PEACE & COMPASSION
Last month, DAAJI introduced us to
ways to change our behavior patterns and habits according to the wisdom
and practices of Yoga – traditionally known as the Yamas and
Niyamas. This month he focuses on the first Yama, known
as ahimsa or non-violence.
In the field where PEACE prevails
It fascinates me to read some of our ancient texts and realize that the
wise people of those times understood human nature so well. For example,
Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras are just as relevant today as they were thousands
of years ago. Does that mean humanity is still at the same level of
evolution as it was during Patanjali’s times? Patanjali starts his
treatise on the eight limbs of Yoga with the Yamas, and the very
first Yama is ahimsa, which means to cultivate the habit
of non-violence. If you reflect on that for a moment – that the first step
in Yoga is to remove violence, aggression, and any other habits that hurt
other living beings, from our nature – you will realize that this is our
starting point for becoming human.
It somehow resonates with the golden rule, which simply put is, “Treat
others the way you would like to be treated.” Saying it a bit differently,
“Don’t do to others what you don’t want them to do to you.” Apply this
simple principle to non-violence, truthfulness, compassion, prejudice,
empathy, love, anger, hatred, etc.
Non-violence has been an aspiration of many wise people from all cultures
for thousands of years, and still we have not mastered it collectively.
What would a world look like where there is no violence? Most people will
agree that it would be such a beautiful vision. The question is: How do we
arrive at that stage? And is it even feasible in today’s uncertain times?
In fact, it is precisely during such unstable, uncertain times that it is
important to cultivate the habit of non-violence, in order to build a
better future for our children, grandchildren, and all other living
beings. And it all starts with inner peace.
Creating the field for peace
Peace is not something that happens by talking about it, writing about
it, or attending peace rallies. It requires a regular daily practice – a
method that removes the inner obstacles to peace, the inner causes of
violence, and helps us to go deeper within to find the stillness at the
center of our being. Peace is always to be found at our center; it is our
inner nature. It simply needs to be uncovered and nurtured.
So, what are the obstacles we need to remove to arrive at peace? They are
the mental deviations we accumulate in the field of our consciousness, and
they create heaviness, complexity, and emotional turbulence. They have
been described in detail in the series on
Yogic Psychology
in 2019 in Heartfulness Magazine. Until we remove these complexities,
collectively known as the samskaras, it is difficult to feel
peaceful, because they form whirlpools, knots of energy, that disturb our
inner balance. These vibrational knots lead to specific programming of our
subconscious minds and hardwiring of our nervous system along specific
neural pathways. This process leads to habit formation, and we know from
science that it takes regular repetition to form a new habit through this
process, which all starts with the intention of a thought.
It all starts with inner peace.
Such subconscious programming has developed over millions of years for
our survival, and has many positive purposes. Imagine if you did not have
programs to prevent you from walking onto a road full of traffic, jumping
off a high cliff, or putting your hand into a fire. Without the automatic
habitual responses of the subconscious mind, we would neither thrive nor
survive. Also, imagine if you had to read a book or drive a car without
the automatic programs that allow you to read without thinking about every
letter and every word, or multitask while you are driving. But there are
many subconscious programs that are not useful, even though they
originally formed because of repetitive experience that may have been
relevant at the time. It is those programs that keep us stuck in useless
habits.
Take, for example, a person who is too scared to express a difference of
opinion in a work meeting, even though they have something very valid to
contribute. They may have developed a fear of expressing differences of
opinion in early childhood, because they did not learn to do so in a
healthy respectful way. They kept quiet, agreeing with others, in order to
stay safe and maintain harmony. We all have fears, attitudes, emotional
reactions, and other behaviors because of our past experiences. They
determine our habits, which is why it takes more than just knowledge to
remove them.
Why are we not able to be peaceful all the time?
One of the most important programs we have wired into our hormonal and
autonomic nervous systems is the “fight or flight” response, also known as
the stress response. This activation of the sympathetic nervous system is
designed to put us on high alert whenever there is a threat or danger, and
so it generally overrides our sense of peace and calm. Whether we respond
by fighting, fleeing, or even freezing, the associated emotional reactions
in us when our consciousness is disturbed are often anger, fear, sadness,
self-pity, anxiety or depression. This is especially true in today’s world
where most triggers are not actually life-threatening, but are of an
emotional nature; for example, a work colleague is a bully, a spouse is
insensitive, or a friend disappoints us.
