Hidden Dangers Explained by Del Pe

Many of us might have heard of possible negative effects associated with meditation or other yogic practices and the great ones sometimes do mention in their writings which techniques they feel are safe and which might need expert advice. However, often the reader is simply advised to learn certain lessons only from a guru, and there is no clear understanding about what these side effects could be, i.e., what risks we run when we take up more advanced practices without consulting experts and what we might need to do to solve such problems if we are unlucky enough to have to face them. Del Pe's book, "Hidden Dangers of Meditation and Yoga" fills this big vacuum in a remarkably simple and satisfactory way. Not only does Del Pe mention several kinds of potential hazards, he also gives an outline of typical solutions he and his organizations have been providing to people who face such problems. As an aid to understanding, he even classifies the hazards into different categories before outlining typical solutions, and adds letters received from his clients worldwide about their issues and how the solutions offered helped them. 

Before going into these, however, I would like to add that to me, this book remains first and foremost a book on meditation. Dozens of different meditation practices have been outlined in the book with notes related to safety aspects. Moreover, lots of deeper ("esoteric") aspects of yoga have been explained in the simplest language. Chakras (subtle energy centres in the body), koshas (outer garments of the soul, if we may call them that), the astral world, the soul, the spirit and the cable of light connecting them are all discussed wherever needed to explain the practices. What's more, these subtle aspects are not bedtime stories for Del Pe - rather, it seems all these are realities experienced by Del Pe himself, as real to him as the physical world is to us. This added assurance makes the book a most wonderful read, adding that extra power to its logical and business-like style of explaining everything carefully, briefly and without mystification and obscuring. 

1. Psycho-spiritual problems: These include a variety of problems from foreseeing mostly negative events to being "spacey" and unmindful to experiencing "karmic purging", in which negative life experiences seem to increase after the practitioner starts his meditation or yogic practice. Problems like mindlessness or developing some personality defects like arrogance due to psychic powers are easier to correct by proper exercises and guidance and perhaps not as harmful from the health point of view. Some others - like foreseeing accidents accompanied by constant mental anguish or development of other powers accompanied by various negative effects like insomnia and inability to shut-off the clairvoyant impressions when needed - seem to require a deeper understanding of which chakras got over-stimulated, and how best to control the unwanted development. Similarly, karmic purging might mean simply that some hidden negative karmas or tendencies have been brought-up for cleansing, and going through the experiences will quicken spiritual growth ultimately. By consulting experts like Del Pe, practioners can find a way to continue cleansing the negative karmas which are being brought up by the practice, without having to go through unwanted suffering physically and mentally. The rising kundalini gives power. Misdirected (due to blockages in chakras, etc.), the power can get wasted in many ways. Directed well, it can cleanse the system and lead to true understanding of subtle laws, powers and truths. 

2. Physical and Vitality related side-effects: This incudes a variety of problems like feeling coldness even in warm climates, over-exhaustion, over-sensitivity to light, sounds, smells, etc., feeling of brittle or hard bones, pains in various parts of the body, overstimulation of the lower chakras and even enhancement of cancer due to overheating of the system with energy. Once again, many of these stem from over-stimulation of particular chakras, and experts can help understand the exact path that should be followed to bring things back to normal. The general idea seems to be that exercises and meditation routines, if done safely with the right preparations, would not typically cause worrisome or painful side-effects. Therefore, if a practitioner faces such issues, they should consult an expert, rather than assume that all such pains are necessary parts of the path they have chosen. People are different in many ways - body-types, mindsets, habits, cultural sensitivities, etc., and the exact path to be taken should be sensitive to that. 

3. Wrong combination or sequence of techniques: One common reason for this issue is the over-zealousness of the practitioner. People want to use a powerful and highly effective method and are therefore prone to changing techniques without regard to the safety aspects which advanced teachers keep in mind when teaching. Advanced pranayams, advanced practices to awaken the kundalini, etc., can be found in the literature and it is quite natural that people would be attracted to them since they are recognized as such. Such practitioners would do well to go through Del Pe's guidelines in this regard. For example, he says, it is good to first awaken the divine light by chakral breathing or mantra chanting, because this divine light regulates the powerful effects of the kundalini fire. Next, the heart center should be activated and purifying breathing exercises like kapalbhati should be practiced before awakening the kundalini. By understanding the effects of each kind of meditation on the physical and energy bodies, experts can help practitioners stay safe while working with the advanced techniques too. 

