Sunday, August 16, 2015

SADHANA PAD -13

                            SATI  MULE  TAD  VIPAKO  JATYA  AAYU  BHOGAH

(AS  LONG  AS)  ROOT  CAUSE  OF  KARMA  (KLESHAS)  ARE  THERE  THE  FRUITS  OF

KARMA  WILL  MANIFEST  IN  JATI  (CLASS),  AAYU  (LIFE )  AND  BHOGA

                                   (ENJOYMENT  OR  SUFFERING)

This Sutra is kind of restatement of the previous sutras. As was seen in previous sutras there is a circle of of mind or the circle in the law of Karma ,. The karmas are done due to Desires and the desires originate in previous experiences or impressions of the previous actions . But experiences do not occur without actions or Karma and desires do not occur without experiences. So this is the circle with NO END. The only additional thing that is added here is the origin of this --the Klesha.Just to remind there are 5 Kleshas , the Ignorance (Avidya), Ego (Asmita), Attachment to good experiences (Raga), Desire to avoid the bad experiences(Dwesha ), and lastly the Attachment to physical body (Abhinivesh).
    Now the new part in this Sutra, is the mention of the effect of these actions . The sutra states that the Jati or the class that we are born into , the length of life and the enjoyment or suffering that occur that occur in our life .
    So let us take the 4 classes that have been mentioned in the Hindu religion are Shudra , Vaishya , Kshatriya and the Brahmin. These are not determined by the birth but are determined by the development of our souls . There are 2 things that determine the Class. One is the predominance of the GUNAS or the qualities ,namely the Satwik , Rajasic and the Tamasic . Preponderance of the Satwik , leads to Brahmin birth, and it leads to our action towards MOKSHA, The pure Tamasic quality will lead to Shudra level where one will be pursuing KAMA or enjoyment. The mixture of Tamasic and Rajasic leads to birth at the level of Vaishya where we pursue ARTH or money and the mixture of Rajasic and Satwik will lead to birth at the level of Shatriya where we pursue DHARMA or religious things .So our deeds or Karma gets us in to one of the 4 types of the environment where we can 'fulfil'our 'desires' . So as we can see that 'our own karma  determine the CLASS that we are born into .
  The length of our life is also determined by our Karma . We continue to collect SEEDS of the karmas that we have done and they will have to come to fruition. So when we are born , we come with certain seeds of the Karma that are going to come to fruition in THIS life . This determines the length of our life . This can be changed by the Karmas that we do during this life . All the Karmas will have effect or will come to fruition, but the effect Will be more or less based on how deep is the 'impression' and how intense is the desire.
   And lastly the enjoyment or the suffering that occur in our present life , is determined by the karmas that have root in Kleshas . Now there is a FREE WILL and it CAN change the course of the life or the suffering . But more about free will and it's effect some other time . 

Saturday, August 15, 2015

SADHANA PAD SUTRA -12

          KLESH-MULAH   KARMASHAYO  DRUSHT-ADRUSHTA  JANMA  VEDANIYAH

KLESHAS  ARE  THE  ROOT  CAUSE  OF  THE  KARMA , FRUITS  OF  WHICH  (OR

EFFECTS  OF  WHICH)  ARE  TO  BE  EXPERIENCED  IN  THIS  AND  FUTURE  LIFE

                                               (SEEN  AND  UNSEEN  LIVES )

