Reactions to Sadhana

[Guest guest]

Namaste,

 

In many ways the answers to any question of spiritual relevance can

be extracted from the Gita itself.

 

XVIII:37 "yattadagre vishhamiva pariNaame.amR6itopamam.h..."

That [bliss] which appears like poison at the beginning, but in the

end is like nectar.

 

VI:35 "...abhyaasena tu kaunteya vairaagyeNa cha gR^ihyate. "

Through practice and renunciation, it [the mind] can be controlled.

 

XVIII:36 "..abhyaasadramate yatra duHkhaanta.n cha nigachchhati ."

Where [in happiness] one delights by practice and reaches the end of sorrow.

 

VIII:8 "abhyaasayogayuktena..."

Meditating with the mind engaged in the yoga of constant practice..

 

XII:9 "...abhyaasayogena tato maamichchhaptu.n dhana.njaya . "

By yoga of constant practice do thou seek to reach Me.

 

Chapter XVII gives the guidelines for the conquest of tamoguNa.

 

Regards,

 

s.

 

 

 

 

 

>Ram Chandran <ramvchandran

>advaitin

>advaitin

>Re: Reactions to Sadhana

>Wed, 12 Apr 2000 11:29:42 -0700 (PDT)

>

>Hari Om Anand:

>

>Your question is quite an important and difficult one.

>Fundamentally, we have to assume that good will

>succeed and the evil will be driven away. >regards,

>

>Ram Chandran

>

>--- Anand Natarajan <anandn wrote:

> >

> > In the course of sadhana, one will find many

> > reactions coming on us both from within ourselves

> > and the outside.

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[Guest guest]

In the course of sadhana, one will find many reactions coming on us both from

within ourselves and the outside. I believe this is what the episode on

"churning the ocean of milk " tells us. The devas and the asuras are the good

and bad tendencies of the mind. The ocean of mild is the Chitta. The Meru parvat

is the the spinal chord. The serpent stands for the yoga process. When the ocean

is churned, the first thing that came out was poison and not nectar. Only by the

grace of Lord Shiva was the effect of this poison annihilated.

Similarly in the course of our sadhana, many a time it is the poison

and not the nectar that comes out. Put in words of the Gunas, Sattva, Rajas and

Tamas alternate in us. How do we ensure that Tamas will never overcome us ?

Tamas disguises itself as Sattva sometimes like what happened to Arjuna in the

first chapter of the Gita. When Tamas overtakes us, we cease to remain as the

witness of the events that befall us.

Is this process of the one Guna dominating over the other during the course of

sadhana inevitable or can we ensure that we are atleast not dominated by Tamas ?

 

Comments on this topic are welcome.

 

Sincerely,

Anand

 

 

 

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[Guest guest]

Hari Om Anand:

 

Your question is quite an important and difficult one.

Fundamentally, we have to assume that good will

succeed and the evil will be driven away. This

assumption is based on faith and faith quite important

in any sadhana. Without faith, there will be neither

dedication nor discipline.

 

With convictions, if we practice to divert our

attention toward Sattva, we can ensure to get rid of

Tamas altogether.

 

Let me give an example:

 

While learning Bicycle, we always wonder how is it

possible for the two-wheel bike to stay on course in

balance. Bicycling requires practice (Sadhana) and the

thought we will fall down occurs more often in the

beginning and we fall down also more often! But if we

keep our faith on others who bike without any support,

our belief will eventually become the reality. With

dedication and discipline, we are able to overcome our

thoughts and finally able to bike without any support.

 

I remember the famous quotation from St. Augustine:

"Faith is to believe what we don't see, and the reward

for such a faith is to see what we believe!"

 

regards,

 

Ram Chandran

 

--- Anand Natarajan <anandn wrote:

>

> In the course of sadhana, one will find many

> reactions coming on us both from within ourselves

> and the outside. I believe this is what the episode

> on "churning the ocean of milk " tells us. The devas

> and the asuras are the good and bad tendencies of

> the mind. The ocean of mild is the Chitta. The Meru

> parvat is the the spinal chord. The serpent stands

> for the yoga process. When the ocean is churned, the

> first thing that came out was poison and not nectar.

> Only by the grace of Lord Shiva was the effect of

> this poison annihilated.

> Similarly in the course of our sadhana,

> many a time it is the poison and not the nectar that

> comes out. Put in words of the Gunas, Sattva, Rajas

> and Tamas alternate in us. How do we ensure that

> Tamas will never overcome us ?

> Tamas disguises itself as Sattva sometimes like what

> happened to Arjuna in the first chapter of the Gita.

> When Tamas overtakes us, we cease to remain as the

> witness of the events that befall us.

> Is this process of the one Guna dominating over the

> other during the course of sadhana inevitable or can

> we ensure that we are atleast not dominated by Tamas

> ?

>

> Comments on this topic are welcome.

>

> Sincerely,

> Anand

>

>

>

> A FREE web-based e-mail service brought to you by

> the PC World Technology Network.

> Get your FREE account today at

> http://www.myworldmail.com

>

[Guest guest]

Dear Anand,

 

Verses 14.21--22 of the Gita may be

helpful

(although I don't see how they can be

reconciled with 2.45)

 

Arjuna said:

 

O Lord, by what marks is he who has gone

beyond these three gunas distinguished?

