April 14, 2022 – Class Notes by Prema Palaniappan

At the end of Ramayana, there is a valedictory address – a dialog on ‘How to remember Shri Ram when he is not seen or physically with us’.  Within this dialogue, one of the questions is ‘What is the greatest disease?’  The answer is confusion about one’s Nature i.e. Moha.  If the greatest disease is confusion of one’s Nature, the greatest medicine is clarity about one’s Nature.  We can achieve this with a guide, japa, etc.  Our course – the Moksha Patha is valuable as we are nurturing clarity about our Nature. 

Review 

Step 73:  Dama (Calmness).  We should know what our body is doing at all times.  Some of us have a habit or nervousness where we bite nails, click a pen etc.  The practice for dama is we should know all that our body is doing.  This helps us to be responsive.  When we need to move our body, we are ready to move.  This is a powerful practice when we are feeling deeply agitated.   If we keep the body still, the agitation will affect us less.  The Seeker’s Word Book has an icon of a soother.   The soother helps a child that is agitated.  However, the soother is a means and not the end.

Step 74  Śama (Quietude).  Our mind gets rattled not by the thoughts inherently.  What is triggering the thoughts are desires.  Practice Śama by raising the quality of  desires because when there is a higher quality, we do not need as much.  If we do not have that many desires, we will not have many thoughts.

 Step 75:  Uparama (Understanding) When the body is calm and the mind is quiet, it is conducive for the intellect to be still.  Uparama/understanding is the understanding that our responsibilities are the means to know our Nature and to be happy.  The Veda only teaches 2 subjects (i) dharma (focus) (ii) Brahma (Joy).  Our responsibilities are our connection to Joy.  Understanding inhibits us from escaping and propels us to embracing Joy. 

Discourse

The etymology of Sādhanā Chatushtaya is – Sādhanā is development and Chatushtaya is of ourselves i.e. for us to become priority-oriented and independent.

Step 76 –  Titikșā (endurance). 

In 2020 before every class, Vivekji would say ‘Let us invoke Toughness…’.  Titikșā means endurance and is synonymous with toughness.  This because all is changing.  If we do not endure the change, we will be imbalanced.  Endurance is a catalyst to being balanced.  Acharya Shankara shared that without titikșā we cannot inquire.  Titikșā needs to be set for inquiry to take place, else one will complain.  If we complain, annotate, and/or blame, we need to work on titikșā.  The practice is tapah, i.e. to burn down one’s comfort zone.  This can be done by intentionally choosing discomfort i.e. when we make choices and decisions that are uncomfortable for us.  While we are immersed in the uncomfortable experience, we need to make it comfortable.  That discomfort is internal.  If we do this voluntarily, when matters are uncomfortable involuntarily due to the context, we will not complain about it but remain cheerful.  The more we nurture titikșā, eventually we will transcend titikșā.  We will not need to endure at all.  For example, we do not need to endure ourselves.  We have oneness with ourselves.

Step 77 –  Śraddhā (faith).  

In 2020, Vivekji would say at the start of class, ‘ Invoke toughness and evoke hope’’.  A synonym of Śraddhā is hope – when we start to feel we are more than we feel right now.  One who is insecure, the insecurity is sourced from a feeling that they are their profession, appearance, or perhaps how much they can focus.  Śraddhā is to feel we are more than we feel right now.   We should feel more based on the insight (jnana) that every effect has a cause.  We are an effect and the cause is Divine and we should feel we are more than the body and mind.  Our lineage is Divine!  How do we implement/practice these insights?  By revolving around the One who has more faith in us than we have in us.   This is someone who is secure and has to be our Satguru.  Our Satguru has exponentially more faith in us than we do because they have realized how much more they are and feel the Oneness with us.  If we revolve around those who are faithful, we will feel the same way.  We must feel that we are more than who we are and feel that we can do more than what we are doing.  We must push and challenge ourselves.  The icon for Śraddhā is steps leading to a dark doorway (like out of The Truman Show.)  Truman uses logic his whole life to get to the steps and that door and to enter to the darkness where he knows nothing about it.  Logic has to end and faith has to continue.  For us, logic will get us only so far in life.  We need our guide and knowledge.

Step 78 –  Samādhāna (absorption). 

This is the last of the Sampathi (there are 6 inner wealths – dama, sama, uparama, titikșā, sraddhā and samādhāna)

A powerful word in In Sanskrit is Nididhyasana. The etymology is nitaram dhayyihi. Nitaram means perpetual; dhayyihi means to keep in mind or to feel about.  Nididhyasana is to perpetually feel. In English, the word for nididhyasana is contemplation.  In contemplation, one changes their identity.  Dama, sama, and uparama have united the body, mind and intellect (BMI).  It is like a triangle with the ego in the center of the triangle.  The ego tries to get out but the BMI is not letting the egoescape.  We also nurtured titikșā or fortitude, sraddhā which is faith, and samādhāna which is focus.  With fortitude, faith, and focus, the ego is being pushed and immersed into the Spirit.  That’s why samādhāna is absorption.  On a lighter level samādhāna is focus but on a heavier level it is for the ego to be absorbed into the Spirit.

Step 79 –  Mumukshutvam (yearning)

This is the last of the sadhana chatushtaya. #1 viveka, #2 vairagya, #3 sampatti, #4 mumukshutvam.  Yearning is an intensity that is not worldly.  It is yearning for freedom.  This yearning is where we feel we can not live without being free.  A most authentic, deep energy, enthusiasm, and empathy from us is directed towards freedom.  We cannot yearn for 2 entities.  We cannot yearn for moksha and popularity which means we are not yearning for either.  We may have strong desires but not yearning.  Yearning involves ananya.  We do not want or need anything else.   This is when one becomes a full time seeker.  All we do, we do to be free. There is no purpose for anything else except for freedom.  You bathe, fight, bank, sleep, etc, for freedom.  In The Seeker’s Word Book, the icon for mumukshutvam is baby turtles.  The baby turtle yearns for the ocean.

