Spiritual Armoury

Hari OM

'Text-days' are for delving into the words and theory of Advaita Vedanta.

TATTVABODHAH.

[You are reminded that reviewing the previous week's posts will become essential as the meanings of the Sanskrit terms may not be repeated. There may come additional or alternative meanings, but all should be noted. As study progresses, the technical terms must necessarily become 'second nature' to the student. When the Sanskrit is used, the translation will fall easily into place - or likewise, if the English is used, the Sanskrit term must easily come forwards.]

Please revisit THIS post and chant the mangala-charana. The chanting for the oncoming posts was given last week - use the TattvabodaH label to access all posts relevant to this text. We are currently studying the text on the shamaadhi-shatka sampatti. You may wish also to review the chanting of this section, which you will find here.

The last of the six inner wealths is samaadhaana.

समाधानं किम्   चित्तैकाग्रता। /samaadhaanaM kim?   cittaikaagrataa. What is samaadhaanam? It is the single-pointedness of mind. It is the placing of the mind on a place and never wavering from that.

The mind is a butterfly! Even when we say we have a goal, we are too easily distracted from the progress towards it. To remain focused, we need to have strong feeling for that goal. Such a goal has to be of primary desire to keep us working towards it.  In spirituality, the goal is "God" (heaven) if we wish to keep within the solid and "Brahman" (moksha) if we accept the non-solid. Once the goal has been determined, then, focus full attention and take no side routes!

Thus we find, if we take overview of the 'six jewels', that we have a process of detachment followed by attachment.  Shama, dama, uparati and titiksha all help us to detach from the material world and shraddha and samaadhaana re-attach us, but to the spiritual and higher state of being. What? If the point of Vedanta is to release all of Maya, then why some attachment now? !

Here we find the methodology of the novice and moderate student who must still rely on what is provided by Maya in order to climb to the goal. It would be a very rare individual indeed who could simply jump from being a low human thing into the status of God-hood! It is a process. Detach each and every day a little more from the material world and to do this, to steady the ship so to speak, attach to the 'captain' (Guru) and the 'hull' (scripture) and traverse samsaara with courage and determination.

Thus we find six small gems contained within the third of the chatushtaya. Why like this? Why not just make them individual and have ten spiritual disciplines?

If put as ten, then the inclination would be to 'tick them off' as if the list was ordered thus.  However, these six are so closely inter-related and inter-dependent, that they are really not able to be separated. Rather think of them as six sides of the one thing, which is to self-contain and self-manage. Each assists the other so very closely, they are like the bricks in the wall of a fortress. Think of them thus.  That these spiritual 'walls' protect us from the ravages of the transactional life. If one of the bricks is damaged or absent, the fortress is greatly weakened. Therefore we must work on all of these as a single unit.  This is why they are clubbed together in one item.

The same cannot be said with regard to the first two of the chatushtaya; viveka and vairaagya. Without viveka there can be no proper vairaagya. Vairaagya without viveka is dry, misguided, cold. In fact there is no vairaagya without viveka. To simply hold the world at bay and the nose aloof is nothing more than disdain. Vairaagya alone means that one has gone through the first process of discrimination, noting how the world is filled with nonsense and deceit and traps for the unsuspecting and only then can one withdraw, with knowledge and understanding, into true vairaagya. Vairaagya still holds warmth and compassion inspite of the world. Disdain holds no warmth and is against the world. Vairaagya is courage and aids us in making clear decisions and dropping away the excess trappings of modern life. Disdain is fearful and continues to make ego-based decisions.

In the third step, the shamaadhi-shatka sampatti, we find a group of inner actions which nourish and support our vairaagya. It can seem that in utilising these six alone, much can be gained.  This is true. However, they are not likely to enter our life, our 'ken', unless we have first adopted true viveka and, subsequently, vairaagya. It is really only within the greater withdrawal from transactional mayhem that we have an inner atmosphere conducive to the nurture of these jewels.

There is an assessment which can be done (this is applied to all texts in Sanskritam) whereby we look at the हेतु /hetu (direct cause),  स्वरूप /svaroopa (the benefit, the common theme), कार्य /kaarya (the effect associated) and अवधि /avadhi (conclusion). For the sampatti how are these applied?

