D & a

Viswamitra · Aug 1, 2015

“Desireless (Nirasai) state of mind is knowledge (Jnanam) and they are no different from each other. Not allowing the mind to reach any object is desireless state of mind. When the mind focus only on Self, it is called the vision of knowledge (Jnana Dhirshti). The mind that is tainted in attachment learning about the truth that it is nothing but Self is called Self-realization. In this world, everyone identifies everyone else by the physical presence or name and hence idol worship in various forms and names were introduced. Turning the mind to focus on Self having practiced to look outwards is not an ordinary task and to make it easy, one needs a step of worshiping a name and form. The type of food we eat feeds three gunas known as Rajasic, Tamosic and Satwic and only Satwic guna helps us to inquire into Self and hence one should always seek Satwic food. Breath is like a horse and the mind is like the person who rides on the breath and by controlling breath one could control the mind as well. Yogis by practicing breath control reach a stage where the mind is always regulated and that is known as casual Samadhi – Ramana Maharishi.

When I dived deep into this teaching from this noble soul, I figured out that it is my senses that reach out to objects of this world determining my desire to have them in our physical possession. Once I have them, I do everything to preserve and protect those objects which develops attachment. Is it possible for anyone to have the senses shut down without reaching out to the objects? Even saints will find it hard to have senses not reach out to the objects. Even when senses reach out to the objects, I have to control my mind to observe them as a witness rather than tainting it with emotions to want them. Even when I need an object, I have to possess it as though I have been gifted with such an object and I have no ownership over the object. Learned people suggest ceiling on desires as a beginning to get to a desireless state of mind. Pride of ownership should be relinquished in order to develop that habit. It is the habit of seeking, obtaining and owning an object lead to the habit of developing desires and attachments. Especially, when one seeks and unable to obtain an object, it creates an indelible encryption called desire in the mind and when one obtains the object and own, it creates attachment.

There is a perception that vision of knowledge is finding what is in others mind, knowing past, present and future and finding what is happening in faraway places. But the true vision of knowledge is getting the mind to focus on Self and nothing but Self. Self is all knowing and all pervasive and when the mind is able to identify itself with the Self, human being turns into a divine being, consciousness of mind turns into awareness and the happiness turns into bliss. The mind filed with desires and attachments relinquishing them and identifying itself with the divine consciousness is called Self-realization.

In this world, everyone identifies everyone else by their name or form. Even one needs a form to perform actions of truth, righteousness, love, peace and non-violence. Getting one’s mind to turn inwards to seek Self from desires and attachment is hard and hence external names and forms are introduced for the mind to worship them and seek Self. Even to worship a name or form, one needs Satwic qualities and that is why Satwic food is required for someone to obtain satwic qualities. Seeking the highest form of existence with the lowest form in the food chain is considered noble.

Lastly, every life exist by converting food into energy and this process requires oxygen (Prana Vayu). The body and mind are riding on the horse of breath and by controlling the breath, one can eventually control the body and mind. There are five types of breath and by controlling them, one can control the mind away from desires and attachments and divert its attention to inner Self. If starting the breath begins a life, finishing the breath ends a life, it must be possible to regulate life by controlling the breath. Lastly, the unreal world in the presence of my senses is the one perceived by the mind and the reality exists inside of me.

jayasala42 · Aug 1, 2015

Dear Viswa,
What a valuable article on D & A!For normal people in service these two letters denote only Dearness Allowance connected to the price index.

Desire and Attachment-one closely following the other.Different types of desires are included in the principal enemy list of human beings.

Though it is pretty well known fact that most of our sufferings emanate from desires, it is questionable whether it is possible to annihilate desires and consequent attachment, given the reality of the prevailng life situation.
Take Shri Abdul Kalaam. He encouraged dreaming of big things, essentially a desire.

Needless to say, a life controlled by desires is miserable. In many scriptures, it is stated that such a way of life is symbolized by "hungry demons" with giant heads and huge mouths, but narrow, constricted throats that make real satisfaction unattainable. In Tamil they say" thaazhi vayirum oosi thondaiyum".

Attachments are, after all, natural human feelings, and desires are a vital and necessary aspect of life. The desire, for example, to protect oneself and one's loved ones has been the inspiration for a wide range of advances--from the creation of supportive social groupings to the development of housing and heating. Likewise, the desire to understand humanity's place in the cosmos has driven the development of philosophy, literature and religious thought. Desires are integral to who we are and who we seek to become.The hardships associated with the desire are in fact rooted in a firm confidence and indicative of human rights and freedom.
In this sense, the elimination of all desire is neither possible nor, in fact, desirable. Were we to completely rid ourselves of desire, we would end up undermining our individual and collective will to live.

