Swami teaches... Role of Buddhi for receiving proper view of creation

[Guest guest]

Sai Ram

Light and Love

 

Swami teaches.... (12 - 14 March 2005)

 

Role of Buddhi for Receiving Proper View of Creation

 

The Upanishad says "All that is seen or heard is God. The inner world and the

outer world are both immersed in God. "Om Thath Sath", Upanishads scriptures

declare.

According to the Upanishads, the human body is comparable to a chariot.

However beautiful a chariot may be, however fine the horses (sense organs) and

however efficient the reins (mind), without a charioteer all of them are of no

use. In the journey of life, the Buddhi (intelligence) is most important and

is the determinant in life.

In daily life, many difficulties and problems arise. Without the

intervention of the Buddhi none of our problems can be solved. Because the

Buddhi helps to end doubts, it has been described as one beyond the sense

organs.

The Bhagavad Gita has laid down two banks to channel its message. Without

these banks the river of life will be subject to many hazards and difficulties.

The two banks consist of two eightsyllable mantras. One is "Sraddhaavaan

labhathe Jnanam" (The one of earnest faith acquires supreme wisdom). The other

eight-syllable mantra is "Samsayaatma Vinasyathi" (The one filled with doubts

perishes). When life flows between these two regulating principles, it will be

blessed with peace and happiness.

 

The Buddhi (intelligence) has some other names. One of them is Antaryami

(the Indweller).Human is guided by the voice of this Indweller. When problems

arise, one waits for the directives of the Inner Voice. If this Inner Voice is

not giving a satisfactory answers, person will be in a quandary. When one gets

satisfactory guidance from the Inner Voice, he/shewill be able to come to terms

with the external world. Sometimes, one is found to remark: "Myconscience does

not approve of this." The Inner Voice is the voice of conscience. When one is

asked to "Follow the Master," the "Master" is one's conscience. When you follow

the dictates of your conscience, you can reach the proper destination.

Another name attributed to Buddhi is Vijnana (confirmed knowledge). Vijnana

helps to decide the truth relating to external objects. As it investigates

internal processes also and comes to decisions on them, it is not entirely

correct to describe Buddhi as Vijnana. Vijnana relates to the phenomenal

objective world. Buddhi relates to the subtle realm of the internal.

 

The senses are subtler than the body. The mind is even more subtle than the

senses. The Buddhi is far more subtle than the mind. The Atma is the subtlest

of them all. Sometimes the Ego tends to envelop the Buddhi. If it is said

so, Ego (Ahamkara) must be deemed subtler than the Buddhi. The Ego is extremely

subtle and all-pervasive and enters into all one's actions. It is important to

know. This is the reason why person is unable to transcend the Ego and

comprehend the Atma.

When the Aham ("I") acquires a form, it develops into the Ego. It is the

identification with the body that promotes the sense of Ahamkara (I-am-the

doer). As long as one suffers from egoism, his intelligence will not shine.

Hence, efforts must be made at the outset to throw off the cover imposed by

the ego on theintelligence (Buddhi). The Buddhi is very close to the Atma, and

is therefore well situated toreceive the illumination from the Atma. The Buddhi

is in a position to receive 90 percent of itsenergy from the Atma. The mind

derives its power from the Buddhi. The mind in its turnactivates the senses.

The power of the senses is spread over the body. The illumination emanating

from the Atma when it passes through the Buddhi to themind, from it to the

senses and from the senses to the body, gets considerably dimmed by thetime it

reaches the body. If the Buddhi is kept totally pure and untainted, it will be

possible totransmit to the body the full power of the Atma. So, the Buddhi is

not to be regarded as an ordinary aspect of the mind. It could be described as

an image of the Atma, a reaction and an echo of the Atma.

In the Taithiriya Upanishad the Buddhi is compared to a bird. Sraddha

(earnest faith) is the head of the bird. The right wing of the bird is Rita

(the Cosmic Order). The left wing is Sathya (Truth). The main body of the bird

is Mahat Tatwa. The tail is Yoga. Likewise in human, Sathya, Rita and Yoga are

needed to maintain balance in the body and regulate the course of life both in

the mundane and spiritual spheres. The Buddhi is thus composed of these five

constituents. The Buddhi is an extraordinary power. It is only when all the

five constituents are actively present that the Buddhi (intelligence) acquires

its full form. The Buddhi can function properly only when it is governed by

Sathya, Rita and Yoga. What is the Yoga that is envisaged here? It is not

merely the physical exercises of various kinds. Yoga here means control of the

senses "Yogah Chittavrithi nirodah."It is the recognition by the Buddhi of the

true nature of the Self. The human of intelligence is one who has realised own

true Self. Through Love, seek to know your true Self with the help ofthe

Buddhi.