If we are to cultivate feelings of contentment, benevolence and
compassion, we need to learn to master our reactiveness to whatever
triggers the stress response.
In addition, in our urban environments, the fight or flight response is
almost perpetually switched on due to the bombardment of noise pollution,
light pollution at night, chemical pollution, electromagnetic pollution,
and human thought pollution. So when our personal challenges and
relationship issues are added to these environmental triggers, the
baseline level of stress that we feel can be overwhelming. In that chronic
state, is it any wonder it is so difficult to feel peaceful and
non-violent?
So, if we are to cultivate feelings of contentment, benevolence and
compassion, we need to learn to master our reactiveness to whatever
triggers the stress response. For that, we need to look into our heart in
order to respond differently to the triggers, both external and internal.
The wonderful thing is that those higher faculties of discernment
naturally evolve through Heartfulness practices. In a sense, we can say
that we rise above our biological drives and function from a higher level
of consciousness. We develop greater mastery over the triggers. This
transcendence is very much associated with the field of practice of the
Yamas and Niyamas.
Swami Vivekananda said this in another way: “Man is not to regard nature
as his goal, but something higher.” Babuji also alluded to the same
concept in his statement that in spirituality we are moving from “animal
man” to “human man” to “divine man.”
How will this happen? It starts with the heart. The heart is the
balancing midpoint in our system and the seat of the soul, and when we
meditate on the heart, gently turning our attention to the soul, we learn
to transcend the reactiveness that may happen at lower levels of
consciousness. The lower chakras that are associated with the more
animalistic instinctual responses no longer govern our behavior. And once
we have journeyed through the chakras of the Heart Region, under the
guidance of a true spiritual Master, we can say that we have transcended
“animal man” to become “human man,” mastering our emotions and functioning
from a higher plane of consciousness.
But the first step is to purify the field of consciousness through which
we respond to the world around us, by removing all the complexities and
impurities. When we are burdened with so many subconscious programs
resulting from all the complexities and impurities we have accumulated,
threats will always be perceived. Per contra, the purer our consciousness,
the greater our level of discernment; it goes up proportionally. When we
can rise above reactiveness, when we can pause, the wisdom of the heart
can truly guide our responses and decisions.
When we can rise above reactiveness,
when we can pause,
the wisdom of the heart can truly guide
our responses and decisions.
Heartfulness practices create the habits of peace and compassion
In practical terms, it is
Heartfulness Cleaning
that purifies consciousness. Without purification, we don’t remove the
complexities that are the root cause of the subconscious programs, and it
is very difficult to change our patterns of habitual response.
This doesn’t mean that we no longer need the fight or flight response –
that response is there for our survival. For example, if a fire is
threatening your home, you need to act to save your family. What changes
is that a purified meditative mind will respond only when it is truly
needed, and it will also respond in a more refined way, rather than
reactively.
It is through
Heartfulness Meditation
that we learn to pause, so that the soul can witness and respond through
the heart’s wisdom in any situation. And through Prayer we develop the
habit of resting in the soul’s realm, and the heart becomes vacuumized so
that the flow of the current of Divinity can fill our being. A simple
analogy is the flow of current from positive to negative in telegraphy. We
may still be aware of fear, anger or anxiety, as they are useful emotions.
They alert us to the need to respond or change. But how we respond, how we
use those emotions for positive change, for the betterment of all, is
life-transforming. We are able to master them so that they take us
forward, rather than keeping us locked into patterns of emotional
turbulence, conflict and violence.
By violence, I don’t just mean physical violence – it can be emotional
violence, passive-aggressive behavior, and resentment in the case of a
person who feels victimized. Violence can also be expressed through
withdrawal. Anything that hurts another being can be included in this
umbrella of violence.
A degree of mastery over these emotions comes from regular meditative
practices, which refine the mind so that it responds from a progressively
higher and higher plane of awareness. The mind works best when it is
guided by the wisdom of a pure heart. In fact, even the regions of the
brain that are activated are different.
One of the main catalysts to bring about this mastery over our
reactiveness is yogic Transmission. Why is it so? For this we need to
first remind ourselves of our human anatomy.
