Basic Tenets for a Spiritual Life
10/24/94
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In the practice of Yama, there are those actions
which should be avoided by a person and which should enable a person to
become better qualified to do yoga and in Niyama, there are those practices
which must be adhered to, to qualify a person to do the practices of Brahma sa'dhana
(meditation on God).
YAMA Avoidances in Spiritual Life
Non-violence Now, the first category in Yama is Ahimsa. Ahimsa is the principle of non-injury to others. The spirit of Ahimsa is one in which a person will not intentionally inflict pain or suffering upon another. All of the practices of Yama and Niyama very much rely, not only on the actions of a person, but on the intent of a person. To truly practice these principles, one must practice from the intent. The same action may be done by two people, for one it is harmful and it is against ahimsa, and for another there is no injury done. Let us take, for example, the case of a person who may want to bring a horse to the marketplace with him. He wants to ride the horse. He will saddle the horse and bring it to the marketplace so that he may have a pleasant ride. When he gets there he may shop and keep the horse with him. Now, there is no harm in this action. But for another person, who may dislike the animal, the very act of riding that animal may be one of harm. You say what is the harm in this? But if the intention is to do harm, if the saddle is put too tight, the rider rides digging the heals into the horse, the rider is rough with the bridle, the rider does not care for the horse, the intent is harm, then this same action becomes a violation of ahimsa. If a person would defend their home against robbers, it is not a violation of Ahimsa though they may use force against the aggressor. The person entering the house may come with harm in their mind and if the householder acts aggressively against that person, they may do physical harm but they have not violated Ahimsa. On the other hand, if physical harm is intentionally done to a person who has done nothing to you, then this is a very strong violation of Ahimsa. If you go up to a person, you do not like their philosophy, you do not like their ideas, so you punch them, this is a violation of Ahimsa. You cannot act this way and maintain the dignity of non-violence. You see, in Ahimsa, there is no intent to inflict pain or injury on another individual or another living being. If there is intent to inflict injury, pain or suffering then this is a violation of this principle. Likewise, if a particular person has injured you, has done some act which you feel is wrong, and so you strike that person in return, you try to injure them in return, this is a violation of Ahimsa. Revenge is not the mode of a spiritualist. To correct an incorrect or unjust action, on the other hand, is the right of a spiritualist and is not against Ahimsa. If someone does a very wrong act and they do not realize it, if you would teach them the correct action and the error of this act they have done by doing some sanction against them, by calling the police and having them arrested, by avoiding them in some way, though it may injure their feelings, this is not against Ahimsa as long as it is done with a loving heart, with care for the person. But if it is done out of revenge, "They have done such and such to me, now I will revenge myself on them", it is a violation of Ahimsa. There should be no mean thinking, no mean thoughts towards others. The mind should remain kind and compassionate at all times. If it is the Lord who has come in the form of another being, should you have mean and angry thoughts against your Lord? Should you think that you wish to hurt your Lord? No, you should not think like this, you should not intend hurt to anyone. You should not intend harm to anyone. But if you must defend yourself, if you must defend your community, you must do what you must do for the welfare of all. So, it is not the specific act which defines the following of Ahimsa, but the intention that is followed. If the intention is good, if the thoughts are pure and kind, if the intention is the welfare of all, then Ahimsa will be naturally followed. But if there is some angry revengeful thinking, if there is some cunning thinking, "If I do such and such to them it will go my way, so I will do some harm", be it physical harm, brute force or psychological harm, still it is harm. And if you harm another intentionally to get what you want, then this is a violation of Ahimsa. So, to follow this point, you must lead a life in which you maintain a kind and caring attitude towards all living beings. Why hurt a living being if you can avoid the injury. If you must hurt that being, then do it only under certain circumstances: where it is unavoidable and you have a kind feeling for that being; or in the instance of self defense; or ,if you must, to defend your nation, your people, against a violent assault and an attack by an aggressor. All of these things are not against Ahimsa. To stop a tyrant is not against Ahimsa, though it may require violence and force. Violence and force are a part and parcel of the cycle of life. When one creature dies, another is born. There is force in the life that is coming into the world and there is violence and pain. In the death of a living being often times, there is force also. One moves through life through the propulsion of the life force. There is no harm in this. But if that propulsion becomes mean minded, or is meant to harm or injure another; if the quality of hatred and dislike dominate the mind or the actions, thoughts are equally as important as actions, then the tenets of Yama and Niyama are violated. Now, if a sa'dhaka (meditator) maintains an attitude of non-injury towards others: that is if the attitude is not to inflict injury or suffering on any living beings, and this intention, this mental state, is maintained for a long period of time and becomes perfected, the person will find that they have developed a compassionate heart. Love and sweetness will fill the mind. This compassion is a great gift from the Divine. To follow Ahimsa is the road to the development of compassion. When you are kind to living beings, when, in your heart, you have no malice or ill intent for anyone or anything, then you begin to understand the nature of love. Then