Buddhi is of no use if it does not have Sraddha (earnest faith) as its

motivator. Vedanta has declared: "Sradhaavaan labhathe Jnanam" (Only the human

of earnest faith can acquire the higher knowledge). Without Sraddha, nothing

can be achieved. Human doubtless has Sraddha, but only for securing the fruit,

but not for the labour required for getting it. One does not have the "spirit

of work" in him/her.

The advances in science and technology have made human a lover of comfort

and ease with no interest in hard work. There is nothing wrong with science. It

is the improper use of science,

and separation the spiritual from the physical that is leading people astray.

Spirituality runs like an undercurrent through every aspect of life social,

political, economic and moral.

Power and position, bereft of good qualities, are of no value. The foremost

needof human is virtue. It is in this spirit that human should remember God.

Human is of God, with and from God. The bubble is born in water, stays in

water and islost in water as water. The Cosmos too is a bubble born in the

Absolute, exists as the Absoluteand merges in the Absolute or Paramaathma. Nara

(the human) is the bubble; God(Naaraayana) is the sea. Recognise this truth as

the bubble cannot be conceived without positing water, the Cosmos, this world,

cannot be conceived as without God. Of course waves rise and fall, advance and

recede, but the sea has no such agitations. The movements of the waves as

humans activity do not affect the sea.

For every human two things are essential: Arogya (good health) and Aanandha

(Happiness). Health for the body and bliss for the spirit. For that one must

secure God's grace. To get God's grace, bear in mind the three P's - Purity,

Patience and Perseverance. With these three one is bound to acquire good health

and bliss through experiences and harmonic with spiritual guidelines activity.

Humans activities (karma) are of three kinds karma - action, inaction, and

unaction. Of these unaction is the most subtle of activities, for it is neither

sloth nor action motivated by desire. It is simple awareness, the deepest

experience, it is neither thaamasik nor raajasik. Action is rajasik when urged

on by selfish motives. Inaction is thamasik. But unaction is saathwik. Based

on these three types of 'activity,' the nature of humans can also be

distinguished ascharacteristic of three types - the beast-men, human-men and

God-men types.

Beast-man does not pay any attention to anything other than their own

selfish ends. They have no trace of devotion and dedication. They do not share

in helping others and have no concern with the sorrows and sufferings of

others. The human-men involve themselves in the welfare of their family and

children and thesmall circle of their kith and kin. The nature of these people

is not laudable; but there is at least the possibility of the little spark of

love becoming brilliant and expansive through contacts with society, or impact

of saints, or participation in some projects of selfless service. They can

raise themselves up into God-men. The God-men are described in the Bhagavad

Geetha as Sathatham Yoginah - "Always associated with God." They are never

apart from God. Whatever they see or do, they believe it is in God and for

God.

 

Everything is constantly changing in the world. This ever-changing world is

based upon theunchanging Divine. It is only when the Aadhaara (Divine base) is

understood can one derivebliss from the experience of what is based on it.

Anyone cannot change creation, but by changing the vision one can get the

proper view of creation. A tiny illustration. Once there was a king, who

developed an acute stomach trouble. All themedicines administered by doctors

were of no avail. He then approached a great yogi, who told him that for his

stomach ailment he had to treat the sight. He should see nothing but

greeneverywhere. The yogi left and the king ordered that all places in his

kingdom should be paintedgreen. Sometime later, the yogi returned and found

that people were engaged in splashing green paint everywhere. When asked for

the reason, they told him that they were carrying out the King's orders. The

yogi went to the king and told him that to see everything green, all that was

needed for him was to wear green glasses. It was absurd to attempt to paint

everything green. (Reet's compilation from, Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 15. "The

Universe - the Guru," Chapter 15; Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 23. "The Buddhi and

the Atma," Chapter 16; Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 24. "How to win the Lord's

grace," Chapter 28; Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 28. "Health, diet and Divinity,"

Chapter 16.

 

Namaste - Reet

[Guest guest]

Premena Parichayate Sathya

Sathyena Parichayate Dharma

Dharmena Parichayate Guru

Gurunam Parichayate Brahmam

 

Supreme Love (Prema) is the identity of Truth (Sathya). Truth is the

identity of Dharma (Rightwardness). Dharma is the identity of Guru

(Teacher). Teacher is the identity of Absolute (Brahmana)