Sadhana Panchakam - Post 48

Now we come to the most difficult of all areas regarding Titiksha – the mental level, the fortress of the Ego. Mental torments are very hard to handle unless one is spiritually advanced and lives above the “Ego-line”. That is where all of us are bound for one day!

As Sankara says prior to realization of the identity of the self with Brahman, the world of senses and other things have their existential validity. As he dramatically puts it, scriptures cannot be authority against facts that can be observed. 

Even if hundred vedic texts declare that fire is cold and devoid of light that cannot be authority of the fact of life. Scriptures are merely informative; they do not alter the nature of things perceived but only supply information of the things not perceived. Therefore, Sankara says prior to enlightenment of the self, performance of actions is normal and proper.

But the regrettable part, however, is that persons without comprehensive perception and sense of discrimination tends to believe that their empirical life is the real life and there is nothing besides and beyond the empirical perception.

Sages of the yore have been so strict that they have said, with vairagya is dispassion, one should show the same indifference to things temporal, which one shows to all the thoughts from the world of Brahma to the world of the mortals, treating them all as the excreta of crow. 

Mundaka Upanishad  says that when one sees the creator of the golden hue , the Lord, the Purusha, the source of Prajapati Brahma, then becoming a man of Wisdom, shaking all the concepts of good and evil and freed from all stains, attains the supreme similarity or absolute similarity (saamya) or non-duality. 

Vairagya is not only disinterest in performance of actions with attachment to fruits thereof but also performance and non-performance of actions with the idea that he is the performer or non-performer of those actions. 

It is also desiring to possess or to renounce. When one becomes aware that samasara is made of such thoughts, then his attention would not be to perform actions, even rites and rituals, worship, sacrifice, oblations in fire and charity with any desire in mind. 

To the question, why such activities are encouraged by scriptures, Sankara clarifies that scriptures reveal only the means to attain the various goals by man, enjoining meditation on the naama, essence as Brahman, knowing well that the things, rites and rituals are different from Brahman. 

So long as one does not recognize the stump of wood, as the stump of wood, and takes the stump to be a man, meditation is helpful necessity. Therefore, Sankara says that the injunctions about rites and rituals are operative only as long one is not disciplined for enlightenment.

Krishna has simple rule. Since one cannot remain even for a moment without performing actions because actions are due to the inherent power of nature, it is only ignorant person who thinks he is performer of actions. 

Therefore, he should perform his actions without any expectation of the fruits of actions, performing them as and by way of sacrifice for the luminous being, accepting fully well that all actions save those for and as sacrifice are bondage, or alternatively offering the fruits of action to the divine essence with consciousness fixed in the Self, being free from desires and egoism. 

So, the ongoing war is not external, but against the six-fold enemies within oneself, like ostentation, arrogance, egoism, anger, harshness and ignorance. It is easier to express hate and root out external enemies but difficult to destroy the internal ones. It is human nature to justify one’s internal faults and deficiencies than to fight and root them out completely.

The work which is prescribed without attachment is the work to be done with impassioned disinterest. 

Great beings like Janaka and other performed actions for the welfare of the worlds.

Impassioned dis-interest is not being irreverent to the things in life but being detached from them. It is a leap from the particular to the universal, being aware of the infinite beyond the restrictive finite life. It is transcendence from sense influenced intellect to the infinite possibilities of Mind. 

Impassioned person is a stithaprajnya, stable in consciousness who is attuned to samadhi – equanimous intellect. 

Exclusion of desire from mind brings about inner state of freedom, the delight of the self-attuned to the Self within. It is not external renunciation of gross objects but internal acceptance of the Will of the Supreme Self. 

According to Gita, Nirvana is Bliss of Beatitude, the positive state of experience and not the negative state of existence. Nirvana is being without the influence or withdrawal of ‘. . the senses from the objects of senses, like the tortoise drawing its limbs within itself, his awareness is well-established . . .’.

Performance of Action becomes important when it is subservient to spiritual life. It is not neglect of the gross body and restraint from being influenced by the senses. 

Thus he attains Nirvana, detachment from constraints of the body. Ignorance that body is the Self being removed, not with dissolution of the body but by awareness of super-consciousness without denying the gross body.

