tattvas in the material world

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© 2014 Finding the Midline, Ltd. www.findingthemidline.com 1 Tattvas in the Material World An invaluable tool for creating a life well lived I. Introduction: A life well lived includes positive emotions, engagement (being in flow), meaning and purpose, accomplishment, and nurturing relationships. We are in the process of studying how yoga practices and philosophy help us create such a life. An invaluable tool offered by yoga philosophy for fashioning a life well lived is the Tattvas. The Tattvas are a list of the different categories of Spirit’s existence in the world, telling us where we can look to find Spirit. These categories, listed in chart form in Table 1 below, include: the three categories of our mind; our sensory organs (ears, eyes, nose, tongue, and skin); our action organs (arms/hands, legs/feet, mouth, genitals, and excretory); the subtle elements (ability to taste, smell, see, touch, and hear); and the gross elements (earth, water, fire, air, and space or sky). These all are available to us to find Spirit, to connect or have union with the Divine – the ultimate goal of yoga. That said, you might ask why do we even wish to find Spirit? Depending on our spiritual beliefs, connection to God might be of utmost importance. In that case, having a map of where and how to find God is an extraordinary tool for accomplishing that purpose. However, even if we don’t have a particular interest in connection to God, the Tattvas nonetheless are invaluable to us in our quest to craft a life of well-being. For example, learning to better use our senses helps direct our “mindfulness,” showing us where and how to use our eyes, ears, tongue, nose, and skin to identify, appreciate, and even generate positive emotions such as joy, gratitude, serenity, curiosity, hope, pride, amusement, inspiration, awe, and love. 1 Increasing this capacity easily helps us to bring more nurturing relationships into our lives as well as enhance those relationships we already enjoy. Learning how to use our hands, feet, and mouth helps us to engage in activities that put us into flow and accomplish meaningful tasks. Learning to align with nature by a greater sense of the gross elements, such as water, earth, and fire, including their metaphorical significance, helps us to become more flowing like water in our relationships and with stress that presents itself. We become more steadfast and dependable like earth. We become more passionate like fire. These are the types of skills that allow people to flourish in the world, getting along with and even attracting people to them, becoming more likely to accomplish 1 Fredrickson, Dr. Barbara (2014). Positivity. New York, NY: Three Rivers Press (Kindle Version: retrieved from www.Amazon.com), Chapter 3.

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An invaluable tool for creating a life well lived.A life well lived includes positive emotions, engagement (being in flow), meaning and purpose, accomplishment, and nurturing relationships. We are in the process of studying how yoga practices and philosophy help us create such a life. An invaluable tool offered by yoga philosophy for fashioning a life well lived is the Tattvas. The Tattvas are a list of the different categories of Spirit’s existence in the world, telling us where we can look to find Spirit.

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Page 1: Tattvas in the Material World

