| Both points of view are valid. Like so many things in our
| scriptures,
| these are determined by the qualification (Adhikara) of the aspirant.

Before Ed jumps in here, I have to state how fundamentally I disagree with
everything you say here.

This is EXACTLY the kind of mumbo-jumbo, topsy-turvy stuff that MMY had in mind.

TM, as a specific technique of meditation, requires no assessment of the
candidate's qualities. It's available to all, almost without exception.

I'll critique the rest of this post at length, later.

Regards

Brian

| According to Raja Yoga, there are three types of aspirants - Uttama,
| Madhyama and Adhama Adhikaris. To three classes of aspirants Raja
| Yoga prescribes three kinds of Sadhana. To the Uttama
| Adhikari (first-
| class aspirant) Raja Yoga prescribes Abhyasa and Vairagya. He
| practices meditation on the Self; he practices Chitta-Vritti-Nirodha
| (restraining the modification of the mind-stuff) and soon
| enters into
| Samadhi. This is practice (Abhyasa) sustained by Vairagya. To the
| Madhyama Adhikari (middling aspirant) Raja Yoga prescribes the Kriya
| Yoga - Tapas, Svadhyaya and Ishvarapranidhana. Tapas is austerity.
| Egolessness and selfless service are the greatest forms of Tapas.
| Humility and desirelessness are the greatest forms of austerity.
| Practice these through ceaseless, untiring, selfless service.
| Practice the three kinds of Tapas mentioned in the Gita.
| Disciplinary
| practices like fasting, etc., also come under Tapas. Svadhyaya is
| study of spiritual literature and also Japa of your Ishta Mantra.
| Ishvarapranidhana is self-surrender to the Lord and doing
| all actions
| as Ishvararpana, as offering unto the Lord. These three form the
| Sadhanas of the Madhyama Adhikari who enters into deep meditation
| very soon and attains Kaivalya Moksha. To the Adhama
| Adhikari, lowest
| kind of aspirant, Raja Yoga prescribes Ashtanga Yoga or the
| eightfold
| Sadhana - Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara,
| Dharana, Dhyana
| and Samadhi.
| --
| extracted from Swami Sivananda's Raja Yoga book:
| http://www.sivanandadlshq.org/teachi...oga.htm#sutras
|
| It appears Sri Edmond is talking about the uttama adhikari whereas
| the discourse may be discussing the madhyama adhikari.
|
| As Sri Gummurulu points out good karmas and deep meditation are
| cause and effect but not necessarily in a sequential, linear way but
| more in a repetitive, iterative manner. It is not like a person has
| to do 'good' karmas for 20 years and then embark on meditation for
| the next 20 years. Both could happen daily in a Sadhaka's life.
|
| To be able to do any meditation, there has to be some chitta suddhi.
| Otherwise as Lord Krishna says the person would be a 'mithyachara' -
| sitting in meditation but the mind wandering around and thinking of
| sense objects etc. So to get to the initial stage, chitta suddhi via
| Karma Yoga is required. But when a person is able to meditate, the
| very practice itself generates chitta suddhi which in turn enables
| the person to perform 'good' karmas generating more chitta
| suddhi and
| this whole process repeats itself.
|
| As mentioned in my earlier posting, Karma Yoga is doing karmas as
| offering unto the Lord - this is essentially the same
| as 'Ishvarapranidhana' that Maharishi Patanjali prescribes as 'kriya
| yoga'
|
| 'Tapah Svadhyaye Isvara pranidhanani kriya yogah'
| Yoga Sutras II.1
|
|
| -- Sundar Rajan


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