"Yoga: Chitta-Vritti-Nirodhah". Yoga is restraining the activities of mind.
The Sanskrit word " Chitta" translates as mind-stuff, or mental substance. It is, in a sense, the ground floor of the mind. In Vedanta philosophy, it is referred to as " Antahkarana", which means inner instrument. The "Antahkarana" contains four main elements. The "manas", mind, engages in thinking, doubting and willing. The "Buddhi" is the intellect, and it performs the functions if discriminating and making decisions. That portion of the mind which is self-arrogating and sees itself as separate from the source is "Ahamkara", ego. Finally, there is the subconscious, which serves as a storehouse of past experience and memory; this is also called "Chitta".
As can be seen, the word Chitta has several meanings. While in Vedanta philosophy it refers specifically to the subconscious, Patanjali uses Chitta in a broader sense, as that underlying substratum, the very foundation that makes up one's mental apparatus. The Chitta may manifest in one of five forms at any given time. They are : 1) kshipta,scattering; 2) mudha,darkening,dullness; 3)vikshipta,gathering,centering; 4) ekagrata, one-pointed, concentrated; 5) niruddha,absolute suspension of activity.
As can be seen, the word " Chitta" has several meanings. While in Vedanta philosophy it refers specifically to the subconscious, Patanjali uses Chitta in a broader sense,as that underlying substratum, the very foundation that makes up one's mental apparatus. The Chitta may manifest in one of five forms at any given time. They are: 1) kshipta, scattering; 2) darkening, dullness; 3) vikshipta, gathering, centering; 4: ekagrata, one-pointed, concentrated; 5) niruddha,absolute suspension of activity.
The kshipta, scattering, form is activity, and tends to be experienced as pleasure or pain. The mind acts to justify its desires, and does not care about consequence. It thinks of a Frankfurter, and must have one. When warned of the poisons it contain, the reaction is to cover the Frankfurter with more mustard and eat it anyway. In the mudha state of mind, the tendency is to see and cause suffering, and to negate happiness. The vikshipta form functions when the mind struggles to draw itself to its center. The rays of the mind are normally scattered, going in every direction. Here there is the conscious effort to gather and focus's them. When the mind is in ekagrata state, it is one-pointed, which finally leads to the ultimate state, niruddha, where there is suspension of activity, and "samadhi", the experience of supreme bliss.
The Chitta is thus the background of the mind. It is like a lake on which rise and fall waves, which are comparable to the thoughts. These thought waves are called " vrittis". A vritti is a "Mental whirlpool", or mental modification; it is the difference between action and the absence of action in the mind. In the average person there are thousands of vrittis arising each minute in the mind. It is impossible for the conscious mind to keep track of the minute and intricate changes through which the mind is travelling every second. It is no surprise, therefore, that it takes many years of observation of one's own mind to understand its working.
The self is the witness of all that is perceived, but it neither acts nor reacts, for all action and reaction take place in the mind, appearing as vrittis. Thought,the most powerful force in the universe, initiate all actions. Activity carried out in the physical plane is assumed to be reality, the physical environment in which each person lives, is only a projection of the mind. In truth, when the many mental modifications, vrittis, are restrained, one is no longer affected by the coming and goings of the world, and the self shine forth in undisturbed purity.
The Sanskrit word " Chitta" translates as mind-stuff, or mental substance. It is, in a sense, the ground floor of the mind. In Vedanta philosophy, it is referred to as " Antahkarana", which means inner instrument. The "Antahkarana" contains four main elements. The "manas", mind, engages in thinking, doubting and willing. The "Buddhi" is the intellect, and it performs the functions if discriminating and making decisions. That portion of the mind which is self-arrogating and sees itself as separate from the source is "Ahamkara", ego. Finally, there is the subconscious, which serves as a storehouse of past experience and memory; this is also called "Chitta".
As can be seen, the word Chitta has several meanings. While in Vedanta philosophy it refers specifically to the subconscious, Patanjali uses Chitta in a broader sense, as that underlying substratum, the very foundation that makes up one's mental apparatus. The Chitta may manifest in one of five forms at any given time. They are : 1) kshipta,scattering; 2) mudha,darkening,dullness; 3)vikshipta,gathering,centering; 4) ekagrata, one-pointed, concentrated; 5) niruddha,absolute suspension of activity.
As can be seen, the word " Chitta" has several meanings. While in Vedanta philosophy it refers specifically to the subconscious, Patanjali uses Chitta in a broader sense,as that underlying substratum, the very foundation that makes up one's mental apparatus. The Chitta may manifest in one of five forms at any given time. They are: 1) kshipta, scattering; 2) darkening, dullness; 3) vikshipta, gathering, centering; 4: ekagrata, one-pointed, concentrated; 5) niruddha,absolute suspension of activity.
The kshipta, scattering, form is activity, and tends to be experienced as pleasure or pain. The mind acts to justify its desires, and does not care about consequence. It thinks of a Frankfurter, and must have one. When warned of the poisons it contain, the reaction is to cover the Frankfurter with more mustard and eat it anyway. In the mudha state of mind, the tendency is to see and cause suffering, and to negate happiness. The vikshipta form functions when the mind struggles to draw itself to its center. The rays of the mind are normally scattered, going in every direction. Here there is the conscious effort to gather and focus's them. When the mind is in ekagrata state, it is one-pointed, which finally leads to the ultimate state, niruddha, where there is suspension of activity, and "samadhi", the experience of supreme bliss.
The Chitta is thus the background of the mind. It is like a lake on which rise and fall waves, which are comparable to the thoughts. These thought waves are called " vrittis". A vritti is a "Mental whirlpool", or mental modification; it is the difference between action and the absence of action in the mind. In the average person there are thousands of vrittis arising each minute in the mind. It is impossible for the conscious mind to keep track of the minute and intricate changes through which the mind is travelling every second. It is no surprise, therefore, that it takes many years of observation of one's own mind to understand its working.
The self is the witness of all that is perceived, but it neither acts nor reacts, for all action and reaction take place in the mind, appearing as vrittis. Thought,the most powerful force in the universe, initiate all actions. Activity carried out in the physical plane is assumed to be reality, the physical environment in which each person lives, is only a projection of the mind. In truth, when the many mental modifications, vrittis, are restrained, one is no longer affected by the coming and goings of the world, and the self shine forth in undisturbed purity.
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