Psychic Powers

[Guest guest]

Raja Yoga by Swami Vivekananda is a commentary on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali,

which contains a presentation regarding the yoga siddhis (powers) and how they

are obtained. A short summary can be found in

http://www.davedavies.com/splanet/raja.htm

 

To obtain the siddhas through the practice of Kundalini Yoga, it's necessary to

practice sanjam as well as tappas and jappa. Sanjam has a balancing effect that

takes you inwards.

 

When the overall body voltage is great enough, the astral body will be free from

the physical limitations and automatically turn towards its ultimate source,

i.e., the magnetic field of the individual unit of consciousness (Atman - the

"subject "I" or seer) aligns with or "impacts" with the magnetic field of the

Infinite (Brahman - the Witness Consciousness, Turya, the screen upon which the

3 states of waking dreaming and deep sleep rotate in succession).

 

The mind needs to become utterly pure, where the tamasic or slothfulness and

animalistic tendencies of the body perceptions merges into the rajasic or the

mind, and the rajasic dissolves into the pure etheric spatial consciousness of

the satvic. The satvic is the pure reflected consciousness of the mind. When

the mind, which like the moon reflects the sun in the spiritual heart (not the

heart chakra), is purely reflective, a force of Intelligence arises from the

spiritual heart, and you become aware of the distinction between the changeful

identity to the body and mind, versus the identity to the Infinite, and a

powerful sense of inward inquiry into that Infinite arises and draws you inward.

This is pratyahar. It is also the experience of hearing, which in Sikh terms is

sunia, in Vedanta terms, sravana. There are 3 states, hearing, inward

reflection or remembrance (a sensation like coming out of a state of amnesia),

and perfect abiding. In yogic terms these are pratyahar, dharana, dhyana and

samadhi.

 

The potential for siddhis in yogic practice begins to become possible in these

stages.

 

In all yogas, the purpose of practice (sadhana) is to isolate the seer (the

third aphorism of Patanjali). This is primarily achieved through a process of

inward withdrawal, where, basically, the mind through practice becomes so still

and subtle that you become consciously aware of the process of sleep and have

various visions and hear various sounds along the way, until you experience

archetypal forms and then the utter emptiness of the unconscious, i.e., the

beginnings of the state of constant consciousness. As these experiences repeat

themselves every day, they deepen, and with the stillness comes a build up of a

kinetic energy that pervades the body and gradually opens the higher centers,

until one experiences the realization that the lives of the spiritual Teachers,

the Sages, Saints and Saviors is True and therefore, their Teachings. This

discovery triggers the mind to become inward bent, something it is incapable of

doing before that. Many religious and related yogic practices are devoted to

developing this feeling and identity with pure being.

 

As the process deepens it also begins to expand outwards, so that you begin to

experience these deeper states of awareness of the pure subconscious and

unconscious in the waking state, what yogis call jagrat-sushupti, which feels

somewhat like becoming light and transparent or translucent, empty yet spatially

aware. It's with this reverse process of those deeper stages remaining in the

waking state that the siddhis begin to manifest, until eventually you emerge

yourself as the Witness Consciousness.

 

In the Kundalini yoga practice as taught by Yogi Bhajan, this type of practice,

as a whole, is called the Path of Pratyahar. Elements of this type of yogic

orientation, i.e., the Pratyahar Path, are contained in Kundalini Yoga primarily

through the practice of sanjam, mentioned in the beginning, a practice that

while taught by Yogi Bhajan as an essential, is usually not taught in KY

classes, which focus more on the predominant aspect of Kundalini Yoga, which as

a whole is called the Path of Laya, i.e., the practice of Radiance through

tappas and jappa, which is a systematic means to develop the nervous system and

open the major power centers of the body field, until you feel Radiance

pervading the body and illumining the mind. This Radiance deepens and

penetrates while expanding, until the voltage becomes so great that the voltage

of the focusing mechanism of the mind disengages and you experience single

pervasive consciousness in through and around the body field. The sense of the

subject versus an object disengages and you become the single pervasive seer.

You see as a field of consciousness. You experience and see the radiance within

and around the body pervasively. In the Pratyahar Path, this kind of experience

emerges only after a long period, unless one takes to a life of seclusion and is

blessed by the kindness of the Sages, Saints and Saviors.

 

As this Radiance deepens and expands, the body armor, which penetrates into the

core of the cells of the body, begins to blow apart, a penetrating dissolving

effect, etheric electric, space-like, until there emerges this "hearing," in

which there arises a radical discarding of all attention, and you experience

pervasively the soundless sound of the pulsing of the "I." "I" as "I." What

Yogi Bhajan called "One Star Spirituality." Beginningless, timeless, uncaused,

unconditioned Being, an experience that knows and feels the meaning of these

words. The force of relinquishment is so great that ideas of powers also loose

meaning, because you have discovered your Self as Infinite Being, which in yogic

terms is called the Supreme Power.

 

But this all requires Sadhana. A daily practice. In all the things we go after

and pursue every day in life's journey, there is the decision and commitment to

begin an inner journey, and to pursue it. With the practice of the kriyas and

meditations that comprise tappas and Jappa aspects of the Laya Path or Path of

Radiance is the practice of sanjam that must be a part of it, some time during

the day or night, also every day. In addition is the Study of the scriptures of

all religions to try to somehow figure out for yourself the experience the

Sages, Saints and Saviors have expressed through their lives and words. The

words of the ancient sages shed light on the modern sages and the words of the

modern sages make it possible to understand the words of the ancient in real and

practical terms.

 

There's also the ecessity of studying the Teachings of Yogi Bhajan, since we are

practicing this sacred science he was willing to open to everyone that would

take up the practice. Therefore, it's also useful to get a hold of some of the

manuals of Yogi Bhajan, who expresses many of the words used by the ancients in

such clear terms that you go entirely beyond the typical philosophical and

theological take and see their practical experiential meaning and intent. Then

the experience, as It awakens within you becomes yours, and experience of True

Identity (the Embodiment of Truth or Dharmakaya in Buddhist terms) that never

leaves.

 

In the book Raja Yoga, which portrays the real 8 limbed practice of Raja Yoga,

you will see that there are the common power and then at another stage, the

powers of God, which are often exemplified in the lives of the Saviors.

 

Hope this helps better understand the subject of yogic siddhis.

 

Pieter

 

 

[Guest guest]

Hello Vikrant,

what do you mean by psychic powers? Do you mean control over your own

psyche? Or do you mean supernatural powers of some kind? As in being

able to read minds? Or see into the future? Or have control over others?

>From my understanding, and what I have learned from my kundalini

teachers, the aim of awakening kundalini energy is not to have psychic

powers and that in fact any attempts to do so are really a distraction

from the true purpose of yogic practice which is enlightenment and

inner and outer peace.

blessings

ovasoul