(Nov 3,2013 ) Spiritual Message for the Day – The Aspiration for Spiritual Life

The Aspiration for Spiritual Life

Divine Life Society Publication: The Path to Freedom: Mastering the Art of Total Perception by Swami Krishnananda



 

We have a general idea of God, of the world, of life, of Self-realization or God-realization, but when it comes to actual experience in day-to-day life, we realize that the mind stands apart from Reality. Sadhana is nothing but this adjustment of the mind with Truth.

Sadhana is not merely the concentration of mind on God at the very outset. Before we understand God, we find ourselves in the necessity to understand ourselves. We appear to have a very appreciable knowledge of God and His creation but very poor knowledge of our own self, due to which it is that we suffer in life. Pleasures and sufferings are connected with ourselves, and not with God.

We mostly think that the objects are away from us. The object of the mind is not connected with the mind physically, materially or in reality.

Whatever be the sadhana that we practice, whether it is kirtana or bhajana, japa or meditation, all these hinge upon this relation of the mind and its objects. When we chant kirtana, for example, it is not merely a word that we utter or a sound that we make; it has an object. It is not merely a mental operation that goes on when we are meditating; it has an object. We are not merely moving about here and there; our activities have an object. We will find that every blessed thing that we do in this world, psychologically or physically, has a counterpart as an object.

No one tries to dig a well for water when the house is on fire. To try to do sadhana late in life, when everything is settled economically and physically, would be a folly because sadhana is not as easy as people imagine. It is not just commencing something at once. Even a business we cannot commence so easily. There are many factors involved in anything we do; and particularly in spiritual practice, the most important factor being our own self.

The more we grow in the consciousness of spirituality, the more also do we realize the intimacy that subsists between ourselves and our objects – the intimacy in an inner sense, not an external or social sense. We do not suddenly become celestials or gods. The Puranas tell us that we have passed through 84 lakhs of yonis or births. We have been every blessed thing in this world before becoming human beings. This is what our scriptures say. Scientists all say that we have passed through various stages of evolution from matter to life, from life to mind, and from mind to intellect. From the pure inorganic level we came to the biological, and from the biological we came to the psychological and the rational.

Very mysterious, minute and subtle is this process of evolution. We have been growing psychologically, and not merely physically, organically and biologically. The earliest state of the mind is supposed to be that in which it gets lodged with matter, where there is no such thing as psychology at all. It is only inorganic matter. Fire is in the matchstick, but we cannot see the fire. It is totally absorbed in the matchstick, which must be rubbed in order that it may be ignited. The condition of mind wherein it is inseparable from matter is the crudest form of matter. It evolves gradually, where it tries to extricate itself from the clutches of matter, and it begins to assert its independence, slowly, though not fully. It does not succeed in its assumption of independence, but it refuses to be totally controlled by the laws of matter.

The life principle that is manifest in plants and trees is the first assertion of independence of mind over matter, while in inorganic material it was apparently not there at all; for all practical purposes, it was dead. So in the human level we seem to be at an advantage over all other aspects of creation – animal, plant and inorganic levels. We have a freedom of our own. Although man is small compared to the gigantic machinery of the cosmos, he has a power in him on account of the psychological transcendence that he has achieved. He knows the workings of the mind better than the animal does.

Though scientifically it is true that we are superior beings, we sometimes have fears which haunt us. One reason for the increase in the fear in humanity is a peculiar characteristic in us which is absent in the animal, on account of which they are a little more blessed than man: egoism. It is not merely self-consciousness; it is self-assertiveness – assertiveness to the opposition to others and in others’ well-being.

Just as the mind is a part of our being, the ego is also a part of us. We cannot separate the mind from our self, and so also we cannot separate the ego from our self. We are the mind, we are the intellect, we are the ego. We sum up all these elements in a single term ‘I’ which includes mind, intellect, ego and all other psychological functions in the evolution of the human mind.

In spiritual practice, you will realize that it is egoism that acts as the greatest of oppositions, more than even the senses and the other psychological functions.

We have the power and the freedom to do this or that, to choose one alternative or the other. When freedom is given to a person who does not know how to exercise freedom properly, it becomes a cause of bondage. Vision and action have to go together. A gun is good in its own way, and a sword has its own purpose, but we cannot hand them over to a baby. Power corrupts, as they say, when vision is lacking. First we have to realize where we are. The freedom with which man has been endowed is expected to be utilized to evolve further into higher understanding. But if human freedom is mixed up with human ego, then evolution can be retarded at the human level. We confuse the human ideal and aspiration with the animal way of perception. One of the animal ways of thinking is: “The world is absolutely unconnected with me, and has nothing to do with me.”  

Spiritual life is supposed to commence with viveka, or understanding. The first understanding that blossoms forth is the understanding of the fact that there is some sort of connection between ourselves and the world.

The spiritual aspiration, the spiritual consciousness, rises like a small tendril, a small plant, and flashes forth like a spark and he becomes restless. This restlessness is the commencement of the spiritual consciousness in human life. When the sense of having enough with things arises, we may be sure that the spiritual is awakening in us. It is just awakening; the child is not yet born, but yet there is a possibility of it being born.

