Reposting ..

[Guest guest]

Ompremjis post on Club Chat (from our sister club

<a href=http://clubs./clubs/spiritualecstasyandmeditation

target=new>http://clubs./clubs/spiritualecstasyandmeditation</a>)<br>--\

------------------------------<br>Om Readers<br><br>Unfortunately, I am never

able to

participate in the chat because I teach a hatha yoga class at

that time. So, I would like to offer my two cents on

this Saturday's topic: "Should one use one's resources

to improve spiritual practice rather than to

overcome personality (prakruti?" Should one attempt to

remove "personality" (samaskaras and vasanas) which has

been accumulated over lifetimes... or should one keep

one's focus on gaining spiritual strength which would

then automatically cleanse the personality of its

negative influences?<br><br>The usual answer to an

either-or question is neither or both. In this case, it is

both. <br><br>Yes, 'improving' one's spiritual practice

will result in cleansing the personality of its

negative influences. The improvement in spiritual practice

could consist of increasing the length and regularity

of the practice and adding new practices as well as

deepening one's understanding of the practices and their

effect on the aspirant. <br><br>But, one of the best

spiritual practices is to see your life as a spiritual

practice. This entails monitoring your thoughts, emotions,

and actions and keeping your consciousness directed

toward God rather than allowing the ego and the senses

to misguide the attention toward raga-dvesha

(attraction to what entices you and avoidance of what you

think that you dislike). This type of monitoring is

what Patanjali had in mind with his Yamas and Niyamas

and is a sadhana in itself. This monitoring and

changing vrittis has the direct result of moderating those

samskaras and vasanas that led to the vrittis being

produced in the first place.<br><br>Just as one uses the

sadhana of hatha yoga, that is, discipling the breath (

pranayama) and the body ( asanas), to calm, focus and purify

the mind, so, too, one can through self-inquiry,

discipline and a burning desire to be with God, calm and

dissolve the samskaras and vasanas. Those who have had a

long experience with sadhana know that they are

different people from when they first started. More

sattvic, less tamasic or rajasic.<br><br>While the vasanas

and samskaras can be ameliorated, such attempts must

be done with an appropriate attitude if they are to

bear fruit. The appropriate attitude is one of

serenity, equinimity, surrender. Then discrimination and

detachment can develop and the samskaras and vasanas will be

moderated. If such an attitude is not used, then the vasanas

and samskaras will grow stronger. <br><br>In the

meantime, one can use awareness of those samskaras and

vasanas that was obtained through self-inquiry, as tools

to hone discrimination and detachment and so to

bring oneself closer to God.<br><br>Om namah

Sivaya<br><br>Omprem