Stages
of Mind
The mind has five stages,
Patanjali tells us, and Vyasa comments that "these stages of
mind are on every plane". The first stage is the stage in which
the mind is flung about, the Kshipta stage; it is the butterfly
mind, the early stage of humanity, or, in man, the mind of the child,
darting constantly from one object to another. It corresponds to
activity on the physical plane. The next is the confused stage,
Mudha, equivalent to the stage of the youth, swayed by emotions,
bewildered by them; he begins to feel he is ignorant--a state beyond
the fickleness of the child--a characteristic state, corresponding
to activity in the astral world. Then comes the state of preoccupation,
or infatuation, Vikshipta, the state of the man possessed by an
idea--love, ambition, or what not. He is no longer a confused youth,
but a man with a clear aim, and an idea possesses him. It may be
either the fixed idea of the madman, or the fixed idea which makes
the hero or the saint; but in any case he is possessed by the idea.
The quality of the idea, its truth or falsehood, makes the difference
between the maniac and the martyr.
Maniac or martyr, he is under the spell of
a fixed idea. No reasoning avails against it. If he has assured
himself that he is made of glass, no amount of argument will convince
him to the contrary. He will always regard himself as being as brittle
as glass. That is a fixed idea which is false. But there is a fixed
idea which makes the hero and the martyr. For some great truth dearer
than life is everything thrown aside. He is possessed by it, dominated
by it, and he goes to death gladly for it. That state is said to
be approaching Yoga, for such a man is becoming concentrated, even
if only possessed by one idea. This stage corresponds to activity
on the lower mental plane. Where the man possesses the idea, instead
of being possessed by it, that one-pointed state of the mind, called
Ekagrata in Sanskrit, is the fourth stage. He is a mature man, ready
for the true life. When the man has gone through life dominated
by one idea, then he is approaching Yoga; he is getting rid of the
grip of the world, and is beyond its allurements. But when he possesses
that which before possessed him, then he has become fit for Yoga,
and begins the training which makes his progress rapid. This stage
corresponds to activity on the higher mental plane.
Out of this fourth stage or Ekagrata, arises
the fifth stage, Niruddha or Self-controlled. When the man not only
possesses one idea but, rising above all ideas, chooses as he wills,
takes or does not take according to the illumined Will, then he
is Self-controlled and can effectively practice Yoga. This stage
corresponds to activity on the buddhic plane.
In the third stage, Vikshipta, where he is
possessed by the idea, he is learning Viveka or discrimination between
the outer and the inner, the real and the unreal. When he has learned
the lesson of Viveka, then he advances a stage forward; and in Ekagrata
he chooses one idea, the inner life; and as he fixes his mind on
that idea he learns Vairagya or dispassion. He rises above the desire
to possess objects of enjoyment, belonging either to this or any
other world. Then he advances towards the fifth stage-- Self-controlled.
In order to reach that he must practice the six endowments, the
Shatsamapatti. These six endowments have to do with the Will-aspect
of consciousness as the other two, Viveka and Vairagya, have to
do with the cognition and activity aspects of it.
By a study of your own
mind, you can find out how far you are ready to begin the definite
practice of Yoga. Examine your mind in order to recognize these
stages in yourself. If you are in either of the two early stages,
you are not ready for Yoga. The child and the youth are not ready
to become yogis, nor is the preoccupied man. But if you find yourself
possessed by a single thought, you are nearly ready for Yoga; it
leads to the next stage of one-pointedness, where you can choose
your idea, and cling to it of your own will. Short is the step from
that to the complete control, which can inhibit all motions of the
mind. Having reached that stage, it is comparatively easy to pass
into Samadhi.
Recommended Links:
You probably heard about Krill Oil, but what is krill exactly? Euphausiid shrimp, commonly called Krill, are a critical link in the marine food web. Benefits of krill oil are countless. Clinical studies have shown that krill oil has the ability to lower your cholesterol and support skin health.
Barleans Organic oils made from all-natural sources like flaxseed are especially beneficial to those with joint pains and problems with mobility. Barleans Flax Oil rates high in many bodybuilding forums and product reviews because of its high lignan content.