This goes also by the name of vairagya, scriptures say: a distaste that we feel for the ordinary satisfactions of life. It is a lack of taste for things, and has nothing to do with the physical distance of objects from things. It is not that we cannot get things, but rather that we do not want them. There is a sharp distinction between vairagya and frustration – when we cannot get a thing, it is frustration, but when we can have it but do not want it, this is vairagya.

Vairagya is the absence of longing. Nothing can be more difficult than to realize the distinction between the sense of spiritual discontent, divine discontent, and the submerged desires of the human mind.

Many a time, our desires seem to lie buried, with none on the surface, but it does not mean that there are no desires. Desires can lie dormant like a coiled serpent but when anything touches them, immediately they expand themselves into furious activity. This is exactly what desires do.

So vairagyas, as the scriptures tell us, are of two kinds: the vairagya of the person who has been through the ruts of life, passed through many a suffering. That is one sort of maturity which the mind reaches and attains a kind of vairagya.

But there are some who are born with a longing for the eternal, though they might have not physically come in contact with tempting objects. This is the most stable kind of vairagya; but even the earlier one should get stabilized by the aspiration planted in the mind of the seekers by deep thought and the understanding of the nature of things.

The first stage in the development of spiritual aspiration is an inherent sense of dissatisfaction with everything in this world, and longing for things which are not visible to the eyes. This is viveka and vairagya, understanding and dispassion combined, and here is planted the sapling of true spiritual life.

Excerpts from:

The Aspiration for Spiritual Life: The Path to Freedom: Mastering the Art of Total Perception by Swami Krishnananda
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(August 25,2013) Spiritual Message for the Day – Qualifications of Aspirants

Qualifications of Aspirants

Divine Life Society Publication: Qualifications of Aspirants by Swami Sivananda

The way to liberation or freedom , perfect happiness and peace, is through  purity of mind and heart, of every act, of character and life, through self-restraint and control of mind, and through regular meditation on the pure, self-luminous, indivisible, all-pervading Atman.

Direct realization of the Self is a means to liberation. He who is endowed with the four means of salvation will be able to realize the Self. One can acquire these four qualifications-Viveka, Vairagya, Shad-Sampat and Mumukshutva, by following strictly the duties of his own caste and order, by Tapas and selfless service, by propitiating his own Ishta Devata and serving his Guru.

You cannot do tailoring without scissors, needle and thread. You cannot dig the earth without a spade. Even so, you cannot attain Brahma Jnana without possessing the four means-Discrimination, dispassion, sixfold virtues and yearning for liberation. The teachings of Vedanta can enter the mind of that person who has attained purity of heart by performing selfless service or Nishkamya Karma Yoga.

The preliminary qualification for a student of Vedanta is an earnest desire to search for the truth. Manushyatva (human birth), Mumukshutva (keen yearning for liberation), Sat-sanga (company of sages), service of Guru, hearing of Srutis, reflection and constant, protracted and profound meditation are necessary for the attainment of salvation.

Faith, dispassion, self-restraint, one-pointedness of mind, purity of heart, devotion, desire for liberation and meditation are the immediate factors of liberation for the aspirant. He who is endowed with these qualities attains immortality and knowledge. 

Absence of egoism, development of good qualities, cheerfulness, self-surrender, absence of passion and anger, keeping up a balanced mind at all times, facing honor and dishonor with same feeling, aversion to sensual objects, heat and cold are some of the signs of the person who is on the path of Realization. These are not to be achieved in a day or two. It is the work of years of ceaseless and protracted Sadhana.

He who is endowed with dispassion, discrimination, humility, devotion and power of endurance, who has subdued his mind and senses, is a qualified person for this path. Live without the feeling of "I-ness", and attachment. Restrain the senses. Observe the rules of right conduct. Get purity of the heart. Hear the Truth. Abide in the Self. Be happy.

A desire to become a Yogi and to learn Yoga can only arise in a man who is free from selfishness, who is righteous, and who has religious disposition. Selfishness constricts the heart and forces a man to do injury to others and to get hold of the property of others by foul means. It is selfishness that prompts a man to do sinful acts.

Austerity, study of religious books and Japa of Mantra, devotion to the Lord and surrender to God constitute Kriya Yoga or action according to Patanjali Maharshi. The practice of Kriya Yoga prepares the Yogic student for entering into Samadhi or superconscious state. It purifies the heart and thins out the five afflictions viz., Avidya, Asmita, Raga, Dvesha and Abhinivesa (ignorance, egoism, love, hatred and clinging to earthly life).

Sit at the lotus-feet of your Guru with Bhava and faith. Serve him with sincerity, humility and love. Prostrate before him morning and evening. Clear your doubts. Hear the Srutis from him. Reflect. Meditate. Behold the Supreme, transcendental Light of lights.

The student of Yoga should be abstemious in his diet. He should avoid laziness, ease, habitual languor and excess of sleep. He should observe silence and occasional mild fasts to ensure a good tone to his constitution. He should develop correct habits. He should check all sorts of ambitions and the counter currents of the worldly desires by enquiry, thinking and discrimination.

He should say unto the deceiving mind: "O Mind, I know your tricks. I have got dispassion and discrimination now. It is only ignorance that makes a man to prefer a transient gain to permanent benefits. I do not want again these sensual enjoyments. I have resolved to attain the free, everlasting fruits of Yoga, viz., eternal peace, infinite bliss and supreme joy."

