Yoga Sutra 1.20 faith, energy, memory, samadhi, and knowledge

Sūtra I.20

For the others, it comes after faith, energy, memory, (cognitive) samādhi, and knowledge

The one resulting from a means is for yogin-s. Faith is a settled clarity of the mind: like a good mother, it protects a yogin. When he has that faith, and is seeking knowledge, there arises in him energy. When energy has arisen in him, his memory stands firm. When memory stands firm, his mind is undisturbed and becomes concentrated in samādhi. To the mind in samādhi comes knowledge by which he knows things as they really are. From practice of these means, and from detachment from the whole field of mental process, arises ultra-cognitive samādhi.

The ultra-cognitive samādhi resulting from a means is that of the yogin-s, and it follows from faith, energy, memory, samādhi, and knowledge (prajñā). What is called faith is a settled clarity of the mind in regard to attaining release, and to what he hears about the means to it; it is like the settled clarity of the water after the application of the kataka nut (which traditionally clears muddy water). Like a good mother, it protects a yogin, it defends him against adversities. When he has that faith, and is seeking knowledge, that is, when his goal is right vision (saṃyag-darśana), there arises energy enthusiasm for practising the yoga training. When energy has arisen in him, his memory is firm, memory of such things as the scriptural knowledge becomes very powerful. The qualification ‘in the case of a seeker of knowledge’ is to be read into each step. When memory stands firm, his mind is undisturbed and becomes concentrated in samādhi.

To the mind in samādhi comes extreme clarity of knowledge (prajñā), which has the power of illumining everything. He explains it further: by which he knows things as they really are, he knows facts like the self (ātman) as they really are (yathā-bhūta).

From practice of these means: as has been said, from the practice of the idea of stopping, there is vision of the self (ātman), and from detachment from the whole field of mental process, arises ultra-cognitive samādhi.

Yogin-s are of nine kinds, according to the methods which they follow, either mild or moderate or intense, and then sub-divided according to the energy – mild, moderate or ardent – with which they practise these respective methods. A mild method may be practised with mild or moderate or ardent energy, and so with the moderate method. Of those who practise intense methods,

 

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