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- Indulgence of Vital Desire Is Not a Solution — Neither is Suppression of the Vital - by Submitted on Jul 25, 2022 from santosh krinskyThe Mother illustrates the difficulty of transforming the vital nature. None of this is either fast or easy, given the complexity of human nature and, in particular, the vital being. There are also deeply entrenched habits of action and reaction and a general force of vital nature that lives in ...
Views: 527 - The Vital Nature: a Great Assistant, but an Impossible Master - by Submitted on Jul 23, 2022 from santosh krinskyLion tamers, horse whisperers, dog trainers, all learn certain things about how to bring the vital nature into a compliant and participatory mood, to carry out the wishes of the trainer. They quickly learn that they cannot simply allow these vital beings the absolute license to do whatever they ...
Views: 531 - The Trouble Based on the Nature of the Vital That Needs to be Overcome - by Submitted on Jul 22, 2022 from santosh krinskyIt is a universal human experience that the vital force in the being is either extremely reactive to situations, particularly when it has a desire or craving to fulfill, or, if not given its desire, it can sulk or withdraw its energy and the being goes into a state of torpor or indolence, ...
Views: 542 - Transforming the Vital Nature, Part 2: Overcoming Difficulties and Obstacles on the Path - by Submitted on Jul 21, 2022 from santosh krinskyThe primary initial difficulties faced by the sadhak in overcoming the vital nature are related to the Gunas of Rajas and Tamas. Rajas is naturally energetic and somewhat aggressive and thus, it tackles issues with vehemence. When it becomes frustrated or suffers a setback, it tends to recoil ...
Views: 517 - How Can One Transform the Vital? Part 1: Observation, Understanding, Action & Resistance - by Submitted on Jul 20, 2022 from santosh krinskyThe Mother provides a clear approach to transforming the vital nature. In part 1 she addresses how to gain perspective, the necessary steps involved and the kind of resistance that arises and what can be done about it. The Mother notes: “The first step: will. Secondly, sincerity and ...
Views: 516 - Time and Patient Persistence - by Submitted on Jul 19, 2022 from santosh krinskyThe shift from the standpoint of the desire-soul of the ego is not something that can occur completely and all at once. There are too many persistent threads of the instincts and habits of the mind-life-body complex to expect so radical a change to happen magically. There may be, and generally ...
Views: 499 - The Difference Between Indulgence, Suppression and Rejection of the Movement of Desire - by Submitted on Jul 18, 2022 from santosh krinskyYogic practitioners have a number of different methods they have utilized to try to gain control over the movement of vital desire. The disturbances caused by desire, and the distractions that result are clearly inimical to success in the yogic sadhana. Some, like those who practice various ...
Views: 513 - How to Eliminate Desire Without Suppression - by Submitted on Jul 17, 2022 from santosh krinskyHow do we experience desire? For some, it comes as a drive to possess something we experience in the world, whether something seen, heard, felt, etc. In other words, desire begins with something perceptible by our senses. In the past, this was therefore something close at hand. Nowadays, with ...
Views: 608 - The Need for Transformation of the Vital in the Practice of the Integral Yoga - by Submitted on Jul 16, 2022 from santosh krinskyCan human nature be changed? We are exhorted to be kinder, more compassionate, less egoistic, more rational in our relationships with others and our actions in the world. When we try to actually carry out these things, we find that, for the most part, our vital instincts and drives still control ...
Views: 505 - Overcoming the Reaction of Jealousy - by Submitted on Jul 15, 2022 from santosh krinskyJealousy is one of those deeply rooted vital reactions that are not amenable to being “convinced” to change by mental logic. Highly educated, refined individuals are also subject to jealousy when appropriate circumstances arise, and as with other such deeply rooted reactions, the vital ...
Views: 547 - The Vital Reaction of Jealousy - by Submitted on Jul 14, 2022 from santosh krinskyIn Shakespeare’s play The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice the vital reaction of jealousy is explored in considerable depth. The title character Othello is married to a young woman with whom he is passionately in love, in the normal sense of the word. Iago, who wants to bring down Othello, ...
Views: 675 - Understanding Human Nature - by Submitted on Jul 13, 2022 from santosh krinskyAt some point in life, virtually every individual has an experience which is extremely disappointing and painful, due to a perceived betrayal or undue negative reaction from another person. A great part of human interaction is driven by reactions of jealousy, envy, lust, greed, fear, anger or, ...
