Debashish Banerji, PhD, is Haridas Chaudhuri Professor of Indian Philosophies and Cultures and Chairman of the East West Psychology Department at the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco. He is author of Seven Quartets of Becoming: A Transformative Yoga Psychology Based on the Diaries of Sri Aurobindo and also The Alternatate Nation of Abanindranath Tagore, a book about his great grandfather. He edited an anthology about his great uncle, Rabindranath Tagore in the Twenty-First Century. His newest anthology is titled Critical Posthumanism and Planetary Futures.
In this interview, rebooted from 2019, he discusses the different approaches toward the siddhis in Tantra and Vedanta. He argues for a balance between these; and notes that, in the yoga system of Aurobindo, balance itself is considered one of the siddhis. He describes the cultural impact of colonization and eventual liberation of India as it influenced and, conversely, was influenced by the long tradition of yoga. He points out the enormous, potential social utility of the siddhis -- such as the ability to convert pain into pleasure.
(Recorded on May 24, 2019)
Key Takeaways from "The Siddhis or Powers of Yoga with Debashish Banerji (4K Reboot)"
The following is a comprehensive summary featuring a discussion between Jeffrey Mishlove and Professor Debashish Banerji. The conversation explores the siddhis (spiritual powers) of yoga, particularly through Sri Aurobindo’s integral yoga system, emphasizing philosophical, historical, and modern contexts. Below are key takeaways, main arguments, crucial statistics, and actionable insights for practitioners and enthusiasts.
- Definition of Siddhis: Siddhis are spiritual powers attained through disciplined yoga practice.
- Ancient Texts: Siddhis are detailed in the Yoga Sutras (circa 4th-5th century CE).
- Eight Primary Siddhis: By the Yoga Sutras era, eight ashta siddhis were widely recognized.
- Sri Aurobindo’s System: Sri Aurobindo organizes siddhis into seven quartets, totaling 28 powers.
- Integral Yoga Framework: Seven quartets integrate Vedantic and Tantric philosophies.
- Vedanta’s View: Vedanta de-emphasizes siddhis to focus on transcendence, avoiding ego traps.
- Tantra’s Perspective: Tantra sees siddhis as legitimate for maximizing human potential.
- Risk of Intoxication: Siddhis can be intoxicating, fostering ego attachment if misused.
- Balancing Drives: Sri Aurobindo’s integral yoga balances transcendence and power.
- Yantra Structure: Seven quartets form a yantra, a geometric engine for practice.
- Geometric Dynamics: Yantra uses triangles and squares to represent energy dynamics.
- Discipline Categories: Quartets split into three general and four specific disciplines.
- General Disciplines: Include Brahma (being), Karma (action), and Siddhi/Yoga (fulfillment).
- Specific Disciplines: Include Shanti (peace), Vijnana (knowledge), Shakti (power), Sharira (body).
- Four Fulfillments: Each quartet has four goals or attainments.
- Brahma Quartet: Focuses on achieving Brahman, the ultimate reality.
- Karma Quartet: Emphasizes purposive action from divine consciousness.
- Siddhi/Yoga Quartet: Acts as a fulcrum connecting Vedantic and Tantric poles.
- Shanti Quartet: Targets peace and balance as spiritual goals.
- Vijnana Quartet: Seeks knowledge by identity with consciousness.
- Shakti Quartet: Develops embodiment of divine power.
- Sharira Quartet: Focuses on body-related spiritual powers.
- Yoga Quartet Goals: Includes shuddhi (purification) and mukti (liberation).
- Additional Yoga Goals: Also includes bhukti (enjoyment) and siddhi (fulfillment).
- Vedantic Goals: Purification and liberation align with Vedantic transcendence.
- Tantric Goals: Enjoyment and siddhis align with Tantric aims.
- Dynamic Tension: Exists between Vedantic being and Tantric doing.
- Primordial Drives: Sri Aurobindo identifies transcendence and power as core human drives.
- Transcendence Drive: Maps to Vedanta’s spiritual aspirations.
- Power Drive: Aligns with Tantra’s pursuit of bliss and control.
- Unity of Drives: Integral yoga seeks to unify these drives.
- Vidya vs. Avidya: Vedanta contrasts vidya (knowledge) with avidya (ignorance).
- Sankhya Dualism: Separates purusha (consciousness) and prakriti (nature).
- Purusha Defined: Purusha is free consciousness, gendered male in Sankhya.
- Prakriti Defined: Prakriti is nature, bound by laws, gendered female.
- Sankhya Goal: Aims to free purusha from prakriti’s conditioning.
