Widsom

Citta - the sanskrit word for consciousness, which is made up of three factors.  The mind (manas), intellect (buddhi) and the ego (ahamkara).  The mind has three functions - cognition, conation or volition, and motion.

From "Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali", BKS says, "Mind acquires knowledge objectively, whereas intelligence learns through subjective experience, which becomes wisdom."

I like this quote because it always reminds me to do my practice.  I can continue to read...and reread many of the books I have and think I understand it, but not until I gain the realization through experience can I say I have wisdom.

Even this statement though isn't as simple as it seems as our minds and consciousness can be so unsettled that transforming the mind is a lifetime (or many) pursuit. Patanjali writes how fluctuations of the mind can be painful or non-painful and what might seem painful now or taking a lot of work may lead to a more pleasant outcome. In Mr. Iyengar's book, Light on Life he writes about the Five Modifications of Consciousness - citta vrittis.  They are correct knowledge (pramana), wrong knowledge (viparyaya), imagination (vikalpa), sleep (nidra) and memory (smrit).  These states occur in everyone and need to be studied on the path to true wisdom as one path may be damaging and the other liberating.  Inner awareness, linked with intelligence brings the body and brain into harmony to find your inner true guru.

Namaste.

Pamela Nelson
www.plnyoga.BlogSpot.com
email: plnyogastudio@gmail.com