Goals for the seeker of spiritual knowledge

Why would someone seek spiritual knowledge? What is or are the goals of a person seeking spiritual knowledge?

To examine this question, we need to first look closer into the generic goals of human endeavor. The Manu Smriti offers a comprehensive classification of the goals of human endeavor, called as Purushaarthaas. These are:

• Artha or Material and physical well-being: This includes all pursuits from acquiring the basic means of survival to wealth and luxury
• Kaama or Emotional and experiential well-being: This includes all pursuits of heart including love, affection, creativity and belongingness
• Dharma or Ethical and Spiritual well-being: This includes all ethical and logical pursuits from the basic performance of one's familial and social responsibilities to more grander and nobler societal contributory efforts.
• Moksha or Liberation from all bindings: This includes everything from the intellectual pursuit to know the purpose of life to achieving the state of total internal freedom.

In some ways, these categories map to the recent motivational theory of Maslow's hierarchy. (You can check more about Maslow's hierarchy at http://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html )

With Artha, Kaama and Dharma, we operate at two hierarchical levels. The initial level where we try to meet the basic needs and the next level where we try to flourish.  And,  we are in general forced into action by these three drivers and at the same time in continuous internal conflict engaging in their pursuit. When one is able to recognize the continuous state of flux that these pursuits puts one into, the desire to look beyond them and seek liberation from their clutches, arises.  This, in Vedanta terminology, is called Mumukshutwa. Primarily there are four reasons that trigger this desire.

1. Bandhana or Bondage: The compulsive nature  of desires associated with these three purushaarthaas that forces one to engage in their pursuit even when one wills not to.
2. Dukha or Misery: Suffering from disappointments about unfulfilled desires and experience of undesired events
3. Jara or Decay: The temporal nature of the happiness as well as the general decay of bodily functions with age
4. Marana or Death: The inevitability of one's own death

 Correspondingly four goals emerges from these for the spiritual seeker:

1. How to gain and enjoy absolute internal freedom
2. How to end suffering in life
3. How to deal with or overcome one's own  death
4. How to know the truth behind the mystery of the self, life and the world

In the Hindu philosophy, there is an overarching greater goal that spans these four goals, which is the quest for perfection. Here, perfection means to live a life that is:

• free of conflicts and beneficial to the world
• living without the fear of death
• continuously abiding in a state of being that transcends the limits imposed by prakriti (nature)

In the second chapter of Bhagawad Gita, there is a description of the traits of such a man of perfection. This short section of 18 verses is known as 'sthithaprajna  lakshana' or the 'traits of one who is established in a stable state of consciousness'. Below are some definitions of the 'man of perfection' from that text.

'prajahaati yadaa kaamaan sarvaan paartha manogathaan

Atmanyevaatmana thushtah stithaprjna thadochyate" (B.G Ch. 2, Verse 55)

"O Paartha, he who has eliminated all compulsive desires from his mind and abides with joy  only in his own self, such a person is known as sthithaprajna"

"Dukheshu anudwigna manah sukheshu vigatha sprihah

Veetha raaga bhaya krodhah sthithadheer muniruchyate" (B.G Ch. 2, Verse 56)

"He whose mind is unaffected by misery, not attracted by pleasant experiences, devoid of attachment, fear and anger; such a person is said to be an ascetic with a steady mind"

In Ramayana, the story of Rama is explained to Sage Valmiki by Sage Narada in response to Valmiki's question if such a perfect human existed. Also another key question raised, both in the Bhagawad Gita and Ramayana, is whether such a man of perfection can be a person of this world rather than a recluse who has retired to a hermitage. The answer in both the texts is a resounding  'yes'. However, it is also not an easy journey for one to achieve this state.  The best description of the arduousness of this journey is found in the Kathopanishad where Lord Yama says:

'Uthishtathaa Jagrataa

Praapya varaan nibodhadha

Kshurasya dhaara nisitaa dhurtyaya

Durgam pathastad kavayo vadante" (Kathopanishad, Book 1, Canto 3, Verse 15)

"Arise! Awake! Enlighten yourself from the wise. The knowledgeable ones say that this path is as precarious as traversing the razor's sharp edge, hard to travel and difficult to cross"

If we take a metaphorical view of the story of  Ramayana, we can again see a great view of this magnificent journey beautifully hidden within the epic by Sage Valmiki.