- Aurobindo’s Synthesis: Relates purusha and prakriti for unity.
- Rising Above Maya: Maximizing both leads to unity beyond maya (illusion).
- Maya’s Veil: Maya separates vidya from avidya.
- Body Quartet Goals: Sharira quartet includes four body-related siddhis.
- Arogya Siddhi: Freedom from disease, potentially physical immortality.
- Utthapana Siddhi: Levitation, representing paranormal body powers.
- Saundarya Siddhi: Beauty, expressing the soul’s unique essence.
- Universal Beauty: Sri Aurobindo views all beings as inherently beautiful.
- Bliss as Goal: Fifth body goal includes five forms of physical bliss.
- Raudrananda Bliss: Transforming intense pain into bliss.
- Kamananda Bliss: Constant erotic or sexual bliss in the body.
- Vaidyutananda Bliss: Electric-like bliss coursing through the body.
- Thriraananda Bliss: Thrill causing hair to stand on end.
- Vishayananda Bliss: Bliss from contact with material objects.
- Pain Transformation: Yogic practice can convert pain into bliss.
- Scorpion Bite Example: Sri Aurobindo experienced raudrananda after a scorpion bite.
- Divine Contact: Described pain as a lover’s divine touch.
- Ashta Siddhis: Eight traditional siddhis from Yoga Sutras.
- Telepathy Powers: Include pramya and vyapti for mind-to-mind communication.
- Achievement Powers: Aishwarya, ishita, and vashita for conscious influence.
- Being Powers: Anima, laghima, and mahima relate to physical presence.
- Anima Power: Becoming small or invisible at will.
- Laghima Power: Lightness, enabling levitation.
- Mahima Power: Projecting an aura of greatness.
- Mapping Siddhis: Body and knowledge quartets include ashta siddhis.
- Immortality Goal: Pursued in archaic systems like alchemy.
- Siddha Yogis: Southern Indian tradition aimed for physical immortality.
- Babaji Legend: Yogananda’s Autobiography of a Yogi describes immortal Babaji.
- Western Accounts: Sondra Ray documented encounters with Babaji.
- Christ as Yogi: Christ’s life likened to a yogi achieving immortality.
- Astral vs. Physical: Distinction between astral and physical bodies unclear.
- Imaginal Realm: Henri Corbin’s term for an ontologically real non-physical realm.
- Subtle and Gross Body: Indian systems view body as sthula (gross) and sukshma (subtle).
- Probability Distribution: Body exists as a continuum from subtle to gross.
- Yoga Diary: Sri Aurobindo tracked successes and failures in a journal.
- Radical Empiricism: Diary reflects William James’ empirical approach.
- Actionable Insight: Keep a journal to explore paranormal experiences.
- Modern Yogi: Sri Aurobindo engaged traditions with a modern outlook.
- Amma’s Practice: Amritananda Mayi (Amma) embodies divine goddess power.
- Divine Hugging: Amma’s hugging reflects Tantric divine possession.
- Tantric Goal: Central aim is embodying the goddess.
- Chandi Bhava: Sri Aurobindo’s term for becoming a divine mother’s vessel.
- Cellular Radiation: Divine possession radiates through body cells.
- Constant Bliss: Amma reportedly experiences orgasmic bliss continuously.
- Bliss Continuity: Five forms of bliss can be constant with possession.
- Cultural Openness: Growing up in India fosters siddhi acceptance.
- Modernity’s Impact: Materialistic views limit openness to siddhis.
- Urban India Shift: Modern urbanites less exposed to yogic traditions.
- Dakshineshwar Change: Once a yogi hub, now a middle-class pilgrimage site.
- Colonial Resistance: Yogis used siddhis to resist British rule.
- Aurobindo’s Motivation: Entered yoga to aid India’s liberation.
- Malaria Cure: Witnessed a yogi cure malaria with mantra-charged water.
- Freedom Question: Explored siddhis for anti-colonial purposes.
- Hatha Yoga Origins: Emerged as resistance to colonial oppression.
- Body Politics: Hatha yoga built endurance against beatings.
- Yoga Studio Roots: Modern yoga stems from anti-colonial movement.
- Consumer Paradox: Yoga now a consumerist, not political, practice.
- Anglophilia Effect: Colonization led some, like Aurobindo’s father, to anglophilia.
- Tradition Revival: Others modernized yogic traditions.
- Western Scholars: Sir John Woodruff studied yoga and Tantra.
- Orientalizing Distortion: Western study sometimes oversimplified yoga.
- Actionable Insight: Study yoga’s historical roots for deeper practice.
