External Forces Affecting The Mind

There are many external forces that affect my mind and emotions. We may be aware of some of them, like peer pressure, social media, advertising, societal pressures, etc. However, the Vedas speak about three powerful, yet invisible, subtle energies which act on all beings. They are known as the “tri-gunas” in Sanskrit, or the three modes of material nature. It is these three forces which perhaps, more than anything else, cause the bondage of the soul to material nature.

Transcript

Paribperson continuing from this morning.

We had a question from James because we had been speaking about when you are too controlled by passion it can lead to undesirable outcomes and we were speaking specifically about anger and we were speaking about that in relation to how in your life if you could train your self so that in a heightened state of emotions whether that's considered positive or negative in any heightened state of emotion don't speak,

Don't make a decision,

Don't act.

It will invariably lead to misfortune and unhappiness for you.

It is better to step away and seriously calm down and when you are on an extremely even keel then consider how to respond to the person or the situation,

What's really in your best interest,

What is really going to be good for you and good for the other person or others.

So when we are speaking about anger and having a very passionate nature,

James asked the question but I thought that to be really passionate about something is good and it's promoted,

The idea is promoted as being very desirable.

Well firstly I'll just say that part of that promotion is coming from people that want to sell you stuff and therefore they come up with these really effective but dangerous slogans like just do it,

Meaning don't think about it just act on impulse.

One of the things that distinguishes animals from human beings,

Animals are compelled by their lower nature to act on impulse.

Human beings are meant to have a higher nature where you learn to not act on impulse but to consider what is in your best interest and what is in the best interest of others and I don't mean short-term,

I mean long-term and that often means restraining one's desires,

Restraining impulses to act prudently.

So in answering your question James it's a little bit difficult because it's actually a really technical subject but I will just try to touch on it briefly.

One of the things that we learn from the great yoga teachers is that there are three invisible and irresistible forces acting upon all beings,

All beings.

These three qualities in Sanskrit the word is guna,

This is called the three guna.

There are like three invisible forces that inspire people to act in three principal ways and it produces three different types of outcome.

These three qualities one is referred to and I'll go from back to front,

One is referred to as kama guna which means the mode of ignorance.

The mode of ignorance is epitomized by laziness,

Lethargy,

Sleep,

Indolence and all forms of craziness.

All are due to the influence of this particular form of energy known as the mode of ignorance.

So you see somebody that struggles with a drug addiction or alcohol addiction and you know are just constantly wasted.

This is like the epitome because it's crazy,

It doesn't produce anything good,

It leads to people's utter destruction and they become lazy,

Unable to be productive.

So these are examples,

Many forms of what's categorized as mental illness and I'm speaking about this with great hesitation and caution because not according to the Ayurveda,

Not all things that affect the mind are called illness.

A person can be subjected to a whole bunch of different influences.

Anyway,

We're not going to get into that.

The second mode of material nature is called raja guna.

Raja guna or the mode of passion is responsible for energy to work and specifically to create and so the big cities that you see are products of the modes of passion.

The desire to excel,

To become a top-class athlete,

To be a top-class dancer,

To be a top-rated artist in any field,

Any of these things,

A powerful businessman,

A wealthy industrialist,

These are people that are very much influenced by the mode of passion.

And then you have this third type of energy.

It is called the mode of goodness,

Sattva guna.

Sattva guna means that a person will not be very,

In fact they will dislike crowded places,

Boisterous activities,

Violence.

They will seek more simple and quiet lives.

They will be attracted to more natural surroundings.

This is the influence of this particular energy.

So in the Bhagavad Gita,

It describes that from the mode of goodness,

Sattva guna,

Real knowledge develops.

Not automatically,

But it does develop from that position.

From the mode of passion,

Greed develops.

A hankering for more and more,

Just another million,

Just another promotion,

Just a greater painting.

The world's agreed to succeed more and more.

And from the mode of ignorance,

Develops foolishness,

Madness,

And illusion.