4. Predispositions of Oriental and Occidental practitioners: In general, Del Pe finds the oriental types to be more heart-centered while the occidental types are more intellectual and practical. Neither is inherently a problem, but what this means is that different approaches might suit these two different types. Then again, even within the same race/type, there are different predispositions within different sub-races and sub-types. As for the practices, their general effects might be well-known, but there can be important qualifications to those effects (e.g., kundalini awakening exercises in presence of cancer or drug addiction could be a problem, or even simpler, jogging could affect your knees if you are overweight and strain your knees in trying to get thinner). 

5. More Esoteric Dangers: These include issues like intolerance and a feeling of uneasiness or being misplaced (because of actual development of the auric powers), higher sensitivity to negative occult energies which create mental distress, etc. The solutions differ, of course, based on the nature of the problem. For unwanted channeling of occult powers, it is recommended that meditators seek divine protection and learn ways to shield their auric energies and try to avoid meditating in places known to have an excess of negative energies. For problems in family and social dynamics, other steps are encouraged, like better communication, introducing the family gradually to the details of the practices, certain physical exercises (like doing squats) to ground oneself better after meditation, etc. The last one - is a rather simple sounding practice, but highly recommended by Del Pe for people who are prone to "stay in ecstasy" mentally even when its time to get to regular daily work. As he explains in another context, the non-alert mind can sometimes cause accidents, so it is best not to dwell too much on the feelings of meditative joy and ecstasy when the body is back to regular physical work. Del Pe clarifies that many practitioners worldwide are affected by this seemingly natural problem, and he provides simple solutions like doing light exercises after meditation to get out of it. 

Before closing, once again, I would like to clarify that the book still does not come across as a negative for meditation and yoga, although the title might arouse such a feeling. While safety and checking back with experts is recommended highly by Del Pe, the detailed instructions on several alternative techniques and the explanations of related occult details are enough evidence that the book is meant to promote meditation and yoga, not to take people away from it. The next time we receive a set of exercises or routines from a recognized expert, we should keep in mind Del Pe's view, that such routines provided by the masters even keep our safety in mind and do not recommend what we are not really ready for. For people who face any trouble, there is a Del Pe "army" of trained experts to help us too, as long as we just ask. So we can now meditate fearlessly, and understand more easily. There is no need to give up meditation or yogic practices. 

Sadanand Tutakne 

Bhakti is not mere emotionalism - so what is it?

When discussing matters spiritual, there is often the question whether it would have been better to simply have love in one's heart and not go for too many intellectual discussions. Proponents of this view include people who are aware of the dangers of mere emotionalism too. By the term love or devotion (or, Bhakti) they are not speaking of the "natural love for matter" which is often blinding and not liberating. Rather, they seem to be thinking more about an idea mentioned in the 12th chapter of the Bhagavad Gita, where Krishna says that the path is more difficult for people attached to the idea of the absolute, implying that devotion to a personal God is relatively easier. At this point, if you are elated thinking that the easier path has now been officially sanctioned, I would again like to remind you that this love being spoken of by Lord Krishna is not as easy as the simple love for material possessions and luxuries of life which comes naturally to most of us. Once this is kept in mind, then yes, we can feel good about the fact that we don't have to completely transcend all emotion in one go. As someone has said, the natural love of the heart can be directed towards God, and that can be a beginning. All the major paths have a special place for this feeling of devotion as an instrument for attaining perfect knowledge and for the Bhakti margis (followers of the path of bhakti), this devotion is not only the means but also the end, as per Swami Vivekananda. 

So what all constitutes this path of Bhakti? In the 3rd volume of "The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda," we find a detailed explanation of what all constitutes Bhakti as per Swamiji. As expected, Swamiji refers to several scriptures and also adds comments of his own, as appropriate. A brief on my understanding of that writing is as follows. 