©  2014  Finding  the  Midline,  Ltd.     www.findingthemidline.com  1  

Tattvas in the Material World An invaluable tool for creating a life well lived

I. Introduction:

A life well lived includes positive emotions, engagement (being in flow), meaning and purpose, accomplishment, and nurturing relationships. We are in the process of studying how yoga practices and philosophy help us create such a life. An invaluable tool offered by yoga philosophy for fashioning a life well lived is the Tattvas. The Tattvas are a list of the different categories of Spirit’s existence in the world, telling us where we can look to find Spirit. These categories, listed in chart form in Table 1 below, include: the three categories of our mind; our sensory organs (ears, eyes, nose, tongue, and skin); our action organs (arms/hands, legs/feet, mouth, genitals, and excretory); the subtle elements (ability to taste, smell, see, touch, and hear); and the gross elements (earth, water, fire, air, and space or sky). These all are available to us to find Spirit, to connect or have union with the Divine – the ultimate goal of yoga. That said, you might ask why do we even wish to find Spirit? Depending on our spiritual beliefs, connection to God might be of utmost importance. In that case, having a map of where and how to find God is an extraordinary tool for accomplishing that purpose. However, even if we don’t have a particular interest in connection to God, the Tattvas nonetheless are invaluable to us in our quest to craft a life of well-being. For example, learning to better use our senses helps direct our “mindfulness,” showing us where and how to use our eyes, ears, tongue, nose, and skin to identify, appreciate, and even generate positive emotions such as joy, gratitude, serenity, curiosity, hope, pride, amusement, inspiration, awe, and love.1 Increasing this capacity easily helps us to bring more nurturing relationships into our lives as well as enhance those relationships we already enjoy. Learning how to use our hands, feet, and mouth helps us to engage in activities that put us into flow and accomplish meaningful tasks. Learning to align with nature by a greater sense of the gross elements, such as water, earth, and fire, including their metaphorical significance, helps us to become more flowing like water in our relationships and with stress that presents itself. We become more steadfast and dependable like earth. We become more passionate like fire. These are the types of skills that allow people to flourish in the world, getting along with and even attracting people to them, becoming more likely to accomplish

1  Fredrickson,  Dr.  Barbara  (2014).  Positivity.  New  York,  NY:  Three  Rivers  Press  (Kindle  Version:  retrieved  from  www.Amazon.com),  Chapter  3.    

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great things because of their ability to honor their commitments, and more successful in their pursuits due to the passion they bring to every endeavor. Finally, the Tattvas teach us to become far more sensitive to everything going on around us, better able to recognize the Divine imprint within others, even strangers; the special qualities each person offers if we look deeply enough. We are invited by the Tattvas to use our curiosity and imagination not only to find greater enjoyment in life but also to find Spirit as expressed in the vast diversity of the planet. We have already explored the nature of Spirit and how, through the concept of Maya, including the Kanchukas, Spirit becomes the material world in all its myriad forms. Tonight we explore how Spirit exists in the material world, including in each of us, and how searching for spirit aids us in our goal of creating a life well lived.

II. Purusha, Prakriti, and the Gunas.

According to Sankhya philosophy, represented in the Sankhya Karika by Isvarakrsna, written somewhere around 400 BCE to 500 BCE, the universe is made of two categories, souls, Purusha, and physical matter, Prakriti.2 Each component of the universe, including each of us, evolves through the interaction of three qualities or attributes of matter, called Gunas.3 A. Rajas Guna is the quality of action, which makes us tend to be energetic,

tense, or willful.4

B. Tamas Guna is the quality of darkness and restraint, which can operate to counteract our tendency for action.5 It represents inertia.6

C. Sattva Guna is the quality of lucidity and mental clarity, leading us to

serenity.7

D. Swami Shantananda refers to the Gunas as the “herbs and spices,” the “flavoring” of us. We might be sweet, hot, or some other flavor depending on

2  Bryant,  Dr.  Edwin  (2009).    The  Yoga  Sutras  of  Patanjali.    New  York,  NY:  North  Point  Press,  at  xlviii.      3  Iyengar,  B.K.S.  (1979  ed.).    Light  on  Yoga.    New  York,  NY:  Shocken  Books,  at  46.      4  Light  on  Yoga,  at  46.      5  Light  on  Yoga,  at  46.    6  The  Yoga  Sutras  of  Patanjali,  at  xlviii.      7  The  Yoga  Sutras  of  Patanjali,  at  xlviii;  Light  on  Yoga,  at  46.    