In the same vein, it is said that : "Even without extinguishing their earthly desires or denying the five desires, they can purify all of their senses and eradicate all of their misdeeds."
For people living in the midst of ever-changing, stressful realities, those challenges are a far more effective spur than the committed goal of "enlightenment" through severing of all desires and attachments.

Overcoming problems, realizing long-cherished goals and dreams--this is the stuff of daily life from which we derive our sense of accomplishment and happiness. There is an absolute need to emphasize the importance not of severing our attachments, but of understanding and, ultimately, using them.

Undertaking a challenging job got out of passion and desire, the conquest of illness, the successful marriage and so on are not separate from a deep, often painstaking process of self-reflection and inner-driven transformation. And the degree of motivation generated by desires can lend an intensity to our practice which ultimately reaps spiritual rewards.In fact persons motivated by desires, efforts and failures make far better persons than those without any attachment or desires.

Practical experience confirms the view that even the most mundane, deluded impulse can be transformed into something broader and more noble, and our desires quite naturally develop from self-focused ones to broader ones concerning our families, friends, communities and, ultimately, the whole world.

In this way, the nature of desire is steadily transformed--from material and physical desires to the more spiritually oriented desire to live the most fulfilling kind of life.

One can be a great success and be of immense benefit to the society with the right ambition leading to right attachment and right focus without having any knowledge about terminologies sattwik,rajas and tamo gunas, gnana dhrishti ,gnanendriyas, karmendriyas and so called'looking inward' etc etc.or without learning any scriptures or philosophic texts.

D& A in fact is the source of all impelling energy inherent in life; it is also the longing to unite one's life with the life of the universe and to draw vital energy from the universe.

If I am not mistaken, Viswa sir,
I firmly believe that desires and attachments are inseparable from human life and are a must to the growth and development of a wholesome personality.
God has not promised skies always blue and flower strewn pathways all through our life.God has not promised sun without rain,joy without sorrow.To keep a balance we need burning ambitions and desires .Loss of ambitions may paralyse us and lead us into a state of inertia.Self defeatist tendencies may lift their ugly heads.Ambition, desire and attachment are latent fires in every human being.Let them not destroy but light up the whole community.

Jayasala 42

PushpavalliSrinivasan · Aug 1, 2015

Dear Viswa,
An insightful thought provoking write up.

We can't outright condemn desire as bad where as attachment could be considered bad. Desire is the motivating force that runs the world. Every act of a person, good or bad is the outcome of desire. Desire is the motivating power even for self esteem. Even to follow spiritualism one should have the desire. Even to turn our mind inward desire is required.

Desire for material things could never be satisfied. Here desire leads to attachment and possessiveness to material things as well as people who are our near and dear ones.

There are of course very different kinds of desires. On the one hand there is the worldly desire for material goods, name and fame, and on the other hand there is the desire to become a better person, to be more self giving and thoughtful.

Desire is not totally undesirable, but required to become a good person and to do good deeds.

Even Siddhartha left his palace with the desire to find the cause and solution to the miseries of Mankind.
PS

iyerviji · Aug 1, 2015

Viswa dear a thought provoking post as always. We in IL are lucky to have you and learn everyday so many good values of life through you. I cant write like you but cant be without giving fb too. So I always take the help of Google atleast I can post the quotes from there

[h=1]The person whose mind is always free from attachment, who has subdued the mind and senses, and who is free from desires, attains the supreme perfection of freedom from Karma through renunciation[/h]
Bhagvad Gita

It is very difficult to be without desires which leads to attachement. Only very few people can be without desires and so they are happy in life. They dont expect anything and are happy withwhatever they have

The fundamental cause of people’s unhappiness lies in their tendency to develop attachments of various kinds. Attachments are fetters on one’s heart—earthly desires, cravings and so on. In the pre-Lotus Sutra teachings, Shakyamuni taught people the path for freeing themselves from such attachments. The spirit of the Lotus Sutra, however, is not to eradicate earthly desires. When we base ourselves on the Buddhist Law, we can transform earthly desires—just as they are—into enlightenment. This is the principle of “earthly desires are enlightenment.” It’s not a matter of eradicating attachments but of seeing them clearly. Rather than causing us to abandon our earthly desires and attachments, our Buddhist practice enables us to discern their true nature and utilize them as the driving force to become happy. The truth is that we could not in fact eradicate our attachments even if we so wished.

People’s desires are limitless. There is the basic desire to live. There is also the instinctual desire for food, the materialistic desire for possessions, and the psychological desire to be noticed. We could not live without desires. Often, desires generate the energy that enables us to move forward and improve ourselves. The key question, therefore, is how we use desires

Dont know whether I am right in posting these quotes

Viswamitra · Aug 1, 2015

Dear Smt. Jayasala & Smt. Srinivasan:

Thank you for your response. I have asked this question thousand times myself whether it is possible for human beings to live without desires. I have not obtained an answer as yet. But most of what I write here are the teachings that I am trying to drill into my head.

