Guest guest Posted October 28, 2004 Report Share Posted October 28, 2004 In a message dated 10/28/2004 8:33:40 AM Mountain Daylight Time, omprem writes: > 'Laya Yoga: The Definitive Guide to the Chakras and Kundalini' by Shyam > Sundar Goswami, defines tamas as inertia, rajas as energy and sattve as > sentience. ( p 172 &120). Thanks Omprem for this reference, I just got a copy of this book from Amazon.com, and it is an impressive book. I feel priviledged to have a copy of it, and have determined to read the whole thing, even if I will not immediately understand all of it. I love the artwork in this book as well. I"m going straight to these pages you have sited, to see what Goswami has to say about this ! I would like to say that I've been thinking a lot about all of this. I would like to make a brief comment that this whole meditation of this topic brings to mind the Christian notion of Light dispelling Darkness. It's not that Darkness is Bad perse, but that when Light is Shined in Darkness, Darkness is dispelled. I suppose this could be parallel to the notion of Cosmic Consciousness as the ultimate transcendence which dispells all limitations. I suppose from that point of view, any one of the gunas could be seen as a limitation, as you say, even Sattva must be overcome. I hope Im not simply adding confusion to this topic. I do feel there is something of a profound process oft referred to as enlightenment, that takes one through stages. I would like to ad that a stage is not in and of itself Bad. Five year olds are not either better or worse than those who are much older, even 80 yrs old -- just in a different phase. Also, it is worth mentioning, that it HAS been said, that the opposite of one great truth, is another great truth. Perhaps there is some Order of the Cosmos in which the Gunas operate with perfect equality, but when they are expressed in the earthly sphere, they assume varied weights? I mean, it might be even important for one person's development to go through a period of tamas or rajas. Perhaps there would be reasons for it, karmically speaking -- something to be learned. Afterall, before a thing can be transcended, does it not have to be grasped in it's fullness? And what does it mean to transcend a thing? Does it mean these things no longer exist in us, or that we have transcended their tendency to pull us too much in one direction, that we have transcended to a place where all within us is in perfect balance with Cosmic Consciousness. Ok. I'm going to quit rambling now. Blessings and Peace, Cathie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 28, 2004 Report Share Posted October 28, 2004 In a message dated 10/28/2004 8:33:40 AM Mountain Daylight Time, omprem writes: > This Complete guide emphasizes that "Too many rajasic and tamasic foods > produce duhkah [which it also defines as `pain, suffering, trouble, and > discomfort' (p 208)] ...Balance is maintained with sattvic foods, and, in fact, yoga > itself can be seen as a process of `sattvification'. " ( p208). > Well I can attest to this, as I fell off the bandwagon of my new and improved diet recently, and commited the gross infraction of eating something so horrendous as a bag of cheetos (those deep fried corn meal cheesey flavored snakes) OH WHAT A BELLY ACHE ! > There are also examples of texts recommended by certain people directly > contradicting what those people claim about the gunas. Who you wish to believe > is up to you. However, a prolonged and subtle self-examination through > meditation will reveal the interplay of the gunas and attest to the truth. All > you have to do is vigilantly, resolutely, honestly and serenely look inside of > yourself for the answer to any question that you have. > > The answer lies within. > > Omprem Thanks for this beautiful advice. Peace, Cathie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 28, 2004 Report Share Posted October 28, 2004 There are some who refuse to acknowledge the physical, psychological and astral body effects of the gunas. They deny that even though all three gunas are present in a body, one of those gunas can predominate over time. They even deny that one guna can predominate at any time. They refuse the notion that tamas is inertia and resistance to change, that rajas is passion and action, and that sattva is lightness and closeness to the Divine. They deny that gunas can be evaluated according to how much each guna hinders or contributes to one's spiritual evolution and, therefore, they deny that tamas must be overcome by rajas and rajas must be overcome by sattva in order for one to move into a direct awareness of the Divine. They deny that even sattva, in the end, must be overcome for one to be Self-realized and grounded in Cosmic Consciousness. And yet, the very sources that they recommend to others state the truth about the gunas and contradict the mistaken assertions of these people. 'Laya Yoga: The Definitive Guide to the Chakras and Kundalini' by Shyam Sundar Goswami, defines tamas as inertia, rajas as energy and sattve as sentience. ( p 172 & 120). `A Survey of Hinduism' by Klaus Klostermaier characterizes sattva as lightness, rajas as passion, and tamas as inertia (p 400). Also on p. 400 is the statement, "In devas and saintly people sattva dominates; in ordinary people, rajas; and in animals, tamas." On p 406, we find the statement, "Viveka, discriminatory knowledge, means freedom from the influence of the gunas.: they return to their source as soon as their task is fulfilled. When the gunas ceas to be effective, activity and passion, action and suffering also cease." `The Complete Idiot's Guide to Yoga' by Joan Budilovsky and Eve Adamson has an entire Chapter 20 on the gunas and how what we ingest can effect them. The chapter focuses on what it terms `sattvic food', `rajasic food', and `tamasic food'. This chapter characterizes the gunas thusly, "Tamas is dullness, lassitude, and constancy. Rajas is activity and agitation. Sattva is clarity, tranquility and compassion. These states also represent the three states of personal evolution: first the mind is dull, then it becomes active, and then, ideally it finds true compassion." (p 209). This Complete guide emphasizes that "Too many rajasic and tamasic foods produce duhkah [which it also defines as `pain, suffering, trouble, and discomfort' (p 208)] ...Balance is maintained with sattvic foods, and, in fact, yoga itself can be seen as a process of `sattvification'. " ( p208). There are also examples of texts recommended by certain people directly contradicting what those people claim about the gunas. Who you wish to believe is up to you. However, a prolonged and subtle self-examination through meditation will reveal the interplay of the gunas and attest to the truth. All you have to do is vigilantly, resolutely, honestly and serenely look inside of yourself for the answer to any question that you have. The answer lies within. Omprem Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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