Theos-Talk Archives (December 2002 Message tt00064)

Copyright 2000 Avatar Meher Baba Perpetual Public 
Charitable Trust, Ahmednagar, Kings Road, post bag #31. Maharashtra, India. All rights reserved
These six Discourses are for personal use only. Etzion Becker
 

The word Sanskara means enslaving impressions which are being crystallized in our subconscious minds and compel us to act and to reincarnate. 
 
 
 
 
The Removal of Sanskaras
Part I
The Cessation, the Wearing Out, and
the Unwinding of Sanskaras
 

       
Human beings do not have Self-illumination because their consciousnessis shrouded in sanskaras, or the accumulated imprints of past experience. In the human form the will-to-be-conscious with which evolution started hassucceeded in
     
Sanskaras prevent

Self-illumination
creating consciousness. However, unconsciousness does not arrive at the knowledge of the Oversoul because the individual soul is impelled to use it for experiencing sanskaras instead of utilizing it for experiencing the soul’s own true nature as the Oversoul. The experiencing of sanskaras keeps it confined to the illusion of being a finite body trying to adjust itself in the world of things and persons.

Individual souls are like drops in the ocean. Just as each drop in the ocean is fundamentally identical with the ocean, the soul – which is individualized due to bhas, or illusion – is still the Oversoul and does not really become separate from the
     
Problem of securing

release from sanskaras
Oversoul. Yet the envelope of sanskaras, by which consciousness is covered, prevents the drop-soul from having Self-illumination and keeps it within the domain of duality. In order for the soul to consciously realize itsidentity with the Oversoul, it is necessary that consciousness should be retained and that sanskaras should be entirely removed. The sanskaras, whichare contributory to the evolution of consciousness, themselves become impediments to its efficacy in illuminating the nature of the Oversoul. Henceforth the problem with which the will-to-be-conscious is confronted is not that of evolving consciousness but that of releasing it from sanskaras.

The release from sanskaras takes place in the following five ways:
     
Five ways of securing release from sanskaras
1. The cessation of creating new sanskaras. This consists in putting an end to the ever-renewing activity of creating fresh sanskaras. If the formation of sanskaras is compared to the winding of a string around a stick, this step amounts to the cessation of the further winding of the string.

2. The wearing out of old sanskaras. If sanskaras are withheld from expressing themselves in action and experience, they are gradually worn out.In the analogy of the string, this process is comparable to the wearing out of the string at the place where it is.

3. The unwinding of past sanskaras. This process consists in annulling past sanskaras by mentally reversing the process that leads to their formation. Continuing our analogy, it is like unwinding the string.

4. The dispersion and exhaustion of some sanskaras. If the mental energy that is locked up in sanskaras is sublimated and diverted into other channels, they are dispersed and exhausted and tend to disappear.

5. The wiping out of sanskaras. This consists in completely annihilating the sanskaras. In the analogy of the string, this is comparable to cutting the string with a pair of scissors. The final wiping out of sanskaras can be effected only by the grace of a Perfect Master.

It should be carefully noted that many of the concrete methods of undoing sanskaras are found to be effective in more than one way, and the fiveways mentioned above are not meant to classify these methods into sharply distinguished types. They represent rather the different principles characterizing the spiritual processes that take place while sanskaras are being removed. For the sake of convenience, this Part will deal only with those methods that preeminently illustrate the first three principles (namely, the cessation of creating fresh sanskaras and the wearing out and the unwindingof past sanskaras). The methods that predominantly illustrate the last twoprinciples (the dispersion and exhaustion through sublimation of sanskaras, and the wiping out of sanskaras) will be explained in Parts II and III.

If the mind is to be freed from the bondage of ever-accumulating sanskaras, it is necessary that there should be an end to the creation of new sanskaras. Fresh multiplication of sanskaras can be stopped through renunciation. Renunciation
     
Renunciation
may be external or internal. External, or physical, renunciation consists in giving up everything to which the mind is attached-home, parents, marriage, children, friends, wealth, comforts, and gross enjoyments. Internal, or mental, renunciation consists in giving up all cravings, particularly the craving for sensual objects.