I bow in respect before both of you and my knowledge is handful when compared to the ocean of knowledge you both have. I have with keen interest read everyone of your (Smt.Srinivasan) posts about Bhagavad Gita. In fact, your posts triggered me to delve into this holy scripture.

In Chapter 5, Bhagavan Krishna tells Arjuna that one who performs actions without desire is a Yogi. He also adds one who controls his mind and senses becomes a person who is loved by all and he loves everyone as well. Even if he is involved in actions, he is not attached to such action. The one who performs righteous actions without attachment dedicating such actions to the Lord, he will not be tainted by sins.

How can one dedicate actions to the Lord if one performs them with a desire? If desire is inevitable why Lord Krishna spoke to remove all desires? Why Ramana Maharishi is saying Nirasai is Knowledge? Are we not dwelling in dualism as long as we have a desire to be a noble person? If our objective is to be one with the Universal Absolute, at what point we drop our dualism to be together with the Universal Absolute? If true form of a human being is Atma, how can it be free with desires if desires are the reason for the cycle of birth and death?

I thought Siddhartha wanted to find out how to remove miseries of humanity and enlightened Himself that removing desires and attachment is the only solution to remove miseries of humanity.

I look forward to your response.

Viswa

Viswamitra · Aug 1, 2015

Dear Vijiakka,

Thank you for your response and the quote from Bhagavad Gita. I feel that the struggle we all go through is because we are not able to eliminate desires and attachments. Buddha has suggested some very interesting ways for human being to be liberated from the cycle of birth and death. He taught only the knowledge can take someone to salvation and not the rituals whereas the scriptures in the Hinduism taught us that repetition of names and worshiping the forms will also lead us to the formless. In fact, Adi Sankara's mission was to propagate the Hindu scriptures throughout India telling everyone that Bhakthi, Karma and Jnana margas are all leading to non-dualism.

Viswa

iyerviji · Aug 1, 2015

Viswa dear this was posted in fb by my friend, so thought of sharing it

How can one live in the world yet not be attached to it? Bhagawan explains by giving us this valuable lesson today.A young college student can roam free on his two legs; when he marries, he becomes four-footed! A child makes him six-footed; now the range of his movements is restricted. The more the feet, the less the speed, the stronger their grip on the ground; a centipede can only crawl. More hurdles, more handicaps. Accumulation of sofas, chairs, cots, tables and shelves clutter the hall and render movements slow and risky. Attachment brings sorrow in its wake; at last, when death demands that everything be left behind and everybody be deserted, you are overpowered with grief! Be like the lotus on water; on it, not in it. Water is necessary for the lotus to grow; but it will not allow even a drop to wet it. The objective world is the arena of virtue and the gymnasium for the spirit. But use it only for that purpose; do not raise it to a higher status and adore it as all-important.
-Sri Sathya Sai Baba ‪#‎SBOI‬
- Divine Discourse, May 15, 1969.

jayasala42 · Aug 2, 2015

Dear viswa,
True Gita asks us to surrender fruits of action and concentrate on karma alone.
is it possible to get a train ticket or air ticket without mentioning the place of destination?Is it possible to enter into any activity without any lakshya or ambition,?if you name it desire,it is quite ok.

Buddha teaches that suffering is Nirvana. Without suffering there could be no cause for the desire to end suffering. Without the desire to end suffering there can be no understanding of the causes of suffering. Without an understanding of the causes of suffering there can be no realisation of or enlightenment to share the path that ends suffering. Therefore, it can be plainly seen that the Buddha’s words are intrinsically true.

Sathya Sai Organisations have a motto" Love all, serve all'.Community service is being given lot of importance.Even for doing community service we need some source of funds,some vehicle to reach the place and innate desire to serve.The term 'love all' itself is a source of attachment, whether love leads to attachment or vice versa.
There is a burning desire to end the sufferings of others.In that process ,our earthly desires also come in the way.This desire definitely leads to enlightenment.
We travel by car to reach the venue of service.We have to maintain the car, give it for service regularly and keep it fit .You need to have some attachment to the object which you have to maintain,whether it is used for individual benefit or public benefit.
Perhaps our long desire to own a car is being fulfilled.If the car is driven too fast or if traffic regulations are transgressed ,the same car may bring death or major havoc.But we can't conclude here that desire to possess a car results in suffering.It is the misuse that causes suffering.
If our desires are good, though some amount of selfishness also is involved,the attachment caused therefrom also is deemed good,as long as it mitigates the suffering of someone.

