October 7, 2021 – Class Notes by Siddharth Kashinath
Introduction
Most people are experts at escaping – they are escape artists. How so? Because one of our driving forces is duḥkha nivṛtti, which means to escape pain. Why are we experts at this? Because once you escape pain, it does not last long. It is temporary – you have to escape pain again and again and we do this in different ways through education, our profession, family, intoxication, etc.
Our course is training us not to be escape artists, but to embrace peace which is known as sukha prāpti. What is powerful about this is that you only need to do this once. Once one is peaceful, one is peaceful forever.
We are making this shift from escaping to embracing by following a Mokṣa Patha. This is a beautiful visualization of our past, present, and future. If you think of the squares that we have explored thus far such as bhaya – we pray that that is our past. And our present – what squares are we in right now – is it jagat? Is it satyam? And most importantly the Mokṣa Patha is showing us what our future will be.
Discourse
In our last class, we began exploring saṁsāra, which means society. The implication being that which is ever-changing. The one who feels that they are their body is a saṁsāri. Similar to society, the body is ever-changing. The one who feels that they are not their body is a sannyāsi- they are more authentic and deep. They have let go of that which is less important.
The next step was yama meaning restrictions or don’ts. This is to create space in our lifestyle so that we can be more authentic and deep. Following yama was niyama, which is commitments or do’s. The mind needs to do and that is why niyama follows yama. The particular niyama highlighted was śauca, which means to organize. To organize is an ‘outer’ verb, but through that we start to organize our inner world with positive thoughts and prioritization. Śauca finally means purity. Those who are disorganized externally cannot have purity internally.
We then moved to utsava which means festival. It also means upliftment. In our culture, a seeker has four birthdays:
God’s birthday
God’s map’s birthday
God’s ambassador’s birthday
God’s child’s birthday
Each of these is an opportunity for one to reflect on the Mokṣa Patha – where have we come from, where are we now, where are we going.
The next step on the Mokṣa Patha is:
Step 10: yātrā (journey)
Yātrā is not a journey outside, but a journey inside. Those who do not interpret this correctly come back with suitcases. Those who interpret this correctly come back with silence or peace.
When we journey, the body is supposed to go to nobility. When we are on a yātrā, if we do not search out noble people, then it is not a pilgrimage. It is a vacation. One has to search out noble people on a yātrā and they can help us move inward or become quiet.
Step 11: yoga (uniting)
Yoga means uniting. Uniting with a better you. Uniting with the Infinite. One of the main teachers of yoga is Riṣi Patañjali, who wrote the Yoga Sutra. He states the purpose of yoga right at the beginning of this scripture. He shares yogah citta vṛtti nirodha. Nirodha means to transcend. Vṛtti means thoughts. Citta means mind. So, what is yoga? It is to make the mind quiet. It is to be the light that helps us to know thoughts.
Society’s concept of yoga is āsana. This is superficial because there is no orientation towards yama and niyama, which come before āsana. Those who are superficial do not want to change their lifestyle. They feel they are bringing balance to their bodies, but all they are doing is becoming more body conscious. As noted earlier, one who feels that they are only their body is a saṁsāri.
Our course is valuable as the wrong understanding of many of these words can be corrected and we can reconcile them to their right meanings.
A practical feeling of yoga beyond āsana is to convert values to virtues. A value is theoretical. A virtue is application-oriented. So what is yoga? Everytime one practices a value – that is yoga. How many opportunities does one have every day to practice values? One has infinite opportunities – every moment of one’s day is an opportunity to convert values into virtues. (Hence, yoga is described in Meaningful Mornings as perpetual betterment).
Step 12: sevā (service)
Sevā means service. Service is a lifestyle – a lifestyle of selflessness. Serving oneself is called selfishness. However, service is not for me and eventually for everyone.
A śrami is one who volunteers. Why do they volunteer? Because it is a style – I need this to graduate from high school. It is a condition – I want this on my resume as I want others to count this. Compare this to a sevika. For a sevika, it is not a style but a lifestyle. They do not do service for the sake of others. Instead, it is their lifestyle. For example, when we think of the beneficiaries of our courses, we think of our students. When we think of the beneficiaries of the causes, we think of those who receive our resources. However, all of these courses and causes need someone to organize them – which are opportunities for all of us to be sevikas or sevakas.
I serve when I give resources, time and effort to another person – a person who helps me to grow. Now if that other person is on the path to attaining mokṣa, then they allow us to go past investing in a person to investing in a purpose. Even more evolved is a Presence. In other words, when we think of service, we tend to think of serving people. But, what happens while serving another person is that it leads to a rubbing of egos (of the two people involved). Hence, our serving has to evolve from me serving another person to me serving a purpose. A great way to understand this is through the Bhagavad Gita:
At first, Prince Arjuna wants to engage in his responsibilities for himself.
Then, Shri Krishna lifts him up by saying that he should engage in his responsibilities for the Pandavas (which is the other person, or people).
Next, Shri Krishna lifts him up more to have him engage in his responsibilities not for Arjuna or the Pandavas, but for Dharma (the purpose).
