Yoga-vasistha

[yajvan]

Hari Om
~~~~~

In Vasistha's Yoga ( the conversation of Vasistha with Sri Ram) he says to Ram " there are 4 gatekeepers at the entrance to the realm of Moksha (Liberation or enlightenment) that is:
self-control, spirit of enquiry, contentment, and good company ( satsang)"

" He who wears the armor of self control is not harmed by sorrows." Enquiry, the study of the sruti and smurti he says " the intelligence becomes keen and is able to realize the Supreme";

With Contentment - "one does not crave" and one that is not content in the SELF will be subjected to sorrow. Satsang or the company of the wise and enlightened "enlarges ones intelligence" and "is superior to all other forms of religious practice like charity, austerity, pilgrimage, rites, etc". He concludes by saying " if you cannot practice all 4 , practice one."


"when the infinite vibrates, the worlds appear to emerge" - brahmrisi vasistha

[atanu]

Hari Om
~~~~~

In Vasistha's Yoga ( the conversation of Vasistha with Sri Ram) he says to Ram " there are 4 gatekeepers at the entrance to the realm of Moksha (Liberation or enlightenment) that is:
self-control, spirit of enquiry, contentment, and good company ( satsang)"

" He who wears the armor of self control is not harmed by sorrows." Enquiry, the study of the sruti and smurti he says " the intelligence becomes keen and is able to realize the Supreme";

With Contentment - "one does not crave" and one that is not content in the SELF will be subjected to sorrow. Satsang or the company of the wise and enlightened "enlarges ones intelligence" and "is superior to all other forms of religious practice like charity, austerity, pilgrimage, rites, etc". He concludes by saying " if you cannot practice all 4 , practice one."


"when the infinite vibrates, the worlds appear to emerge" - brahmrisi vasistha

Namaskar,

Personally, I have found the enquiry to be natural choice for me and it automatically leads to contentment even under so-called distressful conditions.

During a discourse Shri Ram asks how is it that the Self, which is intangible, able to move lungs and heart etc., since there cannot be any contact between the intangible and the physical? Sage Vashista replied "lungs which you assume to be physical is also intangible, it is consciousness. The mountain that you see in front is also that.


"when the infinite vibrates, the worlds appear to emerge" - brahmrisi Vasistha. This echoes a verse from Rig Veda.


Om Namah Shivayya

[yajvan]

Hari Om
~~~~~

Namaskar,

Personally, I have found the enquiry to be natural choice for me and it automatically leads to contentment even under so-called distressful conditions.

Namaste Atanu Banerjee,
Yes, I find this too, that enquiry is very delightful to pursue...
they say knowledge is the greatest purifier.

[Sudarshan]

Hari Om
~~~~~

In Vasistha's Yoga ( the conversation of Vasistha with Sri Ram) he says to Ram " there are 4 gatekeepers at the entrance to the realm of Moksha (Liberation or enlightenment) that is:
self-control, spirit of enquiry, contentment, and good company ( satsang)"

" He who wears the armor of self control is not harmed by sorrows." Enquiry, the study of the sruti and smurti he says " the intelligence becomes keen and is able to realize the Supreme";

With Contentment - "one does not crave" and one that is not content in the SELF will be subjected to sorrow. Satsang or the company of the wise and enlightened "enlarges ones intelligence" and "is superior to all other forms of religious practice like charity, austerity, pilgrimage, rites, etc". He concludes by saying " if you cannot practice all 4 , practice one."


"when the infinite vibrates, the worlds appear to emerge" - brahmrisi vasistha

Contentment and Good company appear to be the natural choices. There are situations in life where either Self Control and Enquiry are not possible. Let us say you get very sick and cant do meditation, what would you do? Contenment is possible for anybody in any circumstance - it depends only on mind and does not require the support of the body. If your body does not cooperate, it rules out both Self Control and any kinds of meditative practices.