If you remove a fish out of water and place it on the shore, it will flutter about in intense agony. It will be thirsting for re-entry into the water. Similarly you should have earnestness and desire for liberation.

Abandon the idea of becoming a Yogi within a few months' practice. It takes years and years of sincere Sadhana, practice of Brahmacharya and Ahimsa. You have to labor hard for many years to become a graduate and to earn even a small salary. How much more difficult it will be to become a Yogi and to attain immortality.

O aspirants, have the strong determination: "I will realize God now or I will die." Do not say: "I will realize in my next birth." You can realize in this very second if you thirst for God and God alone and do sincere, intense Sadhana.

Excerpts from:

Qualifications of Aspirants by Swami Sivananda

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(August 21,2013) Spiritual Message for the Day – Attaining Desirelessness

Attaining Desirelessness

Divine Life Society Publication: Chapter 24: True Spiritual Living by Swami Krishnananda

The discipline of dispassion, is a part of the education of the mind, by which it is purified and enabled to return to its essential nature. The vairagya, or the spirit of renunciation that yoga speaks of, is a very subtle attitude of consciousness, and it is not merely any kind of outward conduct or behaviour. It is not an abandonment of things in the pure physical sense, though a safe distance from attractive physical objects may be conducive to this internal discipline of dispassion. Physical distance does not prevent the mind from desiring and, therefore, a mere physical isolation is not the entire meaning of renunciation. It is an inward transformation that has to take place, by which consciousness – or in its more pronounced form, mind – does not relate it to its objects.

The object of sense can be physical or conceptual, and one can be attached to a conceptual object even though there may be no physical object. As far as attachment is concerned, it makes not much difference whether its object is physical or purely psychological, because inward reveries of the mind are as dangerous as outward possessive attitudes. The mind can be in the thick of enjoyment even inside a monastery or a nunnery, and what binds us is this craving of the mind, and what makes us take rebirth is this craving of the mind. It is a mental potentiality, a predisposition of the mind towards something, that causes rebirth.

When Patanjali, lays great emphasis on the requisite of vairagya, or renunciation, he intends to convey to us the message that bondage – from which yoga tries to free us – is not merely in a physical location of objects of sense, but in a connection of consciousness with these locations of objects and an appreciation by the mind of the characters of these objects. We cannot enjoy an object unless we appreciate it, and this appreciation is the recognition by the mind of certain characters or values in the object which itself is lacking.

The love that we feel towards an object is an indication that those features which we see in the object of our attraction are absent in us, and we try to make good the lack by a connection that we establish inwardly, psychologically, between ourselves and the object. Can we love an object eternally, for all times – from birth to death? That is not possible. We jump from one thing to another thing. Today this is desirable, tomorrow another thing is desirable; and the mind has found that the object which attracted it yesterday is inadequate today. And with all its experiments, it finds that it cannot find or acquire what it lacks, because the mind is incapable of knowing what it really lacks.

There is an infinite shortcoming in the mind and, therefore, finite objects cannot bring it satisfaction. When there is an awakening into this fact, it tries to discover the causes of its failure and take to right methods, by which it can gain what it has really lost and what it really seeks. But the mind is wedded to the senses. The senses begin to tell it once again the very same thing that they conveyed to it earlier, and we once again begin to interpret the causes of our suffering in this world in terms of the objects of the world; and there is a possibility, then, of our entering into a muddle, which is the state of mental confusion.

This is what is described in the first chapter of the Bhagavadgita, in which condition, on one side we feel that we are in need of light, advice and guidance from a higher power, a greater source of wisdom; but on the other side we cling to our own views, as Arjuna did. He was seeking advice from Bhagavan Sri Krishna, but he was also arguing on behalf of his own feelings and opinions, as if they were right. In this confused state, the mind can get into an entangled situation where partly, or outwardly, it may appear to be engaging itself in a pious adventure of even the practice of yoga, devotion to God, etc., but it can become, unfortunately for it, a totally sidetracked movement, a direction which it takes by the guidance of the senses, and it can imagine that it is moving in the right direction though it is moving in the opposite direction.

Vairagya, or the spirit of renunciation, is a mastery that we gain over the objects of sense, and is not merely a forgetful attitude of the mind in respect of objects of sense. What are the objects of sense? Drishta and anusravika are the words used: that which is seen, and that which is heard – both these are objects. We can cling to objects which are seen with the eyes, and also cling to things which are only heard by our mind.

What is vairagya then, which the yoga speaks of? It is a vitrshnata, or a feeling of inward desirelessness, towards everything that is seen or capable of being seen, and everything that is heard of, even through the scriptures or by other sources. Acharya Sankara says that even the pleasures of Brahmaloka are to be despised by a desireless mind, as they are mere dirt which have no essence in them.

Attraction is impossible unless both cooperate – the object and our own mind. The object has to be placed in a proper context, it must reveal certain characters, and those characters and that context should be the very same thing that our mind is lacking at that particular time. Then we are attracted by it. That is why we cannot be attracted by the same thing always, because the mind changes when we advance in age or in experience.

Knowing all these things, the viveki, or the man of discrimination, gets disillusioned.  For certain reasons which are to be explained, the whole world is full of pain only. It is not a place of beautiful enjoyment or an occasion for exciting pleasures. There is something very terrible about things.