• Hetu - यम /yama and नियम /niyama… the don'ts and do's…(see below)
• Svaroopa - a mind tamed (चित्त निरोद /chitta niroda)

• Karya - the mind decreases its activity and reduces in extrovertedness

• Avadhi - the world of objects, starting at our own physical level, starts to fade the more we move towards Brahman.

The 'don’t's' (yama) are अहिंसा /ahimsaa - cause no harm, सत्य /satya - truth at all levels (ie no falsehoods), अस्तेय /asteya - no theft,  ब्रह्मचर्य /brahmacharya - keeping 'continence', which is not simply sexual abstinence, but also proprietous behaviour at all levels, अपरिग्रहः /aparigrahaH - no possessivness, non-grasping.

The 'do's' (niyama) are सौच /saucha - purity, cleanliness in body, mind and intellect, संतोष /santosha - contentment, तपः /tapaH - austerity, स्वध्याय /swadhyaaya - spiritual study, ईश्वर प्रणिधान /iishwara pranidhaana - offering all actions and ourselves to the Lord.

So if the six are so interconnected, why are they ordered amongst themselves the way they are?  Why shama is first? Earlier it was said to think of the six together as a fortress - but now think of them as your armoury and purpose viz;-

Shama = sword

Dama = shield

Uparama = visor

Titiksha = body armour

Shraddha = the 'noble steed'

Samaadhaana = the 'noble cause'

SAADHANA

Think deeply on this for the next week - giving full mananam. Check out the logic. Find out your doubts. Voice them in the comments box of via the private contacts box.

The Inner Richness

Hari OM

'Text-days' are for delving into the words and theory of Advaita Vedanta.

TATTVABODHAH.

[You are reminded that reviewing the previous week's posts will become essential as the meanings of the Sanskrit terms may not be repeated. There may come additional or alternative meanings, but all should be noted. As study progresses, the technical terms must necessarily become 'second nature' to the student. When the Sanskrit is used, the translation will fall easily into place - or likewise, if the English is used, the Sanskrit term must easily come forwards.]

Please revisit THIS post and chant the mangala-charana. Think again on the meaning. Seek to focus on the subject.

Let us recap.

We saw the need for viveka and had some insight to vairaagya. At the moment they seem rather 'high', something so ideal as to be unmanageable. Many attempt vairaagya, but fail; sometimes because they have not fully grasped application of viveka but often simply because they have misused the concept.  There are some who seek to escape their lives which they perceive as negative and thus use the excuse of need to 'go to forest or hill' (which was the tradition) and quite literally run away. In the forest hut or the cave on the hill, they find all the ravages of life still exist, because they have not properly determined what is Real and what is not, neither have they worked on chitta-shuddhi and chitta-ekaagrata. They seek only to separate themselves, physically, in hopes of becoming free emotionally and mentally, then give vairaagya a bad name by seeming cold, distant, hard-hearted.  Sad indeed.  Clear viveka leads to refined vairaagya and, whilst perhaps to those who live only in their emotion this can appear as aloofness and distance, it will be found that from such individuals arises pure compassion and Love without strings.

What is the key point for viveka?  यत् दृश्यम्  तद्-जदं तन्नश्वरम् /yat dRshyam tad-jadam tannashvaram - that which is perceived, that is inert (and therefore) perishable. DRsh, actually means to see, but in philosophy we are understanding that perception is beyond mere vision therefore our hearing, taste, touch are also methods of perception; if we can perceive a thing, it is an item of matter.  Matter is, of itself, inert.  This includes the body. The body and all other matter is impermanent and therefore not considered as 'Real'. That which is of matter has a start/creation point, so it follows that it also has an end/destruction point. It's a fact. The Sanskrit aphorism for this is  उद्पत्ति विनाष  सहित/udpatti vinaasha sahita.

In thinking on these things, we need also to bring a sense of true feeling of the truth in them.  That 'feeling' of the truth of the logic settles and brings us into the vairaagya required to continue our spiritual work. Knowing that things are not permanent means that there must be something which is. This is an essential part of human nature, the search for stability and permanence. The vairaagi makes the search for that elusive condition. In doing so, he or she finds that material things are desired less and less in life. They are there, but in their rightful and functional place, not interfering with the inner world which the vairaagi now inhabits. It becomes easier and easier to brush aside the small things of life and take up only meaningful activities.

How might the spiritual aspirant build further on his or her advancement?  What is it that informs the state of vairaagya, keeping it strong and progressive?

