Self Remains in Four States of Consciousness

By [http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Premansu_Chand/10927] Premansu Chand

Presently most Yoga Masters teach Yoga just as a therapy or as a means to keep body and mind healthy. To keep body and mind healthy is not everything; it is the base of Yoga. The apex of Yoga is to realise the true self (atman). According to the Indian Scriptures Atman is Brahman, the Ultimate Reality. So practitioners should try to understand the 'self' first.

 Like all living beings, man has consciousness. For this he feels that he has existence. Dead matter has no consciousness and so it cannot know either its own existence or the existence of others. Since conscious man knows his existence, he has a Self. Self is intimately related to his consciousness. Consciousness awakens knowledge in him. This knowledge tells a man that he has a Self or has an existence in relation to others.

Spiritualism and Yoga

By [http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Premansu_Chand/10927]Premansu Chand

In all religions voluminous scriptures relating to spiritualism are available. However the divine truth is very simple and everybody has free access to it. Like free air and free water available to all, everybody can realise the truth freely and without anybody's interference.

 In the whole universe there are only two things - one is conscious and other is inert; one is truth and other is false. All living beings are conscious whereas matter and material things are inert. Matter always changes its state(solid, liquid, gaseous, plasma and ethereal space) and matter is nothing but a form of energy. Again the sum total of all energies(kinetic and gravitational of celestial bodies) is zero. So matter is ultimately false, both spiritually and scientifically. As in the dream, all objects appear to be real, so in the waking state, all things we see and hear appear to be real. When we wake up from dream, the dream objects appear to be false; so after death this visible world shall appear to be false.

Mind and Thoughts

By [http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Premansu_Chand/10927]Premansu Chand

Yoga is controlling of thoughts arising in the mind. When thoughts are controlled or prevented through practice, the seer or practitioner (yogi) rests in his true self or soul (atman). Either you remain in true self or control thoughts, the other will result automatically. In true self one shall not see or hear anything, because there is none other than the self. When there is anything other than the self, one shall see or hear something. When everything has merged in the pure consciousness of the true self, when there is none other than the self, what is to see or hear?