Samyama (from Sanskrit संयम saṃ-yama—holding together, tying up, binding, integration) is the combined simultaneous practice of dhāraṇā (concentration), dhyāna (meditation) and samādhi (union).
Description
Samyama is a tool to receive deeper knowledge of qualities of the object. It is a term summarizing the "catch-all" process of psychological absorption in the object of meditation. For Patanjali in his Yoga Sutras, Pratyahara is the preceding stage to practicing and developing Samyama. See also Ashtanga yoga.
Framework
Samyama, as Patanjali's Yoga Sutras states, engenders prajñā. Adi Yoga or Mahasandhi discusses the 'mūla prajñā' of "listening/studying, investigation/contemplation, realization/meditation" which are a transposition of the triune of Samyama. These are activated subconsciously in non-structured form (thus producing fragmented spontaneous Samyama-like effects) by any thinking activity or contemplative absorption (particularly the Catuskoti and Koan) and deep levels of trance. Any kind of intuitive thinking at its various stages of expression is strongly related to Samyama-like phenomena as well.
Practice and structure
Samyama is practiced consistently by yogis of some yoga meditation systems and schools, from simple meditation alone to week-long meditation retreats or more. Described in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, it comprises the three most mentally focusing "limbs" of Patanjali's Eight-limbed ("Astanga") in his Yoga Sutras. A meditator who is successful in learning samyama vanquishes all cognitive obstacles/problems/troubles (Sanskrit: klesha). The Sutras then describe various psychic experiences Patanjali calls "powers," "successes," or "perfections" (Sanskrit: siddhi) that a yoga meditator may experience through the conduit of Samyama.
Yoga Sutras
Samyama is defined in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali verses 3.1 through 3.6 as follows where the Sanskrit in Devanagari and IAST were sourced from Little and the English from Iyengar (1993: pp. 178–183):
See also
- Beginner's mind
- Isha Yoga
- Insight
- Jnana yoga
- Dhāraṇā (concentration)
- Dhyāna (meditation)
- Samadhi
- Siddhi
References
External links
- All about Samyama
