Edgar Cayce and the Yoga Sutras - Istvan Fazekas

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from the Self, the liberating potential of sensory, extrasensory, and spiritual activity expands. Accomplishing this is an essential purpose of having an incarnation. Ignorance of the self from the Self, and the inability to use sensory, extrasensory, and spiritual means for liberation, is the mainspring of karmic suffering.

      It is the perfect mastery over the three levels of the five afflictions—knowing the self from the Self; creating liberation via sensory, extrasensory, and spiritual means; and persistent consistency in the practice of tapas, svadhyaya and Isvara-pranidhana—that concepts such as “knowing God,” enlightenment, samadhi, nirvana, or “spiritual liberation” are realized—fulfilling an individual entity’s truest and deepest need.

      At some point, perhaps after years or lifetimes of productive effort in spiritual yoga, one’s thoughts, words, and actions fuse into a continuous, spiritual circuit. This leads to the obliteration of suffering. The continuous spiritual circuit has seven facets that must all be effectively integrated: spiritualized desires; purified attachments (attachment only to things which facilitate enlightenment); coalescence of body, mind, and spirit; realization of the Self; living one’s highest ideal; meta-cognition; and attainment of mystical wisdom. Spiritual yoga facilitates their integration.

      There is an eight-limbed process for attaining enlightenment through spiritual yoga. This process includes the practicing of the yamas (restraints), niyamas (adherences), asanas (physical postures), pranayama (breathing awareness), pratyahara (withdrawal), dharana (internalization), dhyana (meditation), and samadhi (spiritual bliss).

      The five yamas are ahimsa, satya, asteya, brahmacharya, and aparigraha.

      The five niyamas are shauca, santosha, tapas, svadhyaya, and Isvara-pranidhana.

      The yamas and niyamas address the correction of perverse thoughts, which are the incessant causes of misery and perpetual ignorance.

      As the spiritual aspirant develops immersion in ahimsa (nonviolence), all beings that come near will lose their hostile thoughts. As satya (truthfulness) is established, all that the aspirant says will manifest (according to God’s laws.) As the aspirant lives asteya (nonstealing), all material things will manifest when needed. When brahmacharya (energetic conservation) is practiced, vital energy is increased and the aspirant then feels healthier and sharper mentally and has more vital energy to ascend through the spine for enlightenment. As aparigraha (non-covetousness) is faithfully abided by, knowledge of past lives is naturally revealed. When (shauca) purity of body and mind is sustained, psychosomatic well-being, healing, and virtue are increased as well as a greater potential for God realization. With the adherence to santosha (contentment) comes unlimited and unremitting joy. Tapas, or tapasaya (austerities), destroys impurities in the body-mind and helps alleviate negative karma. As svadhyaya (study of self and the sacred texts) is practiced, a greater discrimination is developed between the ego and the soul; the aspirant realizes the difference between the lower self and the higher Self. Unfathomable bliss is attained here on earth through constant surrender to the internal Lord (Isvara-pranidhana.)

      Asanas (postures) should be motionless or facilitate a greater ease of motionless effort. As asana is perfected, meditation upon the Infinite should be increased. When done well, it expedites immunity toward all dualities of the world, for example, hot and cold, smooth and rough, easy and difficult, and so forth.

      Once asana has been correctly established, pranayama (breath and vital energy control) is practiced. Pranayama has expansive, contractive, and retentive capacities. Pranayama should be performed with mindful control and attention to subtlety. There is a fourth type of pranayama that transcends the first three, but only by going through the first three. The veil covering enlightened mind can then be dissolved. (Note: The fourth type of pranayama is intentionally not included here, as it is an advanced breathing technique not meant for public “intellectual consumption” but only for advanced adepts working closely with a God-realized teacher.)

      When the mind controls the externally directed habits of the senses, this is pratyahara (withdrawal.) As such, the mind becomes prepared for dharana (concentration.)

       Book III: On Psychic Powers

      Dharana (concentration) is the fixation of the mind on a particular holy idea. When dharana is perfected, the result is dhyana (meditation.) When self (ego) is lost in meditation, this is a type of “putting together,” or samadhi.

      Dharana, dhyana, and samadhi together are known as samyama (integration), and by mastering samyama, Christ Consciousness dawns. The benefits of samyama develop in stages. The transformations via samyama are subtle and profound.

      Samyama addresses the vrittis (waves) of the conscious mind that breed spiritual ignorance via mental restlessness. Arresting thoughts before they arise and reveling in the bliss in between thoughts arising are parts of samyama practice. Leveling all impulsive thoughts is also part of the practice. Through the one-pointed absorption of samyama, many things can be known and revealed. In seeing the nature of the unseen (esoteric), the manifest (exoteric), and the potential to be (etheric), the various metaphysical strata can be known.

      Knowledge of past and future lives can burgeon in samyama. One can know any word in any language, both the word itself and the thing it symbolizes, in samyama. Knowledge that other minds carry can be seen in samyama.

      One can change one’s physical form by entering the essence of perception. One can gain foreknowledge of one’s physical death.

      By applying samyama on virtues such as generosity, sympathy, and fellowship, a great strength and benevolence of the heart arises.

      By applying samyama on physical strength, superhuman physical power can be developed.

      By applying samyama to the inner light, things at a great distance can be seen and known.

      By applying samyama to the solar plexus area, esoteric information regarding cosmic regions can be known. By applying samyama to the forehead region, esoteric information about astrogalaxies can be known.

      By applying samyama to the hypogastric plexus, physiological structures can be seen and known.

      By applying samyama to the throat (vishuddha) chakra, hunger and thirst can be controlled or eliminated.

      By applying samyama to the nasopharyngeal area, great peace and calmness can be attained.

      By applying samyama to the crown chakra, visions of the great masters can be had.

      Samyama breeds intuitive cognition, and through intuitive cognition, everything can be known.

      By applying samyama to the heart region, knowledge of the levels of consciousness can be known.

      By applying samyama to the inner Light, extraordinary powers of hearing, touch, sight, taste, and smell can be cultivated.

      Although the previously mentioned powers may seduce or coax the aspirant into chasing after them, know that they are all essentially distractions to samadhi, or Christ Consciousness.

      The highest application of samyama is discrimination between self and Self, between ego shadow and Christ Light. Pursuing psychic powers for the sake of pageantry, flamboyance, vanity, or merchantry is an act of ego and an idea excoriated by the masters. These powers may arrive as the result of raising one’s consciousness, but they are never to be clung to, coveted, or exploited. Masters encourage disciples not to attach to them and to move beyond them.

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