'Rama' in Sankrit means one who dwells, experiences and enjoys. This is the individual soul called as 'jivatma'. Rama receives his education from two teachers, instructional knowledge from Sage Vasishta and experiential knowledge from Sage Viswamitra. Viswamitra helps Rama to seek physical and mental strength (bala and atibala) and helps him to overcome fear of unknown (Thaataki). Viswamitra then unites him with Sita, the purity of heart.  Ready to take charge of own life (crowned an emperor),  the freedom to do so is denied to him by Prakriti (Kaikeyi) and he is banished to explore his own internal world (forest). He takes up this challenge relying on mental focus (Lakshmana) and purity of heart (Sita). The compulsive nature of conscious mind (Ravana) throws the challenge by trying to make the purity of heart subdued to it. Rama seeks the alliance of strict discipline (Sugriva) and devotion (Hanuman) and overcomes the distractive nature of mind (Vaali). He takes the battle to the core of his heart (Lanka) and successfully overcomes the force of subconscious mind (Kumbakarna), deceptiveness of mind (Meghnath) and finally the compulsive nature of mind (Ravana). Rama then establishes Conscience (vibheekshana) as the ruler of heart.  Reunited with purity of heat, Rama now returns to live a life free of conflicts (Rama raajyam). In the end, for the sake of perfection, he abandons even his attachment to purity of heart (abandoning Sita) and finally departs from the world, leaving a legacy of what it means to be a perfect human being.

The story of Ramayana, Rama's ayana or journey, is available to us as a guidance for charting our own individual spiritual journey, encouraging us to make a resolve to seek perfection in our own lives. Emabrk on this journey, if you haven't already!

Happy New Year!

What is Spiritual Knowledge?

In the last couple of blog postings, we had looked into what it means to be spiritual and what virtues one needs to develop to be ready for receiving spiritual knowledge. Let's now take a quick overview of what,  according to Upanishads, is the spiritual knowledge.

Vedanta primarily uses three popular sanskrit synonyms for spiritual knowledge. They are Aatma Vidya (Knowledge of the personal self), Brahma Vidya (Knowledge of Brahman, the cosmic being) and Paraa Vidya (Transcendental knowledge). The spiritual knowledge is also sometimes referenced simply as 'Vidya' to indicate that it is the only true knowledge. Here are few references from vedantic texts about the importance of spiritual knowledge.  In the tenth chapter of Bhagawad Gita, when Sri Krishna lists a series of examples of his glory available for human perception ,  he says 'I am Adhyatma Vidya among all knowledge'. In the Isaavasya Upanishad, the Rishi extolls on the nature of 'Vidya' as the only knowledge that produces non-perishing results (sambhudhi) and says all other knowledge create only perishable results (vinaasam). And, he continues to say that a seeker must understand both these types of  knowledge for his benefit. (sambhudhim cha vinaasam cha yastad etho ubhayam sahah).

The knowledge pertaining to objects  and experiences of the world are called 'Aparaa vidya' (Non-transcendental knowledge), 'bhautika gnana' (knowledge of objects) or simply as 'Avidya' (False knowledge). Before looking into what contrasts these two knowledge, Vidya and Avidya, let's examine the process of knowledge itself.

Knowledge, as we generally understand, essentially involves three components; the object of knowledge, the means of knowledge and the knower who is the subject gaining the knowledge.  The Indian philosophical systems categorizes the means of knowledge into six:

1. Sabda pramana : Verbal or textual knowledge
2. Upamana pramana: Knowledge by comparison; using reference to an already available knowledge.
3. Anupalabdhi pramana: Knowledge by deduction through reference to absence of a known effect.  e.g. "I don't feel heat. The fire must have died"
4. Anumana pramana: deductive knowledge; establishing presence of a likely cause from its known effect that is seen e.g. "I can see smoke; there must be a fire"
5. Arthapathi pramana: postulation or inductive knowledge; a logical hypothesis that must be true in the absence of a better explanation
6. Pratyaksha pramana: direct perception

(Please see the website vmission.org.in/Vedanta/articles/pramanas.htm for detailed information on the pramanas. A previous blog post on "Music takes you to heights that words cannot' also has a discussion on four of these six pramanas)

 All scientific, artistic and ritualistic knowledge are considered 'Avidya' and use one or more of the above means for knowledge. And, please note that this type of knowledge is within the constraints of time as there is a time period when the knowledge was not possessed by the knower as well as there is a point of time at which the knowledge was gained. Also, the results produced by this knowledge are nor permanent and ultimately perish.

