Saturday, September 8, 2012

DESIRE TO NON BINDING DESIRE



Desire is a choice less faculty of human beings. We are born with desires. Animals have no freewill of their own. They do according to their nature. Anger is directly proportional to the desire of the obstacle. The problems we face are due to Kama (desire) and Krotha (anger). We have to learn to handle desire. Anger is the cause of impulsive responses. Impulsive responses are risky and lead to unwanted consequences (3rd Chapter of Gita).

Anger is an enemy if it leads to impulsive action (violent action) especially for a karma yogi. It brings you down spiritually. Unethical desires when obstructed will get converted into anger. When fulfilled, it will get converted into greed. Unethical desires suppress discriminative power. Mirror has the capacity to reflect my face. When it is coated with dust its reflecting power is suppressed. Our buddhi has the power to reflect the Atma. Buddhi is suppressed when it is coated with the dust called Kama.

If we look for lower material things then we lose our discriminative power. Buddhi is a knowing power and can discriminate. Money will never satisfy a human being.  As long as a baby is in the womb it cannot do anything. (Not able to fully operate). When Kama covers the Buddhi, the buddhi is not able to fully operate like a baby in the womb. Hardened desires cannot be removed easily like a baby can’t be removed from the womb at all. We have to wait until it comes out. Similarly some of the desires can’t be removed easily. We have to wait for a long time.

An Intelligent person is one who is ready to learn from any source. Krishna tells Arjuna that karma yoga is the best way of life. It is the best win-win way of life prescribed by Vedas. Success of one requires the failure of the other. Everybody can taste and enjoy victory by following karma yoga way of life. It is useful for spiritual growth also. A person should choose a lifestyle in line with his temperament. Every one of us is a combination of a proportion of 3 Gunas. Satva guna a quiet contemplate life style. Rajo guna active life style. Tamo guna freedom from activity. This will determine our temperament. If our lifestyle and personality are not compatible with one another there will be a lot of anxiety, stress, strain, health problems both physical and Psychological. Try to move with the flow always. Never resist your personality. If you have a lot of energy use it and work. Remember that choice must be based on the personality.

Five principles of karma yoga:

1.    Dedicate all your activities secular and sacred to the lord. Show reverential attitude towards the activity. Commitment to work.
2.    Do your action with a spiritual motive. Think that through this action I want to grow spiritually. Give priority for spiritual growth.
3.    You gradually reduce expectations in life. We have a contributing freewill. We do not have a controlling freewill. Stronger the expectation more intensive will be the anxiety. Stronger the courage lesser the expectation. (Nivasi).
  
4.    Suppose my action leads to success. Success may lead to arrogance. Failure may lead to frustration. Always maintain humility in success.
5.    You have to be free from mental fever. Maintain Samatvam. Equanimous mind (in pair of opposites) when facing results.             

We have to learn to be peaceful in spite of situations rather than because of situations. That is wisdom.  Material body and material world will constantly interact. Satva, tamas, Rajas personalities are the three Gunas in a person. Our body is a temporary make up. We don’t have a control over material world. We don’t have control over our family members and when our children grow up. Aim of Grihastasanam is serving the family and grooming and not controlling the family. You should know how to be detached like a lotus remaining in water without getting wet.

Personality expresses in the form of my likes and dislikes. Choice must be based on Raga-Dvesha (love and hatred). For natural desire ask another question. Is it Dharmic or not to do a thing? If it is immoral, I should use my freewill to say I have the desire but will not act according to that. I will follow Dharma (rules and regulations). Respect your passion. Don’t be enslaved by your passion. Learn to say no to do a wrong thing. Mental pressure and Raga-Dvesha makes me do impulsive action/ response in every situation. See whether it is right or wrong thing to do which is to be taken care of by Buddhi. Buddhi must stop impulsive activity and filter the same. In spite of having the knowledge people are violating Dharma which Arjuna asks Lord Krishna (BG Ch 3 verse 36). Adharma will lead to papam and naragam (hell).

Final part of 3rd chapter of Gita Lord Krishna talks about 2 obstacles for spiritual growth. Two internal enemies of a spiritual seeker which obstructs Karma yoga and Gnana yoga are Kama (desire) and Krotha (anger). Krishna talks about desire only though anger is introduced. Anger is a different version of desire. By handling Kama thereby one can handle Krotha effectively as per Krishna. Desire is available for human beings only. It is called icha Sakthi. Even Moksha is possible only through desire. We cannot blindly condemn desire. Desire should be noble and healthy and finally spiritual. Remove unethical, immoral desires.

We have a physical body. Superior to the body is the sense organs as we are aware of the body because of the sense organs. Mind is superior to the sense organs as mind alone decides which sense organ should function. Superior to the mind is Buddhi/ intellect. One faculty of mind is doubting. Buddhi has got thinking power. By clear knowledge the intellect can clear the doubt. Buddhi is Vignanamaya kosa. Mind is manomaya kosa. Superior to all these is Saga which is “Atma”. Atma the spiritual principle is superior to all these layers of personality. All these layers are made up of matter. All kosas are material in nature (Tatva Botha). Body, mind, sense organs don’t have consciousness of their own. They get consciousness from the “Atma”. “Atma” is the nature of consciousness.

Before I conclude, you should know that you are not a human being seeking spiritual experience. You are a spiritual being temporarily having a human experience. Human experience will last only as long as the body lasts.  ‘I’ (atma) as a spiritual being am eternal.

This is referred to the principle of electricity. Everybody is like an electrical object. “Atma” is like electricity. That which makes the bulb glow is electricity. “Atma” makes the body to function. We should know the terms Shravanam, Mananam, Nidhithyasanam.

Shravanam: It is the consistent and systematic study of vedantic scriptures for a length of time under the guidance of competent and a live acharya.

Mananam: seeing the body as part of the body should be practiced. Pancha bootham from outside come together like a wave in the ocean. I want to use the body but I don’t want to get attached to the body. I don’t claim to be the owner of the body. This exercise I practice under Mananam and Nidhidhyasanam. Fix body and mind with the help of mind claiming I am the “Atma”. Convert unethical desire into ethical desire. Convert ethical desire into a non binding desire.

Nidhidhyasanam: Picture in the mind about what you have studied and do contemplation. What you picture will get fructified.

Lastly tell yourself I am not the body, mind, intellect. I am poorna atma. By discovering the fact that I am purnaga I am complete and have fulfillment. I have total fulfillment.


Be blissful


S.SEKAR
                
    

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