Freud and Yoga by Hellfried Krusche

Author:Hellfried Krusche
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780865477605
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux

3

What Can We Achieve?

YOGASŪTRA, CHAPTER THREE (vibhūti-pādaḥ)

T.K.V. Desikachar: The third chapter of the Yogasūtra presents what we can achieve when we have established a strong and stable mind. For this, we need to put in effort. When we discussed the second chapter, we saw what kind of effort was needed. Once the mind is strong, many things can be achieved that were not possible before. For example, we can experience power, knowledge, and a further development of our whole personality.

The third chapter is called vibhūti-pādaḥ because it describes the great potential and the extraordinary power we have. It also tells us how we can achieve that power through meditation and introduces the various steps of meditation, the possible objects of focus, and how to choose this focus. It then reminds us that the mind is not always stable. Sometimes the mind is like a wave, which can at times be strong and at other times agitated. We therefore need some fine-tuning so that the mind will continue to be strong and stable. It also tells us something about the powers that may in fact disturb us. The point here is that we should not be tempted by these powers and shift our attention. We should go beyond them so that we attain inner freedom, not only for the sake of freedom itself, but also to avoid suffering.

Let us now look at the three steps of meditation:

• Step one is dhāraṇā, which is to fix a focus for your meditation practice.

• Step two is dhyāna, which is to remain with the chosen meditation focus.

• Step three is samādhi, which is to continue with this focus and go further.

Let me elaborate on what samādhi means. When the meditator persists with the chosen focus, the person meditating on an object and the object itself merge. A state is reached in which there is nothing more between them, and they become one. We can understand this more deeply by looking at the sutras. The first three sutras of the third chapter are as follows:

1. deśa-bandhaś cittasya dhāraṇā

2. tatra pratyayaikatānatā dhyānam

3. tad evārtha-mātra-nirbhāsam svarūpa-śūnyam iva samādhiḥ

So therefore:

• Dhāraṇā is to choose an object of meditation.

• Dhyāna is to enter into a relationship with this meditation object.

• Samādhi is to enter into an intense connection with this object.

Let us start with the first sutra in the third chapter:

deśa-bandhaś cittasya dhāraṇā

The mind has reached the ability to be directed [dhāraṇā] when direction toward a chosen object is possible in spite of many other potential objects within the reach of the individual. (YS III.1)

With meditation, it is very important to make the right choice of the object and then to stay with it. This needs preparation because it has consequences for us. We need to prepare the mental structure before doing meditation. In the second chapter of the Yogasūtra, Patañjali emphasizes that breathing is a very good foundation for meditation. The text says that attentive, extended breathing—prāṇāyāma—is conducive to making the mind ready for meditation. So, we follow the breath, then we regulate it, and we do this regulation consciously a certain number of times.

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