शमाधि-शत्क  संपत्ति/shamaadhi-shatka sampatti -The 'sixfold wealth'.

This section is broken into its six components, but the text and chanting for the whole section are given here in one pass, as each paada is very small. As per previous example, chanting will be given in small chunks with gaps for you to repeat the chant, followed by 'together'. Another part of the teaching tradition, is that the text learned thus far (or at least for the previous half dozen or so lessons) is also chanted to begin the current lesson. To give you a feel for this, today's sound-clip will begin with some of the recording with Swami Advayananda and Sandeepany students, before going into the part of the text we are about to study. [For the keen, you might like to think of setting up a playlist folder in your You Tube page to collect these Aatmaavrajanam clips together - it will make backtracking access easier for you. Practicing these simple chants now will make the more complicated and wonderful chants which come later less daunting for you.]

शमादिसाधनसंपत्तिः का

शमो दम उपरतिस्तितिक्षा श्रद्धा समाधानं च् इति।

 Shamaadi-saadhana-saMpattiH kaa?

shamo dama uparati-stitikshaa shraddhaa samaadhaanaM ca iti.

शामः कः  मनोनिग्रहः।

 shaamaH kaH?  manonigrahaH.

दमः कः   चक्षुरादिबाह्येन्द्रियनिग्रहः।

 damaH kaH?   cakshuraadi-baahyendriya-nigrahaH.

उपरमः कः   स्वधर्मानुष्ठानमेव।

 uparamaH kaH?   svadharma-anuShThaanam-eva.

तितिक्षा का   शीतोष्णसुख़दुःख़ादिसहिष्णुत्वम्।

 titikshaa kaa?   shiitoShNa-suKha-duHKka-adi-sahiSNutvam.

श्रद्धा कीदृशी   गुरुवेदान्तवाक्यादिषु विश्वासः श्रद्धा।

 shraddhaa kiidR^ishii?   Guru-vedaanta-vaakya-adiSu vishvaasaH shraddhaa.

समाधानं किम्   चित्तैकाग्रता।

 samaadhaanaM kim?   cittaikaagrataa.

मुमुक्षुत्वं किम्   मोक्षो मे भूयाद् इति इच्छा।

 mumukshutvaM kim?   moksho me bhuuyaad iti icChaa.

एतत् साधनचतुष्टयम्। 

ततस्तत्त्वविवेकस्याधिकारिणो भवन्ति।

 etat saadhana-catuShTayam. 

Tatas-tattva-vivekasya-adhikaariNo bhavanti.

"What is the inner wealth starting with shama? They are shama, dama, uparati, titikshaa, shraddhaa and smaadhaana.

What is shama? It is control or master over the mind.

What is dama? It is control of the external sense organs such as the eyes and so on.

What is uparamaH?** It is the strict observance of one's own dharma (duty).

What is titiksha? It is the endurance of heat and gold, pleasure and pain etc.

What is the nature of shraddhaa? Faith in the words of the guru and Vedanta (scriptures) is shraddhaa.

What is samaadhaanam? It is the single-pointedness of mind.

What is mumukshutvam? 'Let me attain liberation!'...this intense desire is mumukshatvam."

**Sanskrit has 'gender' and some terms are changed accordingly; uparati and uparamaH are interchangeable. This is most notable by the alteration to the question; kaH is (m), kaa is (f) and kim is (n).

SAADHANA
That is quite a lot of chanting practice for the uninitiated! Take time to rehearse it and adjust your ear to these unfamiliar sounds. Let this week's saadhana be about participation… Reading alone is not experience. Taking action based upon what is read becomes the experience. Next week we shall start study of each component.

A Little More Seasoning

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.

Last week we began an investigation of the samaadhi shatka-sampatti, the six elements of self-assessment and self-management.

The six, in simple list, are

• Shama
• Dama
• Uparati/uparamii
• Titiksha
• Shraddha
• Samaadhana

An introduction to the first three of these was given. Often, in the study group scenario, protests are heard.  "This is a pipe-dream!... Just try this with crying kids around… Corporate commitment will not permit…" All the justifications in the world are put forward as to why these disciplines cannot be exercised. The aachaarya will gently ask the question "then why are you sitting here?"  Invariably the answer is that respite is sought.  Then the reminder is given that respite comes first with the recognition of its need, secondly with the asking for help, thirdly by accepting that help. The gap between the second and third can sometimes be a chasm.

