--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Extrapolating from this, it seems to me that if MMY > really wanted people to levitate, and was enlightened > himself, what he'd do is sit them down in a room with > him and demonstrate levitation. Their bodies would > learn the siddhi far more quickly and far more > effectively than they would practicing some made-up > "technique" in English. This, of course, presupposes > that Maharishi could actually levitate, of course. (..or that anyone else could) Sure, I am completely with you regarding the field effect, and learning by proximity, being in the aura of someone who just *shows* you how things work in the daily life. Thats actually my path here! But, just to put in another though or perspective: I think or rather propose that the Siddhis themselves weren't all that important in themselves to MMY. They were as some here said, like a carrot that makes you going. (Too bad if the carrot is already swallowed) Sometime ago here was a discussion about Patanjali Yoga Sutras and the process of Samayama. I threw in that one of the main Advaitic Commentators, Madhusudana Saraswati said that Samyama is the most effective technique for realization. Vaj or one of his friends expressed, that Samyama is not restricted to Siddhis, and that this was refereing to a higher technique to attain Samadhi. So I looked up in the commentary of Vyasa, and found that he said that beginners should practise not the higher Forms of Samyama, but should start with the lower forms - the Siddhis. (The Siddhis were also called lower forms of attainmenment) Madhusudana goes on to say, soon after that, that supreme devotion to Ishvara would beat it all, and unnessecitate the former practise. That opened my eyes! For MMY devotion was not an option he could have offered in a technique which was constructed undenominational. His option was therefore to offer Samyama as a technique on the lower forms, the Siddhis, and not stressing on the phenomena of it (saying they are only a side-effect), still using it as a sort of carrot. I say this because I know, that MMY comes from a fairly conservative tradition, and would be aware of the main figures like Madhusudana, so I am sure he is aware of his commentary on the gita (its written there) I even think he borrowed from him heavily in his own commentary. Samayama on the lower forms would thus prepare the nervous system. purify it and make it subtle, which is its only purpose. Enlightenment itself cannot be given. It comes by itself by the recognition of the Self by Itself, so only purification is most important. So, to sum it up, actual attainment of Siddhis was not the goal, the way, Samayama is the goal.
