The seeker who has a purified mind is qualified for Vedanta. Let us now particularly discuss the methods of purifying the mind. The shruti says : purification of food (aahaar) results in purification of the mind (Chhandogya 7.26.2). Shree Shankaraachaarya Mahaaraaj says : That which is the object of enjoyment - sound, touch, form, taste and smell, the knowledge of all of these is food. The purification of the object knowledge is the purification of the mind. Thus, regulated intake of pure objects by the sense organs cleans the mind, this is the intent of Shree Shankaraachaarya Bhagavaan.
Shree Raamaanujaachaarya Mahaaraaj defines "aahaar" as edible food. Food requires three types of purity. First, the quality of the food, the identity of the food, should be pure. Meat, onions, garlic are impure by identity. Second, the process of making the food should be pure. The vessels should be pure, no impure thing should touch the food, it should have been already consumed by someone else. Third, the mental state of the person making the food should be pure. A highly raajasic or sad person, or one who has earned the food through deceit, should not make the food. Those who believe that the mind is created out of food insist that food should be pure in all ways. But, purity of the goal is the most important purity. One whose goal is pure makes everything pure. The purity created by washing with water is not purity.
Another opinion is that the mind is purified through purity of action. Action creates impressions (sanskaaras) and impressions create desires (vaasanaas). That is why, if our actions become pure, if we stop performing prohibited actions and only perform sanctioned actions, then our mind will be purified. These two opinions differ as follows. Those who abide in the food sheath (annamaya kosha) will give more importance to food-based purification, whereas those who abide in the vital force sheath (praanamaya kosha) will give more importance to action-based purification. Even in the realm of action, only those actions that do not cause regret, cause satisfaction and enable us to experience purity, should be performed.
The third opinion is that purifying the thought flow (vritti) of the mind purifies the mind. The mind is of the identity of knowledge, full of desires. It is purified with the rising of pure desires. Thus, in their opinion, worship results in purification of mind. Sanctioned action (dharma) removes fifty percent of the (prohibited) desires, and worship removes the rest, except the desire for Ishvara.
The fourth opinion is that samaadhi removes all selfish desires. This is the path of yoga. The mind should always remain without any objects. No object will enter mind, so no impurity will enter either. Faults happen only when the mind takes the form of objects. When there is the thought of a man or woman in the mind, desire arises. When there is money, there is greed. When there is an enemy, then there is hatred. If the mind is made object-less, then there is no desire, anger, greed or hatred. Virtue is objectless. Brahmacharya does not expect a man or woman, so it is objectless. In this manner, contentment, peace, lack of infatuation, all these are objectless. In reality, the purification of the mind happens with just one virtue - peace. It is this very peace that is called brahmacharya, contentment and other virtues. The various names of virtues have to do with their antidoes. Desire is removed by brahmacharya, and greed is removed through contentment.
The fifth opinion is quite different. The mind is neither food-born, nor action-born, nor vital force-born, nor desire-born. The mind does not exist at all. It is neither inside not within the heart inside. That is why there is no need to take any effort. The ascertainment (prateeti) of object is called mind only. When an object is ascertained as something different than it is, there awareness is called the mind. And when an object is ascertained as it is, then the mind is called awareness. Therefore, the pure object ascertainment of the mind is called purification of the mind. The impure object ascertainment of the mind is called impurity of the mind. We should only think about the pure. Pure means that which is not mixed with something else. In this manner, thinking about the non-dual brahman is the purification of the mind only.
Your mind is pure since the beginning. So long as you think about the supreme self, your mind remains pure, and when you think about the world, your mind becomes impure at that time. If you practice for a long time, your mind becomes pure - this is not the case. Engage in contemplation of the supreme self, that is all. The mind will be purified. The mind is nothing else but contemplation. In this manner, by the mere beginning of contemplation of the supremme self, you will gain a pure mind, and become fit for Vedanta hearing (shravana).
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