Swami teaches... The integrated approach to the mind. Sankalpas. Directions

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Sai Ram

 

Light and Love

 

Swami teaches...

The Integrated Approach to the Mind. Sankalpas. Directions

Today all the five elements and food are affected by pollution. Science and

technology have made great strides in contributing to the progress of human

society. But human has deteriorated morally and spiritually. But in this wide

world, everyone aspires for long life, prosperity and health. How human being

can to realize this desire?

A healthy body is essential if one has to achieve the four goals of human

life - Dharma (righteousness), Artha (wealth), Kaama (desire) and Moksha

(liberation). A harmonious blend of religion, philosophy and art direct human

being to live healthily and happily in the world. In this context religion

means the religion of love as the only religion in the world. One should

cultivate human values for healthy living. This calls for harmony in thought,

word and deed. When you cultivate this harmony you will be free from desires

and fears.

Atharvana Vedha is the one that has given the science relating to longevity,

known as Ayurvedha. Ayurvedha transcends time and space and is valid for all

places, at all times. It relates to the spirit, mind and the body and has an

integrated approach. Ayurvedha lays emphasis on mental peace and aims at the

elimination of the root cause of disease. Ayurvedha affirms that purity of mind

is more essential for one's health than medicines.

In the ancient times, sages and scientists commended the Ayurvedhic system

of treatment as it was considered a natural system for curing disease. This

system is closely entwined with acquiring spiritual awareness and deep faith to

Atma, mind and body.

Human is made up of Prajna (awareness), Praana (the vital force) and the

body (the material substance). Prajna Shakthi is the radiation energy that

promotes wisdom. Vibration is the expression of the Praana. In every action,

there is a vibration which is in between the consciousness and the physical

body. The mind is not influenced by any external force but by the internal

source, which is Prajna or integrated awareness.

 

The mind, is not like a blank paper. It is a palimpsest which carries on it

the imprint of the experiences and actions of many past lives. It manifests as

a reflection of the Atma.

The body with all the sense organs, made up of the five elements, is the

dwelling which the mind has established for its fulfilment. It is like an

armour. The mind is the basis for the body. It is the cause of all worldly

activities and experiences. A body without the mind is like a school without a

teacher, a temple without a deity, an electric wire without the current -

useless and lifeless.

The joy or distress experienced by the mind is the result of the impressions

conveyed by the senses. All experiences are products of the mind. The world

itself is the projection of the mind. The sages have declared: "Mano moolam

idam jagath." (This universe is based on the mind).

The mind travels quicker than sound, far quicker than even light. Obey the

mind's vagaries; you become a beast. Let discrimination control the vagaries;

you become a candidate for Divinity. Every urge must undergo test, must be

cleared by a judge, namely Buddhi. Does it prompt one to ridicule or defame

another? Then,dismiss it as unworthy. Good intention sprouts as action; action

fructifies into Sadhana; from sadhana emerges virtuous character that draws

down the shower of Grace.

Ships at sea are guided by the compass along the desired direction; without

it, they risk being wrecked on rocks or icebergs. Human has to sail safe across

the ocean of Samsara (Flux and Flow) by the help of Swami's directions and good

company of devotees.

 

The mind wills, yearns, prompts and insists on effort and action. This

process is named Sankalpa. Everyone has to be aware of the variety and validity

of the actions induced by these promptings. Of the thoughts that appear and

vanish, the clouds that pass silently, many stay and stir the mind into

activity. These are referred to as Sankalpas. Until these are well understood

against their vast background, human cannot live happily and in peace. Good

sankalpas can elicit the best out of person and help to use all strength for

uplift. Person has to recognise bad sankalpas or urges as soon as they arise

and render them ineffective by the systematic cultivation of beneficial

sankalpas what can save a person from disaster.

The face is the index of the mind. Evil sankalpas based on anger, hatred,

envy, despair, arrogance, egotism or good sankalpas based on truth, love,

charity, compassion are reflected on the person's face. We can picture it as

the notice board. A sankalpa affects the consciousness more subtly than an

electric charge. It manifests as a need, a motive with a name and form. It

colours the thought stream in a distinct way. It causes clusters of reaction in

the blankless mind. Its potency depends on time and circumstance. Sankalpas

breed further sankalpas; they play their role, unaided through their own latent

force. The mind activates the eye and ear, the tongue and nose and every

organ of perception and action. The mind initiates its activation when a

sankalpa influences it. The mind is the unseen witness, the interested

observer.

Sankalpas or conations or inner resolutions tend to be attracted towards one

another, when they flow in the same direction or are related to similar desires.

Some pictorial examples similar to attraction sankalpas. Cranes fly together as

flock; they do not mix with crows. Among beasts of the forest, bisons have

herds of their own kind; they have no comradeship with elephants, which keep

bisons away and mingle only with elephants. Similarly, a musician attracts

musicians around him. Teachers seek teachers for company.

