Sadhnaa & Siddhis

[Guest guest]

Siddhi means Perfection. As vijay told even

walking on 2 legs instead of four is also a siddhi. A

circus boy walking on rope is also a Siddha. But in

Sadhnaa we have different meaning of siddhis. In the

present state of mind and body, we are limited in our

deeds and powers. When one develops into higher realms

of sadhnaa, one’s mind is attached to Universal

mind, and prana with the Universal Prana. This Yoga

(Union) gives certain additional powers to the Sadhakaa

and is called Siddhi. There are mainly Four type of

siddhis<br><br>1 - Param Siddhi<br>2 - Maha siddhi<br>3- Gaun

siddhi<br>4- Kshudra siddhi<br><br> These siddhis are gained

by Meditation, Mantra Japa, Chemicals, and by Yoga.

Siddhis can also be attained by Shakti paat (sudden

awakening of kundalini) about which we will separately

discuss. Now let us see what these siddhis are.

[Guest guest]

PARAM SIDDHI: There are three types of Ananda

(enjoyments). Indriyagamya Ananda - an enjoyment which is felt

by 5 organs. This type of Ananda is for

Animals.<br>Manogamya Ananda : This enjoyment is felt by Mind…and any

enjoyment felt by organs is transmitted to mind too. This

Ananda is for human beings<br><br>Buddhigamya Ananda:

Ananda felt by intellegence. This Ananda is enjoyed by

Devas (gods).<br><br> There is another ananda, which is

beyond these 3 Anandas which is called Param ananda

(extreme bliss). This type of Ananda is for Great saints

and higher gods.<br><br>Any Ananda received from any

siddhi is perishable hence all other siddhis are

perishable too. These siddhis are not for those whose aim is

Mokshaa.<br><br> This siddhi is gained when one is perfect in

samadhi. From savikalpa Samadhi this Parma Ananda starts

pouring in and in Nirvikalpa samadhi, one is completely

in the Bliss.<br><br> siddhis are normally taken as

hinderances in one’s way. In a way this true, a siddhi will

become useless and hinderance if it is not used to

promote one’s consciousness. Moreover if siddhi is used

to harm others, a sadhaka may fall down from his

path and may even take birth as animal to compensate

for the harm.<br><br> siddhis are granted by the

Universal System to us, to help us understand the Tantraa

of Universe well and find a way beyond it.<br><br>

When one gets a siddhi, it should neither be used for

any material gains nor to further the ego. It has to

be kept secret and if one tells about one’s siddhi,

to show his proud, the siddhi leaves the person and

has to be regained with double efforts.<br><br> All

types of siddhis are a way to get Param Siddhi which is

the final and last siddhi for a sadhaka.<br><br>

Patanjal Yoga pradeep has a detailed mention of these

siddhis and the way to get them. But Sage Pantajali tells

in the end<br><br> Tey smadhavup sarga vyutathhaney

sidhayaa….. These six siddhis are a hinderance for those who

are on the higher state of mind.<br><br> On the path

of sadhna It is sure and certain, that one or the

other siddhi will be gained by us. Siddhis are a sort

of meter which tells us where we stand in sadhna. So

instead of ignoring siddhis and avoiding them, we should

recognise the siddhi being gained by us and use it for

noble purpose of going to higher planes of

consciousness….that is Param Siddhi. <br><br> So dear friends, see

carefully if you have any of above siddhis in you, and find

out how you can utilise that siddhi to gain higher

grounds.<br><br> Any body may like to add something??<br><br>Hari

Aum

[Guest guest]

Blessed Self, silentsoul<br><br>Thanks for your

thumbnail descriptions of the various

siddhis.<br><br>Siddhis are indeed signposts along our spiritual journey.

But they are signposts that should be noted and then

ignored as one continues to move past all the content of

the mind, which includes these siddhis.<br><br>It is

just too dangerous to focus on the siddhis even for

the purpose of " going to higher planes of

consciousness". History is littered with the reputations of

spiritually advanced people who have succumbed to the lure of

the siddhis and so had their egos re-engaged with the

result that they become corrupted and deviate from the

spiritual path, often taking many disciples with them into

a march back into ego-gratification in the world of

Maya.<br><br>It is wiser to keep moving forward past all content

of the mind. <br><br>As Patanjali says (Raja Yoga

Sutras 4.29), "For one who has given up even the desire

for the highest state of awareness, and who exercises

discrimination, Dharma-Megha-Samadhi comes [and burns the seeds

of all past samskaras, bringing full

liberation]"<br><br>And (RYS 4.30) "From that follows freedom from all

miseries and karma."<br><br>It would be only the

strongest, most advanced practitioner who could utilize the

siddhis in a positive way and then only under the

guidance of a Fully-Realized Guru. There are few of either

of these about. The rest of us should be content to

ignore the siddhis and move more slowly and without a

sense of agency, letting the processes of meditation do

their job, unhampered by our ego's desires, of first

neutralizing karmic obstacles in the various chakras before

raising kundalini.<br><br>Then the road to enlightenment

will be less dangerous and more rewarding.<br><br>Om

namah Sivaya<br><br>omprem

[Guest guest]

