Beware of the senses!

Adi Shankara points out the danger that lurks in the five senses, which threatens all human beings. By identifying totally with the body and indulging in experiences through all the five sensory pathways, a human is in a worse condition than other species in the animal kingdom, that are enslaved predominantly by only one sense organ.

This is illustrated in a verse in Viveka Choodaamani. Shankara enquires: “what is the condition of a human being attached to all the five senses, when the deer, elephant, moth, fish and honeybee meet their destruction while enslaved by one of the senses?”

शब्दादिभिः पंचभिरेव पंचपंचत्वमापुः स्वगुणेन बद्धाः ।

कुरंग मातंग पतंग मीन भृंगा नरः पंचभिरंचितः किम् ॥

shabdAdibhiH panchabhireva pancha panchatvam-ApuH svaguNena baddhAH /

kuranga-mAtanga-patanga-mIna-bRungA naraH panchabhir-anchitaH kiM //

• The deer is charmed by sweet sounds made by a hunter, and is killed when it proceeds toward the sound.
• The elephant becomes attached to the sense of touch, and while mating, falls into a trap, oblivious of the danger.
• The moth is attracted by the sight of fire, and unwittingly gets burned while rushing into it.
• The fish, hungry for the bait, eagerly jumps up to bite into it, and gets caught.
• The honeybee, intoxicated by the fragrance of the flowers, gathers honey and stores it in its hive; it is subsequently destroyed when humans set fire to the hive to obtain the honey.

Through this verse, Shankara dissuades human beings from forming a strong attachment to the body, which leads to relentless sensory pursuits.

Chapter 2 – Happiness

Key concepts:

Happiness is the goal of all human pursuits. We turn away from anything that we dislike, that causes sorrow and discomfort (duhkha nivritti); we chase after anything that we like or find agreeable, that provides comfort and joy (sukha praapti).

At the collective level of nations and governments, as well as the individual, we are constantly trying to change, manipulate and rearrange things in the outer world to secure a more comfortable, happy life. However, it is not possible to:

a)  make everyone happy, because individual likes and dislikes vary

b) whatever changes we make in the outer world cannot last

We are always discontented due to two factors:

·        Excessive preoccupation with the body and the senses

·        Expectations about situations and people

Material success does not equate to happiness, as evidenced by the lives of the rich and famous leading unhappy, dysfunctional lives.

The ancient Vedantic masters have examined and analyzed where happiness is located.  We experience joy through our sense organs , therefore we believe that joy lies in the sense objects. For example, when we hear pleasing, melodious music that come through our ear, we think the music brings us joy. We think we can be happier if we get more of the objects our senses crave. We still find that it does not increase our happiness/ If joy were located in the objects, then an object should provide the same amount of joy to anyone who comes into contact with it – we know this is not the case. As the saying goes, “one man’s nectar is another man’s poison”.

Happiness is a state of mind.

·        When the mind is agitated, we feel sorrow and stress

·        When the mind is calm, we feel happy

Happiness is measured by the tranquility of the mind. Of course, sense objects can bring us happiness – although this is fleeting. The capacity of achieving happiness lies within us. We do not have to look outside, nor be dependent on objects, to be truly happy. We can achieve this goal by learning to quieten the mind.

A mind full of desires is an agitated mind. Happiness =

number of desires fulfilled

number of desires entertained

We can increase our happiness quotient in two ways:

·        Increasing the numerator (Caution: fulfilling more desires will give rise to new desires, increasing the denominator, and leading to decreased happiness)

·        Decreasing the denominator

"The Truth shall set you free”: a parable to ponder

As we study Self-Unfoldment, it may be helpful to reflect on the following parable at different points, and try to discover what it illustrates.

A group of ten people once set on a journey together. They arrived at a river, and having crossed over to the opposite bank, decided to camp there for the night. When they woke up in the morning, the leader of the group panicked, after counting only nine people and finding one missing.

Of course, much grief ensued, with everyone distressed about what happened to the tenth person. At this point, another traveler passing by noticed the commotion, and enquired about the cause of their sorrow.

When the leader told them what had happened, the passer-by informed them that there is no reason for their tears, as the tenth person was intact. The band of ten expressed great relief, and they proceeded to ask where this tenth person was to be found.