[yajvan]

Hari Om
~~~~~

Contentment and Good company appear to be the natural choices. There are situations in life where either Self Control and Enquiry are not possible. Let us say you get very sick and cant do meditation, what would you do? Contenment is possible for anybody in any circumstance - it depends only on mind and does not require the support of the body. If your body does not cooperate, it rules out both Self Control and any kinds of meditative practices.

Namaste sudarshan,
you offer some excellent examples... yet for me, I have found when ill, my contentment ( of being healthy) subsides.
I also find mind-body to be connected. I believe the body does the will/intent of the mind. Yet in many cases where the body physically cannot perform for the mind, then there is issue.

I find that the instuction from Vasisthamuni to be insightful. As the individual chooses one 'gate', over time it grooms him/her for the other gates.

What are your thoughts here on this? if one chooses self control, it leads to discipline - and that can be applied to study, meditation, and the like. It also brings contentment.
I am not inferring one is better then the other... my observation when these 'gates' mature, they bring the others with in time.

thank you for your post.

[Sudarshan]

Hari Om
~~~~~


Namaste sudarshan,
you offer some excellent examples... yet for me, I have found when ill, my contentment ( of being healthy) subsides.
I also find mind-body to be connected. I believe the body does the will/intent of the mind. Yet in many cases where the body physically cannot perform for the mind, then there is issue.

I find that the instuction from Vasisthamuni to be insightful. As the individual chooses one 'gate', over time it grooms him/her for the other gates.

What are your thoughts here on this? if one chooses self control, it leads to discipline - and that can be applied to study, meditation, and the like. It also brings contentment.
I am not inferring one is better then the other... my observation when these 'gates' mature, they bring the others with in time.

thank you for your post.

You are right when stating that contenment is challenged when threatened with illness. But self control is possible only in good health - you tend to get frustrated, angry and depressed in ill health. Meditation requires you to assume a good posture and be generally painless and comfortable - not possible for sick people.

Contentment is also difficult, as it is difficult to be content with a sick body that is troublesome. However, you will still find that passage of time strengthens your resolve to be happy with what you have. I had a friend who was bedridden for life in pain but rarely complained of anything ( he died a few months ago), but he cannot be expected to do meditation.

I agree that you can choose to prioritize one gate over the other based on your temperament, and gradually cover all. I believe one should start from "good company" as it is very infectitious( just like bad ones) and that gives the encouragement needed to seriously pursue our disciplines. There are times when we go through lean patches where we suddenly question the existance of God, and spiritual company can bring you back to the path. When people narrate you their own experiences with God, there is nothing better than this to boost your own faith and commitment.

[sarabhanga]

Namaste Sudarshan,

Anyone who is without self-control and unable or unwilling to enquire (and to learn) would generally not be tolerated by wise company, making satsanga rather problematic!

Physical illness certainly may make some yoga methods impossible, but meditation is a purely mental process; and for the practice of meditation and jnana yoga, the only necessity is an intelligently controlled mind.

And even if one is bedridden for life, the shava asana is quite appropriate for meditation!

[Sudarshan]

Anyone who is without self-control and unable or unwilling to enquire (and to learn) would generally not be tolerated by wise company, making satsanga rather problematic!

But you must be familiar with Sri Chaitanya's legendary love towards all - even towards the immoral and wicked? Satsanga can bring about self control and desire to enquire in many people.

Physical illness certainly may make some yoga methods impossible, but meditation is a purely mental process; and for the practice of meditation and jnana yoga, the only necessity is an intelligently controlled mind.

No sAdhana is possible when one is in physical pain. Mind gets completely clouded by distress and the only thing you can do is to try to reconcile with your fate and blaming the karma - the only yoga possible is SharNagati in such cases!

And even if one is bedridden for life, the shava asana is quite appropriate for meditation!

A healthy person can do shavAsana easily, but the pained bedridden guy cannot contemplate on anything. Meditating through the physical barriers is possible only for yogis who reach samAdhi quickly. For starters, no progress can be made when one is physically distressed. The body is the temple to God in the path of any sAdhana- unless it cooperates you have no option but to surrender to God in toto.

[atanu]

---.

Sudarshan follow what suits you best.

[sarabhanga]

Namaste Sudarshan,

Pain is a very great distraction, but remember that the feeling (despite any physical cause) is only a mental impression, an interpretation of sensorial input that may be subdued or modified by the mind itself.

With sufficient practice of meditation, the mind can be withdrawn from all sensation, but if one�s body is already in the grip of some serious illness or distress before gaining the skill, then it would certainly be difficult to learn.