Jnana Vahini - Post 11

Sai pours, 

"This power of super-imposition that Maya has hides from the Jivi (or the Individual) the Universal which he is, the Sath-Chit-Ananda which is his Nature. 

All this Jagath, with its manifoldness, is born out of the ascription of multiplicity where there is only Unity. When all this evolution is subsumed by the process of involution (Pralaya), the three Gunas are in perfect equilibrium or balance. This is the stage called Guna-saamya-avastha. 

Then, through the Will of the Super-Will or Iswara, the balance is disturbed and activity starts, leading to consequences which breed further activities. In other words, the World originates and develops and unfolds. This is the stage called Unbalanced, or Vaishamya. 

Thus, from the subtle Inner unconscious and sub-conscious to the gross outer physical body, everything is due to Maya or the power of super-imposition of the Particular over the Universal. That is the reason why these are referred to as Anatma, Non-Atma. They are like the mirage, which super-imposes water over desert sand. It can be destroyed only by the vision of Brahmam or Atma."

(Author’s note - How the three Gunas get distributed and how the 5 elements are formed accordingly, has been explained under “Pancheekarana” in Tattva Bodha Post no 27.)

"The affection one has towards one's relations, the satisfaction one gets when one secures the things craved for, the happiness one gets when one utilizes such things, all these are bondages which the consciousness imposes on itself. 

Even sleep and dream are such 'agitations' which have to be overcome before the Atma can be well visualized and realized. In sleep, the element of Ignorance persists. The 'I' and 'Mine' feelings produce an endless series of activities and agitations in the various levels of Consciousness. 

But, as a single soldier in a vantage position can successfully tackle hundreds of enemy personnel who come in single file through a narrow gap, one has to tackle each agitation as and when it emerges in the Consciousness and overwhelm it. The courage to do this can be got through the training derived by practice.

All agitations will cease the moment one enters on the inquiry, "Who am I"? This was the Sadhana that Ramana Maharshi achieved and taught to his disciples. That is also the easiest of all the disciplines. 

First, there must be the Subhechchaa, the desire to promote one's own welfare. This will lead to the study of treatise about Brahman and its principles, the search for the company of the good, the withdrawal from sensory pleasure and the thirst for liberation. 

Even the Mahaavaakya, "Aham Brahmaasmi", has a trace of ignorance sticking on to it, the Aham, considered as separate but identical. This Aham is so persistent that it will disappear only through ceaseless meditation on the implications of "Tatwamasi" and all-inclusive Atma or Brahmam. This is the Vichaarana stage or Bhumika; the Bhumika, subsequent to the Subhechchaa stage. 

By these means, the Mind can be fixed very soon on the contemplation of Brahmam. Each stage is a step on the ladder for the progressive rise of the Mind, from the concrete to the subtle and the subtle to the non-existent. This is the Tanumanasi or the last stage."

(Author’s note - The 7 stages in the path of Jnana - from Subhecha to Turiya, has been explained in an earlier post in the same theme. Each previous stage matures and takes a spiritual aspirant to the next stage.

“Who am I?” is the title given to a set of questions and answers bearing on Self-enquiry. The questions were put to Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi by one Sri M. Sivaprakasam Pillai about the year 1902. Few of them have been reproduced below.

 1. Who am I?

The gross body which is composed of the seven humors (dhatus), I am not; 

the five cognitive sense organs, viz. the senses of hearing, touch, sight, taste, and smell, which apprehend their respective objects, viz. sound, touch, color, taste, and odor, I am not; 

the five cognitive sense organs, viz. the organs of speech, locomotion, grasping, excretion, and procreation, which have as their respective functions speaking, moving, grasping, excreting, and enjoying, I am not; 

the five vital airs, prana, etc., which perform respectively the five functions of in-breathing, etc., I am not; 

even the mind which thinks, I am not; 

the nescience too, which is endowed only with the residual impressions of objects, and in which there are no objects and no functioning’s, I am not.

2. If I am none of these, then who am I?

After negating all of the above-mentioned as ‘not this’, ‘not this’, that Awareness which alone remains - that I am.

