CHITTA (Contd…)
In
the last post, we left with this cycle/ sequence, to be taken up in this post.
KARMA
The
actions (karmas) are: seeing, hearing, tasting, touching, smelling, and
thinking.
Examples:
You go to the cinema to SEE a movie. This particular action will also
generally involve the action of HEARING. If you buy some popcorn and soft
drinks, it will also involve the actions of touching, tasting, and smelling.
All of these actions take place with the conscious mind. If the mind is
unconscious, the movie will not be seen or heard, and you will not feel, smell,
or taste the popcorn or soft drink. Neither will you think of the movie if you
have never seen or heard (of) it.
SAMSKARA
Samkaras
are subtle imprints (impressions) that are made in the mind-stuff (chitta)
whenever we do actions (consciously). Impressions are not memories.
Memories are formed from impressions just like a photograph is
developed from a negative.
Generally, we only retain memories from recent impressions. Yet, we have countless impressions (samskaras) from many, many lives.
Most of these impressions no longer have memories associated with them. In other words, the impressions (samskaras) from many, many lifetimes are affecting us but we do not generally know how or why they affect us because we have no recollection of the actions that caused the impressions.
Generally, we only retain memories from recent impressions. Yet, we have countless impressions (samskaras) from many, many lives.
Most of these impressions no longer have memories associated with them. In other words, the impressions (samskaras) from many, many lifetimes are affecting us but we do not generally know how or why they affect us because we have no recollection of the actions that caused the impressions.
SAMSKARA AND CHITTA
When
you perceive an orange and taste for the first time, you get knowledge of an
orange. You know its taste. You know the object, orange. An impression is
formed in the subconscious mind chitta at once. These stored impressions in the
sub conscious mind shapes the samskara.
At
any time, this Samskara can generate a memory of the object, orange and
knowledge of an orange.
The
Samskaras (impressions) are embedded in the subconscious mind or Chitta.
The subconscious mind is otherwise known as the unconscious mind. Subjective mind, subconscious mind, unconscious mind and Chitta are synonymous terms.
The subconscious mind is otherwise known as the unconscious mind. Subjective mind, subconscious mind, unconscious mind and Chitta are synonymous terms.
VASANA
The
effect of a samskara is called a vasana. Vasanas are tendencies. In other
words, vasanas are the inclinations formed from our
impressions (samskaras).
They are mental urges, desires, and feelings. Unlike samskaras, the vasanas (tendencies) are readily identifiable.
From the storage or from the memory bank Chita, revival of those memories is impression or samskara.
With the impression revived, your develop a tendency or inclination which is related to the past experience, which left impression in the chitta, which has now been retrieved from the chitta as samskara and the revived memory has pushed you to develop a tendency or inclination.
So chitta is the cause and samskara is the effect
Then, samskara is the cause and vasana is the effect.
They are mental urges, desires, and feelings. Unlike samskaras, the vasanas (tendencies) are readily identifiable.
From the storage or from the memory bank Chita, revival of those memories is impression or samskara.
With the impression revived, your develop a tendency or inclination which is related to the past experience, which left impression in the chitta, which has now been retrieved from the chitta as samskara and the revived memory has pushed you to develop a tendency or inclination.
So chitta is the cause and samskara is the effect
Then, samskara is the cause and vasana is the effect.
VRITTI
Our
tendencies (vasanas) create thought patterns (vrittis) in the mind. In other
words, our thinking becomes motivated by our tendencies. That is, we
THINK to support our FEELINGS (desires, urges, etc.). These thinking
patterns form our attitudes and mental disposition.
KARMA
Finally,
our thinking patterns (vrittis) leads to action. In other words, we act
(KARMA) because our mind tells us (VRITTI) to act, because that is how we will
satisfy our desire (VASANA) which arose from the impression (SAMSKARA) made in
the mind from an earlier action.
I
know that unless the above cycle is explained with a lucid example, it would be
dry and difficult to understand.
- KARMA- A man develops an infatuation in his youth, in college days and with that infatuation, he does many acts.
- CHITTA-The acts done thus, leaves an impression in his sub-conscious mind.
- SAMSKARA- The impact of those impressions stored in the sub-conscious mind forms his samskara, which is in un-manifest state.
- VASANA and VRITTI- After many years, somehow, he happens to meet the same girl, who is now a lady, married or un married and she happens to be now re-located to his own city/street. So, now what happens? The unmanifest samskara now takes the form of manifest vasanas and his stored impressions for many years have now become manifest vasanas, i.e., thought patterns in the form of desires, Raga (attraction) towards the same lady.
- KARMA- The vasanas and the vritti results in his making advances to the lady again, resulting in further fresh actions.
- AGAIN CHITTA- The impact/impressions of these fresh actions move, after the action is over, and gets stored afresh in the subconscious mind or the memory bank chitta.
And
with this, the cycle continues, the cycle started with karma and now, it has
again ended in karma and the cycle may start all over again as new impressions
are formed out of new actions and are stored in the chitta.
In
next few posts, we will learn about the entire flow of manas, chitta,
buddhi, ahamkara and how actions are undertaken and how the actions take back
impressions to chitta, with the help of a visual diagram.
Love.
