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Raja yoga: Difference between revisions
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The ''fifth stage'' of raja yoga is withdrawal of the senses from sense objects. The yogi who has faithfully practiced the first five stages should now be able to focus the mind. | The '''fifth stage''' of raja yoga is withdrawal of the senses from sense objects. The yogi who has faithfully practiced the first five stages should now be able to focus the mind. | ||
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There are lower and higher forms of samadhi. In the lower, the yogi attains identification with the spiritual teacher, guru or deity he has chosen to contemplate. In the highest form there is no separation between Atman and Brahman. As Shankara describes it: “There is no longer any identification of the Atman with its coverings.”<ref>Shankara, quoted in Prabhavananda and Isherwood, ''How to Know God'', p. 93.</ref> This is the great mystery of the inner path of Hinduism. | There are lower and higher forms of samadhi. In the lower, the yogi attains identification with the spiritual teacher, guru or deity he has chosen to contemplate. In the highest form there is no separation between Atman and [[Brahman]]. As Shankara describes it: “There is no longer any identification of the Atman with its coverings.”<ref>Shankara, quoted in Prabhavananda and Isherwood, ''How to Know God'', p. 93.</ref> This is the great mystery of the inner path of Hinduism. | ||
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In the East, the whole pattern is getting Matter up to Spirit, or getting the consciousness out of Matter, escaping Matter and going into Spirit. And that’s why the word “[[OM]]” is used, because it cycles energies up into the Presence. | In the East, the whole pattern is getting Matter up to Spirit, or getting the consciousness out of Matter, escaping Matter and going into Spirit. And that’s why the word “[[OM]]” is used, because it cycles energies up into the Presence. | ||
The emphasis in the West is bringing Spirit into Matter. We do that by the affirmation “I AM THAT I AM,” which cycles energies from the Presence down to this plane. | The emphasis in the West is bringing Spirit into Matter. We do that by the affirmation “I AM THAT I AM,” which cycles energies from the Presence down to this plane. | ||
That is our path. If we accept it, we can have the integration that we seek, which is the integration of the soul’s reunion with the I AM Presence in the [[ascension]]. Raja yoga does not promise the ascension; the highest thing it promises is samadhi. But you come back from samadhi and you are still in this form; you are still carrying around your karma. | That is our path. If we accept it, we can have the integration that we seek, which is the integration of the soul’s reunion with the I AM Presence in the [[ascension]]. Raja yoga does not promise the ascension; the highest thing it promises is samadhi. But you come back from samadhi and you are still in this form; you are still carrying around your karma. | ||