Thursday, December 10, 2009

Lessons from samadhi pada

The first chapter of yoga sutras, samadhi pada, was completed in yoga class yesterday. There is the question of what is it that one has learnt from it. Not just words and definitions but what one has truly learnt.

This chapter talks about the highest state of human consciousness called samadhi and the siddhis (special powers) that a person at this state obtains. Of course the special powers do not mean super-human powers like the ones Neo had in the movie Matrix :P. One of the siddhis is about being able to see the truth with utter clarity and reside in that state permanently.

Sutra 48 in Chapter 1 says:

ṛtambharā tatra prajňā
The wisdom in that state is filled with clarity and is unerring


What this implies to me is that my normal state of living does not possess truth and clarity to such a high degree. This does motivate me to find out what is so wrong with the normal state of living and makes one inquire into ones life. This is the biggest lesson from the first chapter of yoga sutras for me.

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