We might classify bhakti (devotion) into the lower (gauni) and the higher (para). The words preparatory and supreme might be more appropriate, perhaps. At an advanced stage, the distinctions between the paths of devotion, knowledge and work tend to disappear, but at a preparatory stage, we can see some differences. It seems that the simple understanding in people is true at least for preparatory stages - that bhakti is more from the heart, using love and devotion to God as the instruments, while Jnana (knowledge) is more from the intellect, with conscious thought and will power based on conscious reflection on spiritual matters playing a larger role. That does not mean that the heart is immediately given up by the Jnani or the intellect is immediately given up by the bhakta. Just that the weights differ somewhat. 

The God of the Jnani and the God of the Bhakta are one. One might like to describe him as the trinity of pure "existence-knowledge-bliss", while the other might want to think of him as "of his own nature, inexpressible love." Authorities have debated on whether the aspirant, after realizing God, also gains the powers to create and destroy universes, or whether that power remains exclusively with God. There have also been some discussions on whether individuality remains after realizing God or whether that is not possible. As per Swamiji, the Advaita school of thought says that that choice remains with the aspirant. As for the ultimate powers to create and destroy universes, the scriptural discussion suggests that perhaps the ultimate power lies with God alone. However, Swamiji also mentions that as per the Advaita school, the aspirant realizes hiimself/herself as one with everything (God) in a non-dual way. So I am left with the feeling that if all wills merge, is there a "governing will" of God that remains, or are we all one with God? Maybe we can say either, and it is perhaps not a major point for Swamiji. In any case, looking for powers of this kind was not the way of the Swamis. 

The aim of bhakti is indeed spiritual realization and a guru is essential. Books cannot convey the needed spiritual impulse to quicken spiritual awakening. That must come from another soul. Both the teacher and the student need to be qualified. Purity, thirst for knowledge and perseverence are required of the student. As for the teacher, besides being sinless and without ulterior motives, he/she much know the essence or the spirit of the sciptures (not just the words). 

A teacher in human form is a blessing. From ancient times up until now, teachers in human form have typically given students mantras (specific words intended to quicken awakening) to recite. Words are powerful symbols, and express a particular view of God and creation. Once we keep in mind that all of these are different aspects of the same God, it is clear that meditating on any of these seed words would be helpful on the path. 

Such symbols are required by beginners to focus their minds. As long as we keep in mind that the image or symbol being worshipped stands for the Great One, and we use these symbols to keep our minds on Him, these images and symbols are not only helpful but even required in one form or the other. 

The ideal of worship can be any form of God, but the bhakta does not deny other forms just because it is not his/her chosen form. Rather, the bhakta maintains love for all, while holding his own ground firmly. 

For the method in the preparatory stages, Swamiji quotes the requirements mentioned by Sri Ramanuja in his commentary on the Vendanta Sutras. The preparations required are discrimination, controlling the passions, practice sacrificial work, purity, strength and suppression of excessive joy. A very clear discussion of these preparatory practices is found in these writings. 

For example, on the physical aspects of "discrimination", Swamiji accepts that some foods would be better suited for a person's spiritual practices, but finds it disgusting how this idea has been taken to an extreme by some people, who have "driven religion entirely to the kitchen". Similarly, where mental strength is required for perseverant efforts in this direction, physical strength (fitness) is also required otherwise the body might not be able to tolerate the shock of control and reversal of some natural impulses and tendencies. Practices like non-violence are very important, and the test of non-violence is the absence of jealousy. Suppression of excessive mirth is important too, else the aspirant might become completely incapable of any serious thought.  

The above are preparations. When the devotee starts getting settled (firm) in devotion, the supreme kind of devotion starts. Renunciation is the backbone of this higher devotion too - much like we might expect it to be in the path of knowledge. Just that the path is, still, more from the heart. The renunciation stems from love for all and love for God who is in all. Swamiji says that the path of knowledge has its highs (being direct and willed), but also runs the risk of the intellectual misinterpreting the scriptures for his personal gains. Such risks are fewer in the gentler path of devotion, he says, since the devotee does not look for the lofty heights of the path of knowledge in the first place. 