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how the seasonings are mixed.8 He elaborates on the three Gunas, referring to Rajas as giving dynamism, and sometimes agitation and passion; Tamas as being sluggishness and possible delusion, and Sattvic as purity and harmony, bringing us closest to the soul, Purusha.9

The Gunas represent general tendencies of how we act.10 Depending on a person’s particular psychological makeup that person will exhibit different types of predispositions.11 Since the Gunas are constantly interacting and in tension with each other, that same person will act differently depending upon which Guna is predominant at that moment.12

Dr. Edwin Bryant explains how the entire universe evolves out of this interaction, as for example, how stones evolved based on the sluggishness of the Tamasic element. He says that the Gunas thus allow for “infinite plasticity” of Prakriti and the entire material world. In Chapter 40 of Finding the Midline I point out how the seemingly negative aspects of Rajas and Tamas can actually operate to enrich our lives, as for example, when we need the more active, fiery energy of Rajas when we wake up feeling tired but have to conduct a jury trial. Conversely, when we need to rest, we benefit from a quiet and a settled feeling of Tamas.13 To create a life well lived, we must be aware of the Gunas and how they operate. Gurumayi suggests we pay attention to the different feelings we experience and engage in self-study, not taking the easy route of denial and rationalization in the face of challenges.14 The Gunas have the power to distort our experiences by affecting our moods, so we need to be sensitive to whether we are reacting based on the particular herb or spice of the moment.15

8  Shantanada,  Swami  (2003).  The  Splendor  of  Recognition.  South  Fallsburg,  NY:  SYDA  Association,  at  143.    9  The  Splendor  of  Recognition.  at  143.      10  Dorigan,  William  (2013).  Finding  the  Midline.    Winter  Park,  CO:    LuHen  Publications,  LLC.,  at  138.    11  The  Yoga  Sutras  of  Patanjali,  at  xlviii-­‐xlix.      12  The  Yoga  Sutras  of  Patanjali,  at  xlix.    13  Finding  the  Midline,  at  137-­‐139.    14  Spendor  of  Recognition,  at  144,  fn  61,  citing  an  unpublished  transcript  at  page  11  of  a  talk  given  by  Guruyami  Chidvilasananda  on  February  23,  1991.      15  Finding  the  Midline,  at  139.    

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III. The thinking system. The Tattvas divide our mind, our thinking system, into three components, Buddhi, Manas, and Ahamkara, each with its own functions.

A. Buddhi.

Buddhi is our intellect and the way we perceive experiences and figure out what they mean.16 The senses, our ears, eyes, nose, tongue, and skin, gather impressions and present them to the Buddhi, the seat of our judgment, and intuition. It is the location our Spiritual intelligence and ultimately where we discriminate and make choices.17 It is the part of the mind that can distinguish between all the different things the mind perceives through the senses.18 As such, Buddhi is the highest and most subtle aspect of the mind

B. Manas.

The part of the mind that does our thinking and labeling is called Manas. As I explain in Finding the Midline, it is here that our mind stores and processes information and our linear, cognitive thinking occurs.19 Here is where we synthesize information from our senses and turn them into images and concepts.20

Manas is where our memories are located. Manas uses our memories of past experiences to sort among the impressions received by Buddhi from the senses. For example, the senses see a car, a man, or a piece of pie. Manas then consults memory in order to label each sensory perception for Buddhi’s use.21

C. Ahamkara.

Ahamkara is our ego. This is where we individualize our experience – how does it affect me? What’s in it for me? We look at everything from the perspective of its relationship to us.22

16  The  Splendor  of  Recognition.  at  100.      17  Feuerstein,  Dr.  Georg  (1998).  Tantra  The  Path  of  Ecstasy.  Boston,  MA:  Shambhala  Publications,  Inc.,  at  64.      18  Iyengar,  B.K.S.  (1979).  Light  on  Yoga.  New  York,  NY:  Schocken  Books,  at  20.      19  Finding  the  Midline.  at  141-­‐142.      20  Tantra  The  Path  of  Ecstasy,  at  65.      21  The  Splendor  of  Recognition,  at  136-­‐139.      22  The  Splendor  of  Recognition,  at  139.      