      This sutra tells us may be the summery of the thought process in our Hindu philosophy . There are 5 Kleshas ,Awidya,(ignorance),Asmita(ego), Raga (attachment to good experience ),Dwesha (desire to avoid bad experience ), and Abhinivesh (attachment to physical body). There is a circle of events. With our previous lives's experiences, we have different Kleshas or attachments and so we act based on those impressions. So we act and that action leads to impressions and that leads to desire and that again leads to action. Our actions could be 'pure' or ' impure' or both partly pure and partly impure .In any case even if our action is good or pure , it will always lead to an impression . And these impression will lead to desire. The impressions are deeper if our actions are repeated . And the desires that it causes are stronger if if impressions are 'deeper'.
      So let us say I had a bad experience with a thief who stole my money . I had severe hatred . But this is not long lasting . So I will not have deeper impression and it will not lead to an intense action in my future life or lives . But say I am working in an office , and my boss is crook and bothers me daily .My hatred towards him is a daily affair and it will create deeper impression and it will lead to action in my future life or lives . The same will occur with the attachment. If saw a beautiful woman (or for ladies a handsome man ) I will have no major long lasting impression, just like when we watch a movie and see a beautiful actress or actor . We do not think of them daily .So our cause and effects are minimal . But say we think about some one with lust / desire every day , it will create deeper impression and that is bound to come to fruition in our this (seen ) or future (unseen) lives.
     So this sutra is telling us that the Kleshas cause the action  and kleshas are related to our previous actions . This is very important to know as this the only way we can break the circle of Action-Impression-Desires- Action-Impression -desire . Second point to understand is that Good or Bad -all actions arise out of Klesha and all Actions lead to impressions . 

SADHANA PAD SUTRA - 11

                                      DHYAN  HEYAH  TAD  VRUTTAYAH

                          MEDITATION  WILL  DESTROY THOSE TENDENCIES

        This one at least on surface appears to be easy to explain . we talked about the kleshas and their origin and now we are told that they could be destroyed by the Meditation . This does not refer to the 20 or 30 minutes of meditation that we do do may be 3 times a week! But it referred to the entire process of the meditation . As was mentioned in past that meditation can be done by sitting at one place and cocentrating on the object in front of us in the beginning. But in the latter stages we don't need to sit and concentrate . We could be in office or a garden or a moll, we could 'meditate.' But to have a success in these situations or for that matter to concentrate at the time of the meditation while we are sitting , one must have given up certain things or followed up the eight fold path. If we have done that then the thoughts related to mortal attractions will not be that strong and the meditation will be successful . So if we don't have attachments to particular food , music ., house , car sex alcohol etc , then the thoughts related to these objects will not disturb our mind .
      So when this Sutra tells us that the meditation will destroy the 'tendencies ' or the vruties , it is not the simple attempt for the process of the meditation, but the entire preparation of mind , our activities and the behaviour, that will DESTROY these tendencies . Please remember that these tendencies occur due to our ACTIONS in the present and the future lives . 

Saturday, August 8, 2015

SADHANA PAD SUTRA - 10

                                   TE  PRATIPRASAVA  HEYAH  SUKSHAMAH

ONCE   THEY (THE KLESHA)  ARE  RESOLVED  ( BACK TO IT'S ORIGIN,) TO CHITTA,,IN

                                  SUBTLE  FORM,  THEY  CAN  BE  DESTROYED

        In this Sutra we are told how to resolve the kleshas or afflictions.This is done by the reversal of the process. In Hindu philosophy, this is called "karya karan bhav".This is nothing but the cause and effect. So if my parents were not born , I would not be here today. So my parents are the cause and 'I' am the effect . So when one looks at the Klesha, we can find their origin .RAGA,DWESHA AND THE ABHINEWESH, the last 3 Kleshas or afflictions that have been described are the originated by AWIDYA AND ASMITA--IGNORANCE AND EGO. So we have ego , which leads us to believe that the body is SELF. This is the Ignorance . And this ignorance leads to attachment to 'having pleasurable experience' and desire to avoid things that causes displeasure.(These are the RAGA AND THE DWESHA).So if we get rid of ignorance and the ego , then we will automatically get rid of RAGA, DWESH AND THE ABHINIWESH (which is the attachment to the physical body. So if 'understand' or realise that physical body is mortal and SELF is immortal , the 'real happiness' is not related to the bodily experience, then we will not have the Kleshas
        But how do we do this ? The simple answer is 'by meditation'. So if we practice the 8 fold path of Yoga, consisting of 'Yama and Niyam', then practicing the meditation. (which is part of 'astang yoga').So when we go to the origin of the problem , then we can eliminate the problem. We have the attachment to our 'possesions',we have problem. But if we follow the path of not 'hoarding'or collecting things, we will not have to face the problem of loosing the possessions.If we understand and believe that this physical body is mortal , then we will not be attached to it's pleasure and displeasure.