The passer-by then asked each of them to count the number of people present, and they all counted only nine. The passer-by then declared simply, “you are the tenth person”.

Chapter 1 – Freedom

Key concepts:

·        Civilization has evolved; science and technology have advanced further than our ancestors ever thought possible; we are surrounded by many conveniences and comforts. Why then are we not happy? Why are we, for the most part, worried, anxious and dissatisfied?

·        The mind becomes unhappy when we try to satisfy every desire that comes into it. For example, when we eat the first helping of our favorite food, we experience joy; from there it diminishes with each additional helping, leading eventually to feeling sick from over indulgence.

·        We all want to be free, and rebel against any constraints. However, true freedom lies in self discipline and restraint.

·        Laws protect people’s freedoms, but prevent them from being reckless and irresponsible, e.g., traffic rules and regulations are meant to enforce safety for those who have the freedom to drive.

·        Religious and spiritual texts prescribe a code of conduct to develop and maintain the right relationship with the world, so that our freedom (which is a form of power) can be harnessed for constructive purposes.

·        Even at the body level, we need to practice certain regimen prescribed by the doctor in order to maintain it in a healthy state to lead our lives.

·        Happiness is a state of mind. The world is not responsible for our unhappy state; our view of the world determines our state of mind. For example, the optimist sees the glass half full, and pessimist sees the same glass as half empty.

·        Being grateful for what we have, brings about a tranquil mind that can accept situations gracefully. A mind that constantly dwells on unfulfilled wants destroys peace, concentration and efficiency in action.

·        Freedom is our birthright as human beings. From a Vedantic perspective, this means not being dependent on anything in this world for our happiness.

·        When we don’t have this freedom, we go up and down with the vagaries of life, much like a boat tossed hither and thither in a stormy sea.

·        Vedanta teaches us how to gain this freedom by discovering our true nature, the divine Self within us.

·        In Vedantic literature, the world is compared to an ocean, on whose surface there are continuous waves. Despite the surface disturbances, the ocean itself is still and calm in its depths.

·        Similarly, beneath all the changes in the world, there is an unchanging Reality that supports and pervades everything.

·        An enlightened person is one who is in touch with this changeless Reality, and is therefore at peace, no matter what changes are taking place in the world around. This does not signify indifference; rather, the enlightened one is not overpowered by these experiences or identified with them.

·        Human being = body + mind + intellect + the Life Principle (which enlivens the other three)

·        Body: perceives and acts

·        Mind: feels emotions

·        Intellect: thinks thoughts and ideas

·        In order to be truly free, one must learn: not to get caught up in our perceptions and actions; not to be overwhelmed by our emotions; and not to be controlled by our thoughts and ideas

Introduction

We all come to a point in our lives, when we are not happy with the state of things as they are, or feel that something is lacking. We start asking existential questions such as “who am I”, “what is my purpose in life”, “what is the nature of this world and my relationship to it”, “what makes me sad”, etc. Vedanta helps us answer these questions, and many more which arise in a spiritual seeker.

“Self-Unfoldment” is a fundamental text that expounds Vedantic concepts in simple, easy to understand language. As such, it is a great tool in the hands of spiritual seeker embarking on the journey of self discovery. The principles can be applied in our daily lives to improve and enrich all our interactions with the world outside of us, and to bring about peace and happiness in our lives and the lives of those around us.

Currently, most of our knowledge is confined to the realm of the objective, phenomenal world handed down to us by the material scientists. Vedanta is the Science of Reality (brahma vidyaa) focused on the subjective, inner world as revealed to us by ancient rishis. We need to effect some changes to our personality in order to move from our current state to a different state of consciousness. This book provides the rationale and the methods for this Self-unfoldment.

Seven questions of a spiritual aspirant from Adi Shankara’s Viveka Choodaamani:

को नाम बन्धः Ko naama bandhaha: What is bondage?

कथमेष आगथः Kathamesha aagathaha: How has it come?

कथं प्रतिष्ठास्य katham prathishtaasya:  How does it continue to exist?

कथं विमोक्षः katham vimokshaha: How can one be completely free of it?

को'सावनात्मा ko’ saavanaatmaa: What is the not-Self?

परमः क आत्मा paramah ka aatmaa: Who is the Supreme Self?

तयोर विविकः tayor vivekaha: What is the process of differentiating between the two?