In Indian religions, Siddhis (Sanskrit: सिद्धिsiddhi; fulfillment, accomplishment) are material, paranormal, supernatural, or otherwise magical powers, abilities, and attainments that are the products of yogic advancement through sādhanās such as meditation and yoga. [1] The term ṛddhi (Pali: iddhi, "psychic powers") is often used interchangeably in Buddhism.
Siddhi is a Sanskrit noun which can be translated as "knowledge", "accomplishment", "attainment", or "success". [2]
The Visuddhimagga is one of the texts to give explicit details about how spiritual masters were thought to actually manifest supernormal abilities. [3] It states that abilities such as flying through the air, walking through solid obstructions, diving into the ground, walking on water and so forth are achieved through changing one element, such as earth, into another element, such as air. [3] The individual must master kasina meditation before this is possible. [3] Dipa Ma, who trained via the Visuddhimagga, claimed to have these abilities, but her claim was never independently verified. [4]
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In the Panchatantra , an ancient Indian collection of moral fables, siddhi may be the term for any unusual skill or faculty or capability.[ citation needed ]
In Patañjali's Yoga Sutras IV.1 it is stated, Janma auṣadhi mantra tapaḥ samādhijāḥ siddhayaḥ, "Accomplishments may be attained through birth, the use of herbs, incantations, self-discipline or samadhi". [5] Patanjali discusses siddhi in Vibhuti Pada (third chapter) and commentators like Vyasa consider it as a by-product of yogic path due to mastery over prakriti . Verse III.37 warns that siddhis serve as milestones or distractions rather than as the ultimate goal. Verse III.55 further explains that liberation ( kaivalya ) is achieved through discriminative knowledge, not through mystic powers. Once ignorance is removed through such knowledge, the cycle of rebirth ( samsara ) ceases. [6]
According to different sources, below are the eight classical siddhis (Ashta Siddhi) or eight great perfections: [7] [8]
In ISKCON texts, the ability to become heavy or dense (Garimā) is named Mahimā, which (the ability to expand one's body) gets replaced with Kāmāvasāyitā, the ability to take any shape or form one may even whimsically desire. [9]
In Shaivism, siddhis are defined as "Extraordinary powers of the soul, developed through consistent meditation and often uncomfortable and grueling tapas, or awakened naturally through spiritual maturity and yogic sādhanā." [10]
In Vaishnavism, the term siddhi is used in the Sarva-darśana-saṃgraha of Madhvacharya (1238–1317), the founder of Dvaita (dualist) philosophy.
In the Bhagavata Purana , the five siddhis brought on by yoga and meditation are:
In the Bhagavata Purana, Krishna describes the ten secondary siddhis:[ citation needed ]
In the Samkhyakarika and Tattvasamasa, there are references to the attainment of eight siddhis by which "one becomes free of the pain of ignorance, one gains knowledge, and experiences bliss". The eight siddhis hinted at by Kapila in the Tattvasamasa are, as explained in verse 51 of the Samkhyakarika: [13]
It is believed that the attainment of these eight siddhis renders one free of the pain of ignorance and gives one knowledge and bliss.
Ganesha, Hanuman, various forms of Devi, Vishnu and various other deities are popularly seen as the keepers of siddhis, with the ability to grant them to the worshipper. [14] The attainment of such siddhis is a more pronounced goal in Shaivism. Notably, Hanuman is an incarnation of Shiva, and Ganesh is His son. The last day of Navaratri, the celebration of the pastimes and forms of Goddess Parvati, the wife of Shiva, is for Siddhidhatri, quite literally "She who has the power to grant the Siddhis". According to the lore of the Puranas, it becomes apparent that Shiva is in fact the holder and releaser of such important and powerful abilities.[ citation needed ]
In Sikhism, siddhi means "insight". "Eight Siddhis" is a term used for insight of the eight qualities of Nirankar or a.k.a. Akal Purakh mentioned in the Mul Mantar in the Guru Granth Sahib. God has eight qualities: Ek Onkar, Satnam, Kartapurakh, Nirbhao, Nirvair, AkaalMurat, Ajooni and Svaibhang. The one who has insight into these qualities is called Sidh or Gurmukh.[ citation needed ]
Sidh means the one who has mastered his self.
In Tantric Buddhism, siddhi specifically refers to the acquisition of supernatural powers by psychic or magical means or the supposed faculty so acquired. These powers include items such as clairvoyance, levitation, bilocation and astral projection, materialization, and having access to memories from past lives.[ citation needed ]
Yoga is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines that originated in ancient India, aimed at controlling body and mind to attain various salvation goals, as practiced in the Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist traditions.
Samādhi, in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and yogic schools, is a state of meditative consciousness. In many Indian religious traditions, the cultivation of Samādhi through various meditation methods is essential for the attainment of spiritual liberation.