The subject of perception of Aatma Vidya is not any external object but the knower himself and the subject-object distinction is absent in it. The only question to answer is, who is this one who is able to know? The Kena upanishad puts this inquiry as "who is the eye of the eye, ear of the ear and mind of the mind?" . And Sri Raman Maharshi famously reduced the entire vedanta inquiry into one question: "who am I?".  In the  13th chapter of Bhagawad Gita, Sri Krishna calls the Atma vidya as 'keshtranja gnana', or 'knowledge of the knower of field' and all other knowledge as 'Kshetra gnana' or ' knowledge of the field of experience'. 

Due to the absence of the subject-object distinction, the six pramanas listed earlier do not directly apply to Aatma Vidya. They can be enablers but not the primary means. Also, the Aatma Vidya is not constrained by time as there is no time when the knowledge was not possessed by the knower. However, there is the time when the knowledge is not available to the knower which is called as 'ignorance'. Removal of this ignorance, or apparent absence of knowledge,  is called self-realization. Atma Vidya is therefore not a new knowledge gained.

The nature of the Aatman or self is defined in Vedanta as 'sat-chit-aanandam' meaning 'existence- awareness- bliss'. Being not constrained by time and devoid of all modifications, Aaatman has no states of past or future and remains in a continuous present state and hence is described as pure existence. The Atman is the one principle that enables all perceptions and is a witness to all knowledge being itself unaffected. Hence it is identified as pure awareness. Aatman, being the single source of all joy experienced by an individual self, is also described as pure bliss.

How could one realize this true nature of one's own self? The method prescribed is simple, though hard to execute: suppress all noise from worldly perceptions, quieten the mind and the glow of Aatman will become visible just as some stars become visible in the night sky when we move to a spot where there is no city light interfering. Sage Patanjali describes this right at the beginning of Yoga sutra where he says, Yoga is the arresting of all movements in consciousness (chitta vritti nirodha) so that the self will abide totally in its own awareness (drashtu swarupe avastaanam) since otherwise the self identifies itself with its means and acts of perception (vritti saarupyam itaratra).  There are many intermediate steps and means to get to this final state that includes control of breath, mental focus, meditation etc. Again, to reiterate, all steps and action are to remove the obstructions to true knowledge revealing itself in the self and not to gain a new knowledge.

Why should one try to gain Aatma vidya ? The best answer to this question is found in the Kathopanishad where lord Yama, the God of Death, tells Nachiketas :

"asabdam asparsam aroopam avyayam thadaa arasam nithyam agandhavacha yad

Anaadyantam mahata param dhruvam nichaapya thanmruthyumukhaad pramuchyate"

" One becomes freed from the jaws of death by knowing That which is soundless, touchless, colorless, undiminishing, tasteless, eternal, odorless, without beginning and without end, distinct from Mahat and ever constant" ( Kathopanishad, Part 1, Canto 3, Sloka 15. Translation from "Eight Upanishads" by Swami Gambhirannanda, published by Advaita Ashrama)

Here is the assurance from God of Death that Aatma vidya frees one from his inescapable jaws. What better motivation could there be!

This in a nut shell is Spiritual knowledge explained as 'Aatma Vidya'. There is a different approach that can be taken from a cosmic point of view, 'Brahma Vidya', that again converges with 'Aatma vidya'. Will keep that topic for a future discussion.

What it means to be 'spiritual'

The words 'spiritual' and 'religious' are sometimes used interchangeably even though they don't actually mean the same. Not everyone who is religious may be spiritual and not everyone who is spiritual be necessarily religious. However, it is way more easier to ascertain whether someone is a religious person as opposed to a spiritual person, the primary reason being the objective nature of the former as opposed to the subjective nature of the latter. While religiosity is about faith, conformance and explicit practices like prayers, visits to the temple, church or any religious site etc.,  spirituality is about a shift in awareness that creates a different experience and insight whether that is with the religious practices or other activities. Being religious does help one in becoming spiritual but more importantly being spiritual makes the religious experience much more richer and meaningful.