The supreme devotion starts manifesting is many different forms. Some turn away from all discussions other than those of God, one step above simple reverence. Others attain to amazing heights of universal love, where even the serpent becomes a messenger of God. In this love, there is no bargaining (i.e., selfishness), no fear and no rival (i.e., the attention is totally on God, with no rivals). The simplest form of this higher bhakti is that of calm devotion (shanta bhaava). Above that is the daasya bhaava (the feeling of being God's humble servant). Further above that is the sakhya bhaava, or seeing God a a friend. Even above that is vaatsalya bhaava, or looking at God as one's child, and finally we have the madhura bhaava, or simply, sweetness. Looking at God as one's child is not simply about indulging in paternal/maternal feelings, rather, it is a state where the devotee continues to care for God, but without the idea of power. There is no expectation of return there - not even the feeling of awe of being related to God and that is because God is then not a "power" from which the aspirant wants to derive some material gains. 

All-in-all, the path of bhakti is indeed the path for all in that it does not require immediate dispassion through intellectual resolve. The heart's natural love can be directed and cultivated to bring about the state of supreme devotion. However, this does not mean that renunciation, or control of passions is not a key idea on this road. Bhakti is not mere emotionalism. Just that since the renunciation comes out of love for God, the path is not that of dry or harsh intellectualism. 

Modern Day Miracles told by Swami Rama

If you felt that yogic miracles were a thing of the distant past, Swami Rama's book - Living with the Himalayan Masters - would come as a pleasant surprise, and more. For those beginning to lose faith, it could be a new boost to their enthusiasm with the description coming from someone who saw these things happen right in front of him and frequently "to him". See, for example, these events described by Swami Rama in the book. 

1. Swami Rama's paramguru (guru's guru) who lived in a cave in Tibet once demonstrated to him and some of his brother disciples the art (or science?) of making the body vanish and then make it reappear once again. It seems once the constitution of the body is deeply known, masters can work with it and make it change form and thereby disappear and reappear at will. Swami Rama and a bother disciple had taken the pains to travel all the way to the cave in the Tibetan mountains and it was a a fine reward for them to see the paramguru demonstrate for them.  

2. A 92 year old "Mohammedan tantric" - a maulavi who used to lead prayers in a mosque in Medanipur (WB) - demonstrated to Swami Rama how he could take and give life back to a hen at will, just by throwing a few seed at a thread which was tied to the hen at one end and to a banana tree at the other. A few seeds thrown at the string with some mantras chanted silently took the life from the hen and Swami Rama tested this by keeping the hen under water for more than five minutes. Later, the tantric brought the hen back to life by repeating the same trick - a few more seeds thrown at the thread with some mantras chanted silently. 

3. A kind-hearted monk once gave Swami Rama a mantra by which he could climb a tree and take honey from a beehive - without any interruption from the bees. The mantra worked for Swamiji and he had been warned that the mantra would not work for anyone else, but sometime later, he put the monk's words to test by giving the mantra to someone else. As predicted, the man who climbed up instead of Swami Rama was stung by many bees and could barely escape with his life. 

4. Swamiji once took a solemn oath to give up his life rather than begging for alms to maintain his body while practising his sadhana (spiritual practices). As the days went by, his body grew weaker and weaker but his resolve was strong and he continued with his sadhana. After many more such days when he had started to feel that it was all over, a Goddess-like form came up from the river nearby and gifted him with a bowl that would bring him the needed food whenever he wanted. Swamiji used that bowl for many years, he writes in the book, and gave it up to the waters of the holy river only when he felt that the bowl had become more of a distration than a help to devotees who came to his ashram for spiritual guidance and meditation. 

5. Devraha Baba, a monk he saw in northern India, had been seen around in those parts for decades looking his same 70-year old self. His age was estimated to be over 150-200 years. Swami Rama says that some very famous dignitaries in India have also testified to having seen the old Devraha Baba stay his elderly self since their childhood up to their old age. He just never seemed to age. 