you become capable of loving others. This is a part and parcel of Ahimsa. SATYA Benevolent Truthfulness Satya means to think and speak for the welfare of all living beings. It is the right use and meaning of words. It is to use words in such a way that they enhance the welfare of living beings. So, if one is following Satya, once again, the mind is directed towards loving thoughts for all beings and words are used with the intent of love and compassion. In this way, some insight is gained into the nature of truth. For the true form of Satya is the Divine Entity, it is the ultimate truth. When a person adheres to Satya, they will speak with the intent to enhance the life of others. They will never speak with ill intent. Following Satya a persons words become the very embodiment of the compassionate love of the Divine Entity. They begin to move in harmony with the Divine flow. When this happens, all the words that a person says, will become truth. Do you know why? Do you think it is that they have the power to make things happen in this or that way? No, no, no, that is not why. The words that are said become truth because the person is so deeply ensconced in the loving compassion of the Divine and in the Truth which underlies all love, that they cannot utter anything that is not in harmony with the universe. So what they say becomes an expression of the Divine flow, and it becomes a fact, that whatever they say will occur; because they themselves cannot express other than truth. This is what happens when a person follows Satya. They learn real truthfulness and they also acquire a deep sense of discrimination. Because when you learn to speak the truth, to think in truth, not in literal words of precision, but in harmony with the essential nature of all beings, then you come closer and closer to reality. You begin to acquire the ability to discriminate between what is truth and what is illusion. You develop the capacity for viveka (discrimination). So, you see, this practice, like the other practices of Yama and Niyama, is not an idle practice to make you a good person. It is to develop the mind so that you may comprehend the nature of the Infinite Entity. Otherwise your mind is so consumed in distortions of reality that there is no ability to perceive the Divinity. To be able to perceive that which is subtle, that which is the underlying harmony within the universe, you must have the capacity for subtle perception. This capacity is developed through adherence to these characteristic behaviors. Through adherence to Yama and Niyama, perception becomes more and more subtle and the sense of discrimination grows, the sense of love grows, and correct perception becomes available. ASTEYA Non-stealing Asteya is non stealing. Not in thought, not in word, not in deed may one steal from another. Also, not only the act of stealing, or the thought of stealing, but the thought of depriving another of what is due to them by not doing an act is also stealing. If I am a postal worker and I deprive those who get services from their due service by not processing their mail, then I have stolen from them even though I have not done an assertive act against them. I have only refused to deliver the mail. So, to not steal from others, to not covet what belongs to others, this is very important in the life of a spiritualist. There are many different ways in which one may steal. This stealing leads the mind into greater and greater difficulty. First a small thing is stolen and it seems no problem. Then a larger thing is stolen, and again there is no problem. Then more and more is stolen and soon all sense of boundary is lost. The person feels that they are deprived because others have what they do not, but in fact, it is better to be content with what one has. This stealing is a way of feeding the hungry ghost which cannot be fed. You feed it and you feed it and it only grows more hungry. If the ghost is not fed, if you do not feed these desires to covet more and more, to have more and more whether it belongs to you or another, then the mind become soft and still and there becomes the ability to develop peace of mind. So, non stealing is a way of saying "I am content with what I have. Though my life may be simple, I am content. I am not coveting what belongs to others. I am not thinking how I will get for myself. I am content". So, in this way a person learns to be content with what they have, with what life has allotted to them, and to find within their own life and their own means, happiness. The hungry ghost of desire is not fed. Not only Asteya (non-stealing), but all of these principles combined are part of the same process. So, if you steel from another, you may also do injury to that person. There is an intent of harm because you desired to take from them for yourself, and this may do harm to the other person. So it becomes against Ahimsa also. And, in addition, while you are stealing, you have not only violated Ahimsa but you have gone against Satya because you may find that you may have to justify your action to yourself or to another and you are telling lies. You are using words not for the welfare of others but to justify your situation. Even if no one asks and you need not say anything in words still you begin to lie to yourself "Oh I have taken this for this good reason, it is no problem," and so on. You begin to give little lies to yourself and soon the little lies become big lies and soon you cannot tell truth from distortion at all and you become lost in delusion. So, like this, all of these characteristics go together. The path towards clarity of mind and the path towards delusion are two distinct directions. You will learn to perceive them by following Yama and Niyama. BRAHMACARYA Divine Perception Now, the next aspect of Yama is Brahmacarya. This means to see everything in this universe as the manifestation of Brahma. It does not mean to be a celibate. This is a misunderstanding of this terminology. It is to see everything as the Infinite and to not become involved in passions which direct the mind away from the Infinite Entity. All the passions of the mind should be directed towards the Infinite Being. This is Brahmacarya. Suppose you see a particularly beautiful flower. You may say "Oh I want that flower, I love it, it is so beautiful". This is a violation of Brahmacarya. To follow Brahmacarya, you would see the beautiful