3. What is the nature of Awareness?

The nature of Awareness is existence-consciousness-bliss

4. When will the realization of the Self be gained?

When the world which is what-is-seen has been removed, there will be realization of the Self which is the seer.

5. Will there not be realization of the Self even while the world is there (taken as real)?

There will not be.

6. Why?

The seer and the object seen are like the rope and the snake. Just as the knowledge of the rope which is the substrate will not arise unless the false knowledge of the illusory serpent goes, so the realization of the Self which is the substrate will not be gained unless the belief that the world is real is removed.

7. When will the world which is the object seen be removed?

When the mind, which is the cause of all cognition’s and of all actions, becomes quiescent, the world will disappear.)

Love.

Jnana Vahini - Post 10

Three Gunas

(Author’s note- In terms of activity, the gunas can be thought of in the following way:

·       tamas = inertia

·       rajas = movement

·       sattva = balance

Everything can be classified according to the gunas. For the purposes of this post, let’s analyze some moods / emotions and group them accordingly.

Tamasic states: laziness, disgust, attachment, depression, helplessness, doubt, guilt, shame, boredom, addiction, hurt, sadness, apathy, confusion, grief, dependency, ignorance.

Rajasic states: anger, euphoria, anxiety, fear, irritation, worry, restlessness, stress, courage, rumination, determination, chaos.

Sattvic states: delight, happiness, joy, peace, wellness, freedom, love, compassion, equanimity, empathy, friendliness, focus, self-control, satisfaction, trust, fulfilment, calmness, bliss, cheerfulness, gratitude, fearlessness, selflessness.

The intention behind an emotion, and how it is expressed, determines whether an emotion is predominantly tamasic, rajasic, or sattvic.

Take the emotion of courage, for example. A suicide bomber in a terrorist attack may be said to have tamasic courage (based on ignorance and hatred). 

However, A man who risks his health and comfort to obtain wealth or fame has rajasic courage (based on desire) and,  

a man who sacrifices his ego or personal interest for a larger cause has sattvic courage (based on compassion and the greater good).

The difference lies in the intention. Change the motivation and the context of a given emotion or action, and you will change its quality!

Working with the Gunas

You now have a basic understanding of what the gunas are, and how to look for their manifestation both inside and outside of yourself.

Now… while this is a fascinating subject, you may be asking yourself: “What to do with all this?”

As conscious beings, we have the ability to manipulate the presence of gunas in us and in others. We do this by two means:

·       What we choose to pay attention to and to consume

·       How we choose to act

In other words, our attention and our intention.

Consuming Sattva

Our body is fed by food, water, and air. Our mind is fed by thoughts, feelings, and the input from the five senses.

So… Are you feeding your body and mind with tamas, rajas, or sattva?

The principle is quite simple: the more you are exposed to a guna, the more that guna will grow in your mind and heart. Expose yourself to more sattva, and sattva will grow in you. 

Likewise, tamas and rajas will grow instead if that’s what you’re feeding on.

Acting Sattva

Sattvic words, thoughts and actions increase sattva in the world – and also in yourself. The same happens in the case of the other gunas.

If you want to know the predominant guna behind your action, ask yourself these two questions:

·       Why am I doing this?

·       How am I doing this?

Ideally you want both the intention behind the action, as well as the execution of the action, to be sattvic.

Intention alone is not enough. A person who engages in some shady business in order to support his family has a sattvic intention but a tamasic execution. As the saying goes, the road to hell is often paved with good intentions.

Understanding the gunas helps you see things more clearly. It helps you understand the quality of your thoughts, actions, and the things with which you engage.

Then it’s all about making conscious choices on:

·       what you consume, 

·       what thoughts you pay attention to, and

·       how you act. 

In fact, the secret of spiritual growth could be summed up thus: 

Learn to love and delight in sattva and understand the pain of tamas.

Love.

Jnana Vahini - Post 9

Swami has mentioned 4 stages in the previous post as 4^th, 5^th, 6^th and the 7^th Stage. These are the stages out of the 7 stages in the path of Jnana, as described below.