The three bodies
We have a physical body made of matter. We also have a subtle body, known
as the astral or mental body, which is made up of energy, vibration,
thinking and feeling. It is what we also know as the field of
consciousness of the heart and mind. Our third body, the causal body or
the cause of our existence, is the soul. The soul is associated with the
absolute state of nothingness, the substratum of existence. It is pure,
unchanging and immutable.
When we identify mostly with the physical body, then it is easy to be
surrounded by threats in day-to-day life, because our physical being is
constantly being bombarded and may not be in a state of full health and
well-being. By the way, the part of the mind that creates this sense of
identity is the ego, ahankara in Yoga. When we identify mostly
with the subtle body – our thoughts, feelings, emotions, intellect,
knowledge, and ego – we will also be susceptible to threats in day-to-day
life, because our minds and hearts are also constantly being bombarded,
even more than our physical bodies. Think of the emotional upheaval
created by an argument with your partner, your teenage child, or a work
colleague, and you will understand how destabilizing this can be to the
peace of mind of all the individuals involved. This is also why we have a
stress epidemic in the 21st century, which is clinically affecting the
mental health of more than 10% of the world’s population according to the
World Economic Forum.
Now, let’s compare this with what happens when we identify with the soul,
which we do when we have a spiritual goal, and when we acknowledge that we
are souls having a human experience in the world. Then, something very
different happens. The soul is the still, peaceful center of our being,
like the eye of a tornado. Swami Vivekananda spoke so beautifully about
this shift of attention in his lecture called “Nature and Man,” which you
can find in his Complete Works, Volume 6. He says, “The whole process of
evolution is the soul’s struggle to manifest itself. It is a constant
struggle against nature.”
We are firmly grounded in that stillness
where we find peace, joy, love and contentment.
There is no longer a need to
look for those qualities outside;
instead, we tap into them at the center of our being.
I would say it a little differently, as in today’s Yoga we have a way to
reduce the struggle: Thanks to Transmission, when we very gently turn our
attention toward the soul by meditating on the heart and through prayer,
it is naturally pulled inward, and a prayerful receptive inner state is
created in the heart. Transmission allows us to rest in the center, so
that outer turbulence does not destabilize our inner condition. We are
firmly grounded in that stillness where we find peace, joy, love and
contentment. There is no longer a need to look for those qualities
outside; instead, we tap into them at the center of our being. Then, we
share them with others – we become “givers” rather than “takers” –
radiating peace, joy, love and contentment into the world, bringing solace
and peace to others. We carry the fragrance of Divinity with us wherever
we go.
Love leads to compassion
So, Yoga begins with love. The fundamental divine law that governs life
is “Love all.” And we cultivate love by connecting with the soul, and
nourishing the soul through Transmission. If the idea of hurting anyone or
anything remains in our hearts, we will fail at the first step itself. Our
Heartfulness practices help us to transcend violence in all its forms.
This is the essence of ahimsa.
But I feel that there is something more to ahimsa. While it is
good not to hurt others, that is just the removal of the negative state of
violence. How about cultivating the positive state? There is a greater
need to live in such a way that others are also comforted and supported
with compassion and love.
It is only when love is self-seeking that it will destroy,
and that is not compassion but passion.
The difference is this: passion is the
manifestation of a desire-driven ego,
whereas compassion is the manifestation of the soul
directing our life through a pure open heart.
When we truly love, where is the question of being violent or hurting
others? When we truly love, we are ready to sacrifice our comforts, our
possessions and ultimately ourselves. In fact, the whole idea of sacrifice
does not even enter our awareness. Is this not true compassion? It is only
when love is self-seeking that it will destroy, and that is not compassion
but passion. The difference is this: passion is the manifestation of a
desire-driven ego, whereas compassion is the manifestation of the soul
directing our life through a pure open heart.
So, to realize this first vow of a seeker, ahimsa, our awareness
needs to expand to embrace the soul’s existence. The more we nurture the
soul through Transmission and meditative practices, the more we will
become compassionate, loving, joyful and peaceful. Then, all that remains
to be done is to remove the obstacles along the path that pull us off
course – our desires and personas of the ego – so that we can soar into
the sky of divinity and realize our true purpose. In a sense, everything
is encapsulated in this first step of Yoga.
Article by DAAJI
