Theos-Talk Archives (December 2002 Message tt00065)

Sorry, it came somewhat distorted


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 consciousness
is shrouded in sanskaras, or the accumulated imprints of past experience. In
the human form the will-to-be-conscious with which evolution started has
succeeded in 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
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 its identity
with the Oversoul, it is necessary that consciousness should be retained and
that sanskaras should be entirely removed. The sanskaras, which are
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
five ways 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 unwinding of past sanskaras). The methods that predominantly illustrate
the last two principles (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 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 accompanied
by 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 falling
prey to circumstances. If he resists the circumstances, he is likely to be
carried 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 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,
in spite 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 of
the 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 bound
to be disastrous to health. Therefore, external fasting should be periodical
and only for a short time. It has to be continued till there is complete
victory 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 of self-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 the body 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
an individual feels after realizing that he has done some wrongful act.
Repentance consists in mentally
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
can negate 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
awareness by 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 the
different 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. Penance
should 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 arise
with great impulsive
velocity are unable to curb them at their source, but they can refrain from
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, he
may 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 own satisfaction. The process of spending up or exhausting impressions
through expression 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
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 the
sensations 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
remain unmoved and balanced in the presence of all external and internal
stimuli, it arrives at the state of nonwanting. And by not wanting anything
(except the 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 own constructive suggestions, there is always the chance of these
outposts of defense being washed away by some sudden and unexpected wave
arising in the ocean 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,
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,
the negative 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 accompanied
by the process of forming some other new attachments. The grossest form of
attachment is that which is directed toward the world of objects; but when
the mind is being detached from the world of objects, it has a tendency to
arrive 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 and create
a new problem. The assertion of “no, no” has to be sufficiently powerful to
effect the eradication of all the physical, subtle, and mental sanskaras;
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 the enlightened
stage of “I am God” (“Anal Haqq,” or “Aham Brahmasmi”).