Page 236 - Mystic Pathways through the Bible

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230 Mystic pathways through the bible
the scriptures, and the farmer is the individual soul. The different states of mind are the elds where the seeds are sown.
In this parable one may see a close similarity to the Raja Yoga doctrine of the ve states of the mind: dull, distracted, partially distracted, one-pointed, and controlled.
1. Mudha: A mind that is dull. Spiritual instructions do not become effective and are like seeds sown on the rocky ground, which germinate but soon wither and die.
2. Kshipta: A mind that is distracted. Teachings given to such a mind are wasted, like the seeds sown by the roadside that were eaten by birds before they could develop any roots.
3. Vikshipta: A partially distracted mind. Giving guidance to a person with this type of mind is like sowing seeds between thorny bushes; they grow, but are easily choked by lingering impressions of attachment, hatred, anger, greed and other thorny impediments. One who possesses a mind that is partially distracted needs to weed out the thorny mental impressions or kleshas (af ictions such as egoism, attachment and hatred) in order to advance on the spiritual path.
4. Ekagrata: A one-pointed mind. Such a mind is the fertile soil in which the teachings grow and ourish. This is the state of mind in an advanced