The attempts of practice are what count. There is no magic wand.  If given a pill by the doctor, it will only aid your healing once you swallow it. Think of any of the skills you have gained in life.  Can you recall the beginnings of learning those skills?  Craftworks, carpentry, driving, cooking, you name it.  All had to start somewhere and all demanded practice by you in order to achieve some level of competency. All have their sets of basic rules which, once learned will serve you well in any situation regardless of the materials with which you are expected to work.

The saadhana chatushtaya are the basic rules for the skill of life. Have  धृतिः /dhritiH - fortitude! No matter how often we fall, never mind; we must get up and walk again.

Which leads us nicely into the remaining three of the six.

तितिक्ष /Titiksha.

This is often spoken of individually as it is the aspect of the six which ties into dhritiH. Titiksha means forbearance.  It is stoicism.  It is the capacity to endure all the 'downers' in life without seeking revenges and harbouring bitterness.  Titiksha, well applied, frees us from anxiety and the maudlin turn of mind which can cause us to dwell and linger unnecessarily.  It's the "don't sweat the small stuff".

It does not mean that one must become a doormat; though at times (to the casual observer) it may seem such. It is acceptance when action is beyond us.  There are situations where we have no control, or where action may worsen things. As frustrating as this can be, we are forced to deal with this.  If we have an understanding of titksha, this 'dealing' becomes more bearable.  We can sigh, shrug our shoulders and move on.  Titiksha is the mental aspect of alertness to the facts of the matter; 'can I do anything about this? No. Leave it.'  This is not to suggest that solutions to any situation may not present themselves later.  Titiksha, however, helps us to not become bogged down in a sense of helplessness. 

From the philosophical point of view, titiksha is when the intellect is fully convinced of the values of life lending a cheerful and patient nature which can overcome the personal obstacles strewn before us.

Titiksha is not to be mistaken as meaning 'austerity'; which is a common flaw in thinking amongst many practitioners.  Extensive fasting, low dressing...all sorts of peculiar behaviours have been perpetrated by seekers who have partial understanding and - as the adage goes - a little knowledge is dangerous.  This is where it becomes imperative to have a leader, a role model, someone who has been along the road some way and in whom we can place our trust.

श्रद्ध /Shraddha.

The simple translation given for this word is 'faith'.  However, it is so much more.  Shraddha is the working of the intellect towards full appreciation of the depths and import underlying the teachings/scriptures and the words of the aachaarya/swami/guru. It is the trust that there is indeed something higher to work towards and that there are people available to hold our hand.  For the majority of us then, it can be the 'faith' that, because "God" might seem far out of our reach, we can rely on Lord Jesus/Sri Rama (name your prophet) to show us the way.  If their examples are too high at this stage, but we still consider the effort worth the making, then we will seek to find a manifest teacher, be it the parish priest, the Dalai Lama, the Mahatma, the Rabbi…

Shraddha, in practical terms, is the part of our intellect which can interpret the lay of colour upon a canvas, appreciate the words of a poet beyond the mere lettering. If we love art, we will make greater efforts to understand the message the artist is portraying with their imagery.  If we love poetry, we learn that each verse is greater than the collection of its words, thus we will look more closely at all contexts and attributions, semantics and etymology; the deconstruction can at times seem harsh and clinical, yet what we receive in our total experience after all this work is something beyond all words and visual impact. That is our reward.

Thus, if we apply ourselves with such devotion to the philosophy and science of life, how much more will we benefit from that faith and trust?  This is shraddha.

समाधन /Samaadhana.

The essence of meaning here is tranquillity. It is the when the mind is constantly engaged in the total contemplation of the Supreme Reality. This is not obtained by any other means than that one has worked out all the kinks of understanding, and climbed each step in the ladder of self-control whereby proper and clear perspective is achieved.

Gurudev's explanation is this;

"When we are on the ground our neighbours may be a nuisance to us because, say, of land dispute; but when we have taken off in a plane, these bickerings seem to have no meaning; from those tremendous heights our property and that of the neighbours seem to merge into one unbroken expanse of beauty.  In an aerial view of the world, there are no disquieting mental agitations, because in that vision of oneness the little differences of opinion about a boundary line pale into insignificance.