The decisions which the mind makes, either to commit or omit, are amazing,

for, the Cosmos and all its contents can be described as their consequence. The

mind decides on the fact or facet of the objective world which it has to notice.

Sankalpa bears fruit and the fruit conforms to the seed from which it springs.

It has to reveal its impact, sooner or later. For example, one might entertain

a thought to harm or injure someone. And, it might fructify as harm or injury

on him. But, the sankalpa will surely rebound on the person bringing with it

hundredfold harm and injury. A bad sankalpa hurts both the person and his

target.

Therefore, as soon as a passing thought sprouts in the mind as an urge or

desire, one has to examine it with care to discover whether it would tarnish or

promote one's reputation, hinder or help one's progress, weaken or strengthen

one's character. If it is of the former category, cast it away, as a foul

stinking object. And, save yourself by saturating the mind with good

intentions.

The nature of the sankalpa that motivates a person can be sensed by others.

The story of Ted Ross, a farmer in Holland, illustrates this. He left his

brother and mother in order to live in peace and freedom and settled on a

forty-acre farm in a cottage he built thereon. He had interest in poultry

farming and raised chicken. One night a fox entered the yard and made a meal of

them. Its visit continued, night after night. So, the farmer took a decision

(sankalpa) to kill the fox and kept awake with gun in hand. But, though fowls

disappeared, the fox was not seen. He could hear its approach, the flutter of

the birds and its exit, but he could not spot where it was. His vain vigil

persisted for five long years. He consulted many elders about the mystery. A

pure hearted sympathiser told him, "Ted! Your mind is so free from blemish that

even a tiny blot is patent to all. The fox is aware of your intention and is

taking clever measures to avoid being noticed." Animals have this capacity. It

is a gift of nature. A dog curled on the brink of the road will not be afraid

of your approach, when you are Sankalpa-free. Plan to hit it, while even twenty

feet away; the dog will rise and run. Human's sankalpas, their manifestations

in action, can be too detected easily. A person who has committed wrong, who has

'robbed another's property, who has scandalised another or uttered a lie - look

at his face; examine it closely. You will notice the signs of confusion and

fear. The anxiety makes the blood cells become weak; the face becomes pale;

lips quiver. The person suffers in health. Suppression is dangerous; expression

brings about infamy. This is the effect of evil sankalpa.

Unrest, anxiety and anarchy are fed by evil sankalpa. You must see good,

hear good and act good, so that evil intentions do not arise. Remember: "From

good thoughts, good minds; from good minds, good God."

The mind can be an instrument to gain success in any of the paths of Yoga

and in the struggle to gain the goals of life. The mind of the individual, has

originated from the Cosmic Mind of God, Brahman. One's duty is to merge it in

the source and will become "I" ("Self").

People are generally prone to regard the mind as intimately bound to the

body. But the highest realisationconsists in using the Buddhi (intelligence) to

acquire Vignana (the higher wisdom) and conquering the mind through that wisdom.

This consummation is attained only through sathsankalpas (good thoughts). The

prime requisite for the cultivation of good thoughts is sathsang (association

with good people). Thoughts have an objective reality of their own. Thoughts

radiate their good or bad vibrations around them. Every expression is charged

with a power of its own. Good company has a great power and can help people,

who have lost the right way in the arena of the Divine play. Below are three

examples.

 

Ratnakara was a highway robber who supported his family by attacking

wayfarers and robbing them of their possessions. Such a person was so

completely transformed by association with the seven great sages (Saptarishis -

Vasishta and others) that he later became Valmiki, the great Adi Kavi, who wrote

the epic "Ramayana". Not only was he the first among poets, but he achieved the

same status as the sage Vyasa.

During Buddha's time, there was a very cruel and wicked man known as

Angulimala. Like Ratnakara, he was also engaged in waylaying travellers,

robbing them of their wealth and cutting off their thumbs to use them as a

necklace round his neck. The Buddha was able to reform even such a cruel man

and turn him into a spiritual seeker.

Gauraanga belonged to a community called Jagaayi-Maadhayi, who were noted

for the wicked ways and their cruelty. Through his association with holy men,

he became a great devotee of the Lord Krishna. He devoted his entire life to

glorifying God in song and dance. So the union of good resolutions with faith

in God is like the coming together of the positive and negative ends of

electric wires; through this combination, any great thing can be accomplished.

Absorbed in sensual desires and worldly pursuits human being has lost all

sense of morality and sight of own divine nature. Greed has turned human

against human.

Concerted efforts must be made to change this situation by influencing

peoples thoughts and attitudes. The primary requisite is to develop the will

power of people along right lines. When the will power is developed, other

powers like discrimination, intelligence, retentivity, articulation, analysis,

etc. can be developed. Without a strong will, nothing can be accomplished.

