From "The Secret of the Yoga Sutra" by Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, PhD

From The Secret of the Yoga Sutra
by Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, PhD

Click HERE to learn more about Pandit Rajmani Tigunait's book and 70+ city lecture tour.

"We come into the world with a powerful and illuminating mind.  Yet most of us have no clue why we are here because our mind has acquired the tendency to neglect and dismiss its own inherent virtues.  This habit causes the mind to create its own little world and then work hard to protect it.  It gives rise to distorted self-identity, attachment, aversion, and fear of loss.  These acquired attributes veil our inner luminosity, forcing us to grope our way in the darkness of ignorance.

We all are trying to discover the secret of life.  We want to know who we are, what our relationship is with the world, what is the true source of happiness, and most importantly, how to live with purpose and without fear.  We know the mind has enable us to master the external world, but we rarely stop to consider that, if we master the mind itself and thereby gain access to its vast pool of power and intelligence, unending joy and eternal freedom will be ours.  Instead, we let the mind roam aimlessly.  Protecting it from doubt, fear, anger, confusion, and self-incrimination is not among our priorities.  As a result, we strive for peace with an agitated mind.  We look for clarity with a stupefied mind.  We search for our inner self with a mind that knows only how to operate in the external world.  We attempt to achieve lasting happiness with a mind accustomed to chasing short-lived pleasure. We yearn for ultimate freedom with a mind enslaved by its own dysfunctional habits.  In short, we have set out on the path of conquest with a self-defeating mind.  Doubt, fear, uncertainty, sorrow, and grief thus become an integral part of our destiny." (xvii-xviii)