6. Some monks used to impress young Swami Rama by showing him their powers. Swamiji sometimes felt impressed and once even learnt the art of materializing objects from one such monk. The monk had earlier impressed Swamiji by producing for him the dinner of his choice from two different hotels in London and somewhere in Germany. Swamiji learnt the trick and it seems he used it for a while to obtain sweets for himself. One day, he was slapped by a monk from his own monastery and taken to his own guru. There he was informed that this particular trick of his amounted to mere theft because the sweets were being somehow teleported from regular sweet shops at his command and the owners of the shops had no clue where the missing sweets went. Sinced there was no payment being made to the owners of the shops, the trick - no matter how sophisticated - amounted to theft. He was asked to stop the practice immediately. It seems there are advanced ways of producing objects (even replacing or repairing a severed arm or leg) which do not constitute teleporting from someone's shop or stealing from someone's home. Rather, they are a result of the 

advanced yogi knowing the processes and the laws of creation, which makes him/her capable of actually putting the basic "photons" together to produce things at will. Paramahamsa Yogananda has said in many places that the world is just a materialization of God's "thoughts". However, this particular trick was not such and Swamji was therefore asked to give it up. 

Among other things like the transformation of selected people from routine wordly roles into true renunciates, stories of miracles and his meetings with saints like Sri Aurobindo, Ramana Maharshi, etc., the book also describes how Swami Rama himself, after practicing under his guru (Bengali Baba as he was called) for many years, once threatened his guru to either bestow the supreme bliss of samadhi on him on that very day or to see him drown himself in a river. To his heart's satisfaction, his guru agreed to give him the experience immediately and so Swamiji did not have to drown himself on that day. 

Swami Rama is very much a contemporary figure, the years of his physical birth and death being, respectively, 1925 and 1996. He had a medical degree from India and is said to have worked with scientists to establish the scientific basis for yogic practices. It is said that he was among the first few yogis to allow himself to be examined by scientists. He was internationally known and awarded for his contributions to society, but as per some websites, the last few months of his life were filled with accusations of sexual harassment and even assault from women against the Swami himself and against his Institute too. However, the same websites also attest to his powers to control his brain waves, his telekinetic abilities, etc. 

If the contents of this book are partly false, then it would definitely betray the emotions invested in it by many. If true, however, then this is an account which has the potential of helping people regain faith, and work towards the great goal - not use of superhuman powers, but the seeking of spiritual truths too. At least until we know the truth, I suggest we forgive ourselves and take the positives from the book. 

Sadanand Tutakne

More Stories - The Spiritual Eye and the Battle of Kurukshetra

While we are still in the introverted state, let us also look at another great spiritual object - the third (or, spiritual) eye. In several of his essays, Paramahamsa Yogananda has tried to explain what the spiritual eye really is. 

The spiritual (or, single) eye seems to reside in a subtle, spiritual centre inside the medulla oblongata. The medulla is where the brain meets with the spine. This spiritual eye, he says, has the power to perceive all the higher dimensions as well, besides the physical. This is accomplished via three rays or lights which, when penetrated in deep meditation, help the yogi know the three wolds. In deep meditation, he says, a reflection of this spiritual eye can be seen in between the eyebrows as a single, circular eye with three layers of color. 

The outermost is a golden ring, which in deep meditation, shows the yogi the minutest of the details of the material world as required (atoms and other subtleties of the physical world are not hidden to the one who sees through the spiritual eye). Inside the golden ring is a ring of purple or blue, which, when used in deep meditation, gives knowledge of the universal intelligence of God, the Christ consciousness or Kutastha Chaitanya. The third and innermost is a white coloured five pointed star, which gives the yogi the knowledge of the vibration-less state of God, even beyond the Kutastha chaitanya. Through this spiritual eye, then, all the higher dimensions of reality are made known to the practitioner, including the astral and causal worlds. 

Yoganandaji agrees that in the initial stages, most of us find it difficult to attain the state of calmness of breath and mind required for deep meditation, but then, that's what the Mahabharata was all about! Although that is yet another story, let me go into an outline of it here. 

