My favorite sutra of book 3
After reading book three of the yoga sutras I was left a bit perplexed. These sutras move quickly but are pretty self-explanatory. As a class, our homework was to read the sutras and deeply digest them by reflecting and meditating on each of them.
What I gathered from both was that as a yogi, if we live correctly and work each day little by little our lives will change and we will be capable of attaining great things. Some great things that come from living wholesomely are non-attachment, siddhis and intuition.
When you read through this book, some may think that by being diligent in their yogic lifestyle you will attain mystical powers. I feel differently about this. I believe that by knowing yourself wholesome and understanding humans in general you are capable of understanding the world unbiasedly. You will then have a deeper intuition and knowledge of the “unknown” because of your emotional intelligence you have gained.
The last sutra says “When the tranquil mind attains purity equal to that of self, there is absoluteness.
This is the sutra I understood the most. There is not need for grasping, justing being steadfast and living your life according to your values and morals you are able to show yourself to others. If there are obstacles presented by distractions, you are able to ignore them by simple moving on.
Patanjali wrote about not grasping. And it brought me back to floating down the river in the warm summer heat. When the current got going fast or we wanted to stop I would hastily grasp for the weeds in the river. Reaching for something that provided support or security, much like we do when with our attachments. Alcohol when we are stressed, our phones when we are lonely or anxious in public, cigarettes, our ego speaks for us when we grasp for comfort. But if we float through life according to our true intention, we will be unaffected by everything around you and more easily attain the exact things you want in life.