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While the ego helps us set boundaries for ourselves and helps us fashion our dreams, it can interfere with our choices and, in doing so, move us away from the objective of creating a life well lived. For example, the ego, with its focus on ourselves, tends to cause us to make us compare ourselves to others.23 When we do this we engage in a zero sum game because everybody then appears better or worse than us, friendly or hostile.24 This means that we always end up holding negative feelings toward somebody – either the person we view as better than us, or ourselves for not being good enough. It is easy to see that if we allow ego to control the interaction of the three components of the mind we will have a very difficult time creating a life well lived. How do we experience much by way of positive emotion when we are always upset with somebody else or ourselves? How do we develop and maintain nurturing relationships when we feel in competition to everyone? How does our mind focus fully on what is meaningful when it is doing battle every minute by comparing ourselves with others?

In Chapters 42 and 43 of Finding the Midline I discuss the value of meditation, the primary yoga practice, as a way of developing spatial capacity in our minds to allow the three levels of the mind to work in harmony and skillfully interact. As I state: “Meditation buys our psychic processing center some much needed space and time so we can make the best choices.”25

IV. The rest of the physical body.

As we move down the Tattva chart, Table 1, we move from the mind to the physical body, which includes the sensory organs and the action organs.

A. The sense organs (Jnanendriyas).

The sense organs allow us to sense Spirit in everything and are the vehicles by which we not only create a life well lived, but enjoy it as well.

1. Ears. The ears are for listening. To create a life well lived we must learn to

listen. We listen for opportunities to experience a positive emotion, to find something engaging to do, to enter into a meaningful activity, or an invitation to a nurturing relationship.

Listening this way might call for an attitude adjustment. We can always

23  Kempton,  Sally  (2011).  Meditation  for  the  Love  of  It.  Boulder,  CO:  Sounds  True,  Inc.,  at  35.      24  Meditation  for  the  Love  of  It,  at  35.      25  Finding  the  Midline,  at  143-­‐146.    

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appreciate a gurgling brook we encounter at a retreat, but can we find the sound of a child’s laughter in a crowded shopping mall? Can we hear the plea for attention from our little children or our partner? Can we hear the opportunities in what somebody else is saying to us?

2. Eyes. The eyes are for seeing. Can we find the beauty in nature? How about

finding Spirit in the creativity of a building’s design or the way somebody decorated his or her home?

3. Nose. The nose is for smelling. Again, we can practice learning to appreciate

the many fragrances that exist; the smell of fresh hot bread or cookies, the aroma of a nice perfume or the different smells of flowers. This type of practice again helps us learn to find the potency of life’s offerings to us, whether in the offering to laugh, to engage, to do something helpful, to accomplish a task, or to make a new friend or deepen an existing relationship.

4. Tongue. The tongue is for tasting. We can practice distinguishing the many

tastes in foods and drink, appreciating the contrast. This is a great practice for learning how to find the potential for meaning and relationships in our everyday encounters.

5. Skin. The Skin is for feeling. Can we learn not only to feel a cool breeze on

our face on a hot day, but also the tenderness of a loving touch? We can practice this by taking our time in a clothing store or even in our own closet to distinguish the different textures?

Consider doing this practice. Walk in to the fruit/vegetable and flower section at Whole Foods or a similar store. Spend at least ten minutes wandering with your sole agenda being to appreciate how many different fruits, vegetables and flowers there are; and how there are so many things you like even though they are all different from each other. As a bonus, take home one each of three to five different types of apples and spend some time tasting how a Jonathan is different from a Fuji and a Honeycrisp is different yet again.

B. The action organs (Karmendriyas).

We have five action organs. These organs are how we create our world and a life of well-being.

1. Arms/Hands. The hands are how we touch and manipulate objects. Through

touch we can communicate emotions such as love. We create with our hands; we offer comfort with our hands.

2. Legs/Feet. The feet are how we put into action our intentions. The feet are

also for exploring as we seek ways to create the life we want.

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3. Mouth. The mouth is for speaking. We speak our thoughts as others speak theirs. We communicate feelings that allow for deeper connection. We have a concept in yoga called Matrika Shakti – the energy of names, labels, and words. We think in names, labels, and words. What we think is how we create our world, our future.