What is his conduct?

How does he pass beyond these three

gunas?

 

The Lord said:

 

He does not dislike sattva and rajas nor

tamas

when they arise, O Son of Pandu,

Nor desire them when they cease.

 

Regards,

 

Patrick

> > When Tamas overtakes us, we cease to

> remain as the

> > witness of the events that befall

> us.

> > Is this process of the one Guna

> dominating over the

> > other during the course of sadhana

> inevitable or can

> > we ensure that we are atleast not

> dominated by Tamas

> > ?

> >

> > Comments on this topic are welcome.

> >

> > Sincerely,

> > Anand

> >

> >

> >

> > A FREE web-based e-mail service

> brought to you by

> > the PC World Technology Network.

> > Get your FREE account today at

> > http://www.myworldmail.com

> >

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[Guest guest]

Namaste,

 

Swami Yatishvarananda's Chapter on Reactions to Sadhana refers to

Shankaracharya's Aparokshanubhuti, verse 128, which [along with #127] lists

succinctly the obstacles [vighna] during sadhana.

 

In this Iron Age [Kali Yuga] all Masters have laid emphasis on Nama

Japa; though this initially may not appear palatable to the advaitic bent of

mind, its efficacy - especially if a Master has initiated one in it - has

been vouchsafed by all aspirants.

 

In Sri Ramakrishna's words, the Divine Flame in the heart cannot be

lit as long as the 'wood' is wet; the Name has the power to dry it. The

tamoguna is the degree of 'wetness' of the wood.

 

The Gita has chosen 12 areas to describe the triple qualities of

each. As a mnemonic, I find the model of a clock appealing to conceptualise

these areas:

 

1. aahaara - food

2. kartaa - doer

3. karma - deed

4. yaj~na - sacrificial offering

5. daana - charity

6. tapa - austerity

7. dhR^iti - perseverance

8. tyaaga - abandonment

9. shraddha- faith

10.buddhi - reason

11.j~naana - knowledge/wisdom

12.sukha - happiness

 

In III:38,39 Gita describes the increasing density of the rajasic-tamasic

complex [ smoke covering the fire; dust covering the mirror;

the sac covering the embryo], and how wisdom/knowlege is similarly hidden.

 

Meditation on these 36 verses will no doubt overcome any 'reactions'

hindering one's sadhana.

 

Regards,

 

s.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

>Gokulmuthu N <gomu

>advaitin

>advaitin

> Re: Reactions to Sadhana

>Thu, 13 Apr 2000 14:39:15 +0530 (IST)

>

>Hello,

>

> Reactions to Sadhana is a phenomenon faced by every sadhak.

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[Guest guest]

Hello,

 

Reactions to Sadhana is a phenomenon faced by every sadhak. While some

reactions are pleasant and encouraging, some are painful and depressing.

The great book by Swami Yatishwaranandaji named "Meditation and Spiritual

Life" (published by Sri Ramakrishna Math, Bangalore) has a full big chapter

titled "Reactions to Sadhana". The book is an excellent and comprehensive

handbook for sadhana on any spiritual path.

 

One very common problem is the feeling of void which might follow a few

days of bliss. This is a very painful period. It is a period when one feels

"neither here nor there". Old attachments have been weakened or severed, but

the mind has not gained strength to hold on to new noble ideals. It is time

when one feels very depressed. One sometimes even feels that he was better

off without all this sadhana. When he sees other happy worldly people, he

even doubts if he is going the wrong way. The christian miystics call this

the "dark nights of the soul". This can be overcome only by patience and

perseverence.

 

It is said that even if one is not inclined to do Japa that day, he

should atleast do the minimum prescribed by his Guru. On days when the mind

is enthusiatic to do Japa one can do more. If one feels sleepy while doing

Japa, it is better to take a short walk and sit again. Such practical hints

can be found in the book mentioned above and other books published by the

various publishing departments of Sri Ramakrishna Math.

 

Ultimately, it is purity, patience and perseverence that take the sadhak

to his destination.

 

With love,

Gomu.

 

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[Guest guest]

Om,

 

Thank you for all the antidotes. I especially like the one below. I had gone

through the book by Swami Yatishwaranandaji a couple of years back. I think that

if one can remain as the witness to all events , then we have done what needs to

be done. However this is not easy.

 

Utilising the way you have given below, good samskaras will be created which

will effectively control any poison. I think after some time, you will be able

to feel each thought that comes out of you just as a bubble comes out of the

bottom of the ocean to the surface. When this feeling comes, one will be able to

create the counter thought such that any harmful effects will be negated. This

is of course well before mano nasa, however it is a healthy signpost.

This is my understanding. There are many cases of devotees going astray due to

these reactions and hence it is very important that we know how to avoid or

tackle them. Hence my interest in this subject.

 

Anand

 

 

On Thu, 13 Apr 2000 08:56:57 Sunder Hattangadi wrote:

>In this Iron Age [Kali Yuga] all Masters have laid emphasis on Nama

>Japa; though this initially may not appear palatable to the advaitic bent of

>mind, its efficacy - especially if a Master has initiated one in it - has

>been vouchsafed by all aspirants.

 

 

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