Though external renunciation in itself is not necessarily accompaniedby internal renunciation, it often paves a way for internal renunciation. Spiritual freedom consists in internal renunciation and not in external renunciation, but external renunciation is a great aid in achieving internal renunciation. The person who renounces his possessions disconnects himself from everything that he had or has. This means that the things he renounces are no longer a source of fresh sanskaras. He thus takes an important step toward emancipating himself from his sanskaras by putting an end to the process of forming new sanskaras. This is not all that is achieved through external renunciation. With the renouncing of everything, he also renounces his past bindings. The old sanskaras connected with his possessions get detached from his mind; and since they are withheld from expressing themselves, they get worn out.

For most persons, external renunciation creates a favorable atmosphere for the wearing out of sanskaras. An individual who possesses wealth and power is exposed to a life of indulgence and extravagance. His circumstances are more favorable for temptations. Man is mostly what he becomes by being chopped, chiseled, and shaped by the sculptor of environment. Whether or not he can surmount his surroundings depends upon his strength of character. If he is strong, he remains free in his thought and action, even in the midst of action and reaction with his environment. If he is weak, he succumbs to its influence. Even if he is strong, he is likely to be swept off his feet by a powerful wave of the collective mode of life and thought. It is difficult to withstand the onslaught of a current of ideas and avoid fallingprey to circumstances. If he resists the circumstances, he is likely to becarried away by some wild wave of collective passion and get caught up in modes of thought that he is unable to renounce. Though it is difficult to resist and overcome these influences and surroundings, it is easier to escape from them. Many persons would live a chaste and straightforward life if they were not surrounded by luxuries and temptations. The renunciation of all superfluous things helps the wearing out of sanskaras and is therefore contributory to the life of freedom.

The two important forms of external renunciation that have special spiritual value are solitude and fasting. Withdrawal of oneself from the storm and stress of the multifarious worldly activities and occasional retirement into solitude are valuable
     
Solitude and fasting
for wearing out the sanskaras connected with the gregarious instinct. But this is not to be looked upon as a goal in itself.

Like solitude, fasting also has great spiritual value. Eating is satisfaction; fasting is denial. Fasting is physical when food is not taken, inspite of the craving for the enjoyment of eating; it is mental when food is taken not for its delights and attachments but merely for the survival ofthe body. External fasting consists in avoiding direct contact with food in order to achieve mental fasting.

Food is a direct necessity of life, and its continued denial is boundto be disastrous to health. Therefore, external fasting should be periodical and only for a short time. It has to be continued till there is completevictory over the craving for food. By bringing into action the vital forces to withstand the craving for food, it is possible to free the mind from attachment to food. External fasting has no spiritual value when it is undertaken with the motive of securing the health of the body or for the sake ofself-demonstration. It should not be used as an instrument for self-assertion. In the same way, it should not be carried to the extreme – until thebody is reduced to its limits. Self-mortification through prolonged fasting does not necessarily promote freedom from the craving for food. On the contrary, it is likely to invite a subsequent reaction toward a life of extravagant indulgence in food. If, however, external fasting is undertaken in moderation and for spiritual purposes, it facilitates the achievement of internal fasting. When external and internal fasting are wholehearted and faithful, they bring about the unwinding of the sanskaras connected with the craving for food.

The unwinding of many other sanskaras can be brought about through penance. This consists in augmenting and expressing the feeling of remorse anindividual feels after realizing that he has done some wrongful act. Repentance consists in mentally
     
Penance
reviving the wrongs with severe self-condemnation. It is facilitated by availing oneself of the different circumstances and situations that stir up penance, or by remaining vulnerable during periods of emotional outbursts, or by deliberate efforts to recall the past incidents with a remorseful heart and acute disapproval. Such penance unwinds the sanskaras that are responsible for the action. Self-condemnation accompanied by deep feeling cannegate the sanskaras of anger, greed, and lust. Suppose a person has done irreparable wrong to someone through uncontrolled greed, anger, or lust. Sometime or other he is bound to have the reaction of self-killing remorse and experience the pricks of conscience. If at this time he vividly realizes the evil for which he was responsible, the intensity of emotional awarenessby which it is accompanied consumes the tendencies for which he stands self-condemned.