Therefore, one who does not rejoice on obtaining the pleasures or sorrows when unpleasant things come to him, he is firmly established in Brahman without any bewilderment. 

Krishna desires that humans should rise over the infirmities which the senses and attachment to life around has brought on him and like be a witness to the events taking place around him with troubled by the nature of dualities, untouched by the pleasures and pains, the self-righteous-ness and sins, indifferent to success and failures.

 

A devotee asks Swami, Swami, You should give us that strength too. You have immersed us in an illusion. We do not know how to maintain ourselves.

 

Bhagawan Baba answers: “Again the same illusion! Do not blame maya. Even when you are in maya, do your duties. Only then you will understand the hidden principles. 

From the principles, you gain the knowledge from which you obtain peace. From peace you get sukha and that is svarga. If you do not try even a little bit, I cannot give you everything. 

In a shop, unless you pay, you do not get the materials. Similarly, if you give the money of knowledge, devotion and vairagya, you get the material called spiritual power. 

Think for yourself: An engineer can draw any number of plans. Only when the owner spends money and the workers build it, the building gets completed. 

Your desires are like feeding less and expecting the cow to give a lot of milk. There are no shortcuts. Do sadhana, do sadhana, do sadhana. The trials and tribulations of samsara can be likened to depressions and elevations on the riverbed. These are covered when the river is flowing in spate. 

By contemplating on My name and with My grace your problems and sorrows will vanish. Samsara can then be crossed easily.”

 

Love.

 

Live Session Tomorrow on Moksha Gita - Part 2

 

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Sadhana Panchakam - Post 47

Human being unlike other animate creatures in creation is a talking animal, though other species too have their own language of communication. But unlike human beings, whose imaginative mind plays a greater role in communication with one another, others in animate creation, it is generally seen that they communicate with others more in response to their emotions than with their mind. 

Krishna points out in Bhagavad Gita (III.27) that human being, influenced by their ego-sense or the 'I-sense' tend to think that they themselves are the doers and not the attributes and inclination with which they are born in Nature. 

It is only when the seer perceives that the attributes are the real doers and no one else, becoming aware of That which is beyond these attributes becomes delivered.

Krishna further mentions that it is the craving and the consequential anger born of passion to be the root cause, covering all this as fire is covered by smoke, as mirror by dust, as embryo by the womb. Enveloped by these insatiable craving, the wisdom of the wise is constantly endangered. Mind, intellect and the senses are the foundation of the desire, veiling which it deludes the self within.

Sankara also informs that it is common experience of all people that they are ignorant of nature of the self and prompted by craving and attachment, undertake activities with great enthusiasm. In the final analysis there are only two kinds of people – unenlightened and the enlightened ones. 

The unenlightened ones, feeble in understanding or in knowing the way of action or of renunciation, having neither purity of mind or clarity of vision, neither good conduct or ethical behavior, declare the world to be unreal, without any supreme controller, being impelled only by desire, know not the proper Path to be traversed. 

The enlightened ones are restrained in thoughts and speech, accepting that even though speech is silver, silence for them is undoubtedly golden. 

Their communication is pregnant in Wisdom and their thoughts, speech and actions, born of reflection and meditation, are effective as of those who are born with authority to speak. Not everyone who speaks of God but one who does work ordained by Him that is noble, says Jesus Christ. 

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad declares that Brahman made Mind, Speech and Praana – Primal Breath as His instrument of effulgence, therefore, it is said this is what is known, what is to be known and what is unknown. 

Whatever is known speech becomes its form, for Speech is the knower and through Speech alone it (Knowledge) is protected. Similarly with Mind and Praana. 

Yajnavalkya says the indemonstrable and constant Being, can be realized as One only. The Self is taintless, beyond space, unborn, supreme and constant. Knowing Him alone, let a seeker of Wisdom concentrate on Wisdom, Brahman and not depend on mere words, because that would be merely weariness of speech.

A Sadhaka should concentrate more on silent reflection and meditation rather than expressing opinions howsoever they may be or appear to be illuminating.

Arguments for the sake of argument neither convinces the wise nor the discerning ones, only fooling the undeserving and the unqualified. It is like concentrating on the leaves rather on the wood. Therefore such speech is said to be bluff and bluster, mere weariness of speech. 