flower and you would say, "Oh the Infinite Divinity has manifested itself to delight my eyes in the form of a lovely flower. I know that it is that Great Consciousness taking the manifestation of a flower. My passion is not for the object of a flower, but my passion is for the Infinite which has been so kind as to manifest as a beautiful flower". This ideation is the characteristic ideation of Brahmacarya. The same may be applied to sexuality. If you lust for another person and you desire that person for your own pleasure, again, like with the flower, this is a violation of Brahmacarya. But if you say, "Lord has come in the form of this lovely person before me and I would serve and love the Lord in this manifestation which Lord has taken". Then maintaining this ideation, directing the passions of the body and mind to the Infinite Entity, Brahmacarya is followed. The same may be said for all desires, all lusts of the body and of the mind. This is very significant. This practice is essential for the intuitional development of the sa'dhaka. Without this practice, there will always be distortion in the mind. This practice clarifies the mind. So the practice of Brahmacarya will bring clarity to the mind. Clear thinking will result when it is practiced along with Ahimsa and Satya. Then there will be compassion and discrimination. All of these go together. The mind becomes more and more subtle through adherence to these principles. So everything must be seen as the manifestation of the Divine, and all passions, all desires must be directed towards that Divinity. APARIGRAHA Simplicity The final practice of Yama is Aparigraha. That is, not to accumulate beyond ones' needs. Now, does this mean that everyone should sell all that they own and simply have the shirt on their back? It does not mean this. If you are a householder and you have a family, you will need one simple home for your family, you will need transportation, you will need books to educate your children, to read yourself to stay educated. You need food in the pantry and you will need a pantry to store the food, you will need dishes to eat on, you will need things to maintain the life of a householder. This is natural. But you will not need to have three cars. You will not need to store huge amounts of money in the bank coveting it for yourself. You will not need to have luxurious items beyond your needs. Simply have what you need, do not accumulate, accumulate, accumulate material objects. If this is done, the mind becomes engrossed in material objects. All it can think is "I wish to acquire more and more, perhaps I have not stolen it, perhaps I have rightly earned it but still my desire, like the thief who does not follow Asteya, still my desire is to grasp the objects, to covet the objects and to acquire more and more and more". This makes the mind cluttered as well as the household. It clutters the mind with desire. In addition, what you have gotten in excess will no doubt leave another with less than their due. A kind of imbalance has been set and mental balance cannot be maintained in this circumstance. So it is better not to covet, not to desire what belongs to another and it is better not to accumulate what you do not need. Have what you need, take what you need for your own self, for your own family, for your basic wants, but do not accumulate beyond your needs. It only leaves the mind cluttered. It instills fear also. Do you know why you have accumulated all of these objects around you? So many objects, so many and you go on accumulating, accumulating. Though you do not need them, still you accumulate. Why are you accumulating? Because it makes you feel safe. You begin to feel "These objects will make me safe. They will save me in the end. As long as I have so much money in the bank, as long as I have so many houses, as long as I have so many books, as long as I have so much of this, and so much of that, I will be safe. My life will be secured. I will know who I am, I will know what I have, I will be safe" and you place your welfare in material objects and not in Parama Purus'a. This is not proper ideation. It will not buy you permanent safety, it will only buy you suffering. So this acquisition is the path to hell. True safety, true shelter can only be gotten in the Infinite Entity. No other shelter will be with you when you are old and feeble. And when your time to depart the physical world has come, there is no other shelter for you. You will not be able to take all of these objects with you. So do not make them your shelter, it will only cause you suffering. Have what you need to utilize for a good life. This is appropriate and is the maxim of Aparigraha. Do not covet what belongs to others. Do not let the mind become involved in the sense of grasping for objects and things which belong to others, even non material objects: "I want the prestige of so and so. I want to be like them. I want to be like this". It is a restlessness of the mind. It makes the mind weak always desiring "Let me have the skill of so and so. If I were like them, I would be alright. Then my life would be good. They are such a good tailor, they are such a good carpenter. If I could do like that then I would have what they have". This is a violation of Asteya. You should not desire what belongs to others, even non material objects lest the mind be engrossed in this grasping. Nor should you be involved in acquisition of unneeded and unnecessary goods lest you be involved in hoarding. Nor should you use words to deceive others or to bring harm or ill to another, lest you deceive yourself. Nor should you have intent of inflicting pain or suffering on another lest your mind grow mean and crude. Instead, think kind and compassionate thoughts. Wish well to all beings. Be honest with yourself and with others and use words to convey compassion. Do not grasp after things that others have. Learn to be content in yourself. Learn to see everything as the expression of Brahma (God) and learn to direct all of your desires, not to the objects of the world, but to the Infinite Entity who is expressing in those objects. Learn, also, to lead a simple life having only what you need and not putting your welfare in material objects. In this way, the distortions of the mind will
become clarified so that perception of the subtle layers of the mind may
be enhanced, through the practices of Niyama.