Vritti (Vrutti) , means "streams of consciousness", it is also a technical term used in yoga with five specifically defined "movements of thought" which can both help or hinder us; cf. cittavṛtti.
Kriya Yoga is a yoga system which consists of a number of levels of pranayama, mantra, and mudra, intended to rapidly accelerate spiritual development and engender a profound state of tranquility and God-communion. It is described by its practitioners as an ancient yoga system revived in modern times by Lahiri Mahasaya, who claimed to be initiated by a guru, Mahavatar Babaji, circa 1861 in the Himalayas. Kriya Yoga was brought to international awareness by Paramahansa Yogananda's book Autobiography of a Yogi and through Yogananda's introductions of the practice to the West from 1920.
The Siddhar in Tamil tradition is a perfected individual who has attained spiritual powers called siddhi.
Pratyahara or the 'gathering towards' is the fifth element among the Eight stages of Patanjali's Ashtanga Yoga, as mentioned in his classical work, Yoga Sutras of Patanjali composed in the 2nd century BCE. It is also the first stage of the six-branch yoga (ṣaḍaṅgayoga) of the Buddhist Kālacakra tantra, where it refers to the withdrawal of the five senses from external objects to be replaced by the mentally created senses of an enlightened deity. This phase is roughly analogous to the physical isolation phase of Guhyasamāja tantra.
Nandinatha Sampradaya is a denomination of Shaivism sect of Hinduism that places great importance on the practice of yoga. It is related to the broader Nath Sampradaya. The self-styled living preceptor and 163rd head of the Nandinatha Sampradaya's Kailasa Parampara is Bodhinatha Veylanswami. It is most popular among diasporic Hindu communities of North America and beyond, as well among the Sri Lankan Tamils.
Baba Hari Dass was an Indian yoga master, silent monk, temple builder, and commentator of Indian scriptural traditions of dharma and moksha. He was classically trained in the Ashtanga of Patanjali, as well as Kriya yoga, Ayurveda, Samkhya, Sri Vidya, Tantra, Vedanta, and Sanskrit.
Raja Yoga is a book by Swami Vivekananda about "Raja Yoga", his interpretation of Patanjali's Yoga Sutras adapted for a Western audience. The book was published in July 1896. It became an instant success and was highly influential in the Western understanding of yoga.
Dhyāna in Hinduism means meditation and contemplation. Dhyana is taken up in Yoga practices, and is a means to samadhi and self-knowledge.
Abhijñā is a Buddhist term generally translated as "direct knowledge", "higher knowledge" or "supernormal knowledge." In Buddhism, such special knowledge is obtained through virtuous living and meditation. The attainment of the four jhanas, or meditative absorptions, is considered a prerequisite for their attainment. In terms of specifically enumerated knowledges, these include mundane extra-sensory abilities as well as the supramundane, meaning the extinction of all mental intoxicants (āsava).
Iddhi in Buddhism refers to "psychic powers", one of the six supranormal powers (abhijñā) attained by advanced meditation through the four dhyānas. The main sense of the word seems to be "potency".
Shaucha literally means purity, cleanliness, and clearness. It refers to purity of mind, speech and body. Shaucha is one of the niyamas of Yoga. It is discussed in many ancient Indian texts such as the Mahabharata and Patanjali's Yoga Sutras. It is a virtue in Hinduism and Jainism. In Hinduism purity is a part of worship and an important quality for salvation. Purity is a mind pure and free of evil thoughts and behaviors.
Santosha literally means "contentment, satisfaction". It is also an ethical concept in Indian philosophy, particularly Yoga, where it is included as one of the Niyamas by Patanjali.
Samyama is the combined simultaneous practice of Dhāraṇā (concentration), Dhyāna (meditation) and Samādhi (union).
Adarsana refers to the real non-seeing of objects which already exist; it refers to the ignorance of factual existence of things. This term figures prominently in the Yoga school of thought, and in Jain philosophy.
Ekāgratā is intent pursuit of one object, close and undisturbed attention. Yoga emphasises regular practice (Abhyasa) of meditation and self-imposed discipline to acquire ekāgratā.
Yoga philosophy is one of the six major important schools of Hindu philosophy, though it is only at the end of the first millennium CE that Yoga is mentioned as a separate school of thought in Indian texts, distinct from Samkhya. Ancient, medieval and most modern literature often refers to Yoga-philosophy simply as Yoga. A systematic collection of ideas of Yoga is found in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, a key text of Yoga which has influenced all other schools of Indian philosophy.
The Darshana Upanishad is one of the minor Upanishads of Hinduism written in Sanskrit. It is one of twenty Yoga Upanishads in the four Vedas, and it is attached to the Samaveda.
Roots of Yoga is a 2017 book of commentary and translations from over 100 ancient and medieval yoga texts, mainly written in Sanskrit but including several other languages, many not previously published, about the origins of yoga including practices such as āsana, mantra, and meditation, by the scholar-practitioners James Mallinson and Mark Singleton.