Finally, Prince Arjuna engages in his responsibilities for the Presence (which is Shri Krishna).
This is how service evolves.
Step 13: bhaja (invoke)
Bhaja does not mean to sing only. Bhaja is a journey or pilgrimage from becoming happy to being happy. So, the definition of bhaja is invoke. The milestones on this journey are (and note that every one of these helps one become happier):
- To Sing
- To Seek – whatever one is singing about, one should think about it and seek it
- To Serve – which is not just thinking, but one is also acting on it (for example, if one tells their family that they love them, but does not do anything further, then that is seeking and not serving. Serving involves acting on it)
- To Worship – This is more profound than service as there is more integration between oneself and that person or purpose or Presence being served.
- To Love – Deeper than worship. Anyone that we genuinely love, we become like them. This can be observed between siṣyas and their sadgurus.
- To Be – Deeper than love is to finally Be happiness. Whatever one is singing about, one is now that.
As seen above, bhaja means to invoke. Whatever we are singing about is in us or IS us.
In Bhaja Govindam, verse 27, Acharya Sankara shares with the seekers (us): dhyeyam śripati rupam ajasram. (Ajasram means always or everyday. Śripati rupam is the form of Bhagavan Narayana. Dhyeyam means to contemplate). One should contemplate on Bhagavan Narayana always or everyday.
The word ‘Śripati’ is used very consciously. Śri is another name for Bhagavati Lakshmi. Lakshmi is an icon for virtues. So, what one should contemplate every morning (before starting their responsibilities) is a virtue of Bhagavan Narayana. Contemplating on one virtue before starting our responsibilities helps us practice uniting, serving, invoking – all of these will become natural.
Summary:
Step 10: yātrā / journey Practice: Search out nobility in the journey that helps one turn inwards
Step 11: yoga / uniting Practice: Unite with a better you / the Infinite by converting values to virtues during every moment of every day
Step 12: sevā / service Practice: Lead a lifestyle of selflessness through service to the ultimate Presence
Step 13: bhaja / invoke Practice: Invoke or be happiness by passing the milestones on the journey from ‘becoming’ to ‘being’ happiness.
Discussion subject: What virtue are you most attracted to and why?
Vivekji’s observation: The virtue that one is most attracted to is the one they probably have the least. For example, if one is attracted to discipline, that is because one does not have that discipline.
The discussion and observation made by Vivekji is to be used to move out of darkness. For the next nine nights leading to Vijayadashami, use the virtue you are most attracted to as the light. For example, see / feel discipline more clearly.
Questions
1. How do I have balance with yama and niyama so that I can have respite? Overdoing yama or niyama seems to cause imbalance.
Answer: Sometimes an over efficiency can lead to inefficiency. For example, sometimes one could waste time trying not to waste time. So what to do? Start with one at a time – do not engage in all five yamas. Aparigraha is the beginning point of the yamas. Śauca is the beginning point of the niyamas. Organizing space in one’s outer world allows one to have a relationship with the rest of the yamas and niyamas in one’s inner world. If what one is doing is causing them to have more thoughts, or quietude of mind, then what one is doing is ritualistic. If it is causing more agitation, it is better not to do it at all.
2. Could you expand on the relationship between yamas and niyamas given the power of the mind to do?
Answer: All of our equipments are created extrovert. The mind’s default nature is to be extroverted. An extrovert does not know how to keep the body calm or the mind quiet. They need to do something always and knowing that one can do something more in the negative or something that makes one more calm and quiet.
The yamas are to stop the extroversion. The niyamas are to start the introversion. They are perfectly created.
3. Everything around us is changing – our bodies, birth, death, etc. Except our consciousness is not changing – it is changeless and pure. We know we have to change with time, but why do we still fear change?
Answer: Relative perspective – When an article (such as coffee or a phone) is needed to feel complete, then it is called an addiction. When a person (such as a parent or sibling) is needed, it is called attachment. If a circumstance is needed, it is called apathy. For example, when a child’s toy breaks and the child cries, it is because the child does not know that the toy is going to break. Whereas we (adults) know that everything is changing (society, body, etc.) and if we still need it to not change, that is called apathy. It is because we know it, but we are still not relating to it. We fear change because there is apathy. It is not that we are ignorant, but we are apathetic as we do not want to adapt to what we know.
Higher perspective: The only unchanging elements are existence, awareness and joy. What this shows is that our nature is unchanging. And we fear that which is different. I fear change because it is not my nature.
When it comes to public speaking, it is not that we fear the actual act of speaking. We fear judgment. Going deeper, we fear negative judgment. And still deeper is that we actually fear the sorrow that comes with negative judgment. And why do we fear sorrow; because that is not who we are. Our nature is Joy.
4. I feel that seva (service) is for me – can you please expand on that?
Answer: Whenever we think of serving, our narrative tends to be on the served. As in, the other person being served is the beneficiary. But actually, not only is the served benefitting, but the server is benefitting too. With volunteering, this is not the case as the volunteers do not actually benefit. Whereas with service, all parties are uplifted. One will connect with a person, a purpose, and a Presence through service.
RAW: Refrain from speaking any negative words (verbally and in writing).