Meditation with the mantra Om Nama Shivaya

THE BLISS IS ATTAINED BY A PURE MIND UNITED WITH BRAHMAN ~ Bhagavad Gita Ch. VI

THE BLISS IS ATTAINED BY A PURE MIND UNITED WITH BRAHMAN

 18. "When the perfectly controlled mind rests in the Self only, free from longing for the objects of desire, then it is said: “He is united, (Yogi)”

21. "When he (the Yogi) feels that infinite bliss which can be grasped by the (pure) intellect (Buddhi) and which transcends the senses, and, established wherein he never moves from the Reality. (Brahman)."

27. "Supreme bliss verily comes to this Yogi whose mind is quite peaceful, whose passion is quieted, who has become Brahman, and who is free from sin."

Bhagavad Gita Ch. VI

Know thy real Self and be ever free ~Swami Sivananda

Know thy real Self and be ever free 
~Swami Sivananda

Blessed householders! Remember that ignorance is always the root-cause of fear. Wherever there is duality, there is fear. In Advaita (non-duality) alone, there is no fear. Who is to be afraid of whom, when one beholds oneness everywhere? The spiritual journey is long and weary. There is much to be done by way of spiritual Sadhana. 

Life is very short. Time is fleeting. There are many obstacles on the spiritual path. One should apply oneself diligently in spiritual practices and discipline the senses (Indriyas), in the control of mind and lead the most regulated life. Concentration and meditation are the two essential wings of the spiritual Sadhak. With these, he can simply fly round the entire world. Realise this and rest in your Satchidananda (Existence-Consciousness-bliss) Swaroopa (nature). Know thy real Self and be ever free.

Om! THE EGO ACCORDING THE GUNAS ~ Atman Nityanandaa

THE EGO ACCORDING THE GUNAS

The ego along with the gunas rajas and tamas causes identification with the body and make us forget our true Self (Atman, Consciousness). The rajasotamasic ego apparently covers our true Self, grounds the consciousness in the body and makes the mind extroverted, seeking sensory pleasures and mundane success.

The three gunas exist in the Antahkarana* (the mind in its totallity or) and the ego which is one of the four aspects of Antahkarana h. The quality of mind’s functioning and the nature of ego depend on the guna that predominates in them. Each guna has specific characteristics. When the sattva guna for example predominates in the mind, it functions according the characteristics of sattva guna i.e. the mind is luminous, serene, content, harmonious; sattvic emotions and thoughts will manifest in us during the periods that sattva is predominant in the mind. Similarly rajasic  and tamasic emotions and thoughts will manifest in us during the periods that rajas and tanas are predominant  in our mind.

Comment: The mind in its totality or Antahkarana*

The eastern spiritual traditions, Ayurveda and Yoga call the Mind in its totality Antahkarana, (the fourfold internal organ), which is our psychological instrument. They call it as fourfold internal organ, because the Mind or Antaharana has four main aspects.

The four aspects of Antachkarana (or the Mind in its totality) are:

1. Manas (external mind)

2. Buddhi (Intellect, Intelligence)

3. Ahamkara (Ego, the illusory identity)

4. Chita (subconscious mind, memory, general field of the mind, conditioned consciousness).

Each one of these four aspects of Antahakarana or Mind has specific functions and the quality of its functioning depends on the guna that is predominant*. The innate nature of mind is sattva that´s why the mind functions in its full potential when is free from rajas and tamas gunas. The rajas and tamas are like toxins for the mind.

The predominance of each guna in the mind has two aspects. 

FIRST ASPECT: Mind's gunic constitution. Each of the three gunas according the development of the mind have a certain percentage in the mind ´s constitution. For example, the mind of a tamasic preson can have in his mind 70% tamas, 25% rajas and 5% sattva. A sattvic person can have in his mind 75% sattva, 20% rajas and 5% tamas. A rajasic person 65% rajas, 25% tamas and 5% sattva. The goal of spirituality is to eliminate gradually the tamas guna (first of all) and the rajas and convert the mind 100% sattvic. 

SECOND ASPECT: The gunas are constantly in motion in the mind. During the day for some time may predominate the tamas, after some time the rajas or the sattva. This alternation of the gunas in the mind happens constantly and it is related to many things. (In order to understand it better is needed a greater analysis and also attentive bservation of the mind ).

Which guna predominates more often and for longer periods (when is manifested) depends on the gunic constitution of the mind (see first Aspect). It is obvious that in a mind that there is more sattva in its constitution, the sattva periods will last more time and will manifest more often than the rajasic and tamasic ones. Similarly, the rajasic mode of functioning and characteristics will manifest more to a rajasic constitution mind and the tamasic mode of functioning and caracteristics to a tamasic one.

It is of great importance and a great help a good knowledge of the three gunas to understand and control the mind. The knowledge of gunas will help us as well to develop the various capabilities and virtues, to dissolve the various egoic defects and to develop our ability to remain self-aware, and practice successfully self-enquiry and meditation. Daily practice and a sattvic living is the fundamental background of our spiritual transformation and Self-realization.

ASPECTS OF THE EGO

According the gunas the ego assumes three aspects, so we can speak about: the sattvic ego, the rajasic ego and the tamasic ego.

Personally I prefer to classify the ego in two categories. The sattvic ego and rajasotamasic ego. I prefer this classification because the rajasic and tamasic aspects of the ego impede us to live harmoniously and aware of our true nature, while the sattvic ego is helping us move from the darkness of rajas and tamas and materialism to the light of consciousness and the divine life.

Since we identify with the ego, and we function most of the time as the ego, it is certain that the ego it is involved in our spiritual practice in  a positive and a negative way. The sattvic aspect of the ego and the mind as well are positively involved and the rajasotamasic one (with the tamasic far more strongly) negatively, although rajas when functon by the side of  sattva help us overcome the tamas guna. The rajas combined with sattva helps us to dissolve the tamasic nature of ego and mind, and finally by the sattva we overcome the rajasic one. The tamas guna by itself and the rajas combined with tamas are the root cause of our suffering and psychological chaos. They cause identification with the lower aspects of our existence, distort and preverse the mind and lead us to misery and suffering.

The sattvic ego or I

The sattvic ego creates the individuality but not the identification with the body. The abstract sense ‘I am’ or ‘I exist’ is due to reflection of Consciousness on sattva. The identification with the body is created by the rajasotamasic or inferior ego. Due to tamas and rajas gunas and lack of discrimination the abstract ‘I am’ becomes ‘I am the body’.

The sattvic ego allows us to live a healthy harmonious life (at all levels of our existence) and in unity, love, happiness, peace and facilitates our journey towards enlightenment and liberation. The sattva is the purest aspect of the material creation (material not referring only to the gross material, but also on subtle levels, mental astral, causal) through which the Consciousness is expressed clearly in the creation. A pure sattvic mind reflects without distortions the light of Consciousness.

The sattvic ego and the sattvic Antahkarana is the instrument (of the Soul) that helps us walk successfully the spiritual path and attain self-realization (liberation or enlightenment, are synonymous terms). The foremost goal in the spiritual path and practice is to overcome and eliminate from the mind the tamas (primarily) and the rajas gunas and be established in sattva, and finally through constant meditation and samadhi to overcome the sattva as well, and be established in our true nature (Atman, Consciousness) which is beyond the three gunas. That’s why the enlightened one is called gunannita, i.e. the one who has transcended the three gunas.

The rajasotamasic ego

The rajasotamasic ego causes in us our illusory identity ('Iness' and 'mineness' as well) and is the fundamental ignorance. The rajasotamasic ego functions through identification, projection and imagination, and makes us identify with the body and everything that exists and happens in the body, i.e. mind, senses, vital energy, thoughts, emotions, sensations etc. Due to rajasotamasic ego we feel the strong sense of 'I am the body' or more accurately 'the body is me’.

This identification with the body creates the illusion that we are separate entities, living as if we were separate from God, the others and the life and limited by the body and mind. On this fundamental illusion, are built all other illusions. The ego identifying with the characteristics of the body makes us think, I am tall, thin, blond, handsome, etc., identifying with the mind, I am smart, silly, erudite, learned, etc..identifying with collective organizations like religions ,I am Muslim, Christian, Buddist etc.. So, this lower ego make us identify with thoughts, feelings, fantasies, beliefs, memories, opinions and externally with objects, people, situations, teams, religions and collective entities.

Mineness

The ego makes us identify with the external objects and persons. Because of these identifications and the attachment we develop towards them, they become an extension of ourselves. So, we feel everything that we relate with (my car, my wife, my child, my garden, my phone, my tablet, my jacket, etc..) as a part of ourselves (more precisely as a part of our ego). That’s why when we lose them we experience unnecessary pain or suffering. The intensity of suffering depends on how strong is our attachment to them.

The ego is the root-cause and creator of numerous identifications, projections, attachments and delusions, which cause suffering on a personal and collective level.

All the egoic tendencies or aspects  (in Christian terminology call them defects and passions), such as likes, dislikes, lust, desires (for money, fame, pleasure, power, possessions and comforts), anger, pride, anger , wrath, hatred, resentment, jealousy, envy, rancor, arrogance, vanity, greed and perversions  belong to the lower or rajasotamasic ego. This lower ego, I call it the ‘Vital ego’ as well, because the majority of the egoic tendencies are related to the vital body (energy body, specifically the psychic prana) and the emotional mind.

The rajasotamasic ego (and the rajasotamasic mind as well) it is not interested in spirituality, self-transformation, virtues and self-realization, but it is interested in sensory pleasures, comforts, possessions and ambitions. It is this vital ego that resists and reacts against our intentions and efforts to transform our mind and heart and advance spiritually. The vital ego wants to prevent us from doing practice and any serious effort for inner transformation and finally wants to make us abandon the sadhana altogether.

The rajasotamasic ego keeps us tied in the cycle of rebirths into physical bodies as well as the cycle of pleasure and pain (Samsara).

The rajasotamasic ego and the rajasotamasic mind is the cause of our bondage and our suffering and obviously it is what resists, reacts to our effort to realize Truth. The vital ego constantly creates obstacles, and uses various mechanisms to make us fail and abandon the spiritual practice (sadhana). The rajasotamasic ego knows that through practice, self-control and a spiritual way of living it will lose the pleasures that until now could enjoy freely as well as that it will eventually be eliminated. Thus it resists and reacts with all its strength in order to make us feel impotent, disheartened and abandon the spiritual life.

In the beginning of our spiritual journey and as long as the rajasotamasic ego is strong we cannot avoid inertia, resistance and all obstacles that the vital ego puts on us. The ego at the beginning of our spiritual path can easily fool us; it doesn’t need to try a lot in order to succeed in this, given we are already identified with it, as well as hypnotized and manipulated by it. But as we advance in self-knowledge, and we develop, self-awareness, concentration, attention, discernment, dispassionate observation and we dissolve more and more egoic patterns and tendencies, the ego uses gradually subtler ways to manipulate us, and thus becomes more difficult to identify and uncover them. It takes constant and intense vigilance, attention, self-awareness, inquiry, together with constant application of discrimination to expose the tricks of the ego.

Given that at the early years of our spiritual journey we are strongly identified with the ego and our intellect-intelligence (Buddhi) is hypnotized and manipulated by the egoic energies, our inner work is difficult, our transformation and progress slow, with many ups and downs. We also pass through days and nights of inner work, i.e. periods that we have enthusiasm, inspiration, determination, aspiration for practice, we have luminous experiences etc. (day of work), and periods that we lose our determination, enthusiasm, there is inertia, discouragement, disappointment, resentment lack of motivation, lack of luminous experiences, cloudy mind etc.. (night of work). It is during of these nights of inner work that the majority of the spiritual seekers abandon the sadhana and return to their old way of living. That’s why many follow the spiritual path, but very few until now have reached the end, liberation (Self-realization or enlightenment).

During our spiritual journay the ego creates many illusory identifications, projections and superpositions in order to prevent the Buddhi (intellect, intelligence) to become aware of its tricks. It tries in every possible way to cloud our buddhi, because it is certain that if the ego’s identifications and the illusions are revealed by the power of discrimination (which is the ability of the buddhi) then the ego would lose the sovereignty over us. When the egoic patterns are revealed, then by proper means and methods we can dissolve them. By the force of spiritual practices and the divine powers and energies we invoke through prayer and the repetition of mantras, little by little the egoic tendencies, and the tamas and rajas will be eliminated from our psych.

The battle between the higher sattvic ego and the lower rajasotamasic ego (between the sattvic mind and the rajasotamsic mind as well)

From all the above mentioned, it is clear that the sattvic ego and mind as well, turns towards the divine, the harmony, the unity, love and the lower rajasotamasic one, that is full of contradictions, prejudices, ignorance, disharmony, passions, negativity etc. it moves towards pleasures, possessions, comforts, sensory experiences, success and mundane ambitions.

The sattvic ego (buddhi as well) are those who fight on the side of our Soul against the rajasotamasic me. The battle between the sattvic mind ago withe rajasotamsic one is the great battle between the light and the darkness that is happening inside each aspirant.

The purpose of spiritual practice in relation to the ego is: To disidentify from the ego and dissolve or eliminate the ego in all its aspects (desire, anger, pride, envy, arrogance, greed etc.) and realize that we are not the body or the mind but the pure, eternal Consciousness, always peaceful, free and blissful.

The elimination of the ego is directly related to the purification of prana, emotional energy, the subconscious mind (chitta) because all aspects of the ego and desires are stored in the various subconscious levels of chitta (according Samael A.W. the number of the subconscious levels are 49)

It is certain that we cannot dissolve the ego (at least the vast majority) by fighting it directly. We need to practice systematically with various methods and techniques to dissolve gradually one by one its various aspects. Only one who has already eliminated the greater part of the egoic tendencies, who is very skillful in self-enquiry and meditation, who has control over his mind and senses, is established in self-awareness and alertness and has fully developed the capacity of discrimination could work directly with the dissolution of the ego as the sense 'I am the body'. 'I am the feeler'. 'I am the perceiver', 'I am the thinker' etc..

Read more about the gunas, the ego and the mind 

The threee gunas
Our true Self (Consciousness), is beyond the lower and the higher ego
The three Gunas - summary
Gunas and happiness by Sri Aurobindo
THE HUMAN NATURE ACCORDING THE GUNAS in Baghavad Gita

In Bhagavad Gita are also two chapters devoted to the three gunas. Chapters 14 and 18. There are also references about the gunas in other chapters of Gita as well .