- Tantric Ethics: Emphasize nonviolence (ahimsa) and equality.
- Humanity’s Benefit: Siddhis should serve collective good.
- Gandhi’s Nonviolence: Used yogic endurance for resistance.
- Ahimsa’s Influence: Inspired Martin Luther King’s civil rights movement.
- Pain to Bliss: Converting pain enables nonviolent resilience.
- Actionable Insight: Practice pain transformation for endurance.
- Vipassana Technique: Buddhist meditation detaches consciousness from pain.
- Pain Distancing: Observing pain neutrally reduces its impact.
- Actionable Insight: Meditate to observe pain without attachment.
- Acupuncture Parallel: Numbs pain via energy channels (nadis).
- Internal Control: Yoga achieves pain relief through visualization.
- Actionable Insight: Visualize compassion to transform pain.
- Hypnosis Case: Mishlove’s client reduced pain via compassionate hypnosis.
- Compassion Shift: Loving pain transforms it to tenderness.
- Actionable Insight: Cultivate self-compassion for pain management.
- Painkiller Reliance: Billions spent annually on painkillers.
- Economic Impact: Yogic pain management could reduce costs.
- Huxley’s Vision: Island envisions yoga for utopian society.
- Conditioning Warning: Brave New World cautions against manipulative practices.
- Actionable Insight: Balance external and internal pain relief methods.
- Immortality Stages: Involves conscious death and rebirth processes.
- Buddha’s Birth: Seen as a yogic achievement in Buddhist texts.
- Conscious Transition: Moving between lives consciously is a siddhi.
- Actionable Insight: Explore consciousness in life transitions.
- Cellular Renewal: Body cells replace every seven years.
- Aging Cause: Imperfect cell regeneration leads to aging.
- Regeneration Potential: Conscious regeneration could enable immortality.
- Actionable Insight: Study cellular regeneration through yoga.
- Globalization Effect: Modernity marginalizes siddhi exploration.
- Urban Disconnect: Urban Indians less aware of yogic possibilities.
- Nationalism Revival: Rising nationalism may rekindle tradition interest.
- 2019 Election: Right-wing Hindu party won, promoting yoga.
- National Identity: Party brands yoga as India’s gift.
- Physical Focus: Emphasis remains on physical yoga, not siddhis.
- Actionable Insight: Advocate for holistic yoga education.
- Liberal Skepticism: Liberalism dismisses siddhis as superstition.
- Nationalism Paradox: Stereotypes cultures but revives traditions.
- Actionable Insight: Bridge liberalism and nationalism for universal yoga.
- James’ Influence: William James’ radical empiricism aligns with Aurobindo.
- Actionable Insight: Experiment with siddhis scientifically.
- Superstition Concern: Some traditional beliefs may be superstitious.
- Actionable Insight: Test traditions with critical inquiry.
- Balance Siddhi: Samata (balance) is key in Shanti quartet.
- Shanti Goals: Include samata (balance), shanti (peace).
- Additional Goals: Also sukha (happiness), hasya (laughter).
- Progression Path: Balance leads to peace, happiness, then laughter.
- Actionable Insight: Cultivate balance for peace and joy.
- Vedantic-Tantric Split: Samata and shanti are Vedantic; sukha and hasya Tantric.
- Actionable Insight: Integrate spiritual and material practices.
- Global Need: Balance siddhi needed to heal societal divisions.
- Actionable Insight: Apply yogic balance to personal and global conflicts.
- Human Potential: Sri Aurobindo’s system offers a path to unity and growth.
Main Arguments
- Siddhis represent human potential but require ethical use to avoid ego-driven misuse.
- Sri Aurobindo’s integral yoga synthesizes Vedantic transcendence and Tantric power for holistic growth.
- Historical contexts (e.g., colonialism) and modern forces (e.g., globalization, nationalism) shape siddhi perception.
- Balancing spiritual and material drives fosters personal and societal transformation.
Crucial Statistics
- 28 Siddhis: Organized into seven quartets by Sri Aurobindo.
- Eight Ashta Siddhis: Traditional powers from the Yoga Sutras.
- Five Forms of Bliss: Part of the body quartet’s goals.
Actionable Insights
- Journaling: Keep a yoga diary to track spiritual and paranormal progress.
- Pain Transformation: Practice compassion or meditation to convert pain to bliss.
- Scientific Exploration: Test siddhis using empirical methods inspired by William James.
- Holistic Advocacy: Promote yoga education that includes siddhis, not just physical practice.
- Balance Cultivation: Focus on samata to achieve peace, happiness, and laughter.
