Zitat von Vedanta am 20. Juni 2018, 17:56 Uhr

Transcript:
Q&A “Hinduism” Part 17
- Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 14
HH Shri Satyanarayana Dasa Babaji

QUESTION 1

So the gunas reach a different mixture and they create a personality [character], some are more active, some more passive. So one point you made was that through spiritual practice we change the quality of the gunas that are acting upon us. But the other point seems that a symptom of one who is transcendental is that even though the gunas are acting he does not seem to be attaching [acoustically unclear]. This sounds similar to what you were talking in the beginning, that detaching means that everything is there but you are just not controlled by it. So as you purify yourself spiritually, what changes and what doesn't about y0ur personality?

ANSWER 1

Well, two things happen. Generally, if you do spiritual practice it will tend to make you more sattvic, if you do it properly. Which means that you will naturally gain more knowledge about life – because knowledge is one of the characteristics of sattva – and knowledge means proper understanding of these things, i.e. you will not have confusion about it. You will also start liking knowledge. You will become more peaceful and balanced in the mind. You will be observing yourself better than before and in a particular situation when you were reacting earlier, start getting some grip over it and not react immediately. Then you will have the ability to make good decisions. Because one of the problems in our life is that we don't make good decisions and then later on we repent. These things will happen, these are the types of changes that will come. You will manifest these characteristics, you will become more cooperative, more compassionate, more caring for others.

This happens because of sattva becoming more prominent. And really speaking, even the external features start changing. You see, our face as they say, is the index of the mind. We all know when you are in an angry mood, your face looks one way. And you don't know it, but next time you get angry look into a mirror, probably you have never done it [everybody laughing including Babaji]. It's good to see you in a mirror when you are in an angry mood, how beautiful you look! Similary, when you are in a happy mood, your face looks one way, when you are in a sad mood, your face looks one way. But if your nature actually changes permanently, then your face also changes permanently. You see these people who come to spiritual life and practice for some time properly, i.e. they are actually doing good sadhana, then you see that their features also start changing. They become more nice, attractive to look at, the eyes become more peaceful. So this is a characteristic that you will feel and perceive in others.

QUESTION 2

So with all that change, is there still a base personality that will stay the same?

ANSWER 2

Yes, change does not happen so easily. As I have been saying, we don't like to change. One of the characteristics of ego is to resist change, and characteristic of mind is to like change. You can compare ego to tamas, it doesn't like to change. And mind is rajas, it likes change. And buddhi [intelligence] is more sattva.

So both things are there: Mind likes to change, but also not too much because ego is there, it will not allow to change too much [everybody laughing]. Mind gets very quickly bored with anything if you do it repeatedly. But at the same time we don't want to change too much, you want to change within a certain range which is basically similar, not drastic change, you don't like drastic changes. Permanent change therefore happens with a great effort.

That's why it is said that you have to do your sadhana under proper guidance and with a lot of enthusiasm, then you will see actual change happening. If you don't do it under somebody's guidance and supervision, then what will happen? The change will not happen internally. You will make a lot of external changes to make yourself happy. Because ego has to actually work in both ways, change without changing. Naturally, if you are processing or following some spiritual path you would like to change, because that's the reason you are following, but ego does not like. So then you change in such a way that you don't really change. Then a lot of external things change. You may change some of the external habits, ok you start waking up earlier, you become vegetarian, but your character still remains the same. So the real change is not these things. Getting up early, if your job is demanding it, you also do that. There are many people who have to go to job early morning so they wake up early morning. But that does not mean they have become spiritual or anything. Whenever they get the chance then they sleep late.

Internal change takes lot of effort and the reason is that our material ego does not easily like to change – which is also one if its good aspects. As I have said, everything has a good and bad side to it. Material ego not changing easily has a benefit. Suppose you are married, you have children, so you have material ego that I am the husband of this woman, these are my kids. Now suddenly next day you actually change your ego, I am not the husband, these are not my kids – the whole family will collapse. But because your ego does not change so quickly, you continue to remain like that. But then it becomes an obstacle if you have to change spiritually, it also does not allow you to change so easily. So nature has given us certain things for our existence, for our survival, but when they become too much or are misused then they also create problems.

That's why we have to understand these things in proper perspective. What are their functions? What is the function of ego, mind, intellect? Or emotions anger, fear lust, sex? All these things have to be understood. But usually, we don't understand why there is anger? Why do we have to have sex, what is actually the desire for sex, from where does it come and why does it come? And why am I so much possessed by it? How can I not be possessed by it? But they don't think about these things. We do these things all the time but we don't understand them. Understanding is important. Whether something is good or bad, you know it, then it is helpful. Because when you understand then you can be relieved from it. Understanding is the first step to get freedom. That's why knowledge is power, knowledge is virtue and knowledge is freedom. That's why Krishna says that knowledge actually purifies you. And knowledge means knowledge of prakriti, purusha and God, these three things.

Actually, you feel happy just by knowing these things. Then everything becomes like a play. Then you will know, this whole world is actually a stage and there is a big drama going on. Then you know that you are just an actor. But what is happening? Most people they don't know that they are actors, instead they take it too seriously [laughing in the audience]. They take their role so seriously that they get stuck in it. But if you know that, this is just a role that I have to play, I may have a role of wife or husband or a mother or a father or a manager. So you play these roles and you stay clean and you walk around. That is the meaning when Krishna says when becoming free how is the person to be known who is free from the three gunas? Then everything becomes a fun to you. That's why it is called play, a drama is also called a play, because you are just playing it. You are not really getting angry at somebody, you are not really killing somebody, you are not really shouting. Actually, anybody who sees you may think, "this guy is very angry." But inside you know that you are not angry. To get angry and not get angry simultaneously, this is called freedom from the three gunas. Anyone who sees you from outside may say, "Oh my God, he is so angry!" But inside you are so peaceful, just like a lake without the wind blowing on it. And you can stop this anger any time. Then you are again peaceful. That's when you are like a player on the stage: You show your anger and then you are sitting backdoor when your anger is over, you are sipping masala-chai [Indian tea] [everybody laughing]. But if you are really angry then it will take you another two hours to cool down [laughing everybody]. So then you take everything like that. Then everything becomes a role for you. You do that – and you do it perfectly! A good actor means he does everything so nicely. So nicely that people actually believe he is really angry. He is so good at it that you can never figure out whether he is angry or not angry [Babaji laughs]. That's why people who are great personalities, you can never figure out what is going on inside them. It's very difficult to find out where they are. They may be smiling, they may be angry, they may be looking this way, that way ... inside you don't know.

Therefore, it is very difficult to figure out Krishna's mind. You cannot predict Him, what He is going to do. Most unpredictable, Krishna, because He is not bound by anything. Prediction means, I know that you are controlled by these gunas and when this situation is there, you behave like this. When there is red light, you are going to stop, simple. But if you are not following any traffic law, I will not know what you are going to do. So that's how it works.

It's interesting, right? It's very interesting! Spiritual life is not a burden, it's fun! Actually, this is the only fun. I wonder why people don't take to spiritual life [Babaji laughing]. They think they are having fun. Actually, they are missing out. We are the ones who have fun – all the time. And why not? Life is meant for fun.

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