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THE JOURNEY OF CONSCIOUSNESS
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Siddhis or accomplishments of supernatural powers are of three kinds : (1) those which are natural and give us mastery over our material circumstances, (2) those from which we get the power of meditation and super-sensual perception and (3) those which help us in changing our being and in gaining freedom from passionate attachments.
Natural powers like raising the body above the ground, making the body light or heavy or walking on water, floating in the air etc. can be achieved by our knowledge of the laws of nature. However, they do not bring about any kind of spiritual transformation in us. They may enable us to help or harm others, but they make us peevish and are ineffective in spiritual pursuits.
The second kind of siddhis aim at arousing consciousness which extends from mati jñana (indeterminate knowledge) and śtruta in jñāna (Scriptural knowledge) to pure knowledge. They purify the mind increase knowledge and deepen experience.
The third kind of siddhis chiefly aim at the eradication of passions and the consequent purification of the heart. The second and the third kinds are great achievements. Powers which produce miracles are also accomplishments, but from the spiritual point of view, they are of an inferior order.
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