According to Paramahamsaji, the Mahabharata very much contains a deep spiritual symbolism, and in fact, the symbolic meaning of the story is so important to him, that he has written his two volumes on the Gita (called God Talks with Arjuna: The Bhagavad Gita) with this symbolism as the backbone of the explanations. As you might expect, each character stands for a subtle aspect of our spiritual anatomy, and the battle is all about making the practitioner give up aspects which prevent his progress towards God, meditation and true understanding. For example, the five Pandavas are the five basic elements of creation, which govern five of the seven chakras in the human body. Dhritarashtra represents the blind sense-mind, and the Kauravas represent material desire, anger and all the outgoing propensities of the sense-organs and organs of action. Drona represents samskara - or the power of habitual tendencies - and is thus the teacher of both the Pandavas and Kauravas. 

While Yoganandaji does not deny that epics like the Mahabharata are typically found to be consistent at several levels, he is less concerned about the simple physical interpretation of the story. In other places, he agrees that a righteous war is sometimes a practical necessity of our times,  but that does not mean that his heart did not weep for the seemingly unnecessary killing and hurting that is involved in wars. In the two volumes of his Gita commentary, these outer meanings of the Mahabharata are left behind, and the focus is almost totally on the symbolism, and on bringing out the details of the kundalini, the chakras, the need for restraining unregulated senses for meditation, and on the subtler realms which slowly get opened up as meditation makes the aspirant more and more aware of these realities via the spiritual eye. 

In fact, it is the three rays of the spiritual eye which (through a complicated process) get transformed into the human body. The golden rays of cosmic energy are predominant in blood, the blue rays are dominant in the grey matter of the brain, and the white rays are predominant in the inner, white matter of the brain. If you believe Paramahamsaji, then it is clear from these writings that it is not Man who has created God in his image, but God who has created Man in His image. To know this, though, the battle of Kurukshetra might need to be fought valiantly and won. Peace!

Sadanand Tutakne

Carry your rope with you everywhere

I am increasingly getting convinced that nervousness, anxiety, restlessness and the like are to be dealt with by constancy of practice (of meditation, exercise, etc.). In other words, for some of us like myself, thought cannot create a solution by thinking and probing. Sometimes the thinking only complicates the problem by making one feel that the task is too difficult and involves all the problems of the world but more often, the mind just cannot find the time and energy to go into it all and find an analytical solution. 

Instinct, however, throws up an age-old solution - where constancy is missing, create one for yourself! Think of it this way. If you found yourself in a state of mental flux where external things always looked uncertain/transient and therefore created anxiety and nervousness frequently, how would you find the peace of constancy of anything in life? If you got money but did not get respect, or got respect but just could not get money, how would you face the uncertainty given that the mind wants something it can hold on to? To the reader of Yoga philosophy, instinct throws up an age-old solution - maintain the sanctity of your practice and keep at it. It is like a rope you carry around with you which which you tie yourself to the centre (or creator) of the universe mentally, so that wherever you go, you know you have something permanent - the rope! As you slowly push yourself into the exercise room and begin shaking your hands and feet (or start your deep breathing), the mind gets diverted away from the thoughts of uncertaintly and brings in new chemicals which create the needed security. From here,  even rational thinking and creating some rational solutions seems more do-able.

Patanjali mentions nine "antaraayas" or impediments to progress in yoga. Swami Vivekananda has translated the nine as - Disease, mental laziness, doubt, lack of enthusiasm, lethargy (I think physical), clinging to sense enjoyments, false perception, non-attaining concentration falling way from the (concentrated/meditative) state when obtained. The next sutra says that non-concentration is accompanied by grief, mental distress, shaking (tremor) of the body and irregular breathing. To get out of these antaraayas, Patanjali mentions several alternatives: 

1. Focus on a single subject

2. Certain behaviours - like friendship towards the happy (sukha), mercy towards the unhappy (dukhi), gladness in the face of good (punnya) and indifference in the face of evil (apunnnya). 