So one of the,

One of the problems though with the mode of passion,

It's an ideal influence if you want to build and create.

But it will make it so that it gives rise within a person to limitless hankering.

Never feeling satisfied,

Even when you accomplish what you set out to do.

You'll instantly want more and to achieve and to do more.

You will be plagued with limitless desire and hankering.

From each of these three modes,

There will always be a result.

From the mode of goodness,

One will be experiencing happiness.

It may not be fully spiritual,

But it is happiness nonetheless.

From the mode of passion,

The end result is misery.

Doesn't go anywhere else.

And from the mode of ignorance,

Craziness.

So from the yogic perspective,

There was a recognition that different people are moved by different,

One of these three or a combination,

Different combinations.

Just like if you have three primary colors and you want to mix,

You can take two drops of one,

50 drops of the other,

And 17 drops of that and mix it.

Or you can do 500 drops of this,

20 drops of that,

And whatever.

And you can mix so many variations that come from mixing these things together.

Even in a person's life,

When you wake up in the morning,

You are going to be instantly experiencing either more of the mode of goodness,

Of passion,

Or of ignorance.

Mode of ignorance,

You wake up and you just can't get out of bed.

In the mode of passion,

You just spring out and you're ready to go,

Attack.

The mode of goodness,

You wake up and you feel peaceful and all good.

You can determine which of these types of energy is affecting you by how you eat,

How you sleep,

What type of music you listen to,

What type of friendships you cultivate,

What kind of places you hang out in.

We'll all have the influence of making you susceptible more to one of these than the others.

So this is like a huge subject.

But I just want to say that while being passionate is good if you want to achieve things,

The end result of your endeavors will be distress.

So you might enjoy the journey,

But when you get to the destination,

You may find out it's not what you were looking for.

And so the Yogi's taught people really how to think in more long-term ways.

And the reason I'm speaking about it and answering your question is because it has to do with this idea that we're talking about this morning that actually you do have a good deal of control of your life.

You can,

You know,

Wherever you find yourself right now,

Today,

And whatever's going on in your life,

It is the result of decisions that you have made and actions that you have taken.

And you are experiencing the fruit of that.

If you are not perfectly happy,

If you are not completely peaceful,

Then you need to immediately consider what course of action you need to take in your life,

What things that you need to do to produce a brilliant outcome in the future.

You must start now to build your future.

Your future is in your hands.

It's not up to destiny.

It's not up to fate.

Fate and destiny will deal you a hand that's tied to your past karmic activity,

And fruits will come your way.

But that doesn't mean that's all there is to it.

Your decisions,

How you decide to live,

How you make choices,

Determines how things are going to pan out for you.

So your future is actually entirely in your hands,

And learning to make really brilliant choices means that you will have an opportunity for peacefulness and happiness.

And that is why what we had been talking about in the morning,

Learning to step back from desire and emotions to not just impulsively act on it.

Just because you have a desire,

Why do you think that it will automatically produce happiness?

We're like,

We're not very analytical.

We're not very smart.

I think just because I have a strong desire,

Which I have cultivated,

Remember the verses we talked about by contemplating the objects of the senses,

One develops attachment.

Further contemplation in that mood of attachment develops an intense greediness for it,

Which is categorized as lust.

And when one enters that state,

The outcome will always be anger.

It will give rise to more of an angry nature and character.

Learning how to shape what you are going to desire,

Learning to think about what is a course of action in my life that will produce happiness and peace,

And making being resolved to try and act on that means you can determine your outcome,

The outcome of your life.

And that is why whether you want to lead a thoroughly spiritual life or whether you want to be a materialist,

This is still a really smart thing to do.

Either way,

Your life will be infinitely better by doing this.

Yeah,

Now we get to you.

Oh,

This is something in addition.

This is the one or no?

Okay,

Go on.

Could the result of that passion be different upon the object that you're,

For instance,

How about being passionate about wanting to know more or wanting to reach to God or help others?

Could that result be different in that case?

