Microsoft Word - Taimni - The Science of Yoga.doc

this Section are concerned with the attainment of the highest states of consciousness
and not with the development of occult powers as they are usually called. In these in-
troductory remarks it is possible only to touch upon the more general and important
aspects of the subject which will enable the student to see Siddhis in their correct per-
spective in the life of the Yogi.
The first point that may be noted with regard to occult powers as distinguished
from the more important attainments in higher Yoga is the comparative unimportance
of the former. These have a peculiar fascination for the neophyte who has merely ac-
quired a superficial interest in the subject, but the more thoroughly he understands the
philosophy of Yoga the more is his interest transferred to the final objective. When an
ordinary student gets interested in Yoga he is still under the domination of ordinary
desires, the desire for power and fame being one of them. He may not be conscious of
this desire but deep down in his subconscious mind it lurks ready to come up when
favourable conditions present themselves. Now, in the practice of Yoga his lower self
sees an opening for acquiring extraordinary and spectacular powers of all kinds and in
this lies in many cases the secret of the fascination which Yoga exercises on many
people. But, if the student makes a deeper study of the subject he realizes that the
Yogic philosophy is based on the philosophy of Klesas and the occult powers which
interested him so much are also part of that illusory side of life which it is the object
of Yoga to transcend. The exercise of occult powers does not free him from the basic
illusions of life and therefore cannot bring him Enlightenment and peace. Rather it
tends to distract the mind more powerfully from his true goal and may bring about his
downfall in the most unforeseen manner. It is only when he has completely conquered
his lower nature and acquired true Vairagya that he can safely exercise these powers
for the helping of others, if necessary. Till then his interest in them should be merely
scientific, as adding to the wonder and mystery of life which surrounds him and help-
ing him to unravel that mystery. So when he finds these powers appearing spontane-
ously or as a result of the practice of Samyama he confines their use strictly to scien-
tific purposes and maintains an attitude of utter indifference towards them.
The fact that real Yogis do not take the slightest pleasure or pride in the exercise
of occult powers which they possess and refuse to yield to the common and vulgar de-
sire of people to see ‘miracles’ probably accounts for the fact that they remain un-
known to the outer world and the realities of the Yogic life have never been established
to the complete satisfaction of the modern psychologist. The ordinary man who rushes