But how help to human being to develop will power and to give an impulse to

obtain skill of self-control, to discover own divine nature, and to quiet the

mind? There are several rites and methods. In present serial mantras and

mudras, specially stressed and presented by Swami are noticed.

Mantra is a compounded set of words what emanates from the inner power. The

mantra when it is pronounced properly, brings out the Divine power in human

being. The vibrations produced by the utterance of the mantra, uniting with the

Cosmic primal sound in the Universe, become one with the Universal

Consciousness.

For all the mantras, the primary mantra, which enshrines the attributeless,

omniself, is the Omkaara. It is the union of Brahma and deity Saraswathi. The

body is regarded as Brahma and the tongue is regarded as Saraswati and the

vibrations emanating from the heart find expression in sound through the union

of the body and the tongue. Although there are many letters and words, the

fundamental letter, which has primacy of place, is the Omkaara. "Om

ithyekaaksharam Brahma" (the single letter Om is Brahman Itself) says the

Geetha. All other letters and words are linguistic creations. Omkaara has no

form and is the manifestation of Brahman as sound. It is present in all

creation. It is effulgent. It is in all speech. It is ever blissful. It is

Paraathparamyee(embodiment of the Supreme). It is Maayamayee (the repository of

illusory power). It is Shreemayee (embodiment of prosperity). The Omkaara is the

base for the Vedha.

The Omkaara has a unique, distinctive quality in the way it is pronounced

and the goal it represents. When other letters are uttered, the lips, the

tongue, the cheeks and the jaws are in action. But when the Omkaara is

pronounced, none of these move at all. This is a unique characteristic of

Omkaara. In reciting any mantra the primacy to be accorded to Om should be

recognised. The mantra ends with the word Namah. (The worshipful attitude

signified by the term Namah will be lost if the word Om is not used at the

beginning of each mantra). In ordinary parlance Namah is understood to mean

namaskaaram (salutation). But it has a wider meaning. It means Prakrithi (the

phenomenal world). Om connotes Purusha (Divinity). The purpose of the mantra is

to reveal the connection between Prakrithi and Purusha.

Swami presented to us a five-letter mantra "God is" ("Devudunnaadu," in

Telugu) as the message for Guru Poornima 19 years ago and asked to proclaim it

in all circumstances and at all places with all the conviction and strength. He

asked to make this mantra devotees sheet-anchor. Have this five-letter mantra

as your constant companion and strengthen your faith in God. The mantra "God

is" can be more powerful than a mantra based on any particular deity's name.

Moreover, mere repetition of any mantra is of little use. Greater than the power

of mantra or yantra is the power of a pure heart (chithasuddhi). Your faith must

stem from the heart, which is the seat of the Divine.

The sages practised self-control as the means to enduring happiness. This

technique is described as Tantra. It consists of a variety of practices called

Mudras. By practising mudras, the sages tried to turn the senses and the mind

inwards. There are many serials of mudras. The three easiest of the serial what

help to quiet the mind and to turn the sense organs away from the influence of

happenings and objects in the outer world. 1. Khechari Mudra: It consists

in concentrating the two eyes on the mid-point between the eyebrows during

meditation. This exercise enables the integration of vision by which one's

Reality is experienced. This mudra can also be practised by closing the eyes,

but concentrating the look inwardly on the midpoint between the brows.

Performing the mudra with open eyes is an ordeal. Hence concentration with

closed eyes is preferred. 2. Bhoochari Mudra: In this, meditation is done

with the eyes and the mind concentrated upon the tip of the nose. When the

Divine is meditated upon in this manner, a unique kind of joy is experienced.

3. Madhyama Mudra: In this, the eyes are concentrated on the middle of the nose

between the tip and the mid-point of the brows. Unlike the Bhoochari mudra, in

which the eyes may be fully open, in this the eyes are only half-open. This

mudra becomes easier after practising the Bhoochari mudra.

(To this serial belong Shanmukha Mudra and Sambhavi Mudra. For beginners to

practice these mudras is not easy). The three mudras - Khechari Mudra,

Shanmukha Mudra and Sambhavi Mudra - are of immense value in developing control

of the mind. The practice of these mudras is closely related to the awakening of

the shadchakras (the six centres) in the spinal column.

The self-controlled person, by discovering his/her divine nature, can

illumine the world around. Like a joss-stick, which scatters its fragrance in

all directions, the name and fame of the pure-hearted self-realised individual

reach all. (Reet's compilation from, Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 2. "With

prathyaksha to paroksha," Chapter 11. Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 17. "Unique

significance of Omkaara," Chapter 25. Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 19. "The mind use

and misuse," Chapter 13; "The five-letter Mantra," Chapter 14 and "Mano moolam

Idam Jagath," Chapter 15. Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 26. "Integral approach to

human ailments," Chapter 4).

Namaste - Reet