All this is a precaution that masters of yoga give us, so that we may not get caught up by the very same forces from which we try to gain freedom, because freedom is an inward adjustment of consciousness towards the natural order of things. Our harmony with the universe is real freedom.

The joy of the Atman, the Supreme Self, reflects itself in all these manifestations – right from the delight of Brahma, or creator, down to the grossest physical object of sense – in various degrees. What is giving us joy, pleasure, is this Atman present in things. We are happy wherever the Atman is manifest. Where the Atman is not manifest, we cannot feel joy. The Atman is not an object, of course, and yet it is capable of getting revealed in some degree through the objects. Completeness, or an absence of any kind of want, is the character of the Atman.

Excerpts from:

Chapter 24: True Spiritual Living by Swami Krishnananda

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(August 16,2013) Spiritual Message for the Day – Sadhana Chatushtaya

Sadhana Chatustaya

Divine Life Society Publication: Jnana Yoga by Swami Sivananda

Jnana Yoga of Brahma Vidya or the science of the Self is not a subject that can be understood and realized through mere intellectual study, reasoning, ratiocination, discussion or arguments. It is the most difficult of all sciences.

A student who treads the path of Truth must, therefore, first equip himself with Sadhana Chatushtaya - the "four means of salvation". They are discrimination, dispassion, the sixfold qualities of perfection, and intense longing for liberation - Viveka, Vairagya, Shad-Sampat and Mumukshutva. Then alone will he be able to march forward fearlessly on the path. Not an iota of spiritual progress is possible unless one is endowed with these four qualifications.

These four means are as old as the Vedas and this world itself. Every religion prescribes them; the names differ from path to path but this is immaterial. Only ignorant people have the undesirable habit of practicing lingual warfare and raising unnecessary questions. Pay no attention to them. It is your duty to try to eat the fruit instead of wasting time in counting the leaves of the tree. Try now to understand these four essential requisites for salvation.

Viveka is discrimination between the real and the unreal, between the permanent and the impermanent, between the Self and the non-Self. Viveka dawns in a man through the Grace of God. The Grace can come only after one has done unceasing selfless service in countless births with the feeling that he is an instrument of the Lord and that the work is an offering to the Lord. The door to the higher mind is flung open when there is an awakening of discrimination.

There is an eternal, changeless principle amidst the ever-changing phenomena of this vast universe and the fleeting movements and oscillations of the mind.

The aspirant should separate himself also from the six waves of the ocean of Samsara - birth and death, hunger and thirst, and exhilaration and grief. Birth and death belong to the physical body; hunger and thirst belong to Prana; exhilaration and grief are the attributes of the mind. The Soul is unattached. The six waves cannot touch Brahman which is as subtle as the all-pervading ether.

Association with saints and study of Vedantic literature will infuse discrimination in man. Viveka should be developed to the maximum degree. One should be well established in it.

Vairagya is dispassion for the pleasures of this world and of heaven. The Vairagya that is born of Viveka is enduring and lasting. It will not fail the aspirant. But the Vairagya that comes temporarily to a woman when she gives birth to a child or when one attends a funeral at a crematorium, is of no use. The view that everything in the world is unreal causes indifference to the enjoyments of this world and the heaven-world also. One has to return from heaven to this plane of existence when the fruits of good works are all exhausted. Hence they are not worth striving for.

Vairagya does not mean abandoning one's social duties and responsibilities of life. It does not mean abandoning the world, for life in a solitary cave of the Himalayas. Vairagya is mental detachment from all worldly objects. One may remain in the world and discharge all duties with detachment. He may be a householder with a large family, yet at the same time he may have perfect mental detachment from everything. He can do spiritual Sadhana amidst his worldly activities. He who has perfect mental detachment in the world is a hero indeed. He is better than a Sadhu living in a Himalayan cave, for the former has to face innumerable temptations every moment of his life.

The third requisite is Shad-Sampat, the sixfold virtue. It consists of Sama, Dama, Uparati, Titiksha, Sraddha and Samadhana. All these six qualities are taken as one because they are calculated to bring about mental control and discipline, without which concentration and meditation are impossible.

1.       Sama is serenity or tranquillity of mind which is brought about through the eradication of desires.

2.       Dama is rational control of the senses.

3.       Uparati is satiety; it is resolutely turning the mind away from desire for sensual enjoyment. This state of mind comes naturally when one has practiced Viveka, Vairagya, Sama and Dama.

4.       Titiksha is the power of endurance. An aspirant should patiently bear the pairs of opposites such as heat and cold, pleasure and pain, etc.

5.       Sraddha is intense faith in the word of the Guru, in Vedantic scriptures and, above all, in one's own self. It is not blind faith but is based on accurate reasoning, evidence and experience. As such, it is lasting, perfect and unshakable. Such a faith is capable of achieving anything.

6.       Samadhana is fixing the mind on Brahman or the Self, without allowing it to run towards objects. The mind is free from anxiety amid pains and troubles. There is stability, mental poise and indifference amid pleasures. The aspirant has neither like nor dislikes. He has great inner strength and enjoys unruffled peace of mind, due to the practices of Sama, Dama, Uparati, Titiksha and Sraddha.