NIYAMA Essential Practices of Spiritual Life 10/27/94
These elements are the practices of Niyama. They are the tenets which must be followed if a person is to become a true spiritualist. These are very essential practices. They are basic and must be done by all. Be the person a very beginning meditator or the most advanced yogi, it does not matter, they must do their very best to follow the practices of Niyama, to do these practices, to follow these tenets. Now, these practices have a purpose. That purpose is to focus the mind on the Infinite Entity and to prepare the mind so that the image of that Entity may be held in the mental sphere. Without the practices that are outlined in Niyama, the image of the Divine cannot be held in the mind of the human being. It will waiver, it will distort, it will not be seen clearly. So these are not secondary practices, they are primary practices. They must be done if a person is to have knowledge of the Infinite. Now, this is no rule that you must follow to be a good person. It is not a moral code, in that sense. It is a practical analysis of what is necessary to transform the mind so that subtle perception may be acquired and Infinite Consciousness may be perceived. SHAOCA Purity You know, if the mind of a person is very dirty, like a dirty window, then you cannot see through it to see what is on the other side. But if you clean the window, if you make it very clean, you take the cleanser and you wash it very carefully, you make it so clear that not one drop of dirt exists: then that which is on the other side of the window is crystal clear to you. It is as if the window has become nonexistent altogether. In the practice of Shaoca, purity of mind is the goal. It is to clean the mind of all dirt which may clutter the mind so that perception of the Infinite is possible. In this purification of mind, like the cleaning of the window, there are specific actions which may be taken to make the mind pure. First of all, mind has many layers. The outermost layer of the mind is the physical body that resides in the physical world. Therefore you must purify the body as well as the conscious mind and the subconscious mind. All the layers of the mind must get purified. The most basic action that should be taken to purify the mind is to keep the body clean. To keep the environment in which you live clean and pure assists in meditation. It assists in the overall practice of purity. If the body is kept clean, fresh and sweet smelling, if the room is kept clean, if there is a certain care that is taken for all objects that you come in contact with: they are kept nicely, they are cared for nicely with reverence, then this assists the mind to adapt a certain attitude, a certain approach. So the mind must be kept pure, first of all, by keeping the body pure. Keep the hair clean, keep the body clean, keep all of the openings and orifices of the body clean, keep the whole body pure. Do practices to purify the body internally as well, perhaps fasting several times a month to allow the body to rest, drinking of the water to clean the body, these types of things also are helpful. Treat all objects and the environment in a pure way. Reverence and a careful approach to ones' environment also brings the mind to a state of purity. Keep order in ones' environment. Take care for those objects and those beings for whom you take responsibility. You treat them with care, you keep them very nice. You be careful of your treatment of all objects and beings in your sphere. Now, in addition to these outer practices of cleanliness and purity, there are the inner practices in the mental sphere. In the mental sphere, the mind must also be kept free from impurities. The practice that is most helpful in purifying the mind is to disengage the mind from its' involvement with impure and degenerative thoughts. This is not so easily done. But when the body is kept pure, when the environment is cared for with reverence, then slowly, slowly it affects the attitude within the mind and a new attitude begins to dawn in a human being. It is an attitude of reverence for all life. This reverence for all life brings about a feeling of purity in the mind. There becomes a pure spirit. Greedy thoughts, lustful thoughts, thoughts of exploiting other beings begin to lessen as this practice is done, as you treat all objects and all beings with reverence and care. Then the mind begins to adopt the attitude "Oh, everything is the form of Brahma, as I have learned in Brahmacarya, and I must care for everyone and everything with utmost reverence. I cannot exploit anyone or anything". This is a pure thought. It brings the mind to a state of cleanliness, a state of inner purity in which the reflection of the Infinite Consciousness may become bright. A pure mind can perceive the Infinite very nicely, because it is not filled with the dirt of selfishness, the dirt of greed, the dirt of lust. It is not filled with mental desires which promote a small ego. It fills, instead, with sweet and careful thoughts that treat all objects and all beings with reverence, that think upon everyone and everything with reverence and love. Now, if you have a tendency to be greedy, let us say you have a tendency to hoard to yourself, then the best way to practice Shaoca, to develop purity of mind, is to cultivate the opposite. If you are greedy you make an intentional practice of giving to others: just in little ways, just here, just there, like that. If you have a tendency to think poorly of yourself, to always diminish yourself, "Oh, I am not as good as so and so. I will not be able to do this task. I am a little person, I am useless". If you have this type of mental tendency, you must cultivate the opposite thoughts to develop a pure mind. You think instead, "Oh, I am capable, I am as good as anyone else. I may do that task because I am the child of the Great. I am a child of the Infinite Entity and I am serving all living beings with love, so I need not feel badly about myself. I need not feel inhibited". So in this way this mental distortion will become less if this thinking is adopted. Likewise if there is a tendency to become very angry, very hostile with another person, then consciously, polite and sweet and smiling behavior should be cultivated. It is not that you are a sinner, that you are bad, you must never get angry, it is not that. You may get angry, but cultivate intentionally the opposite behavior to quell the mind, to gain equanimity, and to clean the surface of the mind of all the imbalances. A balanced mind is a clean mind, is a pure mind. A pure mind holds reverence for all objects and all beings, and for itself. Because a pure mind holds a pure reflection of the cosmic awareness. It also is a mind which holds equanimity. Do
you know what this equanimity is? It is balance in the mind. A pure mind
is a balanced mind. To have balance, one must acquire purity in one's thoughts.
Now, when the mind becomes balanced, one attains the state of equanimity,
one attains peace of mind. This peace of mind is the second category of
the practice of Niyama. The development of peace of mind is Santos'a.