Views: 521 - Overcoming the Inherent Bias of the Ego-Personality - by Submitted on Jul 12, 2022 from santosh krinskyPsychological tests and experiments have shown that each individual sees external events from their own perspective and thereby bring their personal biases, albeit unintentionally, to what they observe and how they understand situations. What the senses perceive is enhanced and filled in by the ...
Views: 534 - Observing, Understanding and Overcoming the Impact of Negativity and Hostility on the Sensitive Nature of the Refined Individual - by Submitted on Jul 11, 2022 from santosh krinskyRefined and sensitive individuals tend to judge others by their own internal standard. In many cases, this means expecting others to always respond with good will, compassion and honesty. They build up an image of how the world ‘works’ that is based on their inner sense of things, and in many ...
Views: 519 - Self-Consciousness of the Ego-Personality Is Not the Same as Observing from the Witness Consciousness - by Submitted on Jul 10, 2022 from santosh krinskyThere is a phenomenon that is called “entering the zone”. This is a state of consciousness where one essentially acts without the involvement of the ego and identifies with the action one is undertaking. Amazing results or performances come about through entry into the “zone”. There is a ...
Views: 526 - Living in the Consciousness of the Eternal Provides an Answer to Our Hurried and Dissatisfied Existence - by Submitted on Jul 09, 2022 from santosh krinskyThere is a strong human potential movement that counsels ‘mindfulness’ by living in the present, and not worrying about or identifying with the past, and not imaging or creating images about the future in one’s mind. This movement has an underlying truth associated with it, as dwelling on either ...
Views: 484 - The Illusion of Constant Action - by Submitted on Jul 08, 2022 from santosh krinskyIt is a malady of modern society that we believe we must stay constantly busy, We do not understand nor appreciate the value of quiet time for contemplation and stepping outside of the whirl of day to day activities to unite our awareness with that of the consciousness which manifests in the ...
Views: 538 - The Origin of Joy - by Submitted on Jul 01, 2022 from santosh krinskyThere is a difference between ‘joy’ and ‘enjoyment’. Enjoyment is a more or less passive state, such as when we enjoy some form of entertainment. Joy, on the other hand, is an active status, which rises spontaneously through involvement and action. If we observe children, we see that they ...
Views: 597 - Addressing and Overcoming Boredom - by Submitted on Jun 30, 2022 from santosh krinskyAs long as we remain bound to the ego-personality, we are caught in the play of the three gunas, or qualities of nature. Every individual is subject to all three, and their constant interchange. Thus, there will be times and circumstances where tamas, the quality of indolence and darkness comes ...
Views: 560 - Understanding the Nature of Fear and Its Effects on the Being - by Submitted on Jun 27, 2022 from santosh krinskyWherever we focus attention, we create a direct relationship with the object of that attention. It may be through aspiration towards a higher consciousness, devotion to an ideal or through love for a revered guide or teacher; or it may be through the reaction of fear about some person, event or ...
Views: 772 - Aspiration, Faith and Realisation - by Submitted on Jun 26, 2022 from santosh krinskyAspiration in terms of the yogic process is a tuning of the consciousness towards the spiritual reality, and thereby shifting the focus away from the ego-personality to the divine. The aspiration directs the attention, but must be followed up with an attitude of receptivity so that the response, ...
Views: 628 - The Importance of the Attitude of Trust for the Yogic Practitioner - by Submitted on Jun 25, 2022 from santosh krinskyIn our world today, we tend to doubt everything, question everything, trust in nothing. We recognise how much dissembling takes place, how many illusions are placed before our eyes, and we frequently have the experience that when we trust in someone or something, we tend to later see that we ...
Views: 614 - Comparing Thought and Intuition as Problem-Solving Methodologies - by Submitted on Jun 24, 2022 from santosh krinskyThe West, in particular, believes in the power of thought to solve problems. The educational system focuses its attention on analysis and categorization, and eventually adds the precepts of logical thought as a methodology to work through problems step by step. The scientific method, as it is ...
Views: 772 - Dealing with Difficulties and Setbacks Along the Way - by Submitted on Jun 23, 2022 from santosh krinskyWe tend to judge things, events, opportunities, setbacks, obstacles and directions from the standpoint of our individual ego-personality. When we take up a spiritual path, we expect that our efforts, and our devotion to the guide or master in whom we rely, will smooth the path in front of us and ...
Views: 560 - Finding a Solution that Provides Peace Without Sacrificing Progress in the Universal Manifestation - by Submitted on Jun 22, 2022 from santosh krinskyIf the drive towards progress is fueled by dissatisfaction and anxiety felt by the individual, we are left with the concern that achieving peace must come at the cost of giving up the active life and the development of consciousness in the world. We either have to sink back to the level of the ...