When we observe the lives of saints, we find they lead very quiet lives. They not only speak very little, but conduct themselves with great dignity and respect for others. The seeker of Truth soon comes to realize that companionship can be a help in life only when it is respected and not abused or taken for granted.

There are spiritual benefits in restraining the tongue.

 i) Not uttering a ‘wasteful word’ may limit our relationships, but it will make available more time for Sadhana.

ii) Immense power lies at the tip of the tongue. By keeping a close watch over our words, we soon acquire the habit of uttering only words which are helpful to others. 

The seeker trained in this art soon acquires a tremendous power to influence others. His words compel the attention of others.

iii) One who does not waste his words always encourages others, he never condemns or criticizes. He is quick to see good qualities in others, and draws out the best in them. He never bothers about their faults and weaknesses. 

These are enormous spiritual gains in life for a spiritual seeker.

How can silence of speech be achieved?? It is only possible ultimately when the mind is silenced.  

Sri Ramana clearly points out on what "silence" is.

Ramana  says,

 

“The most valuable thing in the ocean lies on its floor. The pearl is so small a thing, yet so valuable and so difficult to procure. Similarly, the Self is like the pearl: to find it you must dive deep down into the silence, deeper and ever deeper, until it is reached.” 

“Silence is of four kinds: silence of speech, silence of the eye, silence of the ear, and silence of the mind. Only the last is pure silence and is the most important.” 

Only when the mind is silenced, silence of eye, ear, speech can happen which would be a natural outcome of the silenced mind.

We celebrated Christmas just a couple of days before. Let us end this post with an affirmation from the Bible on silence.

 Love.

 

Sadhana Panchakam - Post 46

We now come to the portion that deals with Titiksha or Endurance.

Here again we find there is an order: The first three Steps cover the common difficulties we endure in each of the three aspects of life, and the fourth combines them all:

 The Relationship Between Titiksha & Ego

It is a characteristic of Sri Sankara to always put things in a logical sequence. From scrutinizing the sequence of these four steps, an interesting fact emerges. We notice that the required Titiksha increases with each Step. The trend is: the greater the blow given to the Ego, the more demanding or challenging becomes the needed Titiksha to endure it.

i) At the Body level: These Hardships are the least difficult to bear. The reason? Only the smallest of pinches is felt by the Ego, since external difficulties are not directly under the Ego’s control. What the Ego cannot control does not disturb it very greatly.

ii) At the Speech level: The Ego content is more. We are more self-conscious when we speak than when we bear bitter weather. The required endurance is more.

iii) At the Mind level: We are now virtually in the palace of the Ego. Every thought and feeling is weighed against how the Ego is affected. The pains borne in the mind are commensurately greater, due mainly to the involvement of the Ego in every matter.

iv) At the relationships level: This is where the greatest challenge in endurance is called for. The majority of our problems are people-related. All the previous three are combined in varying degrees to really give our Ego a good churning!

We keep an eye on this trend as we consider each level one by one:

At the body level, the content of the hardship is predominantly bodily discomfort and pain. The cause of this discomfort and pain is largely some external factor which we have little control over. It may be unbearable weather, either too hot or too cold; it may be deprivation of basic creature comforts due to poverty or natural calamities; it may even be living in unavoidable conditions of squalor, imprisonment or rampant crime. Whatever it may be, there is little we can do about it other than “bite our teeth and bear it”.

Physically, it is not possible to have all the ideal conditions. Nature gives us a “package deal” of mixed conditions, both favourable and unfavourable, wherever we may be. We can safely say that there isn’t a place on earth where everything will be perfect.

“What cannot be cured, has to be endured.” We should not run after ideal conditions. The conditions we live in are determined by our Karma, our Paapa and Punya. So we just have to be stoical and bear external hardships.

When Krishna displayed His divine Resplendence to Arjuna, He speaks of Himself as the Creator, the Preserver, the Gods and Seers, the illumination, strength, fame, prosperity, intelligence, receptivity, firmness, determination, the imperishable Time, all the positive forces in manifestation, He also made it clear that He also is the rod that chastises, Vasuki among serpents, Ananta among the nagas, Prahlada among the daityas, deceit in gambling, the terminator and destroyer, the rod that chastises, the all-devouring death and the World destroying Time, with terrible form touching sky, blazing with colours, with eyes glowing bight, with mouth wide open, terrible with tusks, where hosts of warriors seem to enter, some even caught between the teeth, the three worlds tremble, lack of receptivity, the illusion that conceals, bewilders, deceives, as gambling. There is nothing in creation which does not have stamp of his authority and control. 

