The standard narrative I have heard wrt to siddhis in vedanta and elsewhere is that you might come across them while on your sadhana, but they are distractions to the final goal and are to be discarded. The only goal for an advaita vedantic sadhaka is jivanmukti. The sadhana begins in earnest once you have renounced your desires for attainments in this world as well as the next (ihamutrartha phala bhoga viraga). Any demonstration of siddhis is frowned upon, and you are not even supposed to discuss them and any other spiritual experiences except with your guru.
I haven't come across mention of siddhis in the prakarana granthas I have read so far (drg drishya viveka,aparokshanubhuti, vivekachudamani), but advaitic lore does speak of them. Not to mention they are mentioned everywhere in the puranas (e.g., vishwamitra and trishanku), but these mainly come from the yogic or tantric traditions. These tradtions do mention siddhis explicitly (ashta maha siddhis, for e.g.).
Does advaita mention anything at all about siddhis? Are there any popular accounts of jivanmuktas who have demonstrated them? Or does advaita hold that siddhis don't exist? I have asked this question to a couple of swamis, and they repeat the standard line.
My motivation came from thinking whether there are any empirical implications for the advaitic claim on the nature of reality, or is it just a realization that only you are privy to. I.e., how would we scientifically establish vedanta in the 21st century before a skeptical audience? The straightforward answer to this or any other claim on the nature of reality is to demonstrate a real effect in a controlled laboratory setting that follows from the theory.
Hi everyone,
I was reading a book about neem karoli babi named 'it all abides in love' written by jai ram ransom and came across the following passage: 'I think many of the devotees of Maharajji’s satsang have developed secret siddhis. They will never admit to that, ever, for then these powers are lost.'
This statement strikes me as questionable for multiple reasons. First off there are plenty of accounts of accomplished yogi's throughout history admitting to having these abilities and even demonstrating them depending on the situation. Secondly if he is talking about certain 'secret siddhis' as opposed to the 'known' ones how would the writer even know about them in the first place? Seems rather contradictory. Lastly I question why the disclosure of these abilities would somehow lead to the loss of them and why would there be a difference between secret and known siddhis. No further reason is provided by the writer.
Perhaps someone else can shed some light on this.
Thank you!
What type of meditation is conductive to developing/awakening siddhis???
Everything has Buddha nature, even if it is unaware of it, but the enlightened are very much aware of it, so much so in fact that it's quite easy to fall into the perception that you are alone, interacting with only your own reincarnations and to start seeing all the Universe as your flesh.
If there are no others, then there can be no food, for food is that which is foreign and external to ones self. If there is only Buddha nature and ones own reincarnations, then there can be no clothing either, there is no sacrificial plants or animals to satisfy our hunger with because those too have Buddha nature, those too are your incarnations. There is no external place or other with which to fashion clothes.
The Siddhi of wearing clothes and eating food, as an intentional, deliberate act, as a Buddha, is nothing short of remarkable. To stop seeing the grand golden towers of self importance and let go of their enlightenment entirely is a level of self discipline I can't help but admire.
My google searches have been failing me this morning, I'm having trouble finding the Zen master who claimed that these were his Siddhis. If anyone here knows their name and could help me credit them, that would be quite cool of you.
So why does it seem that Awakened ones in India and Mexico possess these powers yet they are never spoken about by American and European mystics?
There have long been reports of human beings developing supernatural abilities that challenge our assumptions about reality. From astral projection to prophecy, psychic abilities, channeling, telepathy, teleportation, healing, levitation, and manifestation; the spiritual sub-culture, particularly in the United States and India, is bizarre and multi-faceted.
My understanding is that as the mind begins to open and energetic channels are unblocked, layers of reality that were previously inaccessible are suddenly available. You have more cognitive flexibility, and can accept alternative models of reality that can help manipulate and improve your experience. I found Law of Attraction to be quite useful to live more comfortably, but was never interested in the other stuff. I played around with healing, auras, and predictions; all of which are pretty cool, but of peripheral interest.
While I’ve acquired some of these faculties during the journey of awakening, I’ve never took any interest in honing them. I don’t see anything wrong with them, it’s just that I wanted liberation more than mere entertainment and distraction. While these abilities can be a natural life path for many, I never really gravitated towards them. I just wanted to be free, and none of those things promised freedom. They can make you feel extraordinarily special, but not free.
On the other side of liberation, you realize all your motivations were fueled by a desire for freedom, and once you have it, you don’t really care for those things. If developing spiritual powers was your idea of living freely, when actual freedom is attained, the interest disappears. So while the universe is now open to me, there’s no one there to care unless things flow in that direction organically. That’s the paradox of enlightenment: you can do anything now, if only there was someone there to do it.
I know a tantrik from Kerela. Twice he has offered to teach me Apsara sadhana, I have refused both times. Why?
Apsaras and Yakshinis are lower level entities, categorises as Itar Yoni. Achieving the siddhi of these beings is comparatively easier than a Deity, but carry certain risks.
The Apsara can be siddh as a Mother, Wife or daughter. If you choose Wife, and you already have a wife, your current wife will die. The Apsara doesn't tolerate competition here.
Some youngsters want to do Apsara sadhana so that they can have sex with the entity. This is not entirely true. To have sex with the entity directly will require a high level of manifestation. Usually, if you ask for sex, the Apsara will catch the nearest woman she can find, possess her and bring her to you.
Additionally, if you have sex with an entity like an Apsara, when you die, you will be born in the same yoni, as the same class of entity. There is no escape.
So the safest option is to siddh her as a mother. This too has risks, as the Apsara is extremely beautiful, if you have even slight lust for her, she will destroy you. Know this now- these are extremely intelligent entities, far above the average intelligence of normal humans.
I mean there are certain loopholes to get you out safely, but the game is still not worth the risk. Truth is, these sadhanas were never meant for Householders. These were meant for secluded Yogis living in the Himalayas where access to resources is difficult. These entities can provide you with basic necessities such as food and sex, which is why these sadhanas were done.
It is better to do sadhana of deities, even though siddhi may take many lifetimes. After all, these entities are servants of God, and if you achieve God, they will become your servants too.
After three years of practicing Ashtanga, my first ever jump through came unexpectedly today. I was ecstatic and wanted to experience more of them, so I continued through my series long past where, for the first time in a long time, I felt confident intuition to finish. Having overdone it, I am very tired and know that I have done my body and mind a disservice in pushing it.
Yoga has much to say about siddhis (yogic super powers) and cautions against attachment to them:
“Then the wise yogi, in order to gain success in yoga, should think that these are obstacles to the ultimate attainment; the wise yogi should not take pleasure in them.” - Dattātreyayogaśāstra 101-102
“Those powers are hinderances when in samadhi; when the mind is active they are perfections." - Pātañjalayogaśāstra 3.37
“in the end, all this is fraudulent display.” - Lallāvākyāni 38
Jumping through might not be a siddhi by classical definition, but the caution remains the same: don’t get sidetracked by markers of “progress.”
Let’s discuss! What are your progress markers or achievements and how do you relate to them?
Hello, what exactly is mantra siddhi? Some people saying that when you attain the complete knowledge of the mantra after certain amount of repetition you become the mantra and you get a vision of the particular deity you worshipping... Well Im practicing simply mantra japa but it make me a little bit fearful of keeping doing it.. I don't want to have special vision or something, anyone to explain me the concept and reassure me a little bit. Thank you sorry for my english
