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Part 6 of an 8 Part Series
Every person, to a greater or lesser degree, is driven by the need to do better. This is what makes us competitive, inspires us to get a better education, get a better job, get a better salary and so on. Every living being is similarly driven. Creatures with low sentience are guided by instinct and know what to do without needing to be told. Sentience overlays the guidance of embedded instinct and usually interferes with it.
The five senses bombard the intellect with input – information about what is happening all around us, information about what other people are doing, information about what other people are saying about us… all of that information is collected in our minds and is used to make decisions about what to do in our lives. From a very young age, we are told what to do, sometimes even forced to do what we are told is the right thing to do. As we grow older, we observe what happens to people as the consequence of what they do. That teaches us about what we can do safely and what we should avoid doing. We watch how people progress in the world, look at the material things they acquire, the kind of lives they live and we learn to desire those things for ourselves. We make decisions about what to do based on those practical lessons that we have learned.
A person tells lies because he has seen how people successfully used lies to get ahead. A person who steals has similarly learned from example. People woo beautiful people to become mates because they have seen such accomplishment displayed as a symbol of success. People give in to lustful desires, believing that it will help them feel better. People cheat in order to gain competitive advantage. People accumulate immense wealth, expecting to achieve satisfaction. People do all kinds of things to gain power. People even kill when their efforts to do what they want are blocked.
All of the above are nothing more than misguided attempts to fulfil that inner drive to do better! And none of those actions are actually able to fulfil that inner need. Those who are unsuccessful simply become miserable. Those who are successful discover that, no matter how much they accumulate, there are still things they cannot get, and they remain unfulfilled. There is no end to greed and acquisition. But knowing no better, they keep trying everything coming their way which promises happiness. Yet happiness continues to elude them.
Many people turn to religion to find meaning in their lives. But most of them end up expecting a God to solve their problems for them. They are still filled with the same or other unfulfilled desires which they expect God to help them fulfil. They become frustrated, even angry, when God does not do as they expect or demand. Religion can only offer two paths to realise and fulfil the purpose of life – bhakthi and karma. The bhaktha should be so focused in his devotion to God that nothing else matters. Everything that he does must become an act of devotion carried out in service of God. That includes selflessly carrying out (karma) the tasks assigned to him at his workplace and in his relationships with his family and his community. He has to sincerely accept that everything happening to him is God’s purpose to which he humbly submits. When he can do that, suddenly he will discover that his life has been transformed. He becomes accepting of everything that befalls, he finds fulfilment in what he does, material possessions no longer dominate his thoughts, his life is filled with purpose. Essentially, he is priming himself to relinquish his vignjanamayakosha and bask in the bliss of his anandamayakosha.
Those who are unable to immerse in devotion to an invisible God can find purpose, with or without religion, in the path of karma – living selflessly and working to serve the needs of others. They become engaged in charity work, in looking after orphans or homeless people, in helping those affected by disaster, in offering company to the lonely people living by themselves or in an institution – there are so many opportunities. One can even become a karma yogi by working diligently at any occupation. The key point is that everything one does has to be done selflessly, in fulfilment of duty, with no desire for personal gain. It is this giving up of desires that is crucial. Giving up desires is what enables one to relinquish the vignjanamayakosha and bask in the bliss of the anandamayakosha.
If you are still reading this and are interested in learning more, then you have the potential to become a njana yogi who seeks Union with the Divine by understanding what this is all about. Understanding is not just about getting it in the mind. The understanding has to permeate deeply and influence the core decision making process. It is important to read widely, especially the inspirational books written by Yogis who have already travelled this path. Swami Vivekananda, Swami Yogananda, Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev and many more like them have much to teach us. Read what they have written and reflect upon what you have read. Spend time in deep contemplation, allowing what you have learned to percolate and recolour how you think and respond. If you can, learn and practice hatha yoga, the yoga of the physical body, which can strengthen your spiritual endeavour. Learn to meditate and allow your chitta the opportunity to influence your buddhi. Understand the need to become selfless and relinquish desires. Look at the world as your opportunity to become a better person. Conquering your ahamkara, treat everyone and everything with care and compassion. By striving to do all that, you would be preparing to relinquish the vignjanamayakosha and bask in the bliss of the anandamayakosha.
Those of you who are blessed with the ability to easily enter into a state of meditation, as you continue to practice your kriya, you could suddenly find yourself in a state of direct perception of chitta. The immense wealth of knowledge accessible to chitta then becomes available to you. This state is also referred to as raja yoga, the ultimate state of Union with Divinity. Persons who enter this state of direct perception could remain immersed in it for hours and even days. There are stories of yogis remaining in this state of deep meditation for years. As I understand it, when they emerge from such deep meditation, they are transformed and no longer see the world as we see it. They can see the entire world as simply an extension of themselves, and themselves as an integral part of the rest of the world. For them, it is a trivial task to relinquish the vignjanamayakosha and bask in the bliss of the anandamayakosha. Many have been reported to have entered a state of mahasamadhi – willingly leaving the body and moving along to the next state of existence.
Notes:
- Bhaktha – one who practices bhakthi (devotion), usually to a divine deity.
- Karma yogi – one whose purpose in life is to serve the needs of others without any taint of self-interest.
- Njana yogi – one whose spiritual goal is to search for understanding of the purpose of life.
- Hatha yoga – the art of improving physical strength and endurance through stretching and bending of the body according to prescribed guidelines.
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