Siddhis
As the higher chakras open, siddhis may appear. These can be defined as psychic or paranormal powers.

Many advanced yogis manifest siddhis, it can be a signpost on the way to full enlightenment. Siddhis can take the form of extrasensory perception, healing, and miracles of various sorts.
It is advised in the Sampasaadaniiya Sutra that the Siddhis are not to be indulged in indiscriminately as it is possible to employ the Siddhis in such a manner that the everyday world of illusion, rather than being transcended, becomes even more attractive, and one becomes further lost in it.

“Siddhis are by-products of concentration. Siddhis have nothing to do with Self-realization. A Sadhu may manifest Siddhis due to strong passions and intense desires… You must believe me when I tell you that Siddhis are a great hindrance to spiritual progress, and so long as one is within the realm of Siddhis…there is not the least hope of God-realisation for him. But, this does not mean that a person manifesting Siddhis is not a realized soul. There are several instances of such persons who have exhibited several Siddhis purely for the elevation and uplift of the world, but never for selfish motives.”

– Sri Swami Sivananda, “Satsanga and Svadhyaya”

It is possible that a bona fide guru might exhibit siddhis just to get a student’s attention, with the hope that enough interest is aroused to create a commitment to spiritual evolution. One is reminded of Ram Dass’s initial meeting with his teacher Neem Karoli Baba, and the little siddhis he performed. Perhaps Maharajji knew that this man would become a major channel of yogic information to the western world, eventually catalyzing mass interest in meditation and yoga. Of course, as a teacher, you run the risk that the student will become more interested in the siddhis rather than self-realisation.

“…these siddhis create stumbling blocks in the path of Enlightenment…I have found that such people are often greedy, egotistical, and ignorant. The path of Enlightenment is different from the intentional cultivation of powers. The miracles of Buddha, Christ, and other great sages were performed spontaneously and for a purpose. They were not performed with selfish motives or to create a sensation. A yogi without having any desire for a siddhi might get one, but one who is aware of the purpose of his life never misuses them. Misuse of siddhi is the downfall of a yogi.”

– Swami Rama, “Living with the Himalayan Masters”

Then there is the case of a great adept who is very powerful and has great desire to manipulate. The power these adepts have is called Vashita-siddhi - The ability to bring others under one’s control. It has been postulated that great deceivers such as the Rev. Jim Jones and Adolph Hitler had this ability and used it for ill.

“All these powers will come to one whose mind is spontaneously enlightened through purity. By giving up even these powers the seed of evil is destroyed and liberation follows.”

–Patanjali, Yoga Sutras

I have met some teachers who where endowed with a more modest form of this charisma. I have noticed that their students tend to be fanatically attached to their teachers as “the One True Way” and will brook no dissent on this point. This should always be a red flag, a clue that all is not well. There may very well be only “One True Way” for any given individual, but that means there are currently about 6.5 billion “Ways” on this planet.

“What do you do if you meet the Buddha on the road?”
–Zen Koan

Of course, undisciplined, narcissistic chaos probably is not the best path either. Find a practice and an altruistic teacher. Honor yourself and the gift your teacher has given you through the discipline of daily practice. Keep an open heart, cultivate compassion. Open your mind, be attentive. When your Path finally brings you to the Gateway to the Divine, Surrender…

In summation:

Kundalini: Life force activation necessary for speedy progress on the spiritual path. Should be approached with organized structure, grounding, and experienced support.

Kali: Energy of aggressive Kundalini activation, very tricky, best attempted only when the student has years of preparation and daily practice, pure motivation, and guidance by a true master.

Indrajal and Siddhis: Avoid at all costs, severe detour on the Path. Keep your eyes on the prize: Enlightenment. Copyright 2006, Keith E. Hall. All rights reserved.

Instruction & Coaching contact for info on instruction

Instruction available in the Baltimore Washington, DC area.

Tags: kali, Kundalini, shaktipat, siddhis

This entry was posted on Thursday, January 29th, 2009 at 10:04 am and is filed under Article Archive. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.