Self-condemnation sometimes expresses itself through different forms of self-mortification. Some aspirants even inflict wounds on their body when they are in a mood of penitence, but such drastic expression of remorse must be discouraged as a general usage. Some Hindu aspirants try to cultivate humility by making it a rule to fall at the feet of everyone whom they meet. To those of strong will and stable character, penance can bring the desired good effect through self humiliation, which unwinds and eradicates thedifferent sanskaras connected with good and bad actions. Others who might be feeble in their willpower also derive benefit from penance if they are under sympathetic and loving direction. When penance is carefully nourished and practiced, it inevitably results in the mental revocation of undesirable modes of thought and conduct, and makes one amenable to a life of purity and service.

It should, however, be carefully noted that there is always the danger in penance that the mind might dwell too long upon the wrongs done and thus develop the morbid habit of wailing and weeping over petty things. Such sentimental extravagance is often an indiscriminate waste of energy and is in no way helpful in the wearing out or the unwinding of sanskaras. Penanceshould not be like the everyday repentance that follows everyday weaknesses. It should not become a tedious and sterile habit of immoderate and gloomy pondering over one’s own failings. Sincere penance does not consist in perpetuating grief for the wrongs but in resolving to avoid in the future those deeds that call forth remorse. If it leads to lack of self-respect or self-confidence, it has not served its true purpose, which is merely to render impossible the repetition of certain types of action.

The wearing out and the unwinding of sanskaras can also be effected by denying to desires their expression and fulfillment. People differ in their capacity and aptitude for rejecting desires. Those in whom desires arisewith great impulsive
     
Denying desires their fulfillment
velocity are unable to curb them at their source, but they can refrainfrom seeking their fulfillment through action. Even if someone has no control over the surging of desires, he can prevent them from being translated into action. Rejection of desires by controlling actions avoids the possibility of sowing seeds of future desires.

On the other hand, if a person translates his desires into action, hemay spend up and exhaust some impressions. But he is creating fresh impressions during the very process of fulfilling the desires and is thus sowing seeds for future desires, which in their turn are bound to demand their ownsatisfaction. The process of spending up or exhausting impressions throughexpression and fulfillment does not in itself contribute toward securing release from sanskaras.

When desires arise and their release into action is barred, there is plenty of opportunity for spontaneous cogitation about these desires. This cogitation results in the wearing out of the corresponding sanskaras. It should be noted, however, that such spontaneous cogitation does not bring about the desired result if it takes the form of mental indulgence in the desires. When there is a deliberate and wanton attempt to welcome and harbor the desires in the mind, such cogitation will not only have no spiritual value but may itself be responsible for creating subtle sanskaras. Cogitation should not be accompanied by any conscious sanction for the desires that arise in consciousness, and there should not be any effort to perpetuate the memory of these desires. When desires are denied their expression and fulfillment in action and are allowed to pass through the intensity of the fire of a cogitative consciousness that does not sanction them, the seeds of these desires are consumed. The rejection of desires and the inhibition of physical response effect, in time, an automatic and natural negation of the past sanskaras.

Rejection of desires is a preparation for desirelessness, or the state of nonwanting, which alone can bring about true freedom. Wanting is necessarily binding, whether it is fulfilled or not. When it is fulfilled, it leads to further wanting and thus
     
Desirelessness
perpetuates the bondage of the spirit. When it is unfulfilled, it leads to disappointment and suffering, which – through their sanskaras – fetter the freedom of the spirit in their own way.

There is no end to wanting because the external and internal stimuli of the mind are constantly alluring it into a state of wanting or disliking(which is another form of wanting) something. The external stimuli are thesensations of sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch. The internal stimuli are those that arise in the mind of man from the memories of the present life and the totality of sanskaras gathered by consciousness during the evolutionary period and during human lives. When the mind is trained to remainunmoved and balanced in the presence of all external and internal stimuli,it arrives at the state of nonwanting. And by not wanting anything (exceptthe absolute Reality, which is beyond the opposites of stimuli) it is possible to unwind the sanskaras of wanting.

