Monotony

[Guest guest]

Start with a cage containing five monkeys. Inside

the cage, hang a banana on<br>a string and place a

set of stairs under it. Before long, a monkey will

go<br>to the stairs and start to climb towards the

banana.<br><br>As soon as he touches the stairs, spray all of the

other monkeys with cold<br>water.<br><br>After a while,

another monkey makes an attempt with the same result all

the<br>other monkeys are sprayed with cold

water.<br><br>Pretty soon, when another monkey tries to climb the

stairs, the other<br>monkeys will try to prevent

it.<br><br>Now, put away the cold water. Remove one monkey from

the cage and replace it<br>with a new one. The new

monkey sees the banana and wants to climb

the<br>stairs.<br><br>To his surprise and horror, all of the other monkeys

attack him. After<br>another attempt and attack, he

knows that if he tries to climb the stairs,<br>he will

be assaulted.<br><br>Next, remove another of the

original five monkeys and replace it with a

new<br>one.<br><br>The newcomer goes to the stairs and is

attacked.<br><br>The previous newcomer takes part in the punishment

with enthusiasm!<br><br>Likewise, replace a third

original monkey with a new one, then a fourth,<br>then the

fifth. Every time the newest monkey takes to the stairs,

he is<br>attacked.<br><br>Most of the monkeys that

are beating him have no idea why they were

not<br>permitted to climb the stairs or why they are participating

in the beating<br>of the newest monkey. After

replacing all the original monkeys, none of

the<br>remaining monkeys have ever been sprayed with cold water.

Nevertheless, no<br>monkey ever again approaches the stairs to

try for the banana.<br><br>Why not?<br><br>Because as

far as they know that's the way it's always been done

around<br>here

[Guest guest]

Om dkSesh<br><br>Your monkey story illustrates

how each one of us is conditioned daily and has been

conditioned since birth. We are conditioned by parents and

relatives, school teachers, peers, neighbours, the

workplace, the community and the country. We are conditioned

by religion, gender, childhood psychological issues

and by the karmic tendencies that constitute our

personality.<br><br>The purpose of sadhana or spirtual practice is to

remove that conditioning so that we can experience and

live as our authentic Self. Sadhana develops vairagya

or dispassion as well as viveka or discrimination in

relation to how much of a burning desire of Liberation we

have.<br><br>As Pantanjali has said:<br><br>Yogas

chitta-vrtti-nirodhah. <br>(Yoga is restraining the activities of the

mind.)<br><br>Tada drastah svarupe 'vasthanam.<br>(At the time [when

the thought waves are stilled], the perceiver rests

in his own true nature.)<br><br>Vrtti-sarupyam

itaratra.<br>(When the mind is not concentrated, the perceiver

identifies with its modification)<br><br>Raja Yoga Sutras I.

2-4<br><br>Om namah Sivaya<br><br>Omprem

[Guest guest]

Pavlov's conditioned response is an old

experiment done with dogs, to show how easily we are

conditioned, to think, believe and act. <br><br>The process of

reprograming is long and arduous in a way. It requires first

acknowledging the conditioning and the need for change from

lower order thoughts, actions and feelings to those of

a higher frequency, and finally diligently

performing the kriyas (actions) that are needed to make the

change. <br><br>Most however aren't able to see the need

for change within themselves, and want the rest of

the world to change according to their wishes. The

only diference between the dogs or any animal and man

is that "man" has the ability to make a

choice.<br><br><br>_/\_ Tat twam asi<br><br>Uma