Views: 519 - Man: the Being Who Worries - by Submitted on Jun 20, 2022 from santosh krinskyAnxiety arises when we extrapolate from a current circumstance or event to what we anticipate, imagine or speculate will follow. Some of this speculation is logical, following what we know of the method of Nature and the rollout of events through Time, although there is no absolute certainty ...
Views: 648 - The Third Step in the Mental Discipline: Control of Thoughts - by Submitted on Jun 19, 2022 from santosh krinskyThe inner control of thoughts is a further development once the poise of the witness consciousness has been attained. As the seeker observes the thoughts, he can also determine their effect in the being, and see if they lead to uplifting, widening, and harmonizing results, or whether they shrink ...
Views: 509 - Discernment of Good and Bad Thoughts - by Submitted on Jun 18, 2022 from santosh krinskyWhen we initially reflect on “what is a good thought” and “what is a bad thought”, the first ideas that arise almost inevitably harken back to whatever cultural, moral or ethical code prevails within the society of the time, whether this is based on religion or developed cultural understandings ...
Views: 623 - The Need and Method for Observing One’s Thoughts - by Submitted on Jun 17, 2022 from santosh krinskyAvoidance of suffering may be considered as a ‘negative’ status. Achievement of happiness is the positive pole of this continuum. Both states are rooted in the mind and the standpoint that the individual takes. When the scriptures speak of “evil thoughts” or “purified thoughts” this is not ...
Views: 545 - Four Steps to Avoid Suffering - by Submitted on Jun 16, 2022 from santosh krinskyMany people suppose that it is impossible to avoid suffering, as it is an inherent aspect of life on earth. Their strategies for dealing with suffering may vary, but they all believe that suffering is inevitable. When we consider, therefore, the idea of avoiding suffering, we are either met ...
Views: 557 - Escaping the Conflict and Battle of Thoughts in the Mind - by Submitted on Jun 15, 2022 from santosh krinskyThrough the process of affinity and filtration of thoughts, when we remain in the plane of the mind, we experience the struggle and resistance of competing thoughts that appear to be in many cases chaotic in nature. Fighting with these thoughts, struggling, suppressing, all turn out to be ...
Views: 557 - Dealing with Mental Resistance to Attempts to Silence the Mind - by Submitted on Jun 14, 2022 from santosh krinskyIt is quite natural for an individual, particularly a seeker attempting to make progress in the yogic process, to internalize the difficulties and blame them on his own weakness, incapacity, or lack of will power. The reality, however, is that this is a continuation of the egocentric viewpoint ...
Views: 561 - The Source and Nature of the Thoughts an Individual Receives - by Submitted on Jun 13, 2022 from santosh krinskyIf we ask almost anyone where thoughts come from, they will say that they are produced in the brain. The brain is some kind of thought-factory. They don’t know how. They don’t know why. They don’t know what causes certain thoughts to develop. They recognise that sense perceptions influence the ...
Views: 550 - Controlling One’s Thoughts - by Submitted on Jun 12, 2022 from santosh krinskyThe mind is always active, jumping from one input source to another, depending on the senses and their objects, the various forms of media we are consuming, including radio, tv, music, reading, social media, etc.; but also on a variety of internal factors including nutritional factors, ...
Views: 579 - Understanding the Limitations of the Mechanical Mind - by Submitted on Jun 11, 2022 from santosh krinskyAt a very basic, rudimentary level, less developed in the evolutionary scale than the physical mind, lies what is termed the ‘mechanical mind’. This level relies heavily on programmed repetition. It is programmed to have a simple instruction set, to repeat continuously whatever ‘sets off’ its ...
Views: 575 - Understanding the Limitations of the Physical Mind - by Submitted on Jun 10, 2022 from santosh krinskyWe are used to superimposing our higher intellectual control on the physical mind and its operations. The physical mind still acts, but we generally limit its application through this process. At the same time, however, we do not consciously pay attention to its action or the impact of that ...
Views: 582 - Dealing with Obtrusive, Repetitive Thoughts - by Submitted on Jun 09, 2022 from santosh krinskyBefore we can deal with thoughts, we need to have at least a basic understanding of what they are and where they come from, what they consist of, and what the purpose of thought is. Yet, we rarely if ever examine these questions and simply take thought for granted as something necessary and ...