Sunday, August 2, 2015

SADHANA PAD-SUTRA 9

                   SWARASAWAHI   VIDUSHOPI   TATHARUDHO   ABHINIVESHAH

ABHINIVESH-DESIRE TO LIVE (AS A PHYSICAL BODY ) EXISTS IN LEARNED AS WELL

AS WELL AS IGNORANT PERSON,AS IT FLOWES  FROM PREVIOUS LIVES.

       The attachment to our physical body is one of the strongest of all the desires.We think that the other addictions, like alcohol or smoking or drugs are the worst. But when we compair our desire to sustain this present body,to that of other attachments , the worst is  the attachment to the body . We are afraid ti die , even though we have been born and have died several times .So in each 'life' we are attached to the present body. (This is the JAYANDRATHA in the Mahabharata. So if you remember Arjuna wants to kill him . But he is hidden and Arjuna has to kill him before Sunset. Then Lord Krishna covers the SUN with his CHAKRA. When Jayandratha comes out from his hiding place , the Lord takes out the Chakra. Then the KRISHNA shows Arjuna the SUN and advises him to kill JAYANDRATHA. I think the first SUN is the SUN in the sky and the second SUN that the Lord Krishna "showes" to Arjuna is the SUN OF KNOWLEDGE or the self realisation.)
      This desire is due to our misunderstanding of our body as 'self'when in reality this is wrong . So we cling to our physical body. This attachment comes from our previous lives' experiences . So since all of us , poor or rich , learned or ignorant all have had previous lives, we all have this attachment. So this Sutra describes the one more KLESHA .


Saturday, July 25, 2015

SADHANA PAAD-SUTRA 8

                                            DUHKHANUSHAYI  DWESHAH

                                            HATRED FOLLOWS THE PAIN

     In the previous sutra the klesha which was described was called RAGA -the attachment to feeling pleasure. Now if the experience leads to pain , then we develop the Klesha called DWESHA . As long as our experience is at the level of sense organ levels , we are going to have the both ,'the desire to experience pleasure ' and ' the desire to avoid things that cause the displeasure '. So our place of the RAGA and the DWESHA will change as we 'grow'. Today we may have Raga or attachment for eating good food and DWESHA for bad food or any food that we do not like. This goes for any sense organ . But as we progress our subject of Raga and Dwesha will change .We will loose interest in food or alcohol or sex etc. Their place is taken by may be position for mediation , concentration that occurs with the meditation.So we hate when we can;t concentrate and we love when we can sit at a quiet place. But hate when we have disturbed mind and can't quit. In any case this is still RAGA ---ATTACHMENT TO FEELING PLEASURE and DWESHA --OR DESIRE TO AVOID OR HATRED IF WE EXPERIENCE IT .

Sunday, June 28, 2015

SADHANA PAD SUTRA 7

                                               SUKHANUSHAYI  RAGAH

THE  ATTACHMENT ( THAT OCCURS)  AFTER ( FEELING) PLEASURE  IS  RAGAH

We often use certain words in different context.The word Ragah is used as getting angry. But the meaning that it is used in this Sutra is much different. We were told in the last Sutra that the Seer and seen are different and the Chitta is the one which connects the two. But then then we forget that the these 3 things are different. Then when 'we' have the 'experience' of different things , they create either happiness or pleasure or displeasure. So when we feel happy about our experience , we develop attachment to it. We also develop desire to experience it  again . So this is called RAGAH.
      In the 8th verse of GEETA's 1st chapter, there is mention of different fighters from the Kauraw's army. These include Drona, Bhishma,Karna,Kripa,Ashwatthama,Vikarna,the son of Somadatta and Jayadrath.They according to Parmhamsa Yogananda,represent,Drona-Saunskara,Bhishma-Ego or Asmita, Kripa-Avidya,Karna -Ragah,Vikarna-Dwesha, Jayadratha-Abhinivesh(body bound inclination.This becomes easy to understand when one thinks about Drutarashtr as the blind -king representing Blind MIND. The thoughts are guided by the past impressions-Saunskaras, and by our attachments ,our aversions and our ego.