Therefore, for one who is aware of the universal and all-pervading nature of the Divinity there is nothing that needs to be rejected and everything to be understood in the right perspective. He accepts things without preferring or denying, without liking or disliking without choosing and selecting as the sign of detachment from duality in samsara. 

In awareness, there is neither good nor bad, neither noble nor ignoble. 

Therefore Krishna tells that the one who is equal to friends and foes, to honor and dishonor, to cold and the heat, who free from attachment is same in pleasure and pains, silent in speech content with everything, having no fixed attachment to any abiding place, firm in mind, that man being devoted is dear to Him.

 

Love.

 

 

Sadhana Panchakam - Post 45

  

Contentment is what this Step highlights. In anything in life, the spiritual aspirant is expected to remain contented with what comes of its own accord to meet one’s needs. 

This is a great lesson in life, and is an attitude that can be consciously cultivated.

Contentment is the very essence of Tapas. One practices Tapas by choice because through it we develop the virtue of contentment. 

By undergoing self-denial deliberately, we train our minds to be contented with whatever comes to us. Tapas is the best training ground for contentment. 

Armed with contentment we can face the pinpricks of life with Titiksha; and at the same time ensure that Tapas practices are not used to inflate the Ego.

What appears to be self-denial when seen negatively, is actually contentment from the positive angle. If we can learn to view Tapas in this way, it will make the whole exercise more attractive and fill us with more enthusiasm to practice it. We will have no need to twist the rules and have our own sweet ways.

 Surrender to the Lord

In addition to Contentment, this Step fosters the attitude of surrender that the spiritual seeker should have in all matters in life, not just food. The feeling that God is providing exactly what we need should always be present.

Isha Upanishad commends acceptance of everything in world with a sense of detachment and renunciation, without coveting what is ordained for others. 

Swami Dayananda Saraswati said: “Prasada, the cheerful acceptance of the situation as it comes to me, enables me to neutralize my ragas and dveshas. 

A man’s life is like a see-saw because of likes and dislikes. There is a problem when what I like does not happen. It is also common that what I do not want keeps happening. That is because our likes and dislikes are countless while our knowledge and power are limited. 

There is no way of fulfilling all the likes and dislikes with the knowledge and power we have at hand. And therefore, when we accept the situation happily, likes and dislikes no more govern our responses. I am happy if they are fulfilled, I am happy even if they are not fulfilled.”

Problem arises when we want things to either happen or not happen in a particular way. If we have this desire, then, it is impossible at the end to accept whatever comes to us as Prasad, “as ordained by him”.

Every man in this creation must evolve spiritually to a level where, like it was explained in “Kaye na vaacha” talk by the author, surrender his inner and outer instruments, all those instruments which make him even think, to the lord  each moment, each second which goes to make 60 seconds x 60 minutes x 24 hours a day.

It is only when one lives in such state, never turning away from one’s duties however, that he rises even beyond the thought of “accepting everything as Prasad given by Lord”, because, he has never kept Lord away from him in such state, for the lord to give anything as Prasad and for him to accept the fruits of all action as Prasad given by the lord. Even the fruits of actions just come and go and he stays tuned with the lord. 

So many times we would have just read the prayer of Surrender gifted to us by Swami but it worthwhile to go through the same once sincerely.

 

PRAYER OF SURRENDER

Why get agitated? Let Me take care of all your business. I shall be the one who will think about them. 

I am waiting for nothing else than your surrender to Me, and then you do not have to worry any more about anything. Say farewell to all fears and discouragement.

You demonstrate that you do not trust Me. On the contrary, you must rely blindly on Me.

To surrender means: To turn your thoughts away from troubles, to turn them away from difficulties that you encounter and from all your problems. 

Leave everything in My hands saying, "Lord, Thy will be done. Thou think of it." That is to say, "Lord, I thank you, for you have taken everything into your hands, and you will resolve this for my highest good."

Remember that thinking of the consequences of a thing is contrary to surrender. 

