The theme of the Upanishads is called Brahma Vidya
or Atma Vidya^ the Science of the Self. They are a gospel
of inner illumination. The word Upanishad means inner
knowledge, that which enters into the final truth and
settles in it. They preserve the visions the ancient Seers
had of the Reality, of ‘the Bright Immortal’. They also
say how what they saw they realised in 
mudra
their own life
and consciousness. The Upanishads are also called
sarva’-vidya-pratisthaj the foundation of all arts and
sciences, but Vedanta^ the final development and expan-
sion of Vedic wisdom, is the most accepted of its appella-
tions. The Upanishads therefore are a book of knowledge,
but knowledge in the profounder Indian sense of the word,
jnana, ‘Not a mere thinking and considering by intelli-
gence, the pursuit and grasping of a mental form of truth
by the intellectual mind, but a seeing of it (Truth) with
the soul and a total living in it with the power of the inner
being, a spiritual seizing by a kind of identification with
the object of knowledge jnana.'* And this kind of direct
knowledge can be made complete by an integral knowing
of the self. It was therefore the Self that the Vedantic
sages sought to know, to live in and to be one with by iden-
tity. And through this endeavour they came easily to see
that the self in us is one with the universal self of all things and this self again is the same as God and Brahman, the
transcendent Being or Existence, and they beheld, felt,
lived in the inmost truth of all things in the universe and
the inmost truth of man’s inner and outer existence by the
light of this one and unifying vision. Thus the Upanishads
are ‘epic hymns of self-knowledge and world-knowledge
and God-knowledge’, the repository of all wisdom.
The Upanishads regard man as a spirit veiled in the
works of energy, but moving towards self-discovery. The
essential divinity of man is emphasised in them with a
cogency and a conviction that is as inspiring as rare in the
spiritual record of the world. This intensity of conviction
bespeaks the directness with which the Seers saw the One
Reality and felt its presence within them, in all, in every-
thing. The verse has been quoted before in which the
Rishi declares that he has seen the Supreme Person
whose light shines from beyond the darkness. To know
Him seems indeed to have been the one dominating pas-
sion of Indian life in that creative epoch, spiritually
the most widely fruitful, in the whole course of her history,
when in her soul she was fired with an ardent aspiration
to be led
‘from non-being to true being,
from the darkness to the light,
from death to immortality.’^ 230 from dawn eternal , sisirkumar mitraTranquility Base/ Herstory,lyrics
Close your eyes and listen
be surprised what you hear
Bright eyes shine
In the light
You will be light, light, light
All the while
tell ourselves its a matter of time
and I saw you
turning circles
Breaking free
Shelter me
In times of old
you will behold
Burn Away the History
Stand your ground
You will be free.
below is from greencompassion.wordpress.com
I am exploring what gives rise to habit, thought, and the formation of a sense of self. With reference to my own experience, this essay explores the nature of samskaras how the Sutras and contemporary masters describe the process of “burning the seeds” of habit, leading to real freedom.
What is a samskara? Samskara is a Sanskrit term used in both Buddhism and classical yoga philosophy. Samskaras refer to imprints or impressions left on the mind by experiences, also called “subliminal impressions.” Subliminal, in this context, means in the impressions are lodged in the unconscious and subconscious mind. B.K.S. Iyengar writes that memory and samskaras are not only stored in the brain, but also in the body and in each cell (since the spinal column and the nerves which enervate each cell are an offshoot of the brain). In short, samskaras are impressions piled and stored in the unconscious and subconscious mind and body which propel us towards certain behaviors and their consequences.
The cause of samskaras or subliminal impressions can come from perception, inference, choices, practice, interaction with others, thoughts, intent, willful actions, education, background, culture, upbringing and even dreams and past lives. Samskaras manifest as habits, behavior (acara), character (silam), tendencies, and psychological predispositions. Actions based on samskaras can be skillful or unskillful, yet habituation based on samskaras is ultimately the cause of our limitations and a small sense of self (i.e. identifying with what we like and dislike, identifying with our habits or personality: “This is just how I am”).
Within Hindu and Buddhist cosmology, samskaras are also the seeds which cause rebirth and endless transmigration in samsara, the ocean of life and death or wheel of time, whose essential characteristic is suffering, disease, or unsatisfactoriness.
The theory of karma is essentially the principle of cause and effect – that actions of body, speech and mind bear fruit. From our actions of body, speech and mind, whether negative positive or somewhere in between, we reap corresponding results. Furthermore, the subtle imprints or “grooves” in the consciousness created by our actions become deeper and more enforced by repetition. Repetition is a key factor in the formation of habits, whether positive or negative. In a sense, it is easy to change our habits — we merely need to repeat certain actions of body, speech and mind over a period of time and the habit will change, or new habits will be reinforced.
In Light on Life, B.K.S. Iyengar gives a down-to-earth example of how samskaras work, and how to break free of habitual patterns. B.K.S. Iyengar uses the example of coming home to ice cream in the freezer after a hard day’s work. After returning home from work and seeing something pleasing to eat, the hand impulsively reaches for the tub — knowing the the immediate feeling of eating ice-cream is pleasurable, based on past experience. This impulse can easily overpower the mind, especially if the “groove” is deep enough. Here is where the mind and intelligence can intervene in the usual habit pattern. Analysis and reasoning (vitarka) and reflection and consideration (vichara) are the first mental steps in overcoming habit energy. The mind needs to observe and reflect on whether an action is skillful or unskillful and anticipate the long term effects of the action, not only the immediate gratification. This process leads to discernment (viveka). After discernment has been reached, the mind is in a position to use its will (iccha) to act. This action, though likely more positive and skillful, is still in the realm of karma, and one reaps the corresponding effect, such as not feeling terrible after indulging in a tub of ice cream. After repeating this process the mind can create new, positive samkaras (or neural pathways). One is still not free from habit energy altogether, though the samkaras are being changed from negative to positive habits. However, the process of transformation has begun. In relation to this, I found this writing from Swami Chidananda, from the Sivananda lineage: Here is a distillation for ways of working with habit:
Identify the habit.
Identify what is deeply and spiritually important in your life.
Analyze and reflect if the habit is helpful or hurtful in both the short and long term – prioritize the long term in relation to your spiritual path and deepest yearnings.
Set your mind to be aware of the habit and the impulses of mind.
Practice not reacting to impulses.
Cultivate positive habits over a long time, until they become natural.
Practice friendliness, compassion, sympathetic joy and equanimity to yourself and others.
Persevere and do not lose sight of your aim.
Practice observing the mind in meditation, go deep.
Continue, repeat, let go, surrender to higher self.
and Sutra I.33 maitri karuna muditopeksanam sukha duhkha punyapunya visayanam bhavanatas citta prasadana
Through cultivation friendliness, compassion, joy, and indifference to pleasure and pain, virtue and vice respectively, the consciousness becomes favourably disposed, serene and benevolent. trans. B.K.S. Iyengar
Both of these Sutras indicate that our troubles and afflictions are rooted in unwholesome activity of body, speech and mind, which are themselves rooted in ignorance of the true nature of reality. These positive cultivations are a powerful practices and are helpful in overcoming habitual, unskillful states. Additionally, according to the Sutras, burning the seeds of habit, requires transformational insight (prajna), and breaking through all duality of good and bad habits into the realm of the unconditioned. B.K.S. Iyengar elucidates this in Sutras I.48 – I.51 with the dawning of rtambhara prajna – a seasoned intelligence or mature wisdom accompanied by intense insight.
Om shanti, shanti, shanti
https://greencompassion.wordpress.com/2017/06/24/samskaras-and-burning-the-seeds-of-habit/
