Of Habits

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Of Habits

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By Dr. Sarada ( from Ramana Way )

 

Life is a series of habits, from the side of the bed we are used to

getting off from when we awake, to the time when again the head

begins nodding, inviting us back to bed once more. Brushing our

teeth, combing our hair, the walk to the bus-stand or the drive to

the daily work-place. Drinking the morning cup of tea, picking up the

newspaper to read. Oh! so many actions. These we recognise as

habits, 'mere habits'. We acknowledge their strong hold on us and yet

we know they are habits. Some of these we label as 'good' and yet

others as 'bad'. They are, of course, relative terms and what seems

to be a good habit to one may be perceived by another as bad. On the

whole, though, those habits which are detrimental to personal or

public health or hygeine are by and large considered bad and vice

versa.

 

In the realm of habit, we are ready to include all that we consider

mechanical, pertaining to the body, and all that is obviously

repetitive even in the mental realm. For instance we may say 'I have

a bad habit of speaking my thoughts out loud without camouflaging

anything'. In any case, repetition is the key aspect of a habit.

Having a cigarette once makes one want to repeat the experience and

then one is soon used to a certain number a day. The hand

automatically moves to the pack, strikes the match, the breath pulls

in the smoke. The first puff, perhaps there is attention. Thereafter

one may not even notice the experience. One may well be lost in other

thoughts, other work on hand, yet one believes that one gets great

satisfication from that smoke. Habit. It is the same with tea or

coffee, beer or whisky. The same with having to listen to music at a

certain time everyday. The same with hunger pangs-the bell in the

stomach ringing at a given time by habit, whether or not there is

real hunger. It is the same even with relationships. I am used to

meeting my friend everyday at breakfast. Suddenly if my friend is

absent I feel lost, just like missing a cigarette or a cup of tea, no

different. It seems strange that relationships too are based on

habit. Yet it is true. Is this not the way we miss faces we see on

our daily rides and even buildings which seem to disappear overnight?

 

Yes, everthing is a habit, no more, no less. We cannot underestimate

its force, then we may find ourselves overwhelmed by its power, and

sure, habits can be powerful as we often experience. At the same time

to believe that they have a life all of their own is also mere

weakness, at best, ignorance. Habits we all know, are of our making.

This implies that they can be of our breaking too. And this applies

to the primal habit of thinking as well. Indeed every habit is really

based only on thinking, is it not? Is not the need to repeat an

experience only a thought? Certainly. If one does not pay attention

to any object how will it enter our thoughts? How will it come back

into the thought stream? It is only because we feed our habits with

repeated attention that they stay with us. For instance when our mind

gets pre-occupied with something which is so exciting that it holds

our entire attention, we may forget tea, tabacco, food, sleep,

everything that we are habituated to. This makes it obvious that only

our attention allows habits to exercise their sway on us. Even those

of our habits that we apparently wish to be rid of, we pamper through

attention. Perhaps, deep down we do not even think of these habits

as 'bad' and may even have secret pride about them, else why would we

hold on to them? Surely we do not wish to continue a headache which

is obviously 'bad'. If there is a stench in the air we seek to get

rid of it immediately by removing its cause. Yet we are in no hurry

to get rid of our habits, even those that we label 'bad', why?

Because habits are our escape routes. Escape from what? From

ourselves, of course. And the habit which most effectively serves

this purpose is the habit of thinking.

 

Surely thinking is a habit just as much as smoking is. We are all

dependent on our thoughts even as a smoker is on his cigarettes. One

who smokes, drinks or indulges in some other repetitive pastime

perhaps does so to escape awhile from the tensions of daily life. All

of us who are thinking from waking to waking do so to escape facing

the truth about ourselves. There can be no other explanation for our

behaviour. Else why do we hold on through thoughts to sorrow and

anguish as well?

 

If we do not wish to be sad, if we do not wish to be unhappy, nothing

can force us to remain that way. It is not that we consciously enjoy

our miseries. We are not masochists torturing ourselves. Yet, unknown

even to ourselves it is we who cling to our thoughts, all of them,

the joyous and the sorrowful. And we hold on to the latter also

because they give us a sense of separate being, sorrow heightens our

experience of individuality - 'I am sad, I am hurt, I am

misunderstood'. How it helps us wallow in ourselves as the entity we

have taken ourselves to be! Which brings us to the discovery that the

primal habit is not even thinking but the habit of identification.

