Sadhana - Spiritual Discipline
Last weekend (Jan 30th), Swami Atmarupananda was here in Phoenix. He is a monk in the Ramakrishna order. I took some notes at his lecture on Sadhana or spiritual discipline. So I am presenting his thoughts as I understood them, for my own benefit and for whoever else that might benefit from it. Here it is.
A serious spiritual life starts with the urge to find answers to the basic questions of life. Lets first understand what Sadhana (spiritual discipline), Sadhaka(aspirant) and Sadhya(goal) mean to each one of us. We have to first ask ourselves what is my goal in spiritual life? What is it that I am seeking? Our nature will determine what our goal will be in spiritual life. The sadhaka should then try to answer the question of "who am I"? This can be answered by understanding ones own temperament, whether I am devotional or action oriented or want to work with my mind, etc. Once we understand what our inclinations are we can be more clear about our goals and finally what path or discipline we would choose to reach that goal. The circumstances of our lives will also determine what path we should choose. For e.g. if I already have spouse and kids and I decide that my goal is to attain perfection through the means of meditation and renunciation in the caves, it might affect the lives of my family in an adverse way. So understanding what our responsibilities are in our lives and then applying spiritual values to those circumstances would constitute our sadhana. This of course depends on the temperament of that individual. But there are no circumstances in our lives where we cannot apply spiritual values. So there are no excuses to postpone our sadhana. It is all right here, right now.
Sadhana is thus tied with our "Swadharma". Swadharma is what we understand as our duties, responsibilities and the very essential purpose of our existence in this body.
Now we will discuss the basic foundations of spiritual life:
1. Basic Morality - This includes the yamas and niyamas as expounded by Maharshi Patanjali. They are truth (satya), non-stealing (asteya), non violation (ahimsa), non grasping (aparigraha) and continence (brahmacharya). The niyamas are purity (shaucha), contentment (santosha), austerity (tapas), spiritual study (swadhyaya) and devotion to God (Ishvar pranidhanani). This will give us tremendous power. Swami Vivekananda used to say that we need Purity, Patience and Perseverance. So we have to remember that we should be patient with ourselves and slowly and steadily keep walking on this path. There will be lot of failures, set backs but we have to persevere through several lifetimes and reach our goal. Regular application of these values will help us tremendously in our spiritual endeavors. In spiritual life what we do everyday is extremely important. Going for a lecture or a worship once in a while to awaken the spiritual ideal is a great thing, but what is mroe important is to be aware of it everyday. Hence regular meditation and reading should be followed by a sadhaka. To apply this moral code in our lives it is also very important to know what to say YES to and when to say NO.
2. Shraddha or Faith - Faith is deep conviction. It does not mean blind faith but a deep conviction that has come to you after careful study and understanding. And once you have this faith then there is no looking back. Faith includes faith in God, in spiritual values, faith in myself and faith in the goodness of the universe. Faith in myself comes from a deep conviction that my basic being is spiritual. Hence we should always think positive thoughts, strength giving thoughts because God is seated in my heart and also in every being's heart. From this conviction comes deep respect and love for the entire cosmos and its beings. Nothing exists outside Him and we are basically united. To have basic faith in the goodness of the universe is to accept everything that comes to me. It is believing that what I need is going to come to me. Everything that happens has a reason and it is for mine and everyone's best interests.
3. Basic Understanding - This is understanding of the spiritual values and its application. When we read something spiritual, we should try and understand what it means in our own lives. How can we apply this value in our own lives. How can I elevate every circumstance that life puts me in and come out spiritually stronger. So having a basic understanding of how to implement what we read/hear in our lives is extremely important. Only intellectual gymnastics will not help us in our sadhana.
Finally, we must always pray to God with a yearning heart. Sri Ramakrishna says that sincere yearning and love for God is the one essential thing.
Hari Aum Tat Sat.
A serious spiritual life starts with the urge to find answers to the basic questions of life. Lets first understand what Sadhana (spiritual discipline), Sadhaka(aspirant) and Sadhya(goal) mean to each one of us. We have to first ask ourselves what is my goal in spiritual life? What is it that I am seeking? Our nature will determine what our goal will be in spiritual life. The sadhaka should then try to answer the question of "who am I"? This can be answered by understanding ones own temperament, whether I am devotional or action oriented or want to work with my mind, etc. Once we understand what our inclinations are we can be more clear about our goals and finally what path or discipline we would choose to reach that goal. The circumstances of our lives will also determine what path we should choose. For e.g. if I already have spouse and kids and I decide that my goal is to attain perfection through the means of meditation and renunciation in the caves, it might affect the lives of my family in an adverse way. So understanding what our responsibilities are in our lives and then applying spiritual values to those circumstances would constitute our sadhana. This of course depends on the temperament of that individual. But there are no circumstances in our lives where we cannot apply spiritual values. So there are no excuses to postpone our sadhana. It is all right here, right now.
Sadhana is thus tied with our "Swadharma". Swadharma is what we understand as our duties, responsibilities and the very essential purpose of our existence in this body.
Now we will discuss the basic foundations of spiritual life:
1. Basic Morality - This includes the yamas and niyamas as expounded by Maharshi Patanjali. They are truth (satya), non-stealing (asteya), non violation (ahimsa), non grasping (aparigraha) and continence (brahmacharya). The niyamas are purity (shaucha), contentment (santosha), austerity (tapas), spiritual study (swadhyaya) and devotion to God (Ishvar pranidhanani). This will give us tremendous power. Swami Vivekananda used to say that we need Purity, Patience and Perseverance. So we have to remember that we should be patient with ourselves and slowly and steadily keep walking on this path. There will be lot of failures, set backs but we have to persevere through several lifetimes and reach our goal. Regular application of these values will help us tremendously in our spiritual endeavors. In spiritual life what we do everyday is extremely important. Going for a lecture or a worship once in a while to awaken the spiritual ideal is a great thing, but what is mroe important is to be aware of it everyday. Hence regular meditation and reading should be followed by a sadhaka. To apply this moral code in our lives it is also very important to know what to say YES to and when to say NO.
2. Shraddha or Faith - Faith is deep conviction. It does not mean blind faith but a deep conviction that has come to you after careful study and understanding. And once you have this faith then there is no looking back. Faith includes faith in God, in spiritual values, faith in myself and faith in the goodness of the universe. Faith in myself comes from a deep conviction that my basic being is spiritual. Hence we should always think positive thoughts, strength giving thoughts because God is seated in my heart and also in every being's heart. From this conviction comes deep respect and love for the entire cosmos and its beings. Nothing exists outside Him and we are basically united. To have basic faith in the goodness of the universe is to accept everything that comes to me. It is believing that what I need is going to come to me. Everything that happens has a reason and it is for mine and everyone's best interests.
3. Basic Understanding - This is understanding of the spiritual values and its application. When we read something spiritual, we should try and understand what it means in our own lives. How can we apply this value in our own lives. How can I elevate every circumstance that life puts me in and come out spiritually stronger. So having a basic understanding of how to implement what we read/hear in our lives is extremely important. Only intellectual gymnastics will not help us in our sadhana.
Finally, we must always pray to God with a yearning heart. Sri Ramakrishna says that sincere yearning and love for God is the one essential thing.
Hari Aum Tat Sat.
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