Mumukshutva is intense desire for liberation or deliverance from the wheel of births and deaths with its concomitant evils of old age, disease, delusion and sorrow. If one is equipped with the previous three qualifications (Viveka, Vairagya and Shad-Sampat), then the intense desire for liberation will come without any difficulty. The mind moves towards the Source of its own accord when it has lost its charm for external objects. When purification of mind and mental discipline are achieved, the longing for liberation dawns by itself.

The aspirant who is endowed with all these four qualification should then approach the Guru who will instruct him on the knowledge of his real nature. The Guru is one who has a thorough knowledge of the scriptures and is also established in that knowledge in direct experience. He should then reflect and meditate on the inner Self and strive earnestly to attain the goal of Self-realization.

A Sadhaka should reflect and meditate. Sravana is hearing of Srutis, Manana is thinking and reflecting, Nididhyasana is constant and profound meditation. Then comes Atma-Sakshatkara or direct realization.

Excerpts from:

Sadhana Chatushtaya – Jnana Yoga by Swami Sivananda

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(Aug 15, 2013) Liberation

Space-Time and Liberation

Divine Life Society Publication: Universality of Being by Swami Krishnananda

The relativity of space and time is the reason why it is possible for everyone to transcend space and time and attain realization of the Ultimate Reality. Inasmuch as the whole world, including our body, is a product of the space-time operation, there is only space-time, and there is nothing else anywhere. Some philosophers say that we are totally caught within the phenomena, and there is no possibility of contacting the Ultimate Reality. If that is the case, we are doomed forever.

But it is also said that space and time are relative. If one thing exists because of another thing, neither of them exists independently. As there is a borrowed existence on both sides, no side can exist entirely independently. Time is necessary for space; space is necessary for time. Hence, modern thinkers call it space-time.

As we are also the product of this relative interaction between space and time, the whole world-stuff being that, there is nothing permanently existing anywhere—neither our body, nor the world of nature, nor the sun, moon and stars.

If we are mere puppets, products of this indescribable phenomenon of the space-time complex, then there is nothing more to say. It is like living in a concentration camp without knowing where we are staying, why we have come, and what we are supposed to think. It is a complete blockage of even the process of thinking, because of space-time intervening even in the process of thinking. Philosophers who are very acute in this matter concluded that even the mind cannot act without space and time. So who is going to think of that which is above space and time?

But Self-realization is a great possibility. How?

Yesterday can become tomorrow; tomorrow can become present. There is no systematic arrangement of the order of space and time existing permanently everywhere in the cosmos. This idea of past, present, future is connected with the way in which the consciousness perceives the operation of space-time outside, and in the operational process of any individual observer being conditioned by the space-time there is an interaction of relativity between seeing and the nature of the object, so that you cannot know what is actually happening. But if this relationship of the observer and the observed phenomena of space and time changes during the process of evolution, then immediately today becomes tomorrow, and a person can come tomorrow and leave yesterday. In this circumstance of there being an infinite number of space-time relations on the basis of infinite types of connections between the seer and the seen, there are infinite universes, and infinite gods are ruling these infinite universes.

Understand that there is nothing whatsoever existing independently. Neither are you existing, nor  the world. If you are involved in the world of space and time, you cannot make any reference to the world of space and time because that reference will apply to you also. No one can say, 'I am here' or 'that is there' because this 'I' is vitally connected to the existence of that, and 'that' is vitally connected to the existence of this. What do you understand from this? Everything is interrelated in such a way that nothing can exist independently. Everything exists by the operation of all the things that are taking place in the universe, so that every individual, so-called, is a universal unit."

Nothing is in one place. That idea of space is again due to the involvement of the operation of space-time, of which you are also made.

The conclusion is that nothing is going to obstruct you in your Self-realization. There is nobody so daring that they can put a stop to your attempt, because there is no 'you', and also there is no separate effort. The whole universe in its totality is aspiring for itself in its highest possibilities. Sadhana is done by the universe, not by you, me, or anybody. Neither you nor I exist there. It is like everything being everywhere. You do not know what is where. It is sufficient for you to illumine yourself and awaken from the dream of this world perception.

This is why every action is a total action. Nobody does anything anywhere, and anybody who thinks that he or she is doing something is a fool because somebody else is operating in a total fashion at the back of this so-called individuality.

"Everything has been done by me," Lord Krishna tells Arjuna in the Bhagavadgita. "I have already done what you are trying to do now." Here again is the question of relativity. Even before the Mahabharata war took place, Lord Krishna said, "I have already destroyed these people." This is the Ultimate Reality speaking to everyone involved in space and time. This is the foundation through which you have to operate your mind.

The whole misery of life is due to the wrong belief that there are permanent things, solidly existing like a stone wall. There are no stone walls here. They are all like mist appearing as a pillar, which will melt into nothing by the rise of the sun of knowledge.

Before you start anything, you must have a clear understanding, viveka. Viveka means clear understanding of the nature of things—the capacity to discriminate between what is really there and what is not there. If this is known, you will know that you cannot have any kind of inward longing for anything in this world. Vairagya automatically follows, as sunlight is automatically followed by the departure of the darkness of night. Vairagya—detachment and desirelessness—need not be exercised with effort. They automatically follow, and then the structure of the whole universe is known. So viveka and vairagya are considered to be primary qualifications. They are not two things, just as space and time are not two things. They are one only. This is rational conviction, which consists of the illumined perception of things through viveka and an automatic detachment from all conditions which cause attachment.