Cultivating a strong desire to know spiritual truth and to lead a spiritual life is not the cultivation of the mode of passion.

This is considered the cultivation of not just even the mode of goodness,

Something that is higher,

That is transcendental even to these three modes.

This is called in Sanskrit,

Shuddha,

Shuddha sattva,

Like pure or transcendental goodness.

And then what was your question from this morning?

About desires,

If there's a way in this material condition to,

I said overcome,

But then we said we're not even possible to avoid them,

But yes,

I mean,

It's more about how to learn to control ourselves.

Okay,

I'll just,

You know,

Make this point and it's really,

Really important.

You have different approaches to spiritual cultivation.

There are certain categories of spiritualists or transcendentalists who feel I must cease all desire and I must cease all action.

I must completely renounce everything to become free from all kinds of suffering.

And I will tell you honestly that that is impractical and actually impossible.

The correct thing to do is to redirect.

There is nothing wrong with action if it is inherently spiritual.

There is no,

Nothing wrong with desire if we are cultivating a desire for that which is spiritual.

And so the process that we are proposing and practicing is a process whereby we learn to direct the tendency to desire things and to desire activity and relationship and to make everything spiritually directed and then it becomes purifying.

So the example is given,

We've used it before.

I can take an iron rod.

Iron is by nature dull.

It is cold.

It is heavy.

It has certain characteristics,

But if I put it in a very hot fire and I fan that fire with a motorized fan or bellows,

It will become gradually red hot and then it will become white hot.

And when I remove it from the fire,

It may still be iron,

But now it has taken on all of the characteristics of fire.

It is emitting heat.

It is emitting light.

Iron is not meant to do that.

If I touch it to something that's flammable,

It will burst into flames.

So this iron has taken on another characteristic or set of characteristics in a similar manner when I begin to direct my body and my mind to act in the interests of my true spiritual self,

My body will become spiritualized and become an extension of the soul itself rather than being something that is causing the demise of the living being of the soul.

And that is the importance.

That is why to exercise control of the mind is an essential component of all forms of yoga practice.

There are many varieties of control of the mind.

The one that we engage in is the process of the cultivation of a higher taste.

When your taste becomes higher,

When you taste that which is sweeter,

Things that are less sweet lose their attraction.

When your only experience in life has been to stimulate the senses and to experience different types of sensual stimulation and the pleasurable experience that comes from that,

As we mentioned,

That is not the same as happiness.

You can be stimulating your senses into a frenzy and be suicidal.

When I begin this process of the cultivation of a higher taste,

A spiritual taste,

Through spiritual activity,

Not non-activity,

But spiritual activity,

Then my taste for the world diminishes and my taste of that which is transcendental grows and deepens.

And a person can come to a position of living in this world and to ordinary people who look at such a transcendentalist may see them as being like just like anybody else.

But if you come to know them,

If you come to know their heart,

If you can observe their life intimately,

You will see that they are living a completely different kind of life.

And they are experiencing the most profoundly wonderful things,

A true spiritual awakening,

The development and taste of the highest spiritual or transcendental love.

Okay?

So it's kind of late.

So I think that might be as far as we go unless somebody else.

.

.

Is this good?

You're finding this?

Of course,

It's incredibly informative.

Can you see how it's applicable to your life or no?

And please don't feel powerless.

Don't feel,

Oh,

This is too hard.

Hey,

You guys were just absorbed in an amazing condition of meditation.

When you are jumping up and down and singing these beautiful transcendental sounds,

What's going on in your mind?

I'm not even thinking.

I'm just absorbed in the process of chanting.

And my heart feels like the burden has been lifted.

I feel good and I'm just going for it.

You know,

In the yoga process of trying to shut out all material thought and for the mind to remain in a fixed state,

You try and do it.

You can't.

Unless you are highly trained,

Unless you have been practicing for so long,

Unless you've chosen a lifestyle where you cut yourself off from everyone and everything,

You're not going to have that experience.

