Yoga Sutra 26

Sutra 26

The ceaseless flow of discriminative knowledge in thought, word, and deed destroys ignorance and the source of pain.

Iyengar puts it best, “The seeds of false knowledge are to be burnt up through uninterrupted yogic practices to maintain an unbroken flow of discriminative intelligence”.

This is meditation and mantra. Many psalms reflect on the importance of constant thought drawn to God, and love; the importance of prayer spread out through every day. This is Christian contemplation, where even when we are not studying the Bible, we are in constant focus on God. In yoga, this practice is called Bhakti yoga, the path of devotion and the study of scripture is called Jnana yoga. The practice of concentration and contemplation are also important in the eightfold path of yoga in Dharana and Dhyana. Both are important to practice constantly so we do not get trapped in earthly desires, emotions, or in other words, in sin.

“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law, he meditates day and night.
He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither…”
Psalm 1:1-3