Thanks Omprem ji for the feed-back. Often people

do not really appreciate siddhis and are often

afraid of siddhaas.<br><br> Yes there are many who do

sadhna only to gain siddhis, but those who are on the

path of Moksha also get siddhis (often without wanting

them) and most of them are allured out of the right

path and are "Fallen"<br><br> Will you kindly explain,

if siddhis are a necessary "Evil" (if we say such

abt them) on the path of sadhnaa? Why has God created

siddhis in the first place...certainly not to move people

away from him. <br><br> What exactly is the purpose of

the siddhi and how it should be utilised in positive

way, by a person who attains siddhis<br><br>Hari Aum

[Guest guest]

Blessed Self, silentsoul<br><br>I forgot about

the most important use of siddhis that a guru has at

his or her disposal--the gift of saktipat, direct

transmission of the power of the mantra during mantra

initiation to open the sushumna of the aspirant, create

kundalini and move that kundalini through the chakras of

the aspirant to the degree that the aspirant can

tolerate it. <br><br>The guru's presence overrides both

karmic obstacles and the locking mechanism of the mantra

itself and imbeds the sakti of the mantra in the

aspirant so that the aspirant always has something

specific to tune to in future meditations.<br><br>I have

experienced this from Swami Vishnu Devananda and can assure

you that it is one of the most powerful experiences

the initiate has ever experienced. The knowledge that

the power of the mantra is embedded in the

subconscious and in the prannic body is a constant reminder of

the necessity of meditation and of the necessity of

the guru.<br><br>omprem

[Guest guest]

Respected Omprem jee<br><br> thanks for bringing

out this imporatant aspect of Shaktipaat which had

long been haunting my being.<br><br> could you kindly

post something on this beginning from introduction to

shaktipaat for those who are unaware of this

term.<br><br>Hari Aum

[Guest guest]

Blessed Self, silentsoul<br><br>I thought that I

had given a reasonable thumbnail description of

saktipat. But what is it that you want me to

add?<br><br>More importantly, could you tell us why and how

saktipat has been 'haunting your being'? Did you receive

saktipat from your guru? If so, you are as capable of I am

to speak about it. We would all like to hear of that

experience.<br><br>Hari Om Tat Sat<br><br>omprem

[Guest guest]

A few more thoughts on Siddhis in

Sadhana.<br><br>As is probably well known by all, a focus on the

conscious development of siddhis (psychic and spiritual

powers) is not encouraged by our tradition. In fact

authors of many of the translations of Patanjali’s yoga

sutras, (and other such texts) acknowledge that many

stanzas from the original are left out. There is a

well-known story which tells about the disciple who comes

back to his Guru saying he has spent the last 10 years

learning how to walk on water. Upon hearing it the Guru

says, "why did you waste so many years on learning that

when you could have taken the ferry?"!!! <br><br>At

the same time Siddhis are a natural by-product of

yoga, no matter which path of yoga one chooses. As

one’s charkas open up through the cleansing processes

of one's path, the True Selves begin to open which

is potentially capable of Divine “miracles”. And as

Ompremji pointed out, history is filled with cases of

sadhaks who went astray and ‘fell’ because siddhis became

the goal of sadhana instead of a tool. I am reminded

of an analogy given by a Christian healer of

early/mid 20 th century named Edgar Cayce. He says,

visualize your journey moving upwards as in an elevator,

and remember the door will stop at several floors.