Views: 588 - Transitioning to the Silent Mind - by Submitted on Jun 08, 2022 from santosh krinskyAssume that we succeed, through various methods of meditation or concentration, to bring the mind into a status of relative quiet. At that moment we begin to notice that there is this other running commentary going on in the background, reacting to every sense impression, bodily sensation, ...
Views: 564 - The Silence of the Mind - by Submitted on Jun 07, 2022 from santosh krinskyWe are so used to the constant internal dialogue that we have no conception of what it means to have ‘silence of the mind’. We strive to fill up any silence with sound, whether through conversation, consumption of media, music or even treating television or radio as ‘background noise’ for our ...
Views: 568 - How to Quiet the Mind - by Submitted on Jun 06, 2022 from santosh krinskyIt is a virtually universal experience. One sits for meditation, trying to quiet the mind, and the thoughts keep surging and seem to have more intensity than before! Every sensation seems to provoke some activity in the mind, pent up issues or concerns take that time to come to the fore, ...
Views: 567 - Understanding and Dealing with the Physical Mind - by Submitted on Jun 05, 2022 from santosh krinskySri Aurobindo recognises that in order to effectively address the actions of the mind, the various underlying sources and the energies they raise up in their action must be clearly seen and understood. There is a difference in the way one needs to deal with a persistent emotional reaction, for ...
Views: 513 - Yogic Equality Does Not Imply Fatalistic Acceptance - by Submitted on Jun 03, 2022 from santosh krinskyAttaining the proper poise of equality is an essential step for the yogic practitioner. It is quite easy to fall into a fatalistic view that basically says “what happened was what had to happen”, without further consideration about the process through time and the direction, momentum and ...
Views: 595 - The Test of Yogic Equality - by Submitted on Jun 02, 2022 from santosh krinskyThe setting of Sri Krishna’s teaching to Arjuna on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, symbolizing the ‘battle of life’ is an essential message to all who seek to progress in their spiritual growth and development. We do not normally associate a battlefield as the place to learn about our spiritual ...
Views: 609 - The Nature of Equality in Yogic Psychology - by Submitted on Jun 01, 2022 from santosh krinskyThe term ‘equality’ in general use relates to inter-personal relationships within the society, but that is not how the term is utilized in yogic psychology. Equality in that sense means the ability to accept all touches from the universe, perceptions, feelings, thoughts, emotions, powers and ...
Views: 523 - Mental and Vital Formations and Habits of Acceptance Which Create Obstacles for the Soul’s Victory - by Submitted on May 31, 2022 from santosh krinskyEvery part of our being has certain habitual patterns of responding to, accepting and dealing with forces and vibrations that enter into them. These habitual patterns for the most part lock in the old ways of seeing and acting, and it takes a change in standpoint from the mental-vital-physical ...
Views: 570 - The Most Effective Method for Achieving Detachment - by Submitted on May 30, 2022 from santosh krinskyWhen one works to develop the consciousness of the witness, Purusha, observing the Nature, Prakriti the progress comes generally over time with repeated persistent and patient effort. Consider for a moment going through one’s own life observing but not reacting internally. If we observe even a ...
Views: 606 - Absorption in Our Outer Life, Living in the ‘Now’, Mindfulness and Detachment - by Submitted on May 29, 2022 from santosh krinskyMost people live a life without inward reflectoin, reacting to circumstances, conditioned by habits developed through millennia, trained responses and built up expectations. Their lives are fixated on whatever is presented to them at the moment, and they lose any sense of self-awareness in this ...
Views: 613 - The Sources of Disturbance and the Process of Detachment - by Submitted on May 28, 2022 from santosh krinskyWe tend to internalize and “own” our weaknesses or internal struggles. This is the ego-consciousness at work. We also fail to recognise that there are multiple different sources of pressures on us, some of which are ingrained habits we have accepted into our surface being, others are seeds we ...
Views: 554 - Detachment from and Mastery of the Surface Nature - by Submitted on May 27, 2022 from santosh krinskyWhen we are first confronted with the concept of detachment from our external nature, we tend to approach it from a mental standpoint and thus, try to shut down our emotions and mental reactions with various types of response such as forms of stoicism, renunciation, or a show of non-caring, or ...
Views: 543 - Gaining the Standpoint of the Observer of the Nature - by Submitted on May 26, 2022 from santosh krinskyAn important step in the practice of yoga is to attain true detachment from the surface nature through the shifting of the standpoint from the surface to the ‘witness consciousness’, the Purusha. The separation of Purusha from Prakriti, the active nature, is needed in order to effectuate change ...
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