Desani, March 14, 1973
Burn the seeds (of deeds) by high samadhi only. The weakened klesa is stronger than the klesas/passion full blown because its expression is more subtle, harder to root out because they are harder to recognize.
Margin note here that I got Texas tags today; quit moving houses. March 21, 1973. This means I retagged the 72 Chevy yellow van that I bought in Virginia and that I no longer worked with Jerry Sires. This leaves some confusion in my mind because I thought we finished moving houses prior to my purchase in VA. of the van. Maybe it means I quit “leveling” houses with Jerry.
Now the notes.
Heavy Karma is in the mind. There is a diagram here, a circle with a small area at the top delineated as “fixed destiny” while the larger area is labeled “unseen karma”. This unseen karma it is noted, consists of inumerable past deeds, words, lives.
The desiring of an object is animalistic.
Clinging to an object is equivalent to fear of losing same.
Fear is equivalent to guilt. Or rather, their natures are intimately entwined. (This is not attributable to Desani. It is mine.)
If one tends to animalism one eventually falls into violent experiences, employment, etc. For instance, the proliferation of armaments.
A sanskara is an unaccountable karmasaya.
Important: To have a spiritual mentor is a fixed destiny.
Attachment (is related to) revulsion.
A selfless action is a virtuous action.
Duty, not? intention, with love, with compassion.
Desani spent five years learning to walk without intention. It is exceedingly difficult, he said.
Restraints must be imposed on things that are easily overindulged in, for instance, sex.
My aside: Desani is a composer, a maestro, a conductor. He draws ideas, words, etc., into a mosaic.
When sattva rises to its highest level illumination is produced (in a situation).
There is a need to rise above the sweet and the bitter experience; there is a reward.
Told story about being in Burma, about yogis, hills, snakes, very large mosquitoes, AHIMSA (non violence). Desani reformed – first “clean” room – for a smooth pursuit of practice.
“The Science of Yoga”
I.K. Taimini
Sutra is an aphorism. (Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras are aphorisms.)
First sutra: Yoga is control of the vriti, modifications, of citta, consciousness.
Patanjali was the compiler of yoga, an ancient tradition. (Later note: He was a retainer of a King I expect somewhat like the European Kings retained astronomers, mathematicians, etc.)
The Gita notes there are many yogas. The sage Patanjali’s yoga is a precursor of these:
Raja yoga
Dhyana/Zen yoga
Karma yoga – yoga of action (without desire)
Bhakti yoga – yoga of devotion – like a practiciing Christian’s love for his God. This would be Krsna.
Hatha yoga – physical yoga
Kundalina yoga
Samkhya is the theoretical basis of yoga.
The yogi seeks quiesence in order to attain samadhi or satori.
The philosophy derived from the yoga sutras is outlined thus:
Here a chart is drawn showing two realities. On the left is Purusha or spirit and on the right is Prakriti or existential mass, the substance of the universe, nature. Prakriti consists, with reservations, of three elements known as the gunas. They are Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas. (see below)
A line extends downward through Mahat, cosmic intelligence and then to Ahamkara, the principle of individuality, of “I am”.
A margin note here explains that the first product of the union of Purusha and Prakriti is Mahat.
Below Ahamkara comes Manas, the cosmic mind. Below Manas the chart branches into, on the left, Indriyas, the power of the senses, hearing, smelling, seeing, etc., and on the right the Tanmatras or subtle elements of sound, odor, visibility, etc.
Another margin note explains that it is from the Mahat that Patanjali intellectualized his compilaton. It is also the Mahat that westerners allude to when they speak of universal mind.
That is the chart.
Consciousness is made of, consists of (the) three gunas. A rose is made of the gunas. The “image” of a rose in one’s mind is made of the gunas. The difference is, with some reservations, a matter of quantity.
Sattva is the most subtle substance in nature. It is mental substance. On the moral level it is goodness. On the aesthetic level it is the most beautiful.
Rajas is the animating element.
Tamas is the passive element, the tendency to procrastinate is tied in with Tamas. It is also the steadying element. It pulls toward sleep.
Yoga has to do with the second guna, with stopping the animating element so that Sattva can shine forth. This is the quieting of consciousness.
Samadhi grants mokti, freedom. There are different levels of Samadhi. (page 41 of book)
Incomplete note on Samprajnatta (sp.) Samadhi.
There are five kinds of citta vritis.
1. A person feels full of lethargy, sleepy. Sattva and rajas are conquered by tamas. (The god’s never sleep and Desani, as monk, went ten or so days with no sleep. In this condition sattva reigns.)
2. Full of anger, tamas dominates.
3. Full of restlessness, rajas dominates.
4. Full of good works, Sattva dominates.
5. The highest Samadhi is the one that grants knowledge.
We have Purusha, or spirit on the one hand and Prakriti, cosmic substance on the other.
Yoga means union or yoke. The first result of the union or yoking of spirit and cosmic substance is cosmic intelligence.
On foreknowledge, a side note on the Nadi shastras, he said that two centuries ago on palm leaf [was written references] to Desani by name. It gives date of birth, place, and so forth. More on this here.
Qualities of Purusha: It is the Lord. It is not material. It is conscious.
Qualities of Prakriti: Sattva, mental substance, Raja, activating element, Tamas, inertia.
A 2500 year old commentary says that space and time are schemes for the understanding.
In Mahat Sattva dominates. Mahat is the source of wisdom. Mahat is the first evolute. Literally mahat means the great.
When Purusha and Prakriti are joined and the first evolute arises it is Purusha who sees this. It is Purusha that sees all.
Ahamkara is the precondition for the mind’s ability to discriminate. At Mahat there is no discrimination but just an ocean of light. (A thought that most people evolve to Ahamkara and stop, especially westerners.)
Yoga is the stilling of cita vritties, of modifications of consciousness.
(Yoga nirodha citta vritti.)
Consciousness is material so what we think effects others. Thought empinges on the object of thought: Highly advanced yogi might think of a person as dead that person will find his death. If I think good….. Desani has seen it.
Thought is substance. Think Sattva will increase, it will. Think Raja as increasing, it will. Think Tamas as increasing and it will. Example of a teacher at Cambridge hitting a student who questioned whether thought could be proved to be a substance in the stomach with a visualized (by thought) heavy object. Desmond hit his student, turned, whirled to face student. The student fell, was hospitalized, almost died. Desani said this was a petty trick. Also a man worked ten years to perfect a trick whereby he could not be moved by five men from a train he refused to pay for. He thought heavy object into existence at the base of his spine. That is, he cultivated Tamas at the base of his spine.
There are four states of consciousness. Awake, sleep, profound sleep, Samadhi.
One must practice and practice detachment.
The intellect is material. If it is mirror like, superior material, it is comprised mostly of Sattva.
Purusha is masculine, the divine father. Prakriti is feminine, the divine mother.