with enthusiasm. It also makes a difference whether a person's effort is mildly, moderately, or exceedingly intense. Or a person can just be devoted to God.

God

The accumulated results of harmful actions do not affect the special Consciousness that God is. That absolutely clear Consciousness contains the seed of omniscience. Being unlimited by time, God was also the ancients' teacher. The word OM signifies God. That mantra, that meaning contemplate. From then on, inward consciousness is understood and obstacles are removed as well.

Obstructions

Physical illness, mental lethargy, indecision, careless error, laziness, craving, false perception, mental distraction, not progressing, and backsliding are obstacles. Pain, sadness, bodily shakiness, and irregular breathing accompany the obstacles.

Remedies

Practice one reality in order to prevent those. Reflect regularly on friendliness, compassion, cheerfulness, non-judgment, happiness, pain, virtue, and non-virtue to calm the mind. Or gently exhale and control vital energy. Or sensing subtle fluctuations, complete steadiness of mind manifests. Or be aware of the Light that is free from suffering. Or be conscious while renouncing sense objects. Or consider the knowledge from dreaming sleep as the object of concentration. Or simply meditate on what is agreeable to you. This mastery extends from the infinitesimal to the infinite.

With-Seed Absorption

When fluctuations are weakened and as clear as crystal, the knower, knowing, and knowledge stay in that-colored absorption. In that kind of absorption, sound, meaning, knowledge, and imagination are interspersed with coarse thoughts. Without coarse thoughts, after memory is purified and emptied of its own form, only the object of concentration is illuminated. It is the same for subtle thoughts, because without subtle thoughts, the subtle nature of objects becomes clear. And objects at the subtlest source of nature end. These are the only with-seed absorptions.

Seedless Absorption

Without subtle thoughts, clarity and higher Self purity arise. Knowledge is filled with Truth when there is higher Self purity. Testimony and reasoning, from those kinds of knowledge, different objects and particular purposes come about. That makes impressions, of other impressions the obstructions. That also mastered with all else, through mastery there is seedless absorption.