Types of pleasure

[Guest guest]

Namaste,

 

Some days ago, I posted this message related to happiness and the

gunas, the topics of this month. Maybe it got drowned out in the

ensuing SOC storm. I think this message raises some interesting

points, so I will take the liberty of posting it again, before this

month is over, in case someone has something to say on this. The

message was as follows:

 

 

Sri Sunder just gave us an interesting quote from Buddha saying that

there are 'higher' pleasures far surpassing those of the senses, to

be found in stillness of the mind and the cessation of perception or

thought.

 

Notice that these spiritual pleasures always seem to be 'lighter'

than those of the senses, in both senses of the word light: luminous

and not heavy. The senses, in comparison, seem dark, thick, heavy,

solid ... in a word, all the qualities we normally ascribe to matter.

This suggests that the Advaitic denial of the material world is more

than mere abstract philosophy. Rather, the disappearance of solid,

heavy matter into light, luminous consciousness is simply the

reflection of the purified consciousness.

 

We can see this gradation from dark and heavy to light and luminous

*within* the five senses. The darkest and heaviest would be touch,

followed by taste, smell, hearing and vision.

 

Notice which sense we get most addicted to: touch. This is the sense

we usually crave (at least when young) when it comes to the opposite

sex, and it is the sense we enjoy when lying lazily in bed, or in the

sun, or in a hot tub. This would be the least 'spiritual' sense, in

that it produces a tamasic and slothful state of consciousness, with

little inspiration or religious feelings. Religious people are

expected to avoid this sense and not even touch each other.

 

Only slightly higher on the ladder is taste. This seems to produce

the same kind of dark, animal satisfaction as touch, but already I

can detect a slightly more luminous quality. There are an

interesting variety of tastes, not unlike colors. Taste seems, to

me, to be a kind of dark color. Religious people are also expected

not to indulge this sense too much.

 

Then comes smell. Clearly this is much lighter than touch or taste.

And it is the first sense to have some spiritual qualities, as we can

tell with incense, which both monks and I love. A whiff of beautiful

incense produces a state of mind which I am pleased to call

'spiritual' in some sense; same with flowers, etc. Religious people

are allowed to enjoy flowers and incense, but not too much.

 

Sound is clearly taking on spiritual and sattvic qualities. I don't

mean the noise of city life but the sound of good music or of a big

OM resonating throughout the cosmos, or of a beautiful Indian flute.

Lord Krishna played the flute, and this instrument can produce an

indescribable loveliness. OMs and music can produce a light,

delicate, luminous and expansive state of consciousness that is

starting to resemble what the Buddha described. However, sound is

still rather rajasic, in that it can stimulate strong and thick

emotions, as in music full of pathos.

 

The most 'spiritual' of the senses is clearly sight. Mystical

experiences are often described in terms of light. Light seems

insubstantial and barely distinguishable from consciousness itself,

or from space for that matter. It is weightless and all-pervading,

with no solid or tamasic qualities. That is why it is called

'light', showing that even the ancient English could dimly sense its

spiritual qualities.

 

So within the five senses we can see a gradation from dark and

tamasic to luminous and sattvic, which parallels in miniature the

progression from senses to the higher realms of consciousness.

 

And notice that it is the darker senses which we crave the most and

to which we are most likely to develop blind addictions. The very

word 'blind' shows how this is a dark and tamasic state of mind,

where our animal vasanas are stimulating a raw and stupid impulse

which enslaves our consciousness.

 

Now I am not saying that we should become ascetics. That is a whole

other topic. However, we should certainly try to sublimate our

darker impulses into a luminous state of consciousness, to the extent

that we can, by practicing detachment and moderation. We want a

state of consciousness that is light, spiritual and sattvic and not

dark, tamasic and animal. Perhaps to the realized person, even the

darkest senses are thus transmuted into pure consciousness!

 

Hari Om!

Benjamin

[Guest guest]

Namaste Sri Benjamin:

 

Thanks for bringing an interesting insight on the gradation

of 'pleasures' within the five senses. My understanding is that

spiritual growth can help the seeker to look for 'higher' pleasures

and avoid going after 'lower' pleasures. The yogi with full control

over his senses will be able to redirect the five senses - touch,

taste, smell, hearing and vision from 'lower' to 'higher' pleasures.

 

You have rightly pointed out that when we choose to hear 'good music'

we indicate our preference for 'higher pleasures.' The sense organs

are like any other tools and what we do those tools is upto us. For

example a thief may use the knife for robbery or murder where as a

surgeon may use it to save someone's life!

 

Here is a conversation between a student and teacher:

student: why did God provide two ears?

teacher: to help us hear good music that come from all sides

student: How do we stop to hear bad music from any side?

teacher: God has provided two hands to block hearing bad music!

 

The above conversation may be repeated for eyes also with appropriate

modification. In other words, we have been provided by the Lord with

valuable gifts of instruments and He expects us to use them wisely.

In India (and also in most of Asia) the statues of three monkeys are

displayed to convey the beautiful message: "Hear no evil, speak no

evil, see no evil"

 

warmest regards,

 

Ram Chandran

 

advaitin, Benjamin <orion777ben> wrote:

> Sri Sunder just gave us an interesting quote from Buddha saying

that

> there are 'higher' pleasures far surpassing those of the senses, to

> be found in stillness of the mind and the cessation of perception

or

>..........

>

> We can see this gradation from dark and heavy to light and luminous

> *within* the five senses. The darkest and heaviest would be touch,

> followed by taste, smell, hearing and vision.

[Guest guest]

Namaste:

 

Let me complete my thoughts with some additional observations. The

spiritual reference to 'vision' does not focus on 'seeing through

the physical eye.' A blind man can have the 'spiritual vision'

through enlightenment where as the person with sharp eyes may be

spiritually blind. In Mahabharat, this is being symbolically

portrayed by the characters - Dhruyodhana, Kandari and Dhridhrastra.

Dhruyodhana with the sharpest eye sight was spiritually blind and

his vision was full of evil. Kandari eventhough permanantly closed

her physical eyes (by covering her eye with a cloth) was able to

have the spiritual and divine vision. Dhridhrastra on the other hand

was both physically and spiritually blind. The symbolic message is

sound and clear - it is upto us to be what we want to be whether to

be a dhryodhana, kandari or dhridhrastra.

 

The entire Gita implicitly stresses the importance of every sadhaka

(seeker) to attain the spiritual (divine) vision. This can be

achieved by using one of the three mind purification Yoga - Karma

yoga, Bhakti Yoga or jnana yoga. Karma Yogi (one who practices karma

yoga) is able to visualize the 'higher pleasures' by sacrificing

the 'lower pleasures.' According to Gita, these higher pleasures

can be realized only with 'shraddha and sadhana - dedication and

with deep conviction' and takes longer time to achieve. The higher

pleasures takes longer time but when it is achieved, it is eternal,

whereas the 'lower pleasures' come instantaneously and disappear

momentarily!!

 

Warmest regards,

 

Ram Chandran

 

 

 

advaitin, "Ram Chandran" <RamChandran@a...>

wrote: