Sattva quality (guna in Sanskrit) is the guna of light, intelligence, happiness and harmony and the foundation of virtues and higher abilities of the mind such as clarity, discernment, stability, calmness, dispassion, concentration, kindness, devotion and compassion. Sattva and sattvic qualities make the mind able for deep meditation and samadhi. That is why sattva is the foundation of the spiritual path and a life full of peace, light, love and harmony.
Sattva guna makes the mind calm, clear, serene, concentrated and introverted and causes us to aspire for truth, peace and bliss. Discernment, dispassion, concentration, meditation and Self-inquiry flourish and are effectively practiced when the sattva guna predominates in our minds. On the contrary, due to rajas guna, the mind becomes extroverted, attached to sense pleasures, agitated, distracted and disturbed, and thus it hinders concentration and deep meditation. And under the influence of tamas guna, the mind becomes inert, indecisive, clouded, drowsy and therefore very difficult to remain attentive, to perceive clearly and to be able to learn and understand.
Therefore, by increasing the sattva guna in our minds, we create the
foundation upon which all the necessary abilities for deep meditation and
Self-realisation can easily flourish. Therefore, one of the fundamental goals
in spiritual life and practice is to increase the sattva quality in our minds.
A sattvic lifestyle along with spiritual practices is the means to achieve it.
The sattvic life
Sattvic lifestyle means focusing on sattva in all aspects of our life (e.g., diet, music, books, activities, entertainment, etc.) in order to increase the quality of sattva in our mind. It means maintaining sattvic contacts and interactions at all levels of existence and practicing meditation, Self-enquiry and other spiritual practices.
The increase of the sattva quality, like everything else we want to increase (to both material and psychological things), is based on the law of 'like increases like'. That is, for example, heat increases heat, cold increases cold, and respectively anger increases anger, fear increases fear, sattva increases sattva, rajas increases rajas and so forth. So, if we want to increase the heat in our body, we should be close to a heat source (fireplace, radiator, cooker, etc.), if the cold then we should be close to something cold, such as air conditioning, ice, etc. Similarly, to increase the quality of sattva in our mind, we should seek as much as possible to be in contact through our body, senses and mind with things, people, impressions or anything else that is of the sattva quality. When we are in contact with something of sattva quality, our mind is infused and nourished with sattva vibrations and, consequently, the sattva quality gradually increases in our mind.
More specifically we can increase the sattva quality:
• selecting
sattvic sensory impressions* (sounds, images, tastes, smells),
• eating
sattvic foods and beverages (foods and beverages are classified
according to the three gunas, as sattvic, rajasic and tamasic. For example,
fresh juice is sattvic and concentrated juices with preservative tamasic, fresh
seasonal foods are sattvic, canned tamasic),
• reading
sattvic books (spiritual books, self-improvement books, sacred texts
and scriptures, etc.),
• listening
to sattvic music and songs (classical music, mantra, kirtan, hymns,
sacred songs, etc.),
• maintaining
relationships with sattva people,
• engaging
in sattvic activities,
• cultivating
positive, luminous thoughts and feelings,
• Living
in a sattvic environment (city, home, work),
• putting
pictures and paintings of a sattvic nature on the walls, such as pictures or
photos of nature, sacred symbols, pictures of enlightened beings, etc.,
• Creating
a sattvic atmosphere in our home, using sattvic colours, using natural incense,
essential oils, etc.,
• practising
regularly meditation, Japa Nama and other spiritual practices,
• being
in contact with spiritual teachers,
• practicing
in spiritual centres,
• living and practising in sacred places and centres of enlightened
beings
• frequently visiting and living for some time in nature (nature is sattvic).
Comment
with sattvic sensory impressions*: sensory impressions are the food for our mind and that is why it is crucial to be of sattvic quality.
The sattvic way of action
In
addition to the importance of associating with sattva at all levels and all
aspects of our life, the way we do things is equally important. In other words,
our mental and emotional attitude and state of consciousness are also important
when we do something.
It is one
thing, for instance, to eat anxiously, in a hurry, looking at your mobile phone
or tv, talking, being careless (i.e., rajasotamasic way) and
another thing to eat calmly, carefully, with gratitude, praying, repeating
bright thoughts, the name of God or a mantra (i.e., sattvic way).
The same applies to any other activity and our work. It is one thing to work calmly, concentrated and in a spirit of offering (sattvic way) and another to be careless, bored, greedy or in a spirit of obligation (rajasotamasic way). So, to increase sattva, we must choose whatever has a sattvic nature and also learn to do things in a sattvic way.
Spiritual practices increase sattva quality
Spiritual practices (meditation, worship, hymn singing, repetition of mantra, pranayama, Self-enquiry, studying of spiritual books, etc.) being of sattvic nature are the primary means to increase the sattva and eliminate the rajas and tamas qualities from the mind.
The sattva treatments
It is also important to treat our body and psychology principally with sattva treatments and only, when necessary, with chemical medicines. Ayurvedic remedies, sattvic diet, herbal medicines, shiatsu, reiki, Bach flowers, Hatha Yoga asanas, pranayama and in general most natural remedies are sattvic and can restore the balance vital energy (Prana) and the three bio-energies (Dhosas in Sanskrit: Pitta-Kapha-Vata) which are the basic factors of health, and well-being.
Comment
the three Bio-energies (Dhosas in Sanskrit: Vata-Pitta-Kapha): The three bio-energies determine our temperament on the physical and psychological levels. Maintaining the balance of these three bio-energies is a prerequisite for good health, well-being and psychological harmony, happiness, mental clarity and peace.
The resistance of the lower rajasotamasic ego
Undoubtedly, the lower rajasotamasic ego (with its selfish tendencies, desires, mental and emotional patterns and habits of life and body) will, by all means, resist our effort to change ourselves in order to continue experiencing, expressing, behaving in the same or similar ways as before. The ego, at the beginning of our journey, will strongly resist the changes we want to bring about. And herein lies the importance of a spiritual guide, a spiritual centre and teacher and spiritual practices. With their help, we can overcome obstacles, resistance and the inertia of subconscious habits and patterns.
I would like also to point out that we cannot change everything at once and from one day to the next our mind becomes sattvic and meditate uninterruptedly and deeply for many hours. This can be achieved gradually by following a well-organized sattvic lifestyle and practicing regularly, systematically, diligently, sincerely and with determination for several years. It also requires a good deal of perseverance, endurance and patience until we see quality sattva prevail in our minds.
However, by practising with regularity, diligence, sincerity and determination, we can overcome all barriers and obstacles that prevent us from transforming ourselves and enjoy the higher vibrations of sattva and the peace and bliss of our divine nature.