But there is also a need for emotional training. Generally, the intellect and the emotion do not act together. Often the intellect defeats the purpose of the emotion, and the emotion defeats the purpose of the understanding. People live a torn life, and have a dual personality. On one side they are very intelligent, and on the other side they are very foolish. It should not be this way.

Your feelings and longings, and the operation of your emotions should be harmonized with what you have concluded with your reasoning and understanding. Then this combination of reason and feeling, like a chemical action of two substances, bursts forth into what is called intuition, which is nothing but the blend of understanding and emotion. When they are blended together into a coherent totality, there is a bursting of the intuition directly into the nature of things. This is the second qualification. The last one is intense longing for liberation. If you have a longing for liberation, you have done your duty. That longing itself will take you to moksha.

Continue to read:

Universality of Being by Swami Krishnananda

 

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(Aug 14,2013) The Nature Of Avidya

 The Nature Of Avidya

Divine Life Society Publication: Moksha Gita  by Swami Krishnananda

Avidya is the same as Maya, but only in relation to the individual. Avidya is Malina-Sattwa or Sattwa polluted by Rajas and Tamas. There is a preponderance of distractive activity and stupor in Avidya. The individual is controlled by Avidya whereas Ishwara is not controlled by Maya. The force of Avidya limits the consciousness to such an extent that the individual is falsely made to believe that its body is the entire truth. Not only the body but even the objects and persons fictitiously connected with the interests of the body are also superimposed on the self and their loss or pain is considered as a real loss to the self itself.

There is a terrible degeneration of consciousness in the case of the individual earthly being. It first forgets the Reality; secondly it centres its consciousness in a localised body; thirdly it drags other external bodies also to its self and regards such of the few as are beneficial to its egoistic pleasures as its own self and consequently begins to hate those entities or individuals which are not connected with its interests or which are set in opposition to it. The grosser the form of consciousness, the greater  is the extent of superimposition; the greater the bondage, the lesser is the light and purity; the intenser the passions, the thicker the nescience and the denser the delusion.

The seat of Avidya is the Karana Sarira or the causal body of the soul. There is a dense clouding of Self-awareness due to the agitative vibrations of the intense desire for self-materialization. This is the story of self-imprisonment and acute suffering created by the self-manifestation of egocentric consciousness. The storehouse of the power of illusion and torment is the Anandamaya Kosha or the bliss-sheath of the soul which keeps in stock all the seeds of Samskaras and the psychic effects of all mental actions done by the individual. This stock of impressions maintains the future embodiments of ignorance and agony as an individual in terrestrial life. Avidya is therefore the mother of misery and the cause of the prison-life of the egoistic personality as a distinct individual of the vast universe.

Avidya is a false perception by which the ignorant Jiva takes the body and intellect as pure, permanent and a source of pleasure. "Avidya" is "that which does not exist." In fact, it is a conceit based on the belief that the objects perceived through externalization and the organs of such perception are all absolutely real in their forms. A shadow is taken to be the substance and the mirage is believed to be a tank. The dreadful fever of life is the agitation of the One Consciousness which dreams itself to be many. The universe is the dream of the subjective Self, the object of the reverie of Self-hypnotization.

The body, the mind the intellect and all the modifications of imagination are taken for granted as pure and perfect and a source of permanent happiness for the self. The self is the blissful eternal being and it wishes to find bliss in what it has merely imagined and what really does not exist. This delusion is reinforced by continuous activity and struggle to maintain the state of the self-imposed individuality and the energy necessary for the keeping up of the illusion is supplied from the fund of the source of ignorance, the Anandamaya Kosha. Even in the death of the body, this center of ignorance is not destroyed. It is carried to all bodies which are manifested by the self. This cycle of Samsara never comes to an end since the sheath of nescience adds to the old stock of Samskaras, the impressions of psychic actions performed in the daily life of the individual. Liberation from this cycle comes only through a snapping of the thread of thought through spiritual meditation.

The question why the drama of the world appears has not satisfactorily been answered. It can be understood as a self-imposition on absoluteness.  Just as a king acts the part of a beggar, out of his own free will on the stage in a drama, so also the Sat-Chid-Ananda Brahman acts the part of a Jiva in this drama of the world out of his own free-will for sport.

The individual or the Jiva does not know that it is playing a sport, but thinks that it is actually what it appears to be in the imagined garb. Here lies the bondage of the individual in contradiction to the Essence of Satchidananda which consciously appears to itself as the manifold universe. Whatever one thinks, that he becomes, for the source of imagination is the omnipotent Self. One who believes that he is Brahman becomes Brahman Itself.

The man with a defective vision has got a perverted perception of things. The Consciousness with its vision infected by the urge for materialization, objectification, diversification and self-multiplication conceives of the body as the Self and the Self as the body. The five sheaths are superimposed on the Atma and the Atma in turn is superimposed on the five sheaths which constitute the body. A straight rod appears bent like a bow when dipped in water and the disturbance on the surface of the water makes the sun in the sky appear shaky. The subjective defect makes the object also appear defective and thus the Eternal Brahman is seen to appear like the manifold cosmos merely on account of the clouding of consciousness and distraction of subjective awareness. The ignorance of the Jiva is colossal. The faith pinned on untruth transforms untruth to appear like truth and Jiva is thus deceived by its own thought-constructions.

