S p i r i t ua l i t y S t u d i e s 4 - 2 Fa l l 2 0 1 8 2 9 Mark Graceffo generosity. Both Sri Patañjali and Saint Benedict begin from the premise that our daily lives, no matter who or where we are, provide us with all we need to grow into a greater awareness of our True Nature, our Divine Nature. They remind us that our daily routines afford us innumerable opportunities to burn away our impurities and grow in sanctity. As we advance in the daily practice of Kriya Yoga our Ego begins to slowly diminish in size and weakens in its influence over our thoughts and behavior. And as our ego becomes less dominant we become more sattvic, and thus more prepared and better equipped to approach the “eight limbs” of yoga (ashtanga yoga) – the mix of ethical precepts, personal observances, physical practices and meditative techniques, designed to further clear the mind of impurities, and to reveal the wisdom that resides in each of us. The sattvic way of Sri Patañjali and Saint Benedict offers us a time-honored guide on how to live skillfully and fully, both capable of meeting life’s challenges and effusively grateful for the opportunity to do so. Their deepest desire was for us to know that the God we seek dwells within us. The beauty and genius of their instruction is that it is accessible to anyone – ordinary people living ordinary lives – whose spiritual calling sets them on a path of self-transcendence. The practices of Kriya Yoga are indispensable steps on this path, serving to bolster us, as we move deeper into the cave of the heart sowing the seeds of self-transformation. Note [1] “Patanjali’s Pulse” is a phrase coined by Rev. Jaganath Carrera, founder of the Yoga Life Society, and the title of a course he taught in 2016 at the Yoga Life Center, NJ. References St. Benedict. 1982. The Rule of St. Benedict. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press. Carrera, Jaganath. 2006. Inside the Yoga Sutras: A Comprehensive Sourcebook for the Study and Practice of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. Yogaville, VA: Integral Yoga Publications. Gardner, Edmund G. (ed.). 1911. The Dialogues of Saint Gregory the Great. London: Philip Lee Warner. Satchidananda. 2012. The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. Buckingham, VA: Integral Yoga Publications.
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