SANTOS'A Equanimity Now, this peace of mind, this equanimity of mind, this contentment is developed by concentration upon the Great. If the mind surges in this desire and in that desire, then all contentment, all equanimity, all peace is lost. The mind is rushing here, then it is rushing there. When this happens it is pulled into the tumultuous waves of this manifest universe and it is bouncing up and down. This is the minds normal state if these practices of Yama and Niyama are not done. To develop peace of mind, first of all Shaoca must be practiced. There must be reverence for all. Purity of mind is developed through this reverence, through actions that remove the impurities, washes the dirt from the lens of the mind. After this is done, and as this is done, the ideation of contentment may be taken. When this ideation is there, there is not the rise and fall, the push and pull. These forces become somewhat less influential on the mind. It is the nature of the mind to move here and there. Desire will be here, desire will be there. That is the nature of mind. You are not to suppress the nature of mind. If you think that you can suppress the nature of mind, you will be utterly unsuccessful. But you may work with the very function of mind to make the mind subtly attuned, so that the image of the Great may be held within the mind. To develop contentment, one must avoid becoming overly impassioned for material objects. When one desires money, "Oh I must have money, I must have it, I must have it". And when a little money comes, then is the desire satisfied? No, no, no, the person then wants more money. If they become a millionaire, then they want to be a multimillionaire. A little is never enough. Even when a whole lot is there, then still it is not enough. This craving of the mind becomes so great. To attain equanimity of mind, this tendency of the mind to become overly absorbed with passions for material objects must be curbed. The mind must be somewhat withdrawn from these passions. Now, you may wonder how is this done, how may one withdraw the mind from these passions which will engross the mind so that it is thrown here and thrown there on the waves of this created existence? How does one remove oneself from these tortuous desires? The methodology is a simple one. It is through self reflection. "I am not this passion for money. I am not this need for fulfillment. I am not these passions and needs which I feel. They are expressions of the mind, but I am not those". So, make some mental distance with the passions and needs. Then ascribe Divinity to every object of this universe. "It is not money I am truly desiring. It is that Infinite happiness, that Infinite Blessedness that I thought perhaps money would gain for me." Like this, you curb the desires. You do not attempt to suppress them, for they will only pop out in a different form. But you attribute Godhood, you perceive the essential nature of all that is around you. You follow Shaoca. You treat everything with reverence. You make the mind pure, you make it content, you develop equanimity of mind. You know what happens when the mind begins to settle from all of these passions and pulls, needs and desires? Once it begins to be a little settled, then one reflects on ones' self and one realizes that "I am connected to all beings, and neither am I inferior nor am I superior to anyone, to any living being. I am a child of the Infinite. I am Divine. I am great and all beings are great. This entire cosmos is the manifestation of the Infinite Entity". When this equanimity of mind occurs, through knowledge of the Infinite, through ascribing Godhood to all existence, and through all the practices of Yama and Niyama, then Santos'a is achieved. Then contentment comes in the mind, equanimity comes in the mind. The person does not feel "I am inferior", or "I am superior". All of these mental complexes become settled and the individual gains a rational grasp of themselves. The fetters of these complexes in the mind become thinned and finally broken all together and the person attains equanimity. They feel self fulfilled. They need not run after money, they need not have this person, they need not have this wealth, they need not have all of these things to be fulfilled. They are fulfilled in themselves. But you see, most people are like children who are needing the mother, who are needing to feel the mother's love. When the mother is gone, the small child will cry "I am not safe, I am not fulfilled. How will I get food? I am hungry, what will I do, who will help me, who will care for me? I am alone, I am needy, I am needy". The child thinks like this and when the mother comes, then the child feels safe. Then the child grows to be a woman, to be a man, but the neediness stays inside the mind. "I am not safe, I do not know how I will eat, I do not know how I will have what I need". And so the neediness is there. "I will cover my neediness because I will grasp for this and I will grasp for that. And if only I have a large enough house, if only my bank account is big enough, if only I have so many children, then I will be safe: then it is the same as when my mother comes in the room and takes me in her arms and feeds me and holds me and I am completely safe". The person has grown in a big body and they are not looking for their mother, but nonetheless, the mind is still like that of a child. It is needy and unfulfilled. Often times people will grow in the body but, in the mind, their needs remain. Such a mind, such a needy mind, is in pain. To maintain contentment, all of these needs and desires, these basic needs of the human being must get fulfilled. They cannot be denied. They must be fulfilled. But what has happened to the human being? They have learned to seek the fulfillment of these basic needs in the wrong way. They think if the bank account is high, if the house is large, if the children are there they will be safe. They will have happiness. But ultimately these approaches fail. If they want to feel like the babe in the mothers' arms, they must find the mother. They must find the Divine Entity. They have sought in the finite to satiate their needs, and the finite cannot satiate the needs of a human being. Only the Infinite will give lasting fulfillment. So the contemplation of the Infinite, the attribution