pratyahara vs. reversing the light of awareness

[Songtsan]

I've started studying Patanjali's Sutras again and my mind is trying to correlate. Any opinions, for what they are worth? I have mine, but I'm letting it stew.

[Songtsan]

bump

[Bearded Dragon]

I presume this is what you're referring to ... http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/yogasutr.htm

 

I had a quick read. The first bit was good but I lost interest as the later parts were neither here nor there.

 

1.3. Then the seer dwells in his own nature.

1.4. Otherwise he is of the same form as the thought-streams.

 

This is reversing the light. He clearly advocated that, but the descriptions of Pratyahara that I have just read are what I would consider to be far off the mark or just poorly understood. Cutting off the senses? I can see that if you cut everything off then there would be nothing left but essence, however I can't see that the techniques would be all that useful otherwise.

 

If I were to make an analogy it would be like Moses parting the sea, if the sea was impurities. As opposed to draining the sea via a process of refinement or merely turning the light around and waiting it out. If you don't reach sudden illumination then would it benefit you? Maybe, maybe not. I can only presume that one would not learn how to deal with the senses if one is constantly cutting them off.

 

Or perhaps I just skimmed my research a little too much.

 

In any case I can only advocate techniques that are progressively beneficial, and ones that target essence directly. In other words it's basically just turning the light around plus anything that supports that process and applies to refinement in everyday life.