Hari
Om
Each 'Choose-day' we will investigate the process by
which we can reassess our activity and interaction with the world of plurality
and become more congruent within our personality.
We
are reading the small booklet called "Not
Too Loose, Not Too tight - Just right!" This is written by Swamini
Vimalananda, and gives a very general overview of Vedanta for the beginner,
with emphasis on the sattvic, rajasic and tamasic approaches to life.
दृष्टि /dRshti (vision).
"यथा दृष्टि तथा शृष्टि /yathaa drRhti, tathaa shRshti - as our
vision, so the world appears." This is a very common saying in
Sanskrit. By vision, of course, the reference is not simply to the eye bringing
the image of the world to us, but what our mind and intellect do with that
image, how they interpret it, is determined to a large extent upon what the
vaasanas of the one doing the seeing, the experiences which have influenced the
personality and so on. A simple example is, on meeting a person, how we 'see'
them will depend on whether we have determined that we like them or dislike
them. We may never have met them before, but might have developed opinions
based upon our cultural background - or what we think
we know of theirs - and form judgements which may or may not have some basis.
Let us now view this through the triguna, the three qualities. As you read,
ponder where you may stand at the moment and whether you think adopting another
stance might enhance your life and vision.
Sattvic; It is a 'holistic' vision, which
enables us to see the role of various parts and aspects within the totality of
the picture before us. We can therefore understand the role of each and every
aspect (or person) in the situation. For
instance, if we want to be happy, we must be aware that a healthy mind is as
important as a healthy body. This vision enables us to see unity in diversity
and to understand a common cause behind many effects/symptoms, rather than
getting caught up in those effects or belabouring the symptoms. When we can see
the commonality of everything, even whilst responding to the external
differences which are presented in creation, we learn to identify despite the
apparent differences and are able to sit in Love (capital 'ell'!). This is the
basis of the greeting /namaste… 'the divinity in me is the divinity in thee'.
Sattvic vision makes us share and care. Selfless
thought.
Rajasic; This may be called as partial vision;
there is an understanding that there are parts and there are effects arising
from a cause, but there is a tendency to be stimulated and captured by those
effects. Undue importance is given to them. Further, an overly rajasic thought
process can tend to lead the personality into the trap of believing the part to
be the whole. Having pursued qualification of doctor or lawyer, say, there may
be an arrogance of having achieved all there is to be achieved; medicine or law
become 'the whole' for such as these. Similarly, attaining comforts in life
might become equally or even more important than the relationships; or the idea
that once a week visit to worship is sufficient… and so on. Rajasic vision,
then, gives importance and 'reality' only to the differences, which results in
creating division, be it family, community or nationally. Rajasic vision
separates and builds 'ownership' - mine versus yours. Selfish thought.
Tamasic; Such a vision makes man blind to the
bigger picture entirely. There is no understanding of cause, only effects and
symptoms are seen and their life is driven by these. This is not the
self-centredness of the rajasic personality; rather it is a complete lack of
sensitivity based in ignorance. One who is dominated by the tamasic nature
cannot conceive of anything wider than their own little world, the immediacy of
what is happening for themselves, regardless of others. They will become
narrow-minded, illogical, unreasonable… often leading to fanaticism in whatever
they chose to believe. The tamasica will make unequivocal statements such as
'there is not God', 'my God alone saves', 'money is God'… in relationships they
will work only at the emotional level, 'without you I am nothing', 'how can I
go on living if you leave?', and so on. It is very difficult for such people to
progress, to accept no concepts or permit creative thought. Tamasic vision sees
only in terms of 'mine', even yours does not exist for them. Self-only thought.
