Suffering

When we see someone suffering, shall we leave them on their own believing that this is all because of their karma or help them ?

The mind rationalizes that people suffer because of their karma, and hence there is nothing to be done. This is indifference, and an incorrect application of knowledge. The heart knows that despite any karma, people worthy of love because of who they really are - a child of God. This is love, which is true knowledge. How we respond to the suffering of others would be based on whether we are more connected to our mind or heart. 

But then, one can get too attached/identified with the suffering of others and suffer along with it. Seeing weakness, we can become weak ourselves. What is required, then is the combination of love and detachment. Love gives you the sensitivity and the empathy without which one would be indifferent to others, and detachment gives you the strength and empowerment without which you would become weak yourself, rendering you incapable of helping others to your full potential.

With Love,
Sudhir

Manifestation of the Consciousness.

It is widely believed that this vast infinite universe stems from one Reality - the one Consciousness. Then, why are there so many different life forms that experience pain and pleasure? And, why are so many life forms that are at the lower levels of consciousness (plants and trees) ? Why did that One Reality manifest in so many different forms? Why did not that One Ultimate Pure Reality remain dormant?


There are many theories on creation that exist in all religions. Most of these theories are exist only to temporarily satisfy the human intellect in its current state of ignorance (duality) Ultimately, (Advaita) Vedanta refutes all creation theories such as the big bang. One of the most famous of these commentaries is by Gaudapada, Adi Shankaracharya’s teacher, who has written the Karika on the Mandukya Upanishad. 

Indeed, the one consciousness is the substratum upon which the universe rests. However, consciousness being complete, all powerful, all pervading, is desireless, and being without desire there is no need to create anything. In a sense, it is dormant as you say. How does one explain this dynamic universe then? From the Advaita standpoint, the cause of the universe is individual ignorance, which veils the ultimate reality and projects a dualistic world instead. What is true is not seen, and what is untrue is projected - such is the nature of ignorance.

Individual consciousness started out of ignorance of Self. Like pure consciousness, ignorance is uncaused (we cannot point to a time it did not exist). Ignorance then creates desire, and desires creates action. Action then bears its fruit and further increases desire. The wheel of samsara thus continues propelled by the Ajnana (Ignorance) -> Kama (Desire) -> Kriya (Action) -> Karma Phala (Fruits of action) Each life form gives the conditioned consciousness (the Jiva) the ability to enjoy and suffer the fruits of its karma in a unique manner. A single environment/form cannot satisfy all desires. Thus, different life forms (and different worlds) exist because the desires are so varied in different types of creatures.

The above is a radical shift in the way we perceive the world. We are all used to thinking of ourselves as small objects in a vast universe. As opposed to that, the idea here is that the entire universe exists because you created it - albeit out of ignorance, much like you create an entire dream world in your sleep with nothing but the mind.

With Love,
Sudhir

The three gunas.

What are Tamas, Rajas and Sattva?

This is a vast topic. The Sankhyan philosophy has classified everything in nature, our minds included, into the three gunas - Tamas, Rajas and Sattva. The three gunas are described in great detail in the Bhagwad Gita.

Tamas is darkness/inactivity. It represents very low consciousness levels. For example, fear, which is born out of ignorance, is tamasic. Low self-empowerment levels, such as being in apathy or depression is tamasic. A tendency to be destructive is also tamasic. Avarna, or veiling power is tamasic, which is the inability to see things as they are. A person who is under the influence of intoxicants, where the mind is rendered dull, is tamasic. Tamasic desires are those born out of delusion/ignorance/indolence. Some amount of tamas is required to get good sleep, however excessive tamas makes the mind dull/lethargic/confused, and the clarity of thought and the ability to discern becomes weak. Vanity, animosity, an unforgiving mentality, lack of self-control, hostility, excessive attachment are some common manifestations of Tamas.

Rajas is passion/excitement/activity. Emotions such as anger, hatred, greed, envy, lust where there is an intense movement of energy is rajasic in nature. Attachment/possessiveness is Rajasic. Vikshepa (or projecting power) is Rajasic. Rajasic desires are those that are born out of passion/selfishness. Rajas can lead to intense activity, but the activity is usually done only for ones own advancement, sometimes without any regard for others/the environment. A consumer oriented society is highly rajasic - everybody appears very busy, but its all mostly centered around self. Rajas frequently results in an agitated mind. Some amount of rajas is needed to achieve goals and get things done, however excessive rajas leads to restlessness/workaholism. Imbalanced rajas leads to envy, aggression, excessive self-aggrandizement.