That is to say, when you worry that a situation has not had the desired outcome, you demonstrate that you do not believe in My love for you —you prove that you do not consider your life to be under My control and that nothing escapes Me.

Never think: How is this to end?... What is going to happen? If you give into this temptation, you demonstrate that you do not trust Me. 

Do you want Me to deal with it — yes or no? Then you must stop being anxious about it! I shall guide you only if you completely surrender to Me. 

And when I must lead you on a different path than the one that you expect, I carry you in My arms.

What seriously upsets you is your reasoning, your worrying, your obsession, and your will to provide for yourself at any price. 

I can do so many things when the being, in his material necessities as in his spiritual ones, turns to Me saying, "You think of it", and then closes his eyes and rests quietly.

You will receive a lot, but only when your prayer relies fully upon Me. 

You pray to Me when in pain so that I intervene, but in the way you desire it. You do not rely on Me, but you want Me to adjust to your requests.

Don't behave like sick ones who ask for a treatment from the doctor, all the time suggesting it to him. 

Do not do that, but rather, even in sad circumstances, say, "Lord I praise and thank You for this problem, for this necessity. 

I pray You to arrange things as You please for this terrestrial, temporal life. You know very well what is best for me."

Sometimes, you feel that disasters increase instead of diminish. Do not get agitated. Close your eyes and tell me with faith, "Thy will be done. 

You think of it." And when you speak thus, I accomplish a miracle when necessary. 

I think of it only when you trust me totally. I always think of you, but I can help you completely only when you rely fully on Me.

 

(Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba)

 

  

Love.

 

Swami Paramahansa Yogananda

 

My Master said to me: “I will be your friend from now through eternity, no matter whether you are on the lowest mental plane or on the highest plane of wisdom. I will be your friend even if you should err, for then you will need my friendship more than at any other time.”

 

When I accepted my Master’s unconditional friendship, he said: “Will you give me the same unconditional love?” He gazed at me with childlike trust.

 

“I will love you eternally, Gurudeva!”

 

“Ordinary love is selfish, darkly rooted in desires and satisfactions. Divine love is without condition, without boundary, without change. The flux of the human heart is gone forever at the transfixing touch of pure love.” He added humbly, “If ever you find me falling from a state of God-realization, please promise to put my head on your lap and help to bring me back to the Cosmic Beloved we both worship.”

 

It was only after we had made this spiritual pact that I began to understand fully the significance of a guru to a disciple. I never found complete satisfaction, comfort, and God contact until I attuned myself with unconditional loyalty and devotion to the divine consciousness of my Guru.

 

Sri Paramahansa Yogananda

Live Session Tomorrow on Moksha Gita - Part 1

 

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Sadhana Panchakam - Post 44

Injunction is not to deny food but to deny yearning or craving for food. When one desires for food, or when one continuously thinks of food or forcibly restrains one’s mind from desiring food, then the desire becomes transformed as craving for food. 

Even when one is not hungry or even when the food is not nutritious for physical health or for spiritual development, if one craves to possess, desiring to appropriate for oneself as one's and one's alone. 

Sri Sankara says there should be no craving for delicious food, for it goes against the very spirit of Tapas. He hopes that this rule will help people to maintain simplicity in food for the sake of good health.

Cravings & Aversions

The key point in this Step is to “avoid likes and dislikes” over food. Swami Sivananda offers a golden guideline: “Don’t eat only what you like, nor avoid everything that you dislike.” 

Elsewhere he says, “Everyday avoid at least one thing that you like; and everyday eat at least one thing that you dislike.” In this way, the great Master always alerted his disciples to the danger of likes and dislikes, the principle behind such rules.

Ask a Sadhaka living in a remote place where delicacies are not easily available, how disturbed he can get when he sees them coming to the Ashram!

Besides being a temptation to the senses, tasty foods have the added disadvantage of taking more time to prepare, and being invariably unhealthier. Since time and health are both precious, to render natural foods tastier by elaborate procedures is wasteful labour. This time can be made available for Sadhana.

Step 27 is meant to “keep the tongue in its place.” That is the spirit of the rule, but the intellect, as one may expect, finds a way to violate it.

Chandhogya Upanishad says that the only thing that should be sought is the self within the heart, for that assuredly is what one should understand. 

