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.
INTRODUCTION
part 2.
The
main characteristic of sattva guna is Knowledge. Other characteristics are compassion, faith,
Love, self-control, understanding, purity, equanimity and memory. The main
characteristic of rajo-guna is activity.
Others are ambition, dynamism, restlessness, haste, anger, jealousy,
greed and passion. The main
characteristic of tamo-guna is inertia. Others are disorganised thinking and behaviour,
carelessness, laziness, forgetfulness, violence and criminal thoughts.
The
cause pervades the effect. Hence, these
three qualities of prakRiti pervade everything in the creation. However, when
one quality is predominant, the other two lie dormant. The inert world of
objects is predominantly tamasic. Plants manifest more rajo-guna than stones do
and animals even more than plants. Man can manifest sattva guna to a greater
extent than animals and presiding deities even more than man. Even amongst plants, trees, animals, birds,
some are sattvic, others rajasic and yet others tamasic. The tulsi, lotus, peepal, cow and swan are
seen to be more sattvic and are therefore held as sacred in India. The pitcher
plant, sunflower, mango tree, monkey and crow are more rajasic, whereas weeds,
cactii, buffalo and vulture are more tamasic. Look around at the world and try
to see these gunas in the beings around you. Not as judgement! Merely as an
observation.
Human
beings too have these three gunas. Different qualities gain dominance at
different times, but one of them generally dominates each personality. Hence we may categorise people as being
sattvic, rajasic ro tamasic. Remember,
everything we do -the way we sit, eat, walk, talk, work or behave - reflects
the quality or mood of the mind. For
example, in a sattvic mood we eat unhurriedly and neatly; in a rajasic mood,
speedily, with little chewing and perhaps moodily also; in tamasic mood, the
food is taken sloppily, lethargically and with not attention at all.
What
do we want to be? What is the ideal
combination of the gunas we ought to strive to have?
When
the strings of the sitar are too loose, they produce a base and unmusical
sound. If they are too tight, they make
a squeaky or shrill sound. When they are
tuned rightly, they produce melodious music. Similarly, if the strings of our
mind are too loose (tamasic) we are dull, lazy and often negative in our
thoughts. If they are too tight
(rajasic), then despite being ambitious and hard working, we are often tense,
dissatisfied, worried and unhappy.
However, when the strings of our minds are tuned rightly (sattvic), then
we are poised, successful and happy; there is beautiful music in our lives. Therefore,
the formula for success and happiness is "Not
Too Loose, Not Too tight - Just right!"
When
we look in a mirror and see dirt on our face, we wash it off. we enhance our looks by highlighting our good
features and reducing or managing the defects. The following posts from this
booklet will act as if that mirror. There will be 23 aspects expounded, meant
to help us look at ourselves and guide us to beautify our inner selves and
lives. Each of the three gunas is expanded upon in relation to specifics of
living. This is useful as a daily
sadhana 'monitor', but also, for those who are pondering the practicality of
undertaking spiritual/philosophical pursuit, highlights the methodology of
Vedanta succinctly, whilst at the same time not being 'the final word'.
