While we are living in our body, our true nature, which is pure Consciousness (Chitta), is covered by countless thoughts and emotions, many of them are of the afflicted nature. We constantly become involved in them as if they were our true nature, like when anger, fear, or jealousy arises, we say, “I am angry,” “I am afraid,”. In each case we do not merely witness the emotion but identify with it. Then, in that state of emotional identification—which is really a misidentification, since we are the transcendental Self—we take particular actions. Again we identify with the notion of being an agent who initiates limited activities. Those actions have effects, which then lead to renewed mental and emotional states with which we identify. In this way, we keep the illusion of being a particular ego-personality (or body-mind) going indefinitely, reaping both pleasure and pain. Not establishing in our own true self (chitta), is because of maya and maya is nothing but ignorance of the knowledge of fluctuations of the chitta, which we call Avidya.
As Yoga practitioners, we are called to not be attached to particular states of mind and especially to go beyond their negative manifestations—such as anger, fear, lust, hatred, envy, jealousy, or greed. That’s why Sage Patanjali defines Yoga as Chitta Vritti Nirodha so that we can establish in our own self by going beyond those manifestations. Going beyond does not mean repressing them, but placing ourselves in our core Identity, the transcendental Self, by becoming the witness of our manifold activities. As the witness, we get in touch with our innate bliss, which then outshines all other possible emotions and thoughts. Witnessing brings clarity and simplicity into our mind and life. We don't have to struggle with negative emotions; rather through our witnessing they gradually defuse themselves, giving us more and more inner space, or tranquillity. It is in that peaceful space that the work of Yoga can flourish. The more we activate the principle of sattva in ourselves, the more our mind becomes a still, calm pool. Ordinarily, its surface is broken by countless ripples, which blur our vision and reflect back to us the fragmented self (the ego-personality) rather than the whole Self, our true nature. According to the Sage Patanjali, we must control the fluctuations of the mind if we desire to catch sight of the transcendental Self. Control (nirodha) is an important concept of Yoga. It goes hand in hand with the concept of cultivating an introspective mind which alone is the antidote to our normal scattered state of consciousness. Every action—even a mere thought or emotion—provokes a corresponding reaction. This is the mechanism behind what the adepts of Yoga call karma. Bad karma is action/reaction that keeps us bound to the state of unenlightenment, with all its consequences. Good karma is action/reaction that promotes those qualities that are conducive to harmony, peace, happiness, and ultimately enlightenment. Yoga helps us dive deep into our unconscious, where the karmic seeds for our egoic thoughts and behaviours are found. On the way into the hidden recesses of our mind, we encounter all sorts of emotions that require cleaning out or transmutation. All the practices of Yoga are geared toward accomplishing this housecleaning and setting us free.
So, the innate consciousness is simply chitta when it exists in its own self and without any turbulence of the mind and wrong identification with those fluctuations.