Wanting is a state of disturbed equilibrium of mind, and nonwanting is a state of stable poise. The poise of nonwanting can only be maintained by an unceasing disentanglement from all stimuli whether pleasant or painful, agreeable or
     
Poise of nonwanting and principle of neti neti
disagreeable. In order to remain unmoved by the joys and sorrows of this world, the mind must be completely detached from the external and internal stimuli. Though the mind is constantly fortifying itself through its ownconstructive suggestions, there is always the chance of these outposts of defense being washed away by some sudden and unexpected wave arising in theocean of the natural and mental environment. When this happens you may, for a time, feel completely lost; but the attitude of nonattachment can keep you safe.

This attitude consists in the application of the principle of neti neti (not-this, not-this). It implies constant effort to maintain a watchful detachment in relation to the alluring opposites of limited experience. It is not possible to deny only the disagreeable stimuli and remain inwardly attached to the agreeable stimuli. If the mind is to remain unmoved by the onslaughts of the opposites, it cannot continue to be attached to the expressions of agreeable stimuli and be influenced by them. The equipoise consists in meeting both alternatives with complete detachment.

The “yes, yes” meaning of the positive sanskaras can only be annulled through the negative assertion of “no, no.” This negative element is necessarily present in all aspects of asceticism, as expressed through renunciation, solitude, fasting,
     
Negative element in all aspects of asceticism
penance, withholding desires from fulfillment, and nonwanting. The happy blending of all these methods and attitudes creates a healthy form of asceticism in which there is no toil or exertion. But to ensure all this, thenegative element in them must come naturally without giving rise to any perversions or further limitations.

Trying to coerce the mind to a life of asceticism is of no use. Any forcible adjustment of life on ascetic lines is likely to stunt the growth of some good qualities. When the healthy qualities of human nature are allowed to develop naturally and slowly, they unfold the knowledge of relative values and thereby pave the way for a spontaneous life of asceticism. Whereas any attempt to force or hasten the mind toward an ascetic life is likely to invite reaction.

The process of being freed from some attachments is often accompaniedby the process of forming some other new attachments. The grossest form ofattachment is that which is directed toward the world of objects; but whenthe mind is being detached from the world of objects, it has a tendency toarrive at some finer attachments of a subjective kind. After the mind has succeeded in cultivating a certain degree of detachment, it might easily develop that subtle form of egotism which expresses itself through aloofness and a superior air. Detachment should not be allowed to form any nucleus upon which the ego could fasten itself; and at the same time, it should not be an expression of one’s inability to cope with the storm and stress of worldly life.

The things that limit pure and infinite being should be given up
     
Negative sanskaras must also disappear before enlightenment
through an attitude of immense strength, which is born of purity and enlightenment, and not from a sense of helplessness in the face of strife and struggle. Further, true detachment does not consist in clinging to the mere formula of neti neti, which sometimes becomes an obsession of the mind without any deep-felt longing for enlightenment. Such interest in a mere formula of negation often exists side by side with an inward dwelling on the temptations. Detachment can be integral and wholehearted only when it becomes an inseparable part of one’s nature.

The negative assertion of “no, no” is the only way of unwinding the positive sanskaras gathered through evolution and human lives. Although this process does destroy the positive sanskaras, it results in the formation of the negative sanskaras, which in their own way condition the mind andcreate a new problem. The assertion of “no, no” has to be sufficientlypowerful to effect the eradication of all the physical, subtle, and mentalsanskaras; but after it has served its purpose, it has to be ultimately abandoned. The finality of spiritual experience does not consist of bare negation. To bring it under a negative formula is to limit it by means of an intellectual concept. The negative formula has to be used by the mind to decondition itself, but it must be renounced before the ultimate goal of life can be attained.

Thought has to be made use of in order to overcome the limitations set up by its own movement; but when this is done, it has itself to be given up. This amounts to the process of going beyond the mind, and this becomes possible through nonidentification with the mind or its desires. To look objectively upon the body, as well as all thoughts and lower impulses, is to get established in blissful detachment and to negate all sanskaras. This means freeing the soul from its self-imposed illusions-like “I am the body,” “I am the mind,” or “I am desire”-and gaining ground toward theenlightened stage of “I am God” (“Anal Haqq,” or “Aham Brahmasmi”).
     



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