January 26, 2023 Class Notes  by Siddharth Kashinath

Introduction

Conflict resolution tends to revolve around notions like compromise and mediate. Conflict resolution starts with understanding one’s own personality. If one has enemies within oneself, then they will likely have enemies around themselves too. When one wants to grow out of inner enemies, they start to engage in tapa. Tapa means to burn down one’s enemies, the ones that are inside. Another word for tapa is sadhana. In this course, we are fighting our own enemies and in doing so we are becoming more non-violent. Isn’t this what our families, communities and societies need the most? 

Practice 17’s message to burn enemies – absolute perspective discusses details about churning of the milky ocean. First, poison came out, then peace came out. From a relative perspective, we start from giving into a lifestyle of reflecting. When one starts to reflect, they first see all the ‘poison’ – one’s ego, one’s deficiencies, etc. When we keep on reflecting, that leads to peace. The practice was to walk freely. The easiest way to develop resilience is to exercise. The stronger one is, the less one has to identify with the body. When the body is sick, it is easier to identify with the body. One cannot reflect as much when one identifies with the body. 

Practice 18’s message was to reflect on the meaning of the teachings of the Upanishads and then to contemplate on those reflections. Contemplation helps one evolve from being a believer to being faithful to being trusting. How many people do we trust and how do we know we trust them? The more one believes and evolves to faith, the more one will trust others. But if one doubts oneself, then they will also doubt others. Contemplation at a relative level requires a lot of preparation. One has to have a calm body, natural breath, quiet mind, and a still intellect. Then, one can engage in the surgery of changing who one is. The most invasive part of us is the ego and it requires a lot of preparation to change who one is from the ego to the Spirit. The practice was to sit still for at least 5 minutes a day. The healthier one’s body is, the easier it is to sit. Invest in being healthy.

Discourse:

Verse 3, Practice 19: dustarkatsuviramyatam
Typically, ‘du’ tends to be negative. Dustarka means negative logic or wrong thinking. Suviramyatam means to avoid this or not give into wrong logic. 

Absolute perspective: We learn through 3 channels – The first is anubhuti which means one’s own experience. More subtle than that is yukti, which means logic. And the most subtle is sruti, meaning scripture. One who lives just by their own experience lives like an animal. The Sanskrit word for animal is ‘pashu’, and it lives by ‘pashyati’ i.e. its senses. They feel that to be real.

One who practices living by logic is a searcher. They want happiness and they logically deduct: since they are not happy, happiness has to be outside.

The one who practices sruti or the scriptures is a seeker. They understand the scripture is a map to Divinity. They do not want happiness, but need happiness. Acharya Shankara says to not give into wrong thinking. To feel that one can be happy just by experience and logic is wrong thinking. 

Relative perspective: One who is clear about the ends does not give into peer pressure. If one is clear that the purpose of their life is to be independently joyous, then one will not be pressured into living for position, possession, pleasure. 

Practice: Eat alone (particularly lunch, if possible). 

If you have to eat with others and they are talking about something that is not productive, then you have a chance to practice not reacting.

Verse 3, Practice 20: srutimatastarko nusandhiyatam

Srutimatastarka means the right thinking aligned with the scripture. Anusandhiyatam means to follow. Be dedicated to right thinking.

Absolute perspective: Rishi means a seer. Rishi can see what we cannot see, specifically, how to be happy, cheerful, and peaceful. Another word for rishi is deshika, i.e. one who knows the disha or direction. The direction to peace. The documentation of the direction to happiness is the Veda.

Relative level: More important than what is being said is who is saying it. It is the relationship that moves one. Likewise, more important than what to think is how to think. 

Similar to Chapter 3 in the Bhagavad Gita, which says that more important than the right actions is the right attitude, Acharya Shankara is emphasizing that we must learn how to think like the rishis i.e. learn how to think like the ones who are happy. 

In psychology this is called a framing effect. How to take an experience and frame it in such a way that it leads to cheer. If we can see the strengths in people and positivity in experiences, then following the logic of the scriptures becomes much more realistic and possible. 

Practice: Ask wise. Whenever one has a doubt or has an important matter to decide on, one must ask, ‘What would the wise do?’ Those who are wise tend to make better decisions. If we make poor decisions, we waste time. Therefore, it is better to ask the wise. 

 
Discussion subject (last week)

Q. How does faith change a person?

Vivekji’s observations: One who is faithful feels they are more, which enables them to do more. Those who are more faithful are more efficient, more effective and more productive.

Q. Can you be independently joyous without a guide?

Vivekji’s observations: One cannot be independently joyous without a guide. When one has a guide, they want to be divine. Divinity is facilitated by humility. The guide both overtly and covertly nurtures humility. Erasing one’s individuality, resumes their Divinity.  

Discussion subject (this week)
Q. Why do you care for whom you care for?

Vivekji’s observations: We care for whom we care for because we identify with them. Not just biologically (with parents, siblings or kids), but even as intelligent beings, we care for the people we identify with the most. The message therefore is why not identify with everyone.

Dialogue:

Q: What does it mean to be independently joyous?

A. Hopefully the majority of us say ‘yes’ when they are asked ‘are you happy?’. But then, for a follow up question ‘why are you happy?’, if one says it is because of the weather, stocks are up, etc. that is being dependently joyous. Those reasons came into one’s life and they will one day leave one’s life. One’s family, one’s body, etc. all of these are dependencies. If one says one is happy for no reason, then one is not happy, but is actually happiness itself. For example, Bhagavan Rama and Devi Sita were not beautiful, they are beauty. A reflection of that is being beautiful. Likewise, our nature is happiness and a reflection of that is being happy. This is one way to reflect on what independent joy means.

The one who is joyous is not shaken even by heavy sorrow. The reason for that is that they do not depend on what is taken away from them.

Q. How does one hold onto faith always?

A. Try to not have one’s faith be transactional. For example, thinking as follows: if God gives me this, then I’ll have faith. If someone is kind to me, then I’ll have faith. If the multiverse responds with good karma, then I’ll have faith. That is not really faith. It is just one feeling the transaction and then applying the word faith. Faith is intrinsic, not extrinsic. Faith is in one’s personality.

It is critical to be around one who is faithful. If one has weak faith and is constantly around one who is atheistic, then one’s faith will be shaken. But if one has strong faith, then it does not matter who is around that person. In fact, when the faithless are around such a person, they become more faithful. 

Pujya Swami Tejomayananada shares: for those who have faith in God, no proof is needed. For those who do not have faith in God, no proof can help. And finally, the way to go from being a believer to being faithful is to go from sravana to manana, i.e. to reflect. Reflecting is hard because it is not transactional and reveals one’s weaknesses.

RAW for the week

• Eat alone
• Ask the wise