Step 80 –  Tyāga (Release)

This is release from dependency.   Examples of dependency include emotional support, family , security, social acceptance etc.   We need to release ourselves from whatever is holding us back from mumukshutvam/yearning.  A framework to do so is as follows.  A dependency we have in a subtle and general way is deservership because we are results-oriented.  This comes from doership.  We feel incomplete and feel that by doing, we will complete ourselves.  We need to feel more like an instrument; that we are a part of the multiverse.  By doing so, we will dismantle the sense of doership and deservership.

Summary

Step 76 –  Titikșā (endurance). Practice: Tapah i.e. to burn down one’s comfort zone.  This can be done by intentionally choosing discomfort

Step 77 –  Śraddhā (Faith).  Practice:  Revolve around the one who has more faith in us than we have in us.   This is someone who is secure and has to be our Satguru. 

Step 78 –  Samādhāna (absorption). Practice: Contemplation

Step 79 –  Mumukshutvam (Yearning).  Practice:  Be a full time seeker

Step 80 –  Tyāga (Release). Practice:  Feel more like an instrument and a part of the multiverse

Discussion subject

If we can follow any engagement what would it be and why?

Vivekji’s observation:  Find ways to engage in this vocation.  Tyāga or we need to relieve ourselves from what is holding us back.  Deservership is to be result-oriented and that we will find joy from the world which means we do not think we will find joy in ourselves.  Hence, we do not have yearning. 

Follow up question:  Why are we not doing it?  Examples given by seekers were not prioritizing, depending on  external security illegitimately, fear, attachment etc. Puja Swami Tejomayananda had shared that we do not know how to serve or do puja.  Everything that we do we get attached to.  Attachment is a stealth enemy and we justify it. 

Questions:

Q: In a previous class, Vivekji had mentioned 6 simple emotions that we feel and when we accept these emotions, we feel we’re the mind and this is not helpful for us.  However, psychology and mindfulness teaches us that we need to feel the emotions fully.  What is the balance between not letting it take over and not letting it bottle up?

Ans:  Anger, disgust, fear, happiness, sadness, and surprise were the emotions.  Vivekji had referenced Inside Out.  Psychology will share that we have to accept the emotions but will stay there and say we are these emotions.  Advaita Vedanta will say that we do have to accept the emotions but with insight and with a guide, we have to be more than the emotions i.e how do we know we know these emotions.   There must be an Awareness which illuminates these emotions.  Even more so, there must be an ego that is possessing these emotions.  This is the difference.  In both cases we need to accept but in 1 we are moving laterally and the other we are moving deeply.  Acceptance is critical.

Q: How do we think of vairagya (detachment/Independence) in conjunction with bhakti or surrender which feels more of an act of dependency. What is the relationship between vairagya and bhakti?

Ans: ​​We can only relieve ourselves of dependency when we are holding on to another dependency.  For example,  in rehab, a heroin addict is addicted to something less addictive.  In the same way, in our journey, we are being a śiṣya.  Our dependency has to be relieved from articles, beings, and circumstances and we must depend on our guide who will then make us independent of him/her and make us dependent on the map, which will make us independent of the map and make us depend on Divinity/Bhagavan.  The best and final dependency is Bhagavan.  Bhagavan makes us dependent on ourselves/Awareness.  As such, they are not antonyms but fuel each other like wings of a bird and flap together.    

Q: Does acceptance mean dropping resistance?

Ans: Yes. If we are resisting, we have not accepted.  That resistance implies we want it to be different.  There is a difference between acceptance and complacency. With complacency, we feel we accept who we are and cannot change.  With acceptance, we accept who we are (vices and virtues) but we can change.  One who is complacent is worldly (complains, blames, annotates).  The one who is accepting is a seeker.  There is a resistance but it is towards inside.   We need to raise the expectations of ourselves and reduce expectations on others.  That is a worldly and non-worldly way to engage in sadhana.  We will become independent of the world and dependent on our own equipment and awareness.

RAW from last week:

RAW:  write the word ‘GOD’ in a pocket size piece of paper, and keep it on your person constantly.

Observation:  It helps us to remember that the cause pervades the effect.  That all around and within us is Divinity.  We need to develop the vision to see this.

RAW:  Before every meal, specifically reflect on the journey of your food from its original source to being on your plate

Observation:  Who feeds farmers?  Ānna, prana, mana, vijñāna, and finally Bhagavan.  It reminds us to be more deep.

RAW:  Reflect on one personality who believes in you the most.  Meet them or call them on the same day to share how grateful you are for them.  If they are no longer living, write a detailed letter of your gratitude for that person.

Observation:  We will feel that what the personality has gifted to us is faith.  Gift of faith keeps on growing and it is incredible to be with someone who has more faith in us.

RAW:  Whether you believe it or not, pray for the well being of those whom you know and pray even more for those you do not know.  Do not pray for yourself.

Observation:  A practice to be a vanaprastha is to be less selfish i.e. to invest less in how we look and how we live (our context).  Praying for others is a way to be less self absorbed.

RAW for this week 

RAW:  Maintain a simple altar in the same room that you sleep in. Observe your general mood throughout the week and record your observations.

RAW: Contemplate on the following questions:  Does GOD exist?  Who or what is GOD?  Can GOD be known?

In Gita chapter 6, the theme is dhyana yoga.  In vedantic circles it is also known as Abhyasa yoga or practice.  That’s why we have the RAW so that we can practice!