The Three Energies. The Forgotten Canons of Health and Harmony. Rami Bleckt

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ When people quarrel, this is a manifestation of the energy of tamas. When a man lusts over beautiful women, this is rajas. When a person meditates, performs yoga and wishes happiness for everybody, this is sattva. It is tamas when we are half asleep or inert, or if we show signs of this destructive energy by thinking negatively about someone or wishing them harm.

      When we learn to see the gunas in everything and how to change from one to another, it allows us to control our life and our karma.

      We need to see through the eyes of knowledge to recognize the gunas everywhere and to choose the guna of sattva (goodness). The guna of goodness gives liberation from sins and bad habits and enables us to rise to the transcendental (spiritual) level. Conversely, it is possible to be engaged in spiritual practices and yet be in rajas and tamas. In this situation, even many years of spiritual practice will not bring enlightenment but only the opposite – we can destroy our own lives and the lives of those around us.

      Success in Life Depends on the Right Choice

      I can always choose; but I should know that even if I don’t, I have still made a choice.

Jean-Paul Sartre

      1. When we know the symptoms of the gunas and how they bind, we can determine which energy is controlling us. This can be compared to a map; you look at it and see where you are now and where you need to go. Without a map any journey can become difficult or lead to a tragic result.

      2. By knowing what qualities are favourable for becoming a harmonious person, we are in a better position to make the right choice.

      3. If we choose the guna of goodness, it will enable us to become happy and successful in all aspects of life.

      4. According to Ayurveda, all psychological and psychiatric problems develop when rajas and tamas become active.

      5. The ultimate achievement of the guna of goodness is a swift purification and transition to the transcendental level.

      6. At this stage we can become free from the influence of all the gunas and achieve true freedom.

      Modern western society is considered a free civilization, but from the perspective of enlightened sages, this is a society of slaves entangled by the lower energies and instincts. Everyone serves their senses, especially their tongue and sexual organs, and have a predictable reaction to everything – “if praised we are happy, and if criticised we are unhappy”. Recently I met an American man in California who seriously practiced yoga and various forms of meditation. He noted sadly, “Here in America everyone is crazy about food and sex”.

      The Functions of the Gunas

      1. Bind: They constrict and restrain all living beings, causing the forgetfulness of their true nature: eternal souls, pure Being, Consciousness and Bliss. Gunas force us to plunge into the temporary illusive life of this world.

      2. Create variety: Like the three primary colours – red, blue and yellow – that are the basis of all colours and sub-colours, the three gunas are the foundation of all varieties of manifestations, whose purpose is to attract our attention and keep us here in the material world.

      3. Permeate: Everything in this world is in the gunas: our bodies, the air we breathe, words, thoughts, objects, etc… For example, clothing can also be in the three gunas. A dirty shirt made of artificial materials is in ignorance, whereas a clean shirt made of natural materials is in goodness. Thoughts, subconscious agendas and arrangements are also in the gunas. Lazy and aggressive thinking is in ignorance. Thoughts of various desires for food, sex, work and honour are in passion. Thoughts in goodness are calm, magnanimous, and focused on self-realization and helping others to achieve happiness. These people attract others without any special effort. Only a few moments in the presence with this kind of person, who thinks about God and service to others, will bring joy, peace of mind and tranquil breathing.

      Our natural environment is also in various gunas. For example, a lake in tamas is dirty, stinky and barely worthy of being considered a lake; it is more similar to a swamp. A lake in rajas is usually in a city, surrounded by different man-made things; a place where lovers meet and modern music plays. A lake in sattva is surrounded by beautiful nature with clean water and wildlife, where one may be inspired to meditate and the air is filled with prana (living energy).

      It is considered to be very difficult to overcome the gunas because everything is saturated by them; we need clear vision and consciousness to be able to see how they act and how to become free of their influence.

      The guna of ignorance (tamas) is very dangerous because it is destructive from the beginning to the end. The destructive power of tamas can be compared to radiation; it is invisible yet capable of destroying the physical, psychological and spiritual aspects of our lives when we come in contact with it. If we went to Chernobyl for a holiday, we might think we were enjoying ourselves, drinking, eating, etc… but at the same time we would be completely destroying not only our own life but whatever we touch. Although we would be unaware of the effect it has, this kind of trip would bring suffering for ourselves and others, even our clothing would become contaminated.

      The guna of passion (rajas) is activity performed with a goal to savour result of those actions. Karma-yoga is the method for overcoming this guna: the act of renouncing the fruits of one’s labour by offering them to God.

      The guna of goodness (sattva) is any action which purifies our consciousness.

      When we clearly see our current condition we can raise to the transcendental state. Therefore, it is very important to liberate from ignorance, become well-established in passion and begin acting in goodness to achieve liberation.

      Questions and Answers

      Replacing Ignorance with Passion

      Question: What exactly does it mean to “become established in passion”?

      Answer: Tamas is inertia, laziness, sleepiness and filth. It has to go away. There is a saying: “A brahman (teacher, priest) is not sorry for the time spent on cleanliness”. First of all, we need to become active and move away from apathy, to arouse curiosity and thirst for knowledge. People in rajas are very curious and active. It means to become established in passion: to replace ignorance with passion and minimize ignorance in our life to a minimum.

      Disadvantages of Television

      Question: What guna is watching TV?

      Answer: TV is predominantly in the mode of ignorance, as it makes a person passive. To a certain degree the same can be told about computers (for the expectation when it is a part of your work). Children in particular should be protected from the virtual world of TV as it gradually saps their intelligence, and they become more dull and stupid. You will never meet a successful, active and happy person who spends more than one hour a day watching TV. One professor told me, “I got everything I have in life because I threw away my TV”. Despite this, some programs and films are in goodness and can be watched, such as those dealing with spiritual or philosophical subjects or about nature.

      Chapter 2

      Spiritual Life and the Gunas

      “People where you live,” the little prince said, СКАЧАТЬ