obstacles

PATANJALI"S SUTRAS:

obstacles

sutra 29: from the practice of Aum, we go past our obstacles, towards attaining our Highest realisations

As someone who has done mantra meditation for decades, and at times used different mantras for specific purposes, I can truly say that yes, meditation usng Aum is indeed very powerful in dealing with disturbances. 

Here, Patanjali is talking about disturbances in meditation: mental and emotional, which can be difficult hurdles to deal with. How can we reach the sublime states when we have the restless mind and fluctuating emotions to deal with? Remembering that these Higher States of Being are first achieved whilst we are practicing meditation, and it is from being established in these states during our sadhana (spiritual practices)  that they start to become a reality in our waking life.

Do we all have to deal with obstacles? Yes, we do. As we build up our pranic (life force) reserves, so much of our impressions, this life and past lives, become revealed.  Many people believe that this is to do with "blockages" in our chakras. However, it is the subtle body which is having it's contents "shaken". In particular, the pranamaya kosha (pranic sheath) and the manomaya kosha (mind sheath), which along with the Vigyanamaya kosha (astral sheath), form the subtle body. They are awakening, and whatever is blocking them, our mental, emotional and physical impressions, is coming into our conscious awareness. 

First as restlessness. Which may manifest on the physical, emotional, or mental, levels. Then as pictures, patterns, symbols. This is just the way that we are.

sutra 30: the nine obstacles are:

• illness
• apathy
• doubt
• procrastination
• laziness
• craving (indulgence)
• wrong thinking (delusion)
• lack of progress
• instability (irregularity with the practices)

These are common to us all. 

illness: within our blueprint for a lifetime, are tendencies towards particular illnesses, generally depending on what has come down through our DNA line. And also from our personal incarnations. These can manifest as fever as in a burning- out of the root causes of the illness, and they will then disappear into the ether. But sometimes we are destined to undergo particular illnesses in a lifetime, and in many cases, but definitely not all, these can be lessened somewhat by the practice of meditation. As the spiritual energy builds up inside of us, these fevers can and do happen. It is called purification.

apathy: this is like a type of indifference. Again, this sensation is deep within us, and this is another sensation which can arise. It will manifest as not caring about the Inner Life, but also as a dull uncaring state whilst living one's life. 

It is very difficult to pinpoint exactly where these obstacles are from. They can be from:

• trauma in this lifetime. Sometimes, and very often, we need to do other things than meditation to deal with this. 
• within our dna. Truly, this is an area which can be lessened
• past lives. Here we can get into a lot of fantasy trying to pinpoint which lifetime a particular obstacle is from

We will continue with these obstacles