Having understood the different aspects of our personality from the previous chapters, let us now study the composite manner of our personality. This is part of the journey to discover your true Self.
In the chart, you will find the true Self at the top, which is omni-present. The quality and textures of the mind and intellect differ from one individual to another, depending upon one's inherent and innate tendencies or inclinations, which are called vasanas. Vasanas literally mean fragrance. It also means innate desires, tendencies and impressions, which express themselves through your body, mind and intellect in the world of objects, emotions and thoughts.You as the subject gain the experiences of the world through (objects, emotions and thoughts) through the instruments of experiencing. Through the body, you experience the world of objects; through the mind, you experience the world of emotions; and through the intellect, you experience the world of ideas.
When you identify yourself with the intellect, you become the thinker, experiencing the world of thoughts and ideas; when you identify yourself with the mind you become the feeler, experiencing the world of emotions and feelings; and when you identify yourself with the body, you becomes the perceiver, experiencing the world of objects.
Therefore, each individual acts out the various roles of a perceiver, feeler, and thinker as he seeks his happiness in the world of objects, emotions, and thoughts.
In every experience in life, man contacts the world through the media of four constituent entities in him. They are his body, mind, intellect, and the Self.
As you can see from the chart, our intellect is of two kinds—gross and subtle. The gross intellect is used to discriminate between pairs of opposites in the world; black and white, hard and soft, easy and difficult. The subtle intellect, on the other hand, discriminates between right and wrong; permanent and impermanent. In a person who has realised the Self, both gross and subtle intellects are extremely well-developed. Such people have clarity of thought and a clear sense of right and the wrong. Choices become clear and life becomes a lot simpler. Without clarity of thought, our worldview is bound to be confused and coloured by our own prejudices and preconceptions.
The gross intellect operates within the terrestrial world, while the subtle intellect transcends this barrier. When you start distinguishing between the spirit and the matter, you begin to contemplate and travel beyond the terrestrial boundaries of this world—beyond the terrestrial limitations of yourself, namely, the body, mind and intellect. That is when you reach the thoughts of reality or your true Self.
I have heard people mention that they do not believe in the concept of true Self. That is because such people have reached only up to the level of gross intellect. They fail to realise their true Self because they limit their thoughts and actions within the three material equipment—the body, mind and intellect. Most people do not use their intellect. They remain up to the level of the body and mind.
One of the key attributes of people who are Self-realised is that they rise above their likes and dislikes and the pairs of opposites that the world presents before them. They remain unperturbed by what the world has to offer; joys and sorrows, victories and losses.
Let us now try to understand this concept in a simpler way with the help of the following chart.
We are by now familiar that the Self consists of three entities, the body mind and intellect. The physical body consists of the organs of action and perception. These organs are directed by two instruments, the mind and the intellect.
The body has two roles to perform. It is the perceiver and the actor. The mind is the feeler. The intellect is the thinker and contemplator. The organs of perception and action of the physical body are directed by the mind and the intellect.
The mind is the feeler. It entertains likes and dislikes, impulses and feelings. It has the faculty to doubt. Stimuli through the five senses flow through the mind, leading to an integrated experience. It only moves in the realm of what is already known. The intellect is the thinker or contemplator within us. It is the seat of discrimination, judgment, reason and determination. It is the decision-making facility. Through reflection and contemplation, the intellect can discover what is presently unknown.
Our actions occur on the impulse of the mind or by the judgment of the intellect or by a combination of both, the mind and the intellect. Each individual has different behavioral characteristics, which are attributed to certain inherent tendencies or vasanas. All our thoughts and desires arise from these tendencies, which go to form our individuality and personality.
It can be seen from the chart that the perceiver and the actor form our physical personality. The feeler is our emotional personality. Thinker is the intellectual personality, while contemplator is the spiritual personality. It is the spiritual personality that connects you to the Self.
What do you mean by spirituality? It is the quest to understand the reality of your being. If you believe that you are spiritual just because you visit the temple every day or perform poojas regularly, you are wrong. This kind of spirituality frustrates you. You are disappointed when God does not answer your prayers.
Life is like a chariot. If the person controlling the reins is strong, the chariot will reach its destination. If the person is weak, the horses will act according to their own mind. The chariot represents your body; the horses are your mind, while the person controlling the horses is the intellect.
We have discussed the personality chart in the previous chapter. The application of the personality chart on yourself will reveal four layers of your personality.
When you draw up your personality chart you will find that one of the four layers—intellectual, emotional, active and inactive—are predominant in you. A different level of yoga has been prescribed for each of these persons to realise the true Self. The literal meaning of yoga is to unite or to join. The four yogas are briefly mentioned here. However, a complete understanding of them requires higher reading.
An intellectual person should practice gyan yoga or the path of knowledge. Gyan yoga teaches that there are four means to achieve union with the Self.
Viveka - Discrimination: The ability to differentiate between what is real/eternal and what is unreal / temporal.
Vairagya - Dispassion: After practice one should be able to detach himself from everything that is temporary.
Shad-sampat - The six Virtues: Tranquility (control of the mind), Dama (control of the senses), Uparati (renunciation of activities that are not duties), Titiksha (endurance), Shraddha (faith), Samadhana (perfect concentration).
Mumukshutva - Intense longing for liberation from temporal limitations.
An emotional person should practice bhakti yoga. Bhakti yoga is the yoga of devotion. It is often described as the simple and straightforward path. The approach is through love, devotion and surrender. Love as a force of attraction operates at different levels: the material, the human, and the spiritual. On the material level it draws together the particles of an inanimate object; on the human level it joins friend and friend, parents and children, husband and wife; and on the spiritual level it unites a man with the true Self. A beginner in bhakti yoga should first free himself from attachment to earthly objects and pleasures.
Active people should follow the path of karma yoga. Most of us fall within this category. The word karma is derived from the Sanskrit word Kri, meaning ‘to do'. Thus, in its most basic sense karma simply means action, while yoga translates to union. Thus, karma yoga literally translates to the path of union through action. It is described as a way of acting and thinking in accordance with one's duty (dharma) without consideration of personal selfish desires, likes or dislikes. In other words, karma yoga focuses on the adherence to duty (dharma) while remaining detached from the reward.
Inactive people should follow the path of hatha yoga. Hatha yoga attempts to balance the mind and body through physical postures and exercises (asanas), controlled breathing, and the calming of the mind through relaxation and meditation. It is practised to improve the body's physical health and clear the mind in preparation for reaching the next level.
The diagram below depicts the progression from the level of yoga to self-realisation.
After going through the hardship of hatha yoga, a person graduates to karma yoga. From the level of karma yoga, bhakti yoga or gyan yoga, you move towards understanding reality and withdrawing from the physical world. This leads you to a state of contemplation where your accept reality. You then pass through the process of dhyana (meditation) which enables you to attain complete control of your mind. This ultimately leads to self-realisation. This is when you enjoy eternal bliss.
No comments:
Post a Comment