Let us look at a transformation that came over Arjuna as explained in the Bhagawad Gita. At the start of Bhagawad Gita, Arjuna becomes despondent of having to engage in the battle with his grandparents, uncles and cousin brothers and laments at length to Sri Krishna about the potential harm his actions could cause to his relatives, society and the world. Almost everything that Arjuna lists as reasons for his argument at this stage are essentially extrinsic in nature. Sri Krishna's response to this lengthy lamenting of Arjuna was a crisp and short admonition for displaying uncharacteristic weakness at a critical juncture that was unbecoming of a great warrior. Krishna's admonition had the desired effect of making Arjuna become  more self-aware and his reasonings more subjective. Arjuna now makes a honest admission that his thinking has been taken over by a 'negative miserly nature' ('karpanya dosha upahata swabhava') and seeks Sri Krishna's help to clear it up for him what his righteous (dharmic)  action should be. And , Sri Krishna  on hearing this admission, commences the lengthy discourse of the Bhagawad Gita that ultimately results in Arjuna  gaining the right perspectives. So, what was the key difference between Arjuna's arguments presented in the first chapter of Bhagawad Gita which got only on admonition from Sri Krishna  and his statements in the second chapter that resulted in the discourse of Bhagawad Gita? One, the self-recognition by Arjuna of his own 'miserly nature', the insecure nature that makes one cling on to possessions and view all things in terms of only gains and losses. Two, Arjuna's explicit commitment to know and do what is Dharma which would ultimately bring him good (sreyas). As soon as Arjuna, who was definitely a religious person but not necessarily spiritual makes this subtle shift, Krishna blesses him with the spiritual knowledge through Bhagawad Gita.
What the above is telling us is that, firstly, the spiritual knowledge is reserved for the spiritual person because in this knowledge, knowing is also becoming ("Brahmavid Brahmaiva Bhavati - The knower of Brahman becomes Brahman"). Others won't recognize this knowledge even if they happen to receive it. Secondly, a spiritual person is one who turns inward, is self-aware of own strengths and shortfalls and thirsts for knowledge that will help him or her change perspectives. And, finally, a spiritual person is more interested in transforming oneself and less concerned with the gain or loss he or she will make in the world.

What then is the measure of a person progressing in spirituality?  It is the connectedness he or she has with fellow beings and the readiness to make self-sacrifices for the sake of Dharma. We have great examples of this in Jesus Christ , Sri Gautama Buddha, Sri Rama etc. When Jesus walked into the Temple of Solomon, drove out the money changers and sellers of doves, he knew very well that these actions would invite serious consequences for him. He still did what he had to for the sake of reestablishing Dharma. When Gautama Buddha walked away in the middle of night from his royal inheritance and family, he certainly had a good idea of the hardships he was welcoming and still did it for the sake of finding the means to end the suffering for fellow beings. In the case of Arjuna,  the sacrifice Krishna demands of Arjuna, of vanquishing the Kaurava army by killing Bhishma and Drona, was far greater than asking him to sacrifice own life because Arjuna would have any day laid down his own life for any one of these people.

The Isavasya Upanishad explains this feeling of connectedness that a realized person has, in two beautiful verses:
"Yastu sarvani bhutani atmanyeva anupasyathi
Sarva bhuteshu cha  atmanam  thatho na vijugupsate " (Isavasya Upanishad, Verse  #5)
 'He who perceives all beings in his own self and his own self in all beings, he carries no hate'.
"Yasmin sarvani bhutani atmaivabhut vijanatah
Tatra ko moha ka soka ekatvam anupasyatah"  (Isavasya Upanishad, Verse  #6)
'When (a realized person) perceives only unity and considers all beings as his own self, there is no more delusion or despair for him'
This is the nature of a truly mature, spiritual person who has become perfect in spiritual knowledge.

