man from glimpsing the seabed, or
vision of his spiritual heritage. These waves could not be
controlled through will power alone. In kriya yoga, external
respiration was turned inward, which gradually and automatically
stilled all the waves, making the mind controlled and constant.
Freedom
from earthly bondage requires effort and dedication of the
first degree. The original kriya yoga is no 'quick fix', and
Patanjali's eight steps of yoga, briefly explained, should
lend the concept 'yoga meditation' a realistic perspective
once more. Each of these eight steps have to be mastered in
turn, and as the practitioner who has been given the original
method of kriya yoga will appreciate, none may be omitted.
The first step is yama, which leads
to the cultivation of qualities such as truth, non-violence,
non-stealing, restraint of the senses, forgiveness and so
on. The second is niyama, known as 'rule', and is composed
of - internal and external purity. The third step is asana,
which implies that a firm seat is required while practicing
so that the body cannot disturb the necessary pointed concentration
of the mind. The fourth is pranayama, which far from simply
meaning breathing exercises implies a practice culminating
in the actual cessation of breath. The fifth step is pratyahara
or 'inwardness', in which the mind is drawn inward to kutastha,
having been freed from the senses. The sixth step is dharana,
known as the 'glimpse of tranquility'. This means that although
the practitioner is accustomed to seeing kutastha, the mind
is still inclined to wander and has to be brought back to
that point. Samadhi is the eighth and final step of yoga.
When dhyana, or true meditation, is perfected-in other words,
the practitioner can stay in unbroken concentration in kutastha
for at least three consecutive hours-the practitioner attains
the level of consciousness known as samadhi. |
