question about maya and three gunas and why can we not live at Sattvic level.

[Guest guest]

Questions received:

 

(1) Could you explain the relationship between

Maya and the three gunas?

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~response~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

What Maya is cannot be classified in any sense

except perhaps to say it is neither real nor unreal.

 

How this entity emerges as the three gunas

will stay beyond classification too.

 

What it turns into ... the three gunas are considered to be the

very threads out of which the universe is created. They are then

explained in terms of 'qualities' (not with form... just qualities if you

like).

 

The idea of world made out of three gunas has yet to be properly

investigated but I am pretty sure that the emerging new science will

also turn to this theme shortly. It is already inherited by classical

physics.

You may be surprised to see the following relationship.

 

If you study Newton's 3 Laws of motion they are a classic example of

defining the three gunas...

The first law is defining 'inertia' (Tamas)

" A body will continue in its state of motion unless acted on by a force " .

 

The second law connecting the concepts of 'Force and change in

motion' (Explains Rajas)

 

The third law introducing the idea of balance.

" Action producing equal and opposite reaction " (Sattva).

 

Hope this helps (it is certainly a novel way of looking at Physics!)

 

===================question number 2=============

(2) Why can we not live at the Sattvic level ?

Why is it necessary to transcend this?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~response~~~~~~~~~~

 

According to my thinking, everything is made of the three gunas

- there can be more or less of one or other but never an isolated

guna, but that is neither here nor there.

 

In the quality of Sattva

we are more likely to dwell on 'spiritual matters' - that is still not

same as being totally free. As Vivekananda said - it is like being

tied up with golden chains - still chains. Hence the fact that we have

to rely on something outside ourselves (even Sattva) is considered

to be a limitation and hence one has to transcend this too.

 

Sri Ramakrishna gave a good example. In order to get rid of

one thorn - we can use another thorn but finally one discards

both thorns. In the same way Sattva will overcome the other

two gunas but after it has done that - we have to discard it too.

 

Hope this helped

 

dilip (jay)

Vivekananda Centre London

Questions came from a person with the following email

address: jaytalm

 

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