Raja Yoga and the astral plane
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@ForceFire said
"How does one on the path of Raja Yoga deal with the astral plane.?"
Can you ask a more detailed question, please? Fro one point of view, Raja Yoga is almost entirely about the astral plane (i.e., World of Y'tziyrah), since that subsumes all normal psychological functions; but perhaps, instead, you are asking about "astral" intrusions during meditations, or the phenomena of dhyana, or something else?
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@Jim Eshelman said
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Can you ask a more detailed question, please? Fro one point of view, Raja Yoga is almost entirely about the astral plane (i.e., World of Y'tziyrah), since that subsumes all normal psychological functions; but perhaps, instead, you are asking about "astral" intrusions during meditations, or the phenomena of dhyana, or something else?"This may still be too general but how do the phenomena of dhyana deal with the astral plane?
Does raja yoga not affect the worlds above Yetzirah?
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@LD330 said
"This may still be too general but how do the phenomena of dhyana deal with the astral plane?
Does raja yoga not affect the worlds above Yetzirah?"
What steps have you taken to answer these questions for yourself? These questions are important.
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@seekinghga said
"What steps have you taken to answer these questions for yourself? These questions are important."
I can't say I can think of a way to answer them myself-- not having experienced dhyana or the world of Briah. I hadn't really thought about them until I read this thread, they were more posed out of curiosity and a desire to see this conversation continue.
I am practicing hatha yoga (Liber E style asana and working through the beginner program in "Light on Pranayama" by BKS Iyengar) and have practiced concentration meditation in the past. My practice right now is not that strenuous. I do 25 min of asana and the prayanama practice takes around 20 minutes (both 6 times a week). I've been fascinated with the idea of dhyana ever since I read Book 4.
I'm glad I'm hitting on the important questions.
Have you (or anyone else reading this thread) experienced dhyana? If so what was your regime for doing so?
I'm actually getting back into weight lifting right now after just going through the motions with that for a long time. You can go to the gym and lift weights haphazardly and you'll get bigger and see some gains but there's a difference between that and writing down every rep you do, every set you do, everything you eat, how much sleep you get, etc. I figure you can push a raja yoga regime the same way. But where going to the gym is a normal thing with tons of information about it on the internet and in books, with this you kind of have to figure it out yourself. It's not a normal thing to do for sure. But that's also partially what makes it exciting. It felt like running into a secret when I got to the section on dhyana in Book 4.
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My curiosity has been to figure out how the yogi sees yesod vs how the magician sees yesod. What are the similarities and differences ( if any).
I then realized that it most likely has to do with a kundalini experience and the question is bogus.
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@LD330 said
"I am practicing hatha yoga (Liber E style asana and working through the beginner program in "Light on Pranayama" by BKS Iyengar) and have practiced concentration meditation in the past. My practice right now is not that strenuous. I do 25 min of asana and the prayanama practice takes around 20 minutes (both 6 times a week). I've been fascinated with the idea of dhyana ever since I read Book 4."
How long have you been doing your asana practice at this length? I do Jnana Yoga and so my experience may differ from yours (for other reasons than just the different Yoga style!) You want to "conquer" your asana; whenever proprioceptive sensation "melts" away is fine. Then begin practicing dharana. Boredom and mental fatigue (NEVER overdo it!!!!) were my first major hurdles to overcome. The former and the latter are overcome by the same process: regularity and perseverance. The former has the added obstacle of nagging thoughts: "you did good enough, take a rest and try again later" is one common complaint, "another focus of meditation will suit you better" is another. Ignore them. Stick to your regimen and record it in your journal. Eventually you want to get to the stage, or at least I did, where you are doing sitting meditation in your asana (practicing dharana) for one hour at a time, 2 to 3 times a day. And the rest of the day you are keeping your reactions to the things going on around you to a minimum. This is important because you are trying to still the mind, and activities "in the world" seek to stir it up. (My "Psalms of an Aeon" #1, in the Mysticism section of this forum, is about practicing temperance and equanimity of mind while engaged with the social sphere of work and family.) Taking up a mantra and trying to keep it going when you are catering to your familial and/or financial duties is a good way, in my experience at least, of keeping the mind focused on the Great Work. My favorite mantra: "The joy of dissolution all". (Runner up: "No one is doing this. No one is thinking this.") The Hindus call the desired practice Abhyasa, which is basically "sustained mindfulness of God" or, in our language, of the Great Work.
Keep at it. Don't give up. Be mindful of your practice. These are the keys to success. Don't lust for result.
That's my quick (and probably shoddy) advice that I can lend right now after a long day of work. Let us know if you need any help/support/etc. and this forum and its great cast of characters will do what we can. Shanti.