of Godhood to all life, will eventually bring the experience of peace of mind, of contentment. And the superiority and inferiority complexes of the mind will get dissolved. Now, to develop peace of mind, to develop equanimity of mind requires, not only action, but knowledge as well. One must acquire knowledge of the Infinite. And how can this knowledge be acquired? There are three ways to acquire knowledge of the Infinite Being. One is through selfless action. Another is through study and understanding: to developing comprehension in the mind of the qualities and characteristics of the Infinite Entity and of the nature of existence. The third is to enter into the sacred experience of that Infinite Being. So these are the methodologies for acquiring the knowledge which must be there in order to attain purity of mind and contentment, and which must be there in order to do all of the practices explained under the category of Yama sa'dhana. TAPAS Actions based on Selfless Love Now, the first practice is selfless service to others. This is known in Niyama as Tapas. If one is to do Tapas, one must serve another with a pure heart, with no motive whatsoever for oneself. "I will give the service. Then I know they will like me, then they will appreciate me". No, no, no, it cannot be given like this. If it is given like this, it is not Tapas. In Tapas, service is rendered to others in a very selfless fashion. You do not seek anything for yourself. You merely seek to improve the life of another, to aid the welfare of the society, to give to others what is their due and what is their need so that they may have a better life, so that they may be happy, so that they may know infinite love. You give selflessly, and when you do this something happens over time. There comes a purity of mind, a contentment and a feeling of compassion, of infinite love for all beings. Tapas is both the tool to develop this compassion and also the expression of this compassion. It is both. To practice Tapas is very important in spiritual life. But you know, in many religions, this concept has been misunderstood. It has been taken to mean: "If I harm myself in some way, if I beat my body, if I starve my body, if I think that I am a lowly being worse than anyone else and I just wear rags and I am impoverished, then this is Tapas". But this is not Tapas. It has nothing to do with Tapas. You are a very manifestation of the Divine Entity and you should treat yourself as such. You never think you are inferior or less than anyone, nor should you think that you are superior to anyone. To mortify your body, to diminish yourself, is only the reflection of a distortion of mind as we have previously discussed. It is acting out that distortion. You are a divine being and you should not diminish yourself in any fashion nor should you defend yourself with false pride in any fashion. You need neither to pridefully defend, nor do you need to diminish. These practices are not beneficial. But the practice of Tapas is very beneficial in spiritual life. In the practice of Tapas, pure and selfless service is given to all beings. Now intent, as in all of the Yamas and Niyamas, is very key in this practice. If the intent is not proper the mental result will not be as it should. Now, if you see there are those who are having less, to feed the poor, to give shelter to the homeless, to do a kind act to an older person needing a hand, to remember the child and take a little time to read with him, these are all Tapas. Particularly when they are done with a pure and selfless attitude, wanting nothing in return. To practice Tapas in your life, as you go through your day, just think each moment, "is there someone I can help in even the smallest way right this very moment". You will be surprised how much you can do for others. In quiet ways, in small ways, you may express pure and selfless love: just a little touch, just a kind word, just a small help with some difficulty. Tapas becomes not only a particular action. "Oh today, I will do selfless service. I have my afternoon chalked out, and in this afternoon, I will give four hours of selfless service". This is a good approach in the beginning but over time this selfless service must become not four hours once a week, not four hours each day, but 24 hours every day. You become immersed in this attitude of Tapas: selfless love, pure and kind and undifferentiating: so that every word that comes from your lips, every move of your hand is an action of selfless love. Isn't it? So you see, Tapas begins with taking thought and time to give service to those who are less fortunate than yourself, to those who have some particular need. You must give that service without desiring something in return, without any secret motives, "Oh I will initiate 10 people into yoga practices and then I will have achieved my goal". No, no, no, this is not selfless service. You are wanting something for yourself, you are wanting to achieve your goal. "I will do so many feedings, and then I will have reached my quota". No, no, no, this is not Tapas. You are wanting your quota. This must not be the motivation. The motivation is to give to those in need. "If I reach my quota, very good. If I do not reach my quota, what of it. I am immersed in the giving to others. If I must suffer because I did not reach my quota, it does not matter as long as I have spent all my effort in giving to another. If I want to achieve an end for myself, achieve a goal that I have set and that is the purpose of serving others, then I have lost the Tapas, there is no Tapas. If one says, "I am at my place of employment and my boss has demanded that I must achieve certain goals in my work, my work is very selfless work, I do social service, but I will do this service so I may achieve my goal", then Tapas is lost. But in this same environment, if one says, "I do not care for myself, for my needs but I will give my all to these people who need it and I will go the extra mile for them. I will put my all to their service", then the spirit of Tapas comes, even in the work place. Because it is a job does not mean you cannot practice Tapas. Because you have a family life does not mean you cannot practice Tapas. Tapas can be practiced anywhere. It is the approach you take, it is the motivation you take and it is the care you take