Sattva is light/purity/wisdom. It is the ability to see clearly. Sattva represents balance, harmony, objectivity. All positive qualities such as non-judgement, non-violence, forgiveness, generosity, confidence, contentment, courage, humility, inclusiveness, selflessness, compassion, acceptance, truthfulness are sattvic. The minds of sattvic people are generally alert, peaceful, restrained, creative, poised, contemplative, focused and yet detached. A sattvic person tends to see the underlying oneness with all sentient beings. Sattvic desires are those that are born out of purity, such as the desire to know/follow truth, the desire for spiritual/self-development/liberation, the desire to help others while expecting nothing in return, the desire that all beings be happy etc.

Each individual is unique mixture of sattva, rajas and tamas, the proportion of which changes as one walks the spiritual path. As compared to predominance of tamas, rajas is preferable, and as compared to predominance of rajas, sattva is preferable. The goal of the spiritual path is to decrease tamas and rajas and to increase sattva more and more. When an individual is predominantly sattvic with very little trace of rajas and tamas, he becomes capable of transcending all three gunas and ultimately freeing himself from the forces of nature, resulting in spiritual enlightenment.

With Love,
Sudhir

How to love unconditionally?

I just read your post about unconditional love. While I see myself getting there, I am confused about people who rape/ abuse children and animals, murderers and the like. How does one not judge them? How does one love them? How do I see them as "me"?


The one spirit is pervading in all. The same consciousness is present in minerals, plants, animals and all human beings. The expression of consciousness varies depending on the class of object and the quality of the mind. The mind is like the blinds in a room (the individual) that shuts off different amount of light from the same sun (consciousness/spirit). Depending on the size of the blinds, there is more or less darkness in the room.

To see unity is to see what all of us share in common, that we are all children of God, and that everything manifest is a but different expression of the same source. Darkness being the absence of light, is not a real thing. No individual is doomed to be eternally "dark". We are all capable of spiritual transformation. As they say, every saint had a past, and every sinner has a future. 

History is full of examples of "sinners" such as Anguli Mala and Ratnakara (Valmiki) becoming saints, and this type of radical transformation continues on to this day. Adyashanti speaks of some inmates that he met in prison over the last few years, many of whom have been imprisoned for life, which means they have committed a number of serious crimes like the ones you suggested. One of these inmates was kept in solitary confinement for many years, at which time he had ample time to reflect upon his life and "see" the falsity of the bitterness and anger that he had towards all. In an interview he said "I will never get out of these four walls, yet two years back I became free". The inmate had gained enlightenment within the prison walls.

With Love,
Sudhir

The story of a drunkard.

In a small city, there lived a homeless person who roamed about near the down town district for most of the day. He would beg for some food and change, and then also make some money recycling soda cans and bottles. Once he had enough money, he would go to the nearest wine shop, buy some cheap liquor and drink away until he became stone drunk. Upon getting drunk, he would move about from block to block, stopping various passers by and ask them “Sir/Madam, Can you tell me the correct time?” Most of them would oblige, report the time and then walk on. The homeless man however would move on to the next person, and then ask the same question “Sir, what is the correct time!?”

One day, a new shopkeeper who has just set up shop in that area was sitting outside and doing some accounting. The shopkeeper happened to notice the activity of the drunkard for the first time. The homeless man kept asking the time to all the passers by. After three hours of this activity, the shopkeeper grew curious and asked the drunkard “Why do you keep asking the time again and again?”

The drunkard said “Sir, I want to know the correct time. Unfortunately each person is giving me a different time - no two people gave me the same number. To find out who is speaking the truth, I keep asking the time until two people report the same time!”.

The poor drunkard did not realize that three hours had passed since he first started asking the time! In the above case, although all the people reported the correct time, the drunkard did not have the mental capacity to understand that all of them were speaking the truth, and that is was him who was taking what was said in a literal sense, without understanding the context behind their answers. 

Just like the passers by, all the great spiritual masters in the great spiritual traditions spoke about the same universal truth. Each mighty master spoke the truth in a manner that was most suited to the times in which they lived, depending on the capacities of the people around them, the social and economic climate, and also their own individual personality.

Like the drunkard, many people take everything that is said by the masters quite literally without understanding the context in which it was said. Comparing the scriptures word to word, we foolishly try to prove that what masters of our tradition said is true and what masters of other traditions said is false. Failing to see that all masters from different spiritual/religious traditions spoke the one and the same truth, are we any better off than the foolish drunkard in this story?