And just by coming,

Walking in here,

Even if you've never been here before,

And engaging in this process,

Maybe it was only for two or three minutes,

Maybe it was for ten minutes,

Maybe it was for thirty minutes.

You're totally absorbed in something and you're not thinking about anything.

Right or not?

This is an amazing spiritual accomplishment.

But because it seems like it's so easy,

People will tend to think that it's not so powerful.

But amongst all of the transcendental processes,

There is no practice that is actually more transformative and empowering than in a congregation,

In a group,

To engage in this process of hearing and chanting these transcendental names,

These spiritual sounds.

It will utterly transform your life.

And even if you only experience it once and you go off on your own,

And in your life you make this a foundational practice and engage in it,

You will have spiritual realization.

You will grow in spiritual understanding and experience,

Even just being exposed to it once.

All of that is possible.

This process is not about acquiring something.

Everything,

Your own spiritual nature,

Resides in your heart of hearts.

It has just been covered by the material body and the material mind and material desire.

You've utterly lost the plot.

We have utterly lost the plot.

And this process is a process by which,

Through the power of this sound,

The veil becomes lifted.

That which covers our own spiritual identity gradually becomes removed.

And what is already there begins to manifest.

You don't have to be good at anything.

You don't have to have lived a sinless and pure life.

You can be the lowest of persons.

You can be the most out of it individual.

You can have no good qualities.

And by engaging in this activity,

You can come to the highest spiritual experience.

That is not an exaggeration.

It is a practical truth.

Da-na-na-na.

That's enough.

So,

It is all in your hands.

Oh,

But I'm not strong.

I struggle.

I have a hard time.

Hey,

It's still in your hands.

You can ask for help.

In a prayerful mood,

You can ask for that divine grace,

That spiritual blessing,

To give you the strength to carry on.

That's all you have to do.

All you have to do is cultivate that desire.

And you will be provided with everything that you need to succeed.

Promise.

Okay?

We good?

This is really big subject.

And we've gone a little bit deeper into things.

But we're still only in many ways scratching the surface.

The whole science of yoga,

Of self-discovery,

About the science of the nature of this world,

About my spiritual identity,

Is just amazing.

It's absolutely amazing.

But you don't have to know all the details.

You can have no interest in anything philosophical or anything at all.

Just show up and chant.

And then take it away with you.

You'll be fine.

Okay?

So since we had a big boisterous rock out,

I was asked to do something a little on the mellow side.

Is that right?

Are we still wanting to do that or what?

No.

So we're going to get all Elvis here.

Thank you.

Hare Krishna,

Hare Krishna,

Hare Krishna,

Krishna,

Krishna,

Hare Krishna,

Hare Krishna,

Hare Krishna,

Hare Krishna,

Hare Krishna,

Hare Krishna,

Krishna,

Krishna,

Hare,

Hare,

Hare Rama,

Hare Rama,

Rama,

Rama,

Hare,

Hare,

Hare Krishna,

Hare Krishna,

Krishna,

Krishna,

Hare Rama,

Hare Rama,

Rama,

Rama,

Rama,

Hare,

Hare,

Hare Krishna,

Hare Krishna,

Krishna,

Krishna,

Hare,

Hare,

Hare Rama,

Hare Rama,

Rama,

Rama,

Hare,

Hare,

Hare Krishna,

Hare Krishna,

Krishna,

Krishna,

Hare Rama,

Hare Rama,

Rama,

Rama,

Rama,

Rama,

Rama,

Hare,

Hare Take my hand,

Take my whole life through All right and well,

Falling in love with you Together,

Hare Krishna,

Hare Krishna,

Krishna,

Krishna,

Hare,

Hare,

Hare Rama,

Hare Rama,

Rama,

Rama,

Hare,

Hare,

Hare,

Hare Krishna,

Krishna,

Krishna,

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Hare,

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Hare Hare Krishna,

Hare Krishna,

Krishna,

Krishna,

Hare Rama,

Hare Rama,

Rama,

Rama,

Hare Rama,

Hare Rama Thank you.