3. By proper exhalation and restraint of breath

4. Certain kinds of meditations like on the tip of the nose, etc., which bring perceptions of good smells and thereby console and focus the mind

5. By focusing on the great light in the heart

6. By meditating on a holy person who has given up all attachment and is therefore eternally peaceful

7. By meditating on the knowledge that comes in sleep

8. Or, by meditating on anything that appeals to one as good. 

In all this, somehow Patanjali never speaks of getting together with people to create an even better world for yourself where these problems would not arise. The Gita and most yoga books do speak of finding a clean and peaceful environment with no major hazards where the yogi can meditate, but that's about it. Further and further improvements to the external ennvironments might be possible, but they are not the focus of the yogi. The yogi creates his permanancy for himself, by faith in his exercise routine. Then, as the books say, shraddha (faith) nurtures the yogi like a benevolent mother.  

If you find time, read Yogananda's essays on Probing the Core of Nervousness and Ridding the Consciousness of Worry. And don't forget the advice from university days - "take the material seriously!" Peace be with you. 

Sadanand Tutakne

The One Track Mind

In brief, it seems spirituality requires reminding oneself of more than one thing being important in life. It doesn't work to have a one-track mind. 

What I mean by that is that often, we have a single virtue dominant on our minds as the one and only one important thing - at least for that moment. However, we feel completely isolated when we find that our views are not being reflected back by others with the same intensity as we would have expected. Take, for example the idea of not hurting anything or anyone. This is to be practised in thought, word and deed, and very often, the advanced seekers tell us that the thought part is even more important. So this becomes a challenging and tough goal and the mind builds other thought structures keeping this one as the highest. In all this work, which takes time and effort, it is often forgotten that someone else might have created his/her life around a  similar high - but different - principle. For example, pridelessness. Now one would want to believe that the two are the same, but in terms of the kinds of behaviours and thoughts they lead to, are they? 

So after a long time of adversity (in terms of views not really matching, etc.), one might discover that the other was as "great" an endeavour as one's own. Probably, this would happen when one would go to the books to learn why "they" behave the way they do. And what do the books say? 

Take for example the description of knowledge in the Gita (chapter 13). It is characterized by not one but several virtues, including tolerance, non-violence, pridelessness, restraint from sense objects, enthusiasm, respect for teachers, cleanliness, stability of mind and yet others. All of these are imporant to have, it seems, as per the author of the Gita. 

Patanjali's sutras and commentaries on it are quite clear that memory has a great role to play. It is very much to be used as an aid, to drive the body and mind into the right direction when it goes astray. The one track mind, focusing on only one virtue is far from astray in that sense, but it is also forgetting something. Of course, a simple, practical student cannot start with everything in his/her mind and memory right from the beginning and to that extent, it is perhaps better to at least start with a "one track mind" rather than never starting at all! However, that does not mean that the same mind cannot start remembering more things as more things get revealed to it in self-study (or formal instruction). As we see that other virtues also have at least a place in all this, and as we remind ourselves of the fact that these other virtues are also good, we can start thinking of moving out of the one-track mind, to even greater multi-trackness. Old habits die hard, but keep in mind that the old is not to be given up. One more is to be added to the list, to continuously make progress. 

Sadanand Tutakne

The Fast Processor of the Heart

In this piece, I am backing away from my stand as an informer, and I am more asking a quesion than pretending to give an answer. Most of us in the corporate sector would have, by now, seen the relevance of this question in our day-to-day work. When it comes to making decisions, we have, on the one hand, the "fast processor of the heart," or the slow, but more articulate decision system of the brain. One gives us speed and is typically in line with what we want, while the other gives us social respectability, by giving us a more articulate and reproducible way of taking decisions, since everything is logged properly - just that this second process is typically slower. 

One might also ask - which is better, or, which is our Dharma - to follow the heart or to follow the slower analytical procedure of the brain. 

Some of us would be very glad to know that Swami Vivekananda has also commented on this issue. In some essays, he says that when the brain and heart are in conflict, follow the heart. This heart, of course, should be one filled with the highest of our aspirations. In other places, he says that everything should be subjected to truthful analysis, but if analysis does not lead to good definite conclusions that we can folow, then it is best to go by the heart. 