Similarly, when a seeker raises themselves into greater ambits of spiritual vision, the mind can no longer entertain any agitations at the ordinary levels of likes and dislikes.  This poise gained as a result of constant contemplation on the Supreme and the Divine is termed as samaadhana." 

Questions? Doubts?  Voice them!  There is one more of the four great qualities to address, which will be done next week, but the absolute essentials from the view of improving daily life are contained in those looked at so far. 

Sprinkle These Six

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 had our introduction to vairaagya last week. It will not be the last time we will see it! Remember these are basic steps and core values which are being laid out; they will become our measuring equipment. Gurudev has written, in his commentary regarding the forceful nature in which the saadhana chatushtaya are often given in the Vivekachoodamani,

"...These are not enumerated to frighten away the unqualified. [It] is already emphasised that a discussion of the necessary qualifications in Vedanta is more for a self-analysis and adjustment than for exercising a tyranny upon the seeker." 

Step three of the four-fold qualities is actually broken down into six sub-components, hence the name  शमाधि-शत्क -संपत्ति / shamaadhi shatka-sampatti, the six-fold wealth beginning with shama. The six, in simple list, are

• Shama
• Dama
• Uparati/uparama

• Titiksha

• Shraddha
• Samaadhana

Today we shall precis the first three of these.

शम /Shama; (often written in English as 'sama' but it is important to note the pronunciation).

The condition of mental calmness wherein the mind rests in its contemplation, free from agitations created by influence of, and desire for, sense objects. It is recognised, though, that removing the influence of the external does not necessarily relieve a fellow of sense thoughts. It is the nature of the mind to entertain thoughts and if it has nothing better to do, it will dwell on one or other matter external to the thinker. Thus we seek to divert the mind with an idea which is greater, nobler than the baser sensual thoughts currently raging. In the early stages of  ज्ञान-मार्ग / jnaana-marg (path of knowledge), the mind should be set upon an image of sublime nature...God, if you so wish, or Brahman as represented in OM. To quote Gurudev once more,

"The more we gain control over the mind and through that control withdraw it from its revellings in the field of finite objects, the more will it become equanimous, peaceful and serene. This condition of calmness in the mind; consciously brought about by a lived discipline, is meant by the word 'shama'." 

This is clearly beneficial when looking at the meditative exercises. All around there is explanation of the process and support for the seeker.

दम /Dama & उपरती /Uparati;

Though defined separately (such is the analysis the Rsis put in!), these are very closely related hence placing them together in explanation.

Dama is the stage of 'compartmentalisation' whereby the sense organs of knowledge and action have been steered away from the objects of attraction and placed in their 'seats'; back to base, as it were. They are still present but are reined in.  Self-control has been exercised. In this respect, dama is the physical expression of managing the senses and shama is the quietude of mind which results. This is when we can be said to have attained uparati (uparama is the feminine form); a state of self-withdrawal whereby the seeker is no longer affected by the pull of the external.

Again, Gurudev says it best,

"When we think of these requirements, it is possible that we think of them as very delicate, difficult and distressing feats; but in fact, the more we practice them, the more easily will we understand that, after all, this is but a verbal explanation of the state of mind of anyone who is trying to achieve or execute any great work.  Even on a material plane, we find these qualifications are essential for a person who wants unqualified success in his activities. In any successful business man too, we observe a certain amount of self-control (at least, while he is at his desk).  Of course, the comparison of these qualities with those exhibited by the materialist or the money hunter is not fair, because a seeker needs a subtlety much greater; yet to a large extent we can appreciate and understand these qualifications within ourselves when we watch for them and experience them as available in our work-a-day world." 

Straight away we can see that dama is a key component of self-analysis; for we must first recognise what distracts us from our purpose, be it in the 'now' of meditational practice, or in the longer-term, deeper seeking for inner balance. This is the part of us which rages and protests; dama properly applied will start to reveal the inner 'minefield', peel back our layers and masks. It is in the stage of dama that we have to say 'no'.

Note, however, that all the six are inter-related. Each will support the other in its process.  We must identify the stages within ourselves, but acknowledge that unification of the all the parts is the purpose.

It is also important to understand that this inner withdrawal is to ease the pain of 'bondage' within ourselves and does not mean that we cease from interaction.  Rather our priorities get reordered and interaction becomes more joyful.