Each floor will have lots of attractions, some very

alluring. Be careful not to get off. Make sure you keep

moving upwards towards the ultimate goal of realizing

your Highest Self. <br><br>To the common eye, Siddhis

are grand miracles leading to much grandiose honoring

or flattering of the individual possessing the

abilities. The “miracles”, and not the realization of the

Self, becomes the subject of adoration. In fact, to the

everyday practitioner, it becomes milestones to reach and

look for. To advanced sadhaks who understand the total

picture, these are achievements one can respect and honor,

even with awe, without getting carried away. In fact,

for this very reason, Truly Realized gurus, do not

discuss or display their siddhi powers at all. They have

no NEED to demonstrate anything at all. And we have

many, many of them who go unannounced. In fact there

are as many stories of Gurus turning people away if

they sense their visitors are have come to satisfy

idle curiosity.<br><br>There is however another side

to this. Are the Siddhis truly yardsticks of one’s

growth? The dilemma is here. How are sadhaks to gauge

their progress? When they make siddhis their goals,

they run the risk of 1. Losing track of their real

goal, or 2. Their ego takes over and they get lost in

self- aggrandizement. Or, on the other hand, if they

don't achieve the 'results' they become disillusioned,

and lose faith in the process. Moreover, in our age

of antibiotics, we are subliminaly programmed to

expect returns, and that too quickly. If one pill

doesn't work try another! But then again, without some

yardstick, how do they know they are progressing? As humans

using the power of discernment, perhaps one needs to

know.<br><br>My personal understanding, both with my experience

and directly learning from my teachers, is that while

siddhis are a natural part of one’s sadhna, it is not a

sufficient condition to be called a self-realized person.

That is, walking on water or fire isn’t enough.

Milestones, and yardsticks of growth and success can be

measured just as well in terms of the centeredness one

feels within ourselves, the activities that we attract

to ourselves, and how we handle our karmic baggages.

In general, actions based on strong groundedness in

the Self, in the face of “unstable” or transient

everyday experiences is a better yardstick of progress

than whether we can walk on water or not. <br><br>I

look forward to your thoughts!<br><br>_/\_ Tat twam

asi<br><br>Uma

[Guest guest]

Blessed Self, silentsoul<br><br>My post number

2500 gives a reasonable definition of

saktipat.<br><br>But I offer an account of my own experience of

saktipat with my guru, Swami Vishnu Devananda. This

account was written about 6 years ago as part of a

chapter on mantra initiation in a collaborative book to

celebrate the life and mahasamadhi of Swami

Vishnu:<br><br>Saktipat and Swami Vishnu<br><br>One summer at the Yoga

Camp in Val Morin I decided to ask Swami Vishnu about

a mantra I was using. A few years before I had been

involved with another guru, but I broke with him. While I

was now fully committed to Swamiji and the Sivananda

Yoga Organization, I was still using the mantra given

to me by my first teacher.<br><br>Swamiji suggested

that I choose a new mantra. After pondering a number

of mantras, I narrowed the choice down to two. Being

unable to decide further I approched Swamiji. He asked a

few questions and, because I was a yoga teacher,

Swamiji said that I should use one of the two and that he

would initiate me into the mantra.<br><br>At the

appointed time, I was ushered into Swamji’s house and taken

to Swamiji’s own meditation room. What a surprise

and an honour! I entered and offered Swamiji the

flowers and fruit that I had brought. He told me I

shouldn’t give these gifts to him but rather I should offer

them to God and Swami Sivananda. I was struck by the

difference between Swamiji who wanted nothing, not even the

symbolic fruits and flowers and my first spiritual teacher

who insisted on receiving $350 for mantra

initiation.<br><br>I placed the offerings on the altar and sat in

front of Swamiji. What happened is truly indescribable.

my body dissolved. My mind seemed to expand

infinitely. My consciousness changed and instead of being

aware of forms and colours, I became aware of pure

knowledge. The knowledge did not accumulate as in daily

living. It was simply there, presented to me whole and

resplendent.<br><br>To the casual outside observer, all that would have

been apparent was Swamiji repeating the mantra, then

asking me to repeat the mantra, at first with him and

then by myself. This did occur, but what really

happened was that Swamiji used his power to take my mind

and energy, lift and shape them, and elevate them to

the highest degree possible. I was introduced to and

submerged in the full power of the mantra and had the power

instilled in my psyche. This was a truly transcendental

experience and one that I had been seeking.<br><br>Then

Swamiji released his power and my vision began to fade

because I didn’t have the ability to maintain that realm

of Truth. I felt a twinge of regret that the

experience was fading and for a moment thought that I was

losing it. Then I realized that I had lost nothing. What

Swamiji had done was to activate the power of the mantra

in me. My job was to repeat the mantra enough so

that my mind would return to that state and access the

power of the mantra directly, this time through my own

efforts.<br><br>Swamiji had initiated me into the power and mystery of

the mantra. He had given me the tools and confidence

to access that power and mystery directly. He had

also given me faith. Through this initiation, Swamijio

had demonstrated to me the literal truth of the

Vedantic teachings. There were no more doubts.<br><br>Jaya

Guru<br><br>omprem