It seems to me that the key to understanding the various opinions on this topic is to understand the 3 basic distinctions of consciousness that philosophers (including Vivekanandji) often follow. The lowest is sub-conscious activity, next is conscious activity and then we have a third, which can be called super-conscious. Needless to say, there would be even finer classifications in the literature, but we need not go into those here. The point is, that conscious activity is considered higher that sub-conscious, but then, super-conscious activity remains supreme. 

To the extent that rational analysis helps take man away from the bestial (dark/tamasic) tendencies of laziness and ignnorance, and "lights those areas up," rational analysis is preferred. In practice, however, mmost of us would have seen that we find ourselves unable to think and analyze each and every decision. We feel that the factors to be taken into account are nearly infinite, and it seems practically impossible. Here is where we can consciously choose the  "fast processor of the heart," knowing that we are doing so due to our practical limitations which we will slowly try to overcome, and not hating ourselves for it. Remember that the Gita also asks practioners to not hate the state of the mind when "pravritti" dominates - rather, the two states of illumination (prakaash) and pravritti are to be treated with equanimity, without hankering after either kind of experience. Therefore, practical limitations to our abilities to think need not cause us distress. 

On the other hand, Swamiji (and I'm sure many others) have cautioned us against stopping at reasoning as the last step too. They are clear that the goal of mankind is to transcend limited memory-based reasoning, and reach the super-conscious realms of life, where all things will be viewed in a new light. Swamiji seems to have told his disciples that while the super-conscious transcends rationality, it does not contradict it. Also note what Sri Aurobindo says in Life Divine. He also brings up the description of the highly illumined state in the Gita - "buddhi-graahyam ateendriyam" - which means something which the buddhi can grasp, but neverthess transcends the sense organs. To explain, Sri Aurobindo brings up the analogy of highly researched  conclusions. He says, that the conclusions we derive from advanced rational analysis are "based" on sensory inputs, but they transcend the inputs by far. Animals with no reasoning abilities would be completely unable to grasp what such a rational, well thought-out conclusion is. Similarly, says Sri Aurobindo, is the illumination of the super-conscious. It transcends the indriyas by far, but that does not mean that the buddhi cannot grasp it. 

So, there seem to be super-conscious realities above ordinary states of consciousness which are attainable, and therefore, we are urged to go beyond ordinary logical reasoning and reach the superconscious levels - where ordinary reasoning is probably just not required.  However, this is not the same as the lower, sub-conscious state where reasoning is not used because of lethargy, dullness, sorrow, or some other reason which makes us move "in darkness." To the extent that it is possible, we are encouraged to remove the darkness (and even bring sub-conscious activities like digestion under our conscious control!). However, where not possible, we need not hate the state of darkness as long as efforts are on to remove it. 

The fast processor of the heart is also a gateway to these higher realms. Of course, we are not talking here of the lazy heart, but the heart merged in Brahman, so to speak. In fact, the heart used to be the main center for concentration advised to spiritual seekers earlier. So at this level, the heart-brain struggle acquires a different meaning - which is the better centre to focus on, to attain to states beyond ordinary reasoning. A pure heart is a must, it seems, in all these endeavours. So let's not ignore the heart because we associate it with fast but dark decisions. The intellect must also strive to keep the hheart pure if the gateway to the super-conscious is to be opened. 

Now-a-days, other centres includng the ajna chakra between the eyebrows and perhaps yet other centres are also accepted and advocated by advanced teachers. However, concentration on these centres still needs to be accompanied by a pure heart, by some faith, etc., just like the child has to accept his teacher for some time before he can test scientific theories in the laboratory himself. 

Therefore, let us not get restless because we are currently in avidya, and need to use the fast processor in day-to-day activities. Let's recall that even the Upanishads say - avidyayaa mrityun teervaa - i.e., death is to be first transcended by going through avidya (ignorance). In other words, maybe all means, includng sitting for meditation, are part of ignorance (avidya), but even the Upanishads declare that death is to be first conqured by using this ignorance in the right way, and only then does something or someone take us to the nectar (amrita) of knowlede (vidya) and immortality. 

Sadanand Tutakne