for others. Not for yourself, not to achieve your own ends, not to gain the favor of people. If you say "I am so selfless and I give so many things, and I feed these people and I give them shelter. They will all look up to me and they will make me mayor", then this is not Tapas. You are using those people. You give to them because you love them. You give to them because they are in need. You give to them and you expect nothing. If they forget about you, then they forget about you. If they make you mayor, what of it. You do it for them out of pure love and then, over time, it is not just this project that is Tapas, not just this approach that is Tapas, but it becomes a mental attitude towards all beings, towards all life. When this happens, purity of mind also comes and contentment is achieved. All of the mental distortions, the seeking and the needing, become calmed. It is all one practice in actuality, but there are specific techniques, specific angles to ones' practice of Niyama. You see, these are not moral codes, Yama and Niyama. They are fundamental practices which all who follow the spiritual path must do to be able to walk the path. It does not matter if they are Hindu, if they are Christian, if they are Jain, if they are Muslim. It does not matter what they call these practices. Still, they must be done because the monkey mind will wander here and there and, if it is not given proper direction, it will never be able to settle down and gain the capacity to reflect its Infinite Essence. So Tapas, action based on selfless love, is one of the three essential practices that are necessary in order to be able to follow all of the tenets of Yama and Niyama. Through this selfless love, Brahmacarya is achieved. Through Brahmacarya, through ideation that all creation is the manifestation of the Infinite Entity, the practice of Tapas may be advanced. Like this, all of the Yamas and Niyamas go together. SVA'DHYA'YA Knowledge of Reality Now, the second practice which is essential to Yama and Niyama is Sva'dhya'ya. It is to gain knowledge of reality, knowledge of the underlying consciousness which is quiescent in all of existence. It is to comprehend the nature of consciousness, the nature of one's own existence, and the nature of this manifest universe. To gain this knowledge, is Sva'dhya'ya. Sva'dhya'ya is the search for and the practice of acquiring this knowledge. Now, if one is to do selfless service, one must have knowledge of the nature of selfless service. One must know what it means to serve another as opposed to being exploited by someone or as opposed to exploiting someone. That knowledge which makes one able to discriminate between exploiting, being exploited and doing selfless service, that knowledge and its pursuit is the study of Sva'dhya'ya. Now, some have said that Sva'dhya'ya is the study of spiritual scriptures or holy books. This is not, in fact, Sva'dhya'ya. It may be that holy books are read to enhance one's knowledge of the essential nature of reality. It may be that you will read such books. But you may not read such books and still practice Sva'dhya'ya. Sva'dhya'ya comes with acquainting oneself with the true knowledge which underlies all existence; acquainting oneself with knowledge of the Infinite. You may attend lectures, you may read books which inspire the mind in this direction. You may read holy scriptures to inspire the mind in this direction. You may listen to the ideas of others to inspire the mind in this direction. You may even read scientific material which may inspire the mind in this direction. You may contemplate the nature of your own existence to inspire the mind. These are the basic external practices of Sva'dhya'ya. The internal practice of Sva'dhya'ya is to take this knowledge which you acquire through your study and research and to integrate this knowledge into your own experience, your own essential being, so that you may come in contact with the Infinite source of knowledge within you. For in fact, all knowledge lies within. So, when you practice Sva'dhya'ya internally, you internally integrate what you have learned externally to form a piercing intellect, a pinnacled intellect. With that pinnacled intellect, you pierce the veil of ignorance and you attain direct access to the Infinite knowledge which lies within the minds of all beings. You develop your intuition, as some may say, and you become able to access intuitional knowledge. At this stage, you will automatically know what is exploitation, what is not exploitation. You will understand clearly what is a selfless act, what is not a selfless act. You will have no problem in perceiving what are the dirts on the mind and how you wash them away. You will have no problem in understanding that you are not inferior or superior to anyone. You will have no problem to perceive directly that every molecule, every atom of this expressed world is the manifestation of Divinity. You will have no problem to perceive the love which is the very essential underlying essence of existence. The nature of consciousness will begin to dawn in your mind. The qualities and characteristics of the Infinite Entity will become perceivable to you. You will begin to understand the meaning of justice. Truth will be a word you know and understand. Love, compassion, beauty, all of these concepts will become fully comprehensible to you and knowledge of the Infinite will dawn in the mind. This is the internal practice of Sva'dhya'ya. It is essential. If you are to fully practice the other aspects of Yama and Niyama, you must have discrimination. Discrimination is based on knowledge. They go hand in hand. If you are to know the essence of truth, that also is based on knowledge. It is not based on book learning. Book learning may be a fundamental starting point to acquiring the true knowledge, but it is not the knowledge itself. It is only the finger that points "I think it is in that direction". So the mind goes in that direction and it goes more and more until the shores of knowledge are reached. Do you understand this study of Sva'dhya'ya? It is knowledge of reality. "Oh Lord, lead me from the unreal unto the
real, from darkness to the light, from death to immortality. Help me to
attain knowledge which is lasting and immortal." This is the prayer of
the person practicing Sva'dhya'ya.
