The Four Pillars of Freedom

-



Freedom, explains Rishi Vasistha to Rama, has four pillars. Each pillar as important as the next one. The pillars are:

  • Shanti (the Quietness of Mind)
  •  Bichara (the Spirit of Inquiry) 
  •  Santosha (Contentment)
  •  Satsang (Good Company)

Shanti (the Quietness of Mind) means the mind is not longing for anything nor is rejecting anything. But is in utter acceptance to life. The mind is quite. Its peaceful, tranquil and importantly free. Free from the self created illusions. Shanti, according to Vasistha also means self control. But not in a dictatorial way. Self control as the process of self actualization. 

Vasistha further explains, "He who wears the Armour of self control, is not harmed by sorrow." 

The self controlled can also be compared to the 'middle way' of Buddha. Where one finds perfect harmony in the conundrums of life. 

Bichara (the Spirit of Inquiry) means the purified intelligence. Vasistha explains that the inquiry must be unbroken, and must not fall under any boundaries. We can also compare this to the Pythagorean notion of philosophy. The lovers of wisdom. Purified intelligence is the wisdom.

The spirit of the inquiry is the best remedy for the cycles of Samsara (repetitive birth or ignorance. 

In the light of the inquiry, one is in-tuned with the realization of the unchanging and eternal reality. The inquiry can also be seen as the self inquiry. 'Know thy know-er'.  A person with spirit of inquiry has the sight within himself and in his periphery in the midst of all that he does.

It is better to be born as a frog in the mud, a worm in dung, a snake in a hole, but not be one without this eye.

Santosha (Contentment) is to renounce all cravings. By renunciation, Vasistha seems to mean non attachment. 

Be satisfied with what comes unsought. Without being elated or depressed.  

The contentment flowers the purity of heart.A content person owns the world even if he is a beggar. Hence Diogenes is richer than  Alexander. Diogenes having nothing is the ruler of the world, and Alexander having everything is a beggar. The only thing that makes Diogenes a king is his contentment. 

May be that's the reason why Alexander says , "I admire his obstinacy; nay, I almost envy it. — Farewell, old Cynic; and if it will flatter thy pride, be assured, I esteem thee so much, that was I notAlexander, I could desire to be Diogenes." To which Diogenes replies, "Go to the Gibbet, and take with thee as a mortification; that was I not Diogenes, I could almost content myself with being Alexander."

Satsang (Good Company) is to be in communion with the wise, the holy, and the enlightened. Vashistha explains that how much ever difficult, full of obstacles may the way be, and how much ever it might cost, one must never neglect a good company. 

Satsang is indeed superior to all other forms of religious practices like charity, austerity, pilgrimages and the performance of religious rites.

Satsang, is made of two words Sat, which means the absolute truth and Sang which means union or company. We can hence understand Satsang as the union with the absolute truth, not just a good company.

According to Swami Shivananda, "As long as ignorance remains, direct realization of Brahman is impossible. When ignorance is replaced by wisdom, the real nature reveals itself. This is the highest satsang."

Rishi Vasistha explains to Rama, 

Therefore, O Rama, strive by all means to cultivate these noble qualities. He who is endowed with the qualities that I have enumerated thus far is qualified to listen to what I am about to reveal. (II:11) 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Symbolism and Science of Serpent and Ouroboros !

-
Image
You might not have heard of the ancient Greek symbol called 'Ouroboros'. But you should, because it is one of the most fascinating symbol. The Ouroboros is a Greek word meaning 'tail devourer,' and is one of the oldest mystical symbols in the world. It can be perceived as enveloping itself, where the past (the tail) appears to disappear but really moves into an inner domain or reality, vanishing from view but still existing.  Alchemical Symbol of Ouroboros Ouroboros is generally depicted as a Serpent or a Dragon biting its own tail. The first recorded history of such symbol is in Egypt at around 1600 BCE in the texts called    Enigmatic Book of the Netherworld. The symbol moved from Egyptians to Phoenicians and finally to Greeks. Where the symbol got its name OUROBOROS.  The symbol and the myth regarding the symbol is famous all over the world. In the Norse mythology its called Jormungandr. And in the Hindu mythology its related to the Kundalini Jagaran.
Read more

Heraclitus: The Brightest Star of Greek Philosophy

-
Image
Heraclitus was a Greek philosopher of Ephesus. He is possibly the first Greek philosopher to explain the unity in all experience. And how change is the only constant in the universe. Heraclitus is also sometime known as the Philosopher of Riddles. For many people don't understand him. Heraclitus introduced the world with the word 'Logos', which means that 'all things are one in some sense'. Even the opposites are needed for the occurrence of action. Heraclitus explained that change is the core of all things. And within the changing framework lies the unity of opposites.  Heraclitus by unknown artist  Osho in the book Hidden Harmony praises Heraclitus as the greatest Buddha of the world. He says,  Heraclitus is one of the greatest Buddhas of the world. In western philosophy his name is not part of the mainstream. The mainstream consists of Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Kant, Hegel, Bertrand Russell, Wittgenstein, Moore. Heraclitus is something like an
Read more

The Concept of Equanimity !

-
Image
Equanimity comes from a Latin word æquanimitas, which means to have an even mind. But the concept goes much deeper. Much of all ancient philosophies and religions talk about equanimity. Aequss meaning even, and Animus meaning mind/soul.   Marcus Aurelius, one of the stoic philosopher and an emperor in his book Meditations stated that: When force of circumstance upsets your equanimity, lose no time in recovering your self-control, and do not remain out of tune longer than you can help. Habitual recurrence to the harmony will increase your mastery of it. In the context of Sanatan Dharma (Hinduism) Equanimity is used to describe the Brahman Nature. In more detailed understanding since the Brhaman cannot ever be explained. We can just rejoice its being. Hence Equanimity means the unattached and undisturbed being'ness. Which is what we all are primarily as. Not the state of mind which we exist upon but the pure sense of nature. The real nature. So, equanimity can
Read more