Over these past few months we’ve made our way from the third limb of Ashtanga yoga to now arrive at the seventh limb and most subtlest limb we’ve approached so far: dhyāna – meditation.
“Meditation is the harmonious blending of the emotions and intellect. It is the secret of all creative processes of men of genius and it is the fountain or source of works of literature and art” Astadala Yogamala. Vol. 2 p. 124
Dhyāna is a subjective state and not easily described and might be different for each person, but sūtras II.11 and III.2 define it similarly as the total awareness that comes out of continued single pointed attention (ekatānatā). The effects of dhyāna are described in sūtra IV.6 where the Seer moves closer to its purusa – effectually shedding the obstacles (kleśas) and the fluctuations (vrttis).
This shedding of the the obstacles and fluctuations dissolve the ego with the unbroken stream of awareness towards one’s own inner self.
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For our meeting on June 14, please review the following sūtras and their commentaries on dhyāna – as these are the sūtras that we will focus on:
II.11, III.2 and IV.6
For further information on dhyāna, feel free to explore the following sūtras in the samādhi pāda and their commentaries:
I.29, I.38 and I.39 – describe the internal aspects of dhyāna.
And as dhyāna is part of samyama:
III.4, III.7
References:
Astadala Yogamala: Vol. 2 B.K.S. Iyengar. New Delhi: Allied Publishers Pvt. Limited, 2001. pp. 123 – 125.
Astadala Yogamala: Vol. 7. B.K.S. Iyengar. New Delhi: Allied Publishers Pvt. Limited, 2008. pp. 186 – 202.
Ashtanga Yoga of Patanjali: Philosphy, Religion, Culture, Ethos and Practice. Prashant S. Iyengar. New Delhi: New Age Books, 2016. pp. 750 – 778.
Core of the Yoga Sūtras: The Definitive Guide to the Philosophy of Yoga. B.K.S. Iyengar. London: HarperThorsons, 2012. pp. 168 – 171.
Light on Astānga Yoga. B.K.S. Iyengar. New Delhi: Alchemy Publishers, 2012. 174 – 179.
Light on Life. B.K.S. Iyengar. New York: Rodale, 2005. pp. 182 – 186.
Light on Pranayama. B.K.S. Iyengar. London: George Allen & Unwin, 1981. pp: 223 – 231.
Light on the Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali. B.K.S. Iyengar. London: Thorsons, 1993.
The Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali: A New Edition, Translation, and commentary with Insights from the Traditional Commentators. Edwin P. Bryant. New York: North Point Press, 2009.
The Tree of Yoga. B.K.S. Iyengar. Boston: Shambhala, 2002. pp 138 – 148.
Yaugika Manas: Know and Realize the Yogic Mind. B.K.S. Iyengar. Mumbai: Yog, 2010. p. 102.
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