IISHVARA PRAN'IDHA'NA Remembrance of God Now, how does one attain such knowledge truly? Can it be attained from books alone? No, no, no, it cannot be attained from books alone. It must be attained through intuitional practice, through ideation upon the Infinite Entity. And how does one ideate upon the Infinite Entity? Through the practice of Iishvara Pran'idha'na. Now this Iishvara Pran'idha'na means that you are focusing all of your concentration upon the controlling point of this entire universe. You know the meaning of Iishvara? Iishvara is the controller of this manifest universe. So, you focus all of your mind, all of your life force on this controlling point; Iishvara, the Lord of this manifest universe. This is Iishvara Pran'idha'na, this focused and concentrated ideation upon the Supreme. It is through the practice of Iishvara Pran'idha'na that Sva'dhya'ya comes in the mind and that all of the practices of Yama and Niyama become possible. Without the practice of Iishvara Pran'idha'na, none of the other practices will be possible to do properly. It will not be possible to do these practices without Iishvara Pran'idha'na. So this practice is the base of all other practices. And why is this? Because if one is to know the Infinite Consciousness one must come in direct contact with that consciousness. Due to that direct contact all of the other practices of Yama and Niyama become more and more possible. They go hand in hand you see. You must do these practices to cleanse the mind, to purify the mind, and at the same time you must ideate upon the Infinite so that there is direction and focus for the mind. Then you are focused on the Great. If there is no focus, there is nowhere to go. You may try to do these practices, but you are like a headless horse running about with no direction. You must have a direction to run towards. So, through Iishvara Pran'idha'na, you come in direct contact with the Supreme Entity. Knowledge of the Infinite is directly accessed through this practice of direct contact. Now, when you first begin this practice, you may find that you are spending all of your time concentrating the mind, and then as you begin the practices of Yama and Niyama, the basic practices, you will find that the concentration will grow better and better. You will find that it all goes together. Concentration will be enhanced. As concentration is enhanced, a deeper knowledge of the Infinite will come. The problem of concentration will become less. The noises about you when you meditate will not bother you. The internal chatter of the mind will become like the noises around you. If you hear a noise, it will not bother you because you will be focusing on something much more profound. As you focus on the profound awareness present within the Cosmic Mind, within the consciousness behind the Cosmic Mind, that underlies all manifestation, you will find that you will begin to have a resonance with that Divine Consciousness. You know, there are certain basic propensities of mind. One is that mind moves. It is a characteristic of the mind to move. The second basic characteristic of mind is that whatever it moves towards, it takes on the likeness of that object. So, whatever mind moves towards, it tends to become absorbed in and it takes on the likeness of. If mind moves towards a material object, then it is always thinking of that object, always that object is in the mind. The mind becomes closer and closer to that object. Now, in the practice of Iishvara Pran'idha'na, the second characteristic, and in fact the first characteristic of the mind also, is utilized to gain the vision of the Infinite. So that Infinite Entity, that controlling point of the entire manifest universe and of the unmanifest universe as well, the controlling point becomes the focus of the mind. Ideation upon the Great becomes the focus of the mind. As the first characteristic, the movement of mind, is directed in that direction, then the second characteristic of mind, the malleable quality of mind, comes into play. So that the mind begins to take on the qualities and characteristics of that Infinite Entity. No longer is the mind identifying with the little ego saying "I'm a little person, I live at such and such a place. I am a small and insignificant person". The mind begins to lose this identity, and instead, the mind begins to identify with the object of ideation. "I am the One who is in all beings, in all things. My existence is endless. I have never had a beginning and I will never have an end. I am pure and I am formless. I am without any blemishes. I am that Infinite Consciousness, that infinite well of love from which this entire universe has sprung. I live in the form of every being. I live in every atom of this manifest universe. I live in the pure essence of self awareness. I am that consciousness which is pure, eternal, and everlasting." So the mind, ideating upon the Infinite, begins to acquire over time, with intense ideation, identity with that Infinite Being. And you know, there is a fundamental change that occurs. The very qualities and characteristics of the mind become altered in due time so that slowly, slowly, the individual loses the sense of separateness, the sense of the little "I. Little "I" gets absorbed in the big "I", the Cosmic "I", the sense of pure existence in the universe. And the conscious awareness of the little person caught in the little ego, the little mind, gets absorbed in the Great, in the Infinite Purus'a, in the Infinite Consciousness which underlies all existence, the unmanifest, the unqualified pure consciousness, pure Purus'a. The consciousness, the little consciousness that has been caught like a drop of water in a little glass gets freed, gets dropped again in the ocean of Infinite Consciousness. And because its' very fundamental structure was all along identical to that infinite ocean, it cannot be seen as separate from that ocean. It becomes completely one with that ocean. So, through the process of Iishvara Pran'idha'na,
this attainment of complete merger in the Supreme is achieved. All of the
other practices of Yama and Niyama support this process and make it possible.
Without these practices, it is not possible because the light of the Infinite
Divinity cannot dawn in a mind that is cluttered and discontent. There
must be truth, harmony, contentment, purity, love, selfless love, and knowledge
of the nature of reality. Then the meditation, the sa'dhana, the ideation
upon the great, can reach its final culminating point and the little can
be absorbed within the great. In this way, lasting happiness, permanent
happiness, may be achieved and all of the fetters and bonds of the suffering
mind may be broken. The feeling and experience of separate existence will
be lost and the babe will lay forever merged in the arms of the mother,
all desires fulfilled.
These are the practices of Yama and Niyama
and this is the final result which will occur if one takes these practices
seriously.
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