abhyāsa vairāgyābhyāṁ tan nirodhaḥ Chitta vrittis are restrained by practice (abhyasa) and non-attachment (vairagya). In the path of Yoga, sthiti (steadiness of mind) is a very important concept. We attain sthiti through abhyasa (practice). A contemporary Siddha master said, “Meditation is to attain the steady state.” From this vantage point we are undisturbed by the dramatic excesses of the world. We are utterly centered in equipoise. Th is centeredness is obviously the very opposite of tyranny by chitta vrittis. tatra sthitau yatno ʻbhyāsaḥ Of these two, eff ort toward steadiness of mind is practice. Patanjali begins the Yoga Sutras by saying that the state of Yoga is attained by restraining the mind to equilibrium. Now he tells us how: devoted practice and detachment. Very simple... there are only two things to do; meditate every day and cultivate selfl ess dispassion. sa tu dīrgha kāla nairantarya satkārā ʻʻsevito dṛḍhabhūmiḥ Practice becomes fi rmly grounded when well attended to for a long time, without break and with deep devotion (satkara). In this sutra, satkara is translated as devotion. While this is good, there is more. In satkara, sat means Truth (existence as it is), and kara comes from the same root as karma (action). Th is gives us a word that means an action that reveals the truth of the Self, that pure light of consciousness by which everything is known. Th e purest devotion is toward knowing our Self as the divine inner presence. We can see our discipline of daily meditation as a heartfelt devotion rather than an obligatory task. Perhaps in the beginning meditation didn’t fi t our schedule, or we just didn’t have time every day, or it was boring. Now we can be devoted to our practice. Examine how you really feel about it. We may be devoted to many things: our spouse, children, parents, even our dog. Include meditation in this good company; do this for yourself. Practice becomes fi rmly grounded when well attended to for a long time, without break and with satkara— deep devotion. Remember this: Abhyasa (the practice) is for a long time, without interruption, with your whole heart.
Posted on: Thu, 20 Mar 2014 10:04:48 +0000