When one gets knowledge of the Self (the wisdom of the Truth), this Avidya vanishes. It exists only until the melting away of egoism. The realization of the Self is the destruction of Avidya. The two acts are simultaneous. The act of realization is not a positive achieving but a negative destroying. It is not getting something but removing something. It is not an invention but a discovery. That is why the Upanishads take recourse to negative processes of world-denial and Brahman-realization.

The Self is not to be caught from outside, it is the innermost being of man. Those who run away from their Self are led astray by the force of Avidya into the pit of births and deaths. The spiritual aspirant should therefore restrain his mental functions. Then only the glorious Truth of the Self will be revealed.

Just as the mirror is dimmed by dirt, so Brahman is veiled by Avidya. Avidya is the origin of selfish endeavor and narrow interests which try to make the ego live long. When the requirements of the ego are supplied life on earth is prolonged and the stream of Samsara never comes to an end. The Sadhaka therefore is required to root out selfishness by denying the individual interests through self-abnegation and refusal to abide by personal cravings. A complete sacrifice of the self for the purpose of others' interests renders the Jiva fit to be alive to the higher knowledge. This is the method of Karma-Yoga which abstains from personal enjoyment of life and gives happiness to others.

Human beings are deluded by Avidya and they can be freed from its snares only through Sadhana for Perfection. Every way of spiritual effort is centered in the breaking open of the ego which is the root of the passion for living. Avidya is the progenitor of the succeeding afflictions of Asmita, Raga, Dwesha and Abhinivesha. These afflictions can be eradicated through a turning to the Source of Eternal Life through regulation of conduct and meditation on the spiritual Ideal.

Mind, senses, egoism, intellect and body are the effects of Avidya. If the cause is destroyed, the effects are destroyed by themselves. The Hathayogins start from the outside body to the inward truth by disciplining the physical sheath at first, but the Vedantins directly start from the innermost intelligence and break down the whole super-structure of the world-phenomenon.

When with the power of Viveka or discrimination the Absolute Self is asserted by the Vedantin, the mind is held standstill, the senses turn back to their psychic source, the ego is not allowed to make further arrogations and the Chitta or the store of Samskaras is held in check.

Thus the Vedantic Meditation which seeks to destroy the cause of Avidya, automatically overcomes the effects thereof, and burns the seeds of past impressions which are lodged in the heart. The knots of ignorance are rent asunder and the individual becomes the Supreme.

Excerpts from:

Moksha Gita – The Nature of Avidya by Swami Krishnananda

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(Aug 10,2013) Discussion Summary – The Divine Insurance Company

Discussion notes – The Divine Insurance Company

Today’s topic outlines a very important aspect of human life. Assurance.

Swamiji quotes  Gurudev Sivananda Maharaj’s words: Insure your life with God. All other company may fail. But the Divine Insurance Company will never fail.”

Very apt topic, for, we will be celebrating Raksha Bandhan this week. We protect our family, vehicle, health, homes and basically all walks of our lives.   We look towards one of our own, to protect all the material things (objects) and even our life in this unreal, illusory world we live in. But we do not take the time to insure our most precious and most permanent and the only reality, which is our Atman. 

We insure with a dependable person or organization by paying in advance to indemnify the future loss towards unforeseen events and heave a sigh of relief that everything is taken care of. Likewise we have to depend on and totally surrender to God (the higher pure form), who oversees all things inclusive of past, present,  future, and being present at all times and everywhere,  operating as a silent witness , just like the sun shining on all happenings, without any judgement. The same way the inherent essence of all things and the universe in total, is the total collective consciousness, we call God, who is our one and only protector.

This raises the question of as to how anyone can predict the future and who is capable of protecting us from the unknown phenomenon? What is the cause for dissatisfaction, fear and unhappiness? Why do we have such emotional disturbances?  Our ancient sages pondered over this matter deeply and found the root cause is only ‘ignorance’ or ‘lack of knowledge’. So Viveka or discrimination will help us overcome these mind created problems. Furthermore, if we look at the universe as a manifested form of Absolute Reality or The Consciousness, we will come to understand the universe is not Real. The entire universe that we see outside is made up of a single substance that can be called consciousness, which is awareness in all things. 

The purpose of yoga is attunement of the individual with the cosmic. But we are unable to do it because the world is outside and we can perceive things only through our senses. This reminds us of the camera lens which has to be adjusted to avoid blurred images. Likewise purifying our mind will enhance the images we perceive. That is, our perception will have more clarity. This is achieved through Vairagya. This practice will continue to diminish the value of the object existing outside and emphasize the pure subject only. Also Viveka or discrimination will help us understand that the whole universe is a creation of our minds.

Then the discussion turned to devotion and total surrender to God . Swamiji mentions  Markandeya, Draupathi and some of the bhaktas (ardent devotees), whose life stories give us tons of encouragement and reinforces our faith further, in God. A person who has faith and belief in higher Self is never in harm’s way. Experiences from our lives point to the fact that after coming into the fold of our compassionate Gurudev, all our practical difficulties disappear into thin air.

Lord Krishna in the Gita says “My devotees are never destroyed” . By this we understand that we as seeker of higher values shall have no failure if our faith is strong and we are sincere in our efforts.