1^st STAGE - SUBECCHA

A deep study of Atma Jnana Sastras and association with the wise and the performance of virtuous actions without any expectation of fruits. This Subeccha or good desire forms the first Bhumika or stage of Jnana. 

2^nd STAGE - VICHARANA

Vicharana - Constant Atma Vichara (Atmic enquiry) forms the second stage. 

3^rd STAGE - TANUMANASI

The third stage is Tanumanasi. This is attained through the cultivation of special indifference to objects. The mind becomes thin like a thread. Hence the name Tanumanasi. Tanu means thread-like state of mind.

The above three stages can be included under the Jagrat state. 

4^th STAGE – SATTVAPATTI - BRAHMAVID

As per Swami, the fourth stage is Sattvapatti. This stage will destroy all Vasanas to the root. This can be included under the Svapna state. The world appears like a dream. Those who have reached the fourth stage will look upon all things of the universe with an equal eye. 

5^th STAGE – ASAMASAKTI - Brahmavidvara

The fifth stage is Asamsakti. There is perfect non-attachment to the objects of the world. There is no Upadhi or waking or sleeping in this stage. This is the Jivanmukhti stage in which there is the experience of Ananda Svarupa (the Eternal Bliss of Brahman) replete with spotless Jnana. This will come under Sushupti. 

6^th STAGE - PADARTHA BHAVANA - Brahmavid-Vareeyaan

The sixth stage is knowledge of Truth. 

7^th STAGE – TURIYA - Brahmavid-varishta

The seventh stage is Turiya or the state of superconsciousness. This is Moksha. There are no Sankalpas. All the Gunas disappear. This is above the reach of mind and speech.

"Those three (4^th TO 6^th) have to acquire the destruction of the Manas, the Mind. This itself is of two grades: Swarupanaasa, the destruction of the agitations, and even their shapes and forms; and Arupanaasa, the destruction of the agitations only.

Readers might be troubled by a doubt while on this point. They might ask, who are these who have conquered and wiped out the Mind? Those who have neither attachment nor hatred nor pride nor jealousy nor greed. 

Those who are free from bondage of the senses, those really are the heroes who have won the battle against the mind. That is the test. Such heroic persons will be free from all agitations.

Swami continues, 

“He who has achieved Swarupanaasa would have eliminated the two Gunas, Thamas and Rajas, and he will shine with the splendour of pure Sathwa. Through the influence of the pure Guna, he will radiate Love and Beneficence and Mercy wherever he moves. (In the Brahmavid-varishta, the already 'liberated' individual, even this Sathwaguna will be absent). 

The Sathwa guna will have as its unmistakable concomitants: splendour, wisdom, bliss, peace, brotherliness, sense of sameness, self-confidence, holiness, purity and similar qualities. Only he who is saturated in Sathwa guna can witness the image of the Atma within. 

It is when the Sathwa is mixed with the Thamasic and Rajasic, that it is rendered impure and becomes the cause of Ignorance and Illusion. This is the reason for the bondage of man. The Rajasic quality produces the illusion of something non-existent being existent! It broadens and deepens the contact of the senses with the external world. 

It creates affection and attachment and so, by means of the dual pulls of happiness and sorrow (the one to gain and the other, avoid) to it plunges man deeper and deeper into activity. These activities breed the evils of passion, fury, greed, conceit, hatred, pride, meanness and trickery. 

And the Thamasic quality? Well, it blinds the vision, and lowers the intellect, multiplying sloth, sleep and dullness, leading man along the wrong path, away from the goal. It will make even the seen, the 'unseen'! One will fail to benefit even from one's actual experience, if one is immersed in Thamas. It will mislead even big scholars, for scholarship does not necessarily confer moral stamina. Caught in these tentacles of Thamas, the pundits cannot arrive at correct conclusions.

Even the wise, if they are bound down by Thamas, will be affected by many doubts and misgivings and be drawn towards sensory pleasures, to the detriment of the wisdom they have gained. They will begin to identify themselves with their property, their wives and children, and such other worldly temporals. They will even confuse untruth with truth and truth with untruth! Note how great a trickster this Thamas is!”

(Author's note - More on the 3 Gunas shall be taken up in tomorrow's post)

Love.