So, what is the first step for students of spirituality? In the Taithiriyopanishad towards the end of its first book called Siksha Valli , the Sage instructs the students that while it is important from them to embrace truth (satyam) and engage in reflection (thapah) , it is utmost important for them to make the practice of assimilating the knowledge (swadhyaya) and sharing knowledge (pravachana) as the soul purpose of all their austerities. Sharing assimilated knowledge may be a small step but an important one for a student of spirituality.

With this understanding, the frequent question for each one of us to consider in our spiritual journey is how established have we become in spirituality in terms of our action, attitudes and perceptions. After all, who other than ourselves are in a better position to know it ?

Ten universal virtues to live by: From Patanjali Yogasutra

According to Hinduism,  spirituality is not a mere intellectual exercise but a major personal journey of internal transformation that involves significant change of attitudes, outlooks, beliefs etc. Just as a farmer prepares a field before planting crops, there is a need to prepare one's own self before engaging in spiritual studies. What kind of virtues should one cultivate in preparation for receiving spiritual knowledge? There are many answers to this question that are spread across multiple scriptural texts. Sage Patanjali in Yoga sutra provides a very comprehensive and concise list that appears to trump the rest in its simplicity and directness. Below is a quick overview of these virtues as described in Yoga Sutra.

Patanjali defines these virtues under two separate groups that he calls as the first two 'limbs' (anga) of  the 'eight-limbed' (ashtaanga) Yoga path. These two groups are called Yama and Niyama. Yama are virtues that are of more importance from a social conduct perspective and Niyama are the same from a personal conduct perspective. And, Patanajali reaffirms the universality of these virtues by saying that they are relevant to any one and every one, at all points of time, irrespective of what part of the world or society they belong to.

First the Yama virtues:
1. Ahimsa: Generally translated as 'non-violence'. This virtue is about having an attitude of not causing intentional harm or injury with the intent of personal gain or pleasure.
2. Satyam: 'Truthfulness'.  Keeping one's conscience clear and not engaging in duplicity when dealing with the world.
3. Asteyam: 'Not stealing'. Not being conceit about what one receives or takes from the world and ensuring to give back as much or more than one takes from the world.
4. Aparigraham: 'Non possessiveness'.  Not seeking self-fulfillment or developing enhanced self-images from possession of worldly goods.
5. Brahmacharyam: Generally translated as 'celibacy', this actually means living a spiritual life that is focused on realizing ultimate truth and not being distracted by sensual pleasures.

Next the Niyama virtues:
6. Saucham: Cleanliness. Maintaining both external (bodily) and internal (mental)  cleanliness and having a sense or order in all aspects of life.
7. Santhosham: Contentment. Keeping a happy demeanor, positive outlook and not engaging in negative thinking. Watch this TED talk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXy__kBVq1M by Shawn Achor on 'Happiness Advantage' to know more about 'Santhosham' and how it can help even with everyday living.
8. Thapah: Generally translated as maintaining a religious austerity in life, this also means leading a contemplative life. Thapah literally means to generate heat; the internal 'heat' generated from intense thinking that brings about a transformation of character.
9. Swadhyaya: Regular self-education. Relentless engagement in developing one's spiritual knowledge and assimilating that knowledge. This is an extremely important virtue given the vastness of spiritual studies.
10. Iswarapranidhana: Having an attitude of surrender to God. This is a foundational virtue for a spiritual seeker. Sage Patanjali also offers a very interesting definition of 'God' as a supreme being who is unaffected by the divisions of the world, free of expectations of cause and effect and free of all afflictions like ignorance, ego, attachment, hatred and self-preservation. The fully stretched prostration that devotees do in Hindu temples called the 'sashtanga pranama' or prostration involving eight limbs is a great demonstration of Iswarapranidhana. The eight limbs involved in the prostration is indicative of total surrender to God These are:
a. Urasaa - by the torso, meaning all bodily functions
b. Sirasaa - by the head, meaning intellectually
c. Vachasaa - by speech, meaning everything spoken
d. Drishtyaa - by sight, meaning everything seen
e. Manasaa - by mind, meaning emotionally
f. Karnayo - by hearing, meaning everything heard
g. Hastayo - by the hands, meaning all deeds performed
h. Padayo - by the feet, meaning all the travels undertaken

(Special thanks to Sree Aswath for his enlightening teaching that has enabled and inspired me to compile the above information)