Week 3 (9/28/2022)

Notes by: Abhir Naik

Recap

• Happiness/Joy ≠ pleasure
• Any moments of pleasure are temporary quietude of mind 
• Happiness = permanent quietude of mind
• Joy is tied to relative state of quietude of mind

• How do I reach a state of mental quietude more often, eventually permanently?
  • Bhagavan Krishna’s answer → Mental quietude is tied to purity of mind
  • A mind which is totally absorbed → quietude of mind
    • State of flow
    • Just doing what you’re doing and can’t notice thoughts that are in our mind because we are so focused
• Happiness = ability to enter a state of flow without needing external factors 
  • Example – why don’t we play video games and get totally absorbed?
    • We develop dependency on video games, an external factor, to bring us to a state of flow. This is just pleasure. Goal is to enter a state of flow without external factors.

Class of 9/28

• If you want purity of mind, Krishna says
  • Fulfill your responsibilities, do what needs to be done without worrying about results at the end. Do karma yoga
  • Path to happiness is through unselfish action(right action)
• What is wrong action?
  • Right vs wrong is a discussion of morality, what is the purpose of morality?
    • We judge an action as right vs wrong depending on whether said action brings not only us, but those around us, closer or further away from happiness
• What is purity of mind?
  • When mind is not agitated
• Selfish Action making plan
  • Outside influences → likes and dislikes
  • Desire/Want shaped thought
  • Why would I engage in any intentional action?
  • Action
  • Reinforces likes and dislikes
• Selfish actions reinforce the strength of likes/dislikes which make our mind more agitated because we are now not able to control our thoughts. When we minimize our likes/dislikes, our mind becomes closer to purity
• Responsibilities
  • Voluntary
    • Responsibilities we take upon ourselves, hold ourselves accountable
  • Involuntary
    • Societal expectations expected of us