Ultimately ,to quote Buddhist texts," true absorption of the sufferings of birth and death only exists through an understanding that the [true] entity of life throughout its cycle of birth and death is neither born nor destroyed. All phenomena (including us) are essentially empty of independent existence, and are merely the temporary manifestations of various causes and conditions."

It is this understanding of emptiness – of interconnectedness – that gives rise to compassion for other beings. When we harm another, we harm ourselves.When we love others we love ourselves.

Only when we investigate and begin to understand these concepts can we begin to practice a more mindful existence.

And when we can begin to practice mindfulness, then we can begin to create desires based on bodhicitta (a desire to benefit others) – desires that do not create suffering (or very little!), but instead happiness. In effect, enlightenment actually leads to us creating better earthly desires!
Desires themselves are portrayed as part of enlightenment in some Buddhist texts.
Even as per Gita, man cannot live without any action or karma.,which is essentially based on some focus or ambition which its path brings attachment,which in turn brings in desires.
We can only ensure that such desires are reasonable.
What we term as 'commitment and involvement and focus'in managerial terms are nothing but desires,ambitions and attachment'-whether it relates to studies, business or social service.
Practicality also is a conviction and does not amout to diluting the essentials.

Jayasala 42

Viswamitra · Aug 2, 2015

Dear Smt. Jayasala:

Yes. It is not possible to get a ticket without mentioning the destination. But do I, as a mortal being, control how, when and whether i would reach the destination? The results of my actions are dependent on so many factors not controlled by me. For example, in case of a plane ride, pilot's availability, his/her soberness, condition of the plane, air traffic control, weather and many other factors determine if and when I would reach the destination. Moreover, the main question I ask myself always "Am I the doer?" If results of every action is dependent upon the ability of my intellect alone, then, apparently without any ambition an action can't be carried out? In my view, Bhagavad Gita suggests that every action that I do should be done to the best of my ability i.e. skillfully, without a trace of selfishness (selflessly) and with a commitment to that action (lovingly) but with a mindset of surrendering the fruits of such action to the Lord. As long as one believes the ambition will product results, the body, mind and intellect ("BMI") consciousness will continue and dualism will continue.
On the contrary, if every action is performed skillfully, selflessly and lovingly with an attitude of surrender, one becomes Karma Yogi and those actions themselves become 24/7 meditation.

If the sufferings are the cause of our past actions, enduring the sufferings besides performing good actions that is devoted to the Lord with no expectation of the fruits would nullify bad Karma and remove the encryption one has. Practically, is it possible to end sufferings other than becoming a person who performs good actions? Moreover, if someone has the ability to help others as part of their routine, it helps him to see the oneness in all and removes the feeling of ego. What other analysis need to be done to understand the sufferings?

"Love All, Serve All" moto introduced by Sathya Sai Service Organization has deep meaning behind it. Service is always described as selfless service and love is always described as universal love. When describing the benefits of selfless service to the organization, Sri Sathya Sai Baba mentioned what it does. They are a) control and purify the mind, b) put a ceiling on desires, c) bring detachment in life, d) erase Karmic burden, e) remove the ego, f) bring universal love into life, g) experience the unity of all, h) become aware of the God within all and i) win the grace of God. One of the essential understanding of the selfless service is not to collect money forcefully from anyone or make people participate by force. The effort should be voluntary. One of the key teachings is "When a devotee seeks with humility and purity to give service and love to the fellow beings, who are in need of such selfless service, then God will descend to help, accompany and carry such Yogi. God is always near such Yogi to guide him and shower His love on the life of such Yogi.

To dedicate life for the benefit of others is no desire. Adi Sankara, Lehari Mahasaya, Ramana Maharishi and many other Yogis have performed actions for the welfare of the humanity and many more are still performing such actions. It is not ambition but joining the mission of the Lord in the well being of His creations. When Lord Krishna in His human form responds to the call of Draupati, Hie is not ambitious but merely fulfilling His duty. When He destroys the evil to establish Dharma, He is not ambitious to win the war but to save the world from Adharma. By advising the Pandavas to sacrifice the tendency to retaliate, He asked them to join the mission of establishing Dharma. Similarly, the Maharishis, Yogis, Saints and Seers when they perform actions, their actions are not filled with desires or attachments.

I am not giving counter arguments to your excellent post here but presenting my views humbly for your kind consideration and to express where my views are coming from. Because, I am not as knowledgeable as you are and this exercise helps me to have a better understanding. Thank you in advance for your patients with me.

Viswa

jayasala42 · Aug 2, 2015

Thank you Viswa for your excellent interpretations of sathya Sai Organization .This was what I was expecting from a high intellectual Viswa.
Wonderful explanation.
These are all exchange of thoughts and interpretations that help us to clarify our thoughts and indulge in further progress.I am very proud of you Viswa.IL team is very much fortunate to have members of this calibre, vision and dedication.
Jayasala 42