The mind which is overwhelmed by desire for food and things palatable to senses, rejects or suppresses all other thoughts. If instead one desires the self then that would stimulate the mind to desire and that which is spiritual. 

Craving diverts mind from the principal objective for which food is eaten of the food which is to nourish the body and invigorate the energies to fruitful enterprise. 

Otherwise the purpose having been fashioned wrongly the objective fails to its goal. 

 

20 GOLDEN INSTRUCTIONS BY SWAMI SIVANANDA

 

Nowhere, it is said that we need to follow all twenty all the time…Even if we can adopt a few and blend in sometimes with our detoxification routine, we will get the benefits of these golden food rules.

 

1)           Beware of false hunger, eat only when hungry

2)          Eat less and chew more

3)          Fast once a week

4)          Do not overload your stomach

5)          Include raw food in your diet

6)          Control that craving for variety in food 

7)         Identify the foods which match each other well from your experience and make more of such combinations

8)          Do not eat when you are angry

9)          Give up greed of eating more food

10)  Bad sensations in throat or stomach are signs towards cleansing fast

11)       Do not take meals late at night

12)      Skins of apples and carrots contain valuable minerals and vitamins, do not remove them

13)      Rice and Veggies taste best when steamed, try switching between polished and unpolished rice

14)      Take food at fixed hours

15)      Sitting in Vajrasana for ten minutes after a meal helps in digestion of food

16)      More simple and natural food, better it is

17)  Do not make sudden and drastic changes in your diet, introduce gradual changes

18)    Observe silence while taking food

19)  Do not engage in strenuous physical or mental work immediately after a meal

 

AND…,

 

20)  Thank God every time for your meal!

 

Love.

 

Sadhana Panchakam - Post 43

 
Bhiksha & Prasad – A Sanctified Means for a Sanctified Object.

1. Traditionally, Bhiksha is food begged by Sannyasins from householders. The householder gives it, knowing that the receiver is especially dedicated to the spiritual path.

Equally, the Sannyasin receives it and blesses the giver, knowing that a share of his spiritual merit goes to the receiver. Thus both giver and receiver are blessed by this form of charity.

2. Food is viewed as coming from the Divine Mother Herself, and is received and given with great respect and reverence. It is treated as sacred Prasad of the Lord.

3. Prasad or sanctified food offered during a prayer is meant to be kept very simple. Usually a single grain is cooked or some fruit is cut and offered at the shrine and distributed to those attending after the prayer is completed. In the case of Bhiksha, it is to be obtained from visiting a maximum of 5 homes and should not contain any luxury items. It is not intended to be a feast.

4. Sanctified food, eaten as the Lord’s Prasad, becomes the medicine for the body, according to the first meaning of Step 25.

He who consumes food, without discrimination, is not freed from evil even as he who does not help others in this world nor turns the wheel thus set in motion is evil in nature, sensual in his delight and lives in vain, eating the food prepared by them alone eating verily their own de-merits. 

Food and rest should be taken of such quality and in such quantity as would promote healthy body and wholesome mind and rejects those which makes one dull and Food when eaten is transformed three-fold, the coarsest portion becomes the fasces, the intermediate one becomes the flesh and the subtle becomes the mind. 

Enlarging the meaning and scope of food, Gita says the food that brightens life, vitality, strength, health, joy and cheerfulness, succulent, soft, sustaining is agreeable to the luminous ones. Bitter, sour, salty, too hot and too pungent, rough and burning food producing pain, hurt and disorder are preferred by the energetic. 

Food that is spoilt, tasteless, putrid, stale, left half-eaten by others and impure is relished by the obscure ones. A human being should be wise in vision and austere in approach, accepting food as the need of the body and not for satisfaction of the senses. Then food consumed being useful as medicine and not an object of desire.

The mind is made out of the subtle essence of food. So it is attached to those persons from whom it receives the food. 

If you live with a friend for a couple of months and take food with him, your mind gets attached to that friend who feeds you. 

That is the reason why a Sannyasin lives on Madhukari Bhiksha from three to five houses, avoids attachment and travels from village to village. He is not allowed to stay for more than a day in a village during his Parivrajaka (wandering itinerant) life. 

The mind of a Paramahamsa who thus lives on alms is as clean as the Ganga water and is absolutely free from attachment of any kind. Attachment is death. Attachment is the root of all evils.

 

Love.