All other habits are based on thoughts, on thinking. It is thinking

alone which creates, strengthens and supports habits, being itself

the strongest habit. Thinking is the basic habit because it protects

the root habit of identity by acquiring various subsidiary habits. If

identity is to flourish, if 'ego', if the sense of being an

individual must flourish, it needs distinctive characteristics. It

also needs to keep attention away from one's true nature, the

fullness of being, of bliss. This is achieved by keeping attention on

objects. The first objects that are ever available are thoughts

themselves. So identity keeps its place by creating a habit of

thinking, a habit so powerful that most of us believe we would not

exist if there were no thoughts. We believe thoughts are our life-

breath. The fact of course, is otherwise, as is proved by our daily

experience of deep sleep when we are perfectly happy though there is

no thought whatsoever. Further extending this dependence on objects

to the physical realm we develop various subsidiary habits which we

consider of different degrees of importance. Habits that pertain to

relationships, habits that pertain to social norms and certain that

are related to our physiological cravings. Yet all, as we have

repeatedly noticed, have their existence only due to the power of

thoughts and thoughts in turn are related to identity.

 

That's the way the cycle is kept up, apparently endlessly. So how

does one break away? How does one end any habit-be it the need to eat

a chocolate at a given time or to talk to a friend every other day?

And how is one to combat the root, the primal habit of identification

that obscures one's true nature of peace and bliss? First, of course,

by the very recognition that it is a habit. That the mind asks for

something again and again not because it is intrinsically worthwhile

or essential but simply because the mind is used to that particular

pattern. In fact, it is the pattern the mind misses, not so much the

object. Secondly it is on account of our paying attention to it that

the craving is sustained. If we consciously through effort shift

attention to some other object the craving for the habit is bound to

subside. Initially this process of shifting attention would require

greater effort and may have to be repeated frequently. Gradually, the

counter habit of forcing attention elsewhere would erode the original

habit. Of course, it would be best if this 'elsewhere' were to be the

very Self. If we could shift attention away from the habitual object

of attention to the source of the very one who pays attention, to the

source of the 'I' - thought, then naturally habit would be rooted out

totally. However, if the Self does not draw our attention so fully

because we have not yet learnt to taste its magic, then we can focus

on a more 'positive' object that is as closely related to the Self as

possible. This is why the habit of meditating on the beloved name and

form of the Sadguru is introduced to beat the habit of dissipated

thinking on various objects. Here, of course, it becomes meditation

on the very Self as the Sadguru is the Self embodied. Else, we may

focus on singing or dancing his glory, on reading his works, on

chanting and so on, constantly taking care that this new habit is

able to hold our attention and hence keep it away from the other

habits which we seek to drop. While habits are to be dropped by

shifting attention away from them, the initial and crucial part is to

be alert to the habit itself. In some cases, even this very alertness

will do the trick. For instance, if one wishes to be rid of the habit

of chewing one's food loudly one has to be alert while eating. Every

time one begins to go 'Chomp-Chomp' - one must simply become aware.

Automatically one will revert to silent eating. It is similar with

the onset of thoughts which is the habit we really wish to tackle.

The moment one becomes aware that a thought has arisen it will drop

off. Attention will return to the source. The question 'Who am I?'

which Bhagavan has given is in order to ensure such attention, such

vigilance which will break down the fortress of habit.

 

Yes, most important, all habits and the root habit of identification

are to be countered by recognising their invalidity. When one becomes

aware that these are mere phantoms, when one discovers and remains

with the knowledge that happiness does not spring from any object

whatsoever then all clinging is bound to drop off. Happiness is the

nature of the Self, it can never come from an object, however

exalted. It springs up only when one is consciously or unconsciously

is tune with the Self. The apparent happiness that is obtained from

objects is due to the cessation of desire at that particular point of

time and hence the resurgence of natural bliss. When one repeatedly

reminds oneself of this fact, at the intellectual level, and

complements this through repeated dips into the Self, through self-

enquiry, then gradually all dependence on objects would cease, all

habits would dissolve. The freedom of true bliss would shine forth.

 

Hari Aum !!!