4. Genitals. The genitals contain – Here we have the power of procreation and

opportunity to receive and give pleasure. 5. Excretory system. This system is for elimination, helping us to a healthy

enjoyment of our embodiment.

V. The five subtle elements (Tanmatras).

The five subtle elements are the energies that allow us to experience the sensations coming from the world.26

A. Smell. We learn how to become more sensitive to opportunities by cultivating

our sense of smell, practicing how to distinguish and even appreciate various aromas.

B. Taste. Similarly, we practice distinguishing each diverse taste because that

teaches us to savor life in its diverse splendor. C. Sight. As with the other subtle elements, we can use our sight to find

potential. We practice by checking out the sunsets, the northern lights, the brilliant play of lights and colors. There are lightning storms, sunrises and sunsets that are spectacular and change in a moment. We learn to enjoy Spirit by observing Her at play through nature and let that remind us that Spirit is also at play in the everyday interactions with others. It is this type of attitude that breeds positive emotion and nurturing relationships.

D. Touch. We develop the capacity to truly experience each moment by working

with our sense of touch. We can feel what it is like when something touches our skin and see if we can feel the love transmitted by another’s touch. We then apply that lesson when we touch others.

E. Sound. Can we learn to tell the difference in the tone of a loved one’s voice;

learning to sense if they are upset, for example? Can we appreciate the various sounds of voices, animals, birds, even the wind, and the rain? Can we lie quietly some night and enjoy the sound of rain on the roof?

26  Splendor  of  Recognition,  at  101.    

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VI. The five gross elements (Mahabhutas).

The five gross elements are what make up all matter. We can use our understanding of these gross elements to help create a life well lived. A. Earth element. The earth element is our foundation, representing traits of

being steadfast, stable and with integrity. People with these traits attract nurturing relationships.

B. Water element. The water element has characteristics of adaptability. To

develop and maintain positive relationships we must be flexible and understanding with each other. To experience positive emotions we must learn to flow with the give and take of life.

C. Fire element. The fire element has characteristics of passion, commitment,

decisiveness and intention. These are traits by which we transform ourselves, burning away those thoughts and emotions that hold us back. Fire element is transformative because it provides light for illumination as well as heat, which is necessary to burn away patterns of thought and behavior that don’t serve us. People with an active fire element are able to pierce through habits of thinking and non-productive behavior that limit engagement and meaningful accomplishments.

D. Air element. The air element represents our ability to sense our own feelings,

as well as the feelings of others. This leads to potential for deeper relationships.

E. Sky element (Space). This element reminds us that we are part of something

bigger, all connected, different but not separate. Sky carries sound and by listening we increase our mental clarity, enhance our creativity, become more perceptive. We feel unlimited potential.

VII. Conclusion.

By searching for Spirit in the world, or simply by turning our mindfulness to what life offers, we necessarily create a greater capacity for experiencing more positive emotions, such as joy, awe, curiosity, and gratitude. We become more attuned to changes for meaningful engagement and more selective in those tasks we undertake. We become the type of person more likely to attract nurturing relationships. In short, we construct a life well lived.

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TATTVA CHART

Paramshiva

Shiva - Shakti

Sadashiva Isvara Suddhavidya (Iccha) (Jnana) (Kriya)

Psychical Tattvas

Maya

Kala Kanchuka – limits power to act Vidya Kanchuka – limits power to know Raga Kanchuka – limits sense of feeling complete Niyati Kanchuka – limits sense of cause and effect Kala Kanchuka – limits our perspective of time

Physical Tattvas

Purusha Prakriti Buddhi – understanding; intellect Ahamkara - ego Manas – mind Jnanendriyas Karmendriyas (Sensory organs) (Action organs) Ears Arms/hands Eyes Legs/feet Nose Mouth

Tongue Genitals Skin Excretory Tanmatras Mahabhutas (Subtle elements) (Gross elements) Smell Earth Taste Water Sight Fire Touch Air Sound Space