1.
My humble Pranam to all. On this auspicious
day I like to share with you some basic
principles of practicing the system. I have
been practicing this system of Rajayoga for
nearly 5 decades and I feel I have some
information on the problems we face in our
sadhana and would like to share the manner
in which I tried to understand and meet the
situations. When we study the book “The Ten
Commandments” of our beloved Master we
appreciate the point that this system
requires certain definite changes in our
habits. It is said that "Man is a creature
of habit." This simple statement is
deceptively profound.
2.
We know that our lives are comprised of a
collection of habits that dictate many of
our physical, emotional and mental actions
and reactions. Depending on the level of
conscious awareness we invest in a habit's
creation, habits can either enslave us,
turning us into a mindless automaton, or
free us to pursue creative, joyful
activities that enhance and give meaning to
our life. Most of us have a mixture of good
and bad habits. The demand of the book Ten
Commandments is that we eschew wrong habits
and attitudes and embrace the wholesome and
holistic attitudes and habits recommended in
the book. If some of us feel that the call
is too high it reflects the unwillingness to
follow the commandments 3 and 2 which stress
on the clarity required to understand and
reach our goal.
3.
Obviously this means our unwillingness to
change our habits. When we say ‘I am not
able to get up early in the morning’ we are
only saying to ourselves ‘what if I get up
late and attend to meditation.’ When we say
we are not able to forgive our brother or
sister we are only saying we are not willing
to do so. The Commandments demand that we
eschew greed, gluttony, hatred, envy,
hopelessly undue attachment to persons and
property and a host of other habit patterns
which having been created by us we refuse to
leave them. The plays of the mind are
mysterious and funny and deserve greater
attention in its role in habit formation.
4.
Habit is defined as an acquired behaviour
pattern followed until it has become almost
involuntary. Habits can be good or bad,
productive or non-productive. Good habits
lead to developing skills, such as learning
to listen, pray, help etc., They also save
us time and energy by automating the
performance of desirable actions. These
acquired behaviour patterns free our mind
from having to concentrate, as would be
required of unfamiliar actions. It is
amusing that every early in the morning
there is a ritual of waking up the Lord in
every temple and He is yet to develop that
habit. I only am stressing how difficult it
is to develop a good habit.
5.
To obey the Master who has developed total
control over his internal and external
apparatus as our beloved Master is the way
to become like him. He always said that it
is his wish that all become like him. It is
common sense that we replace bad habits ( or
as Master puts it spiritual diseases like
laziness, sloth or indolence, envy, hatred,
jealousy and a host of other negative traits
which affect sadhana) with good ones, which
is the basis of all self development and
spiritual evolution. But habits and
attitudes die hard. This is evident when
almost everyone who has ever tried to quit
smoking, alcohol or coffee will tell that
this is not always as easy as it would seem.
6.
Smokers are addicted to nicotine. But
according to modern science of brain, all
habits induce emotional states that produce
chemical changes in our brain. Consequently,
we become addicted to the chemicals secreted
by our brain no matter
what kind of habit we create. We are further
informed that with every thought or action
we undertake, we create electrical pathways
in our brain. As some wit said all that we
know is "neurons which fire together and
wire together." Psychologists aver that
repetition etches these patterns more deeply
into our brain. In order to replace a bad
habit with a good one, we need to break the
association with our emotions and the
chemicals we have grown accustomed to, and
rewire our brain. This requires
concentration and will. Obviously our will
which has been made weak due to our
educational and ethical systems requires
support from a genuine person who is
prepared to rewire our connections. This is
what is being done through the process of
Pranahuti. Pranahuti without our willingness
to recognise our faults and fallacies and
readiness to change into a more productive
and integral being would be of no use under
normal conditions.
7.
If we are unaware or unwilling to
acknowledge our non productive habits, we
will have a hard time replacing it. If we
are not convinced a particular habit is bad
for us, we will have no incentive to change
or transform. But, if we are aware
of our unwanted habits and undesirable
attitudes and are willing to devote our
attention to it, then change is possible and
more so through Pranahuti quickly. Deeply
focused concentration, such as during our
meditation increases the potency of our
thoughts and more deeply affects our brain's
rewiring. Meditation and cleaning processes
thus gain paramount importance in our
efforts to transform.
8.
We should remember that in the original
place it took regular action to install our
unwanted
habit patterns and attitudes possibly over
the course of several lifetimes and so it
will take regular action and considerable
time to undo it. This is where our will
comes in as also the help we get from
Pranahuti. We strengthen our will, as well
as our new habits with repetition. Every
time we consciously reject the urge to give
in to our bad habit, we strengthen our will.
Every time we consciously undertake an
action to install a new,
positive habit, it becomes easier. This is
how we rewire our brain and overcome our
addictions and change our attitudes.
9. When
these habits are of a positive nature, this
self-reinforcing cycle produces positive
results, but the
contrary is also true. In other words,
consciously acting to install positive
habits strengthens our will and further
attracts more similar experiences. Giving in
to bad habits weakens our will, not
only making it harder to install good
habits, but doing so may cause us to lose
the good habits we already had. This is the
logic behind the principles of aanukoolyasya
sankalpa and pratikoolyasya varjanam. The
habits and attitudes which are contra to the
nature of our goal should be eschewed if we
have to develop the habits and attitudes
which promote the acquisition of the goal
desired. There can be no better reason to
develop our will and
consciously establish positive habits. The
development of good habits and attitudes
adumbrated in the book Ten Commandments will
improve the quality of our spiritual life
and free us from the grip of negative habits
and attitudes. That leads to better quality
of meditation and there by enables us to
embrace our Master very quickly and become
one with Him. However we should always
remember that in sadhana we should be guided
by our own wisdom acquired through sadhana
in the proper manner. Conventions and dogmas
should be never allowed to dictate our
wisdom. This is the primary freedom and can
be considered as Viveka.
10.
Pranam.