A deeper understanding of surrender, leads us to surrendering being the process of withdrawing the mind from the matter and merging with consciousness. Then, the aspects of how mind can be withdrawn from the matter and what is the process involved in communion with God (Consciousness) was discussed.

It was pointed out that the answer remains hidden in plain sight and we can understand this by looking into our dream state. It looks so real that some events in dream can have an impact even on the wake state. The mind is looking at itself in different forms. Same thing happens in wake state too; we are deeply involved and have become part of the dreaming process by the Absolute reality, Consciousness. The Consciousness is looking at its own Self as a diverse Universe including the cosmos and our minds. We have to wake up from the cosmic dream to merge with the Consciousness which is our real state. This can be achieved by surrendering ourselves to the Absolute Reality, and by not doing but by being the inherent essence in all. This was explained by an example – sugar and sweetness. Primary and secondary qualities exist in all things. We will not be able to explain the secondary quality, sweetness in this case, without thinking of a sweet dish made with sugar.

As heat is the specific quality (dharma or nature) of fire, without which fire cannot exist, the dharma or real nature of oneself is the divinity or the divine Atman.

Today’s reading is a very inspiring message enriched with quotes from our scriptures, yet given in simple words. All of us face an uphill task in various aspects of our life and we search for answers and look for support. Finally, by the grace of our Gurudev, our paths are illumined by The Divine Life Society and we shall remain fully insured by our Gurudev Swami Sivananda Maharaj.

 

 

OM TAT SAT

Excerpts from today’s Meditation and Svadhyaya Session

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(July 3, 2013) The Philosophy of Raga-Dvesha

The Philosophy of Raga-Dvesha

Divine Life Society Publication: Vedanta for Beginners by Swami Sivananda

Raga and Dvesha (likes and dislikes) only constitute this Samsara or this world of phenomena. It can be totally destroyed by knowledge of Brahman.

Raga-Dvesha is a Vasana. It has four states. Raga-Dvesha, Vasanas, Samskaras and Gunas are intertwined. They co-exist. The seat of Raga-Dvesha is the mind and the senses. Destruction of one will lead to the destruction of others. But the destruction of the source, Avidya or Ajnana, the seed of Samsara, through Brahma-Jnana will destroy everything to the very root.

The cultivation of virtues like Maitri (friendship), Karuna, (mercy), Mudita (complacency) and Upeksha (indifference) can thin out or attenuate Raga-Dvesha. This is the Pratipaksha-Bhavana method or cultivation of the opposite positive qualities, of the Raja Yogins.

Destruction of Avidya will lead to the destruction of. Raga-Dvesha. Raga and Dvesha are the modifications or effects of Avidya or ignorance.

The fire of devotion also can burn in toto Raga-Dvesha.

The practice of Nishkama Karma Yoga or disinterested selfless service can thin out Raga-Dvesha to a very great extent.

Kill Raga (attachment) by the sword of Vairagya (non-attachment or dispassion or indifference to sensual objects) and Dvesha by developing cosmic love.

Raga-Dvesha assumes various forms. You like certain foods and dislike certain other foods. You like certain clothing and dislike certain other clothing. You like certain persons and dislike certain other persons. You like certain places and dislike certain other places. You like certain sounds and dislike certain other sounds. You like certain colours and dislike certain other colours. You like soft things and dislike hard things. You like praise, respect, honour, and dislike censure, disregard, dishonour. You like a religion, view, opinion and dislike other religions, views and opinions. You like comforts, pleasures, and dislike discomforts and pain. Thus there is no peace of mind for you as the mind is ever restless and agitated. The waves of Raga-Dvesha are ever disturbing the mind. One wave of Raga-Dvesha arises in the mind and subsides after some time. Again another wave rises, and so on. There is no balance of mind. There is no peace. He who has destroyed Raga-Dvesha will be ever happy, peaceful, joyful, strong and healthy. Only he who is free from Raga-Dvesha will have a long life. Raga-Dvesha is the real cause for all diseases (Adhi and Vyadhi).

Wherever there is pleasure, there is Raga; wherever there is pain, there is Dvesha. Man wants to remain in close contact with those objects which give him pleasure. He shuns those objects which give him pain.

Though the objects that give pain are far away from you, the memory of the objects will give you pain. It is only the removal of the currents of Dvesha that will give you happiness. It is the Vritti or thought-wave that gives pain but not the objects. Hence try to destroy the current of Dvesha by developing cosmic love and Brahma-bhavana or Isvara-bhavana in all objects. Then the whole world will appear to you as the Lord in manifestation. The world or the worldly object is neither good nor bad, but it is your lower instinctive mind that makes it good or bad. Remember this point well, always. Do not find fault with the world or the objects. Find fault with your own mind.

Destruction of Raga-Dvesha means destruction of ignorance of mind and the idea of the world.

No meditation, no peace, no Samadhi is possible for a man who has not removed these two foes, through knowledge and devotion. He who says “I enter into deep meditation. I have attained Self-realisation and Samadhi. I can also help you to enter into Samadhi” is a confirmed hypocrite. If you find in him Raga-Dvesha, attachment, hatred, prejudice, intolerance, anger, irritability, know him to be a Mithyachari. Shun his company. Remain at a respectable distance from him, because you also will catch the infection or contagion from him. Beware. Beware. Be cautious, friends!

Continue to read:

Vedanta for Beginners by Swami Sivananda

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