生 活 的 藝 術 之 南 境 知 識 棧

8- 三種苦行(Tapas； 淨化修行)

火維繫著生命。有5種火︰

i)Bhoot agni--物質的火，你用來讓你的家溫暖，保持你自己內在的溫暖，它支持著生命。這非常明顯，不是嗎？在熱帶國家這可能不是那麼明顯，在那裡他們對這種火不會給予太大的價值，但是你知道在寒冷的國家裡，它是多麼重要啊。如果沒有物質的火，生命就會熄滅。這種物質之火，在某種程度上是存在於身體。

ii)Kama agni--慾望之火。

當慾望出現，慾望的火出現，它會將你吞噬。慾望或者情慾，激情的火，就是kama agni。因為這種激情之火讓生命能延續在這個星球之上，激情之火存在於全部創造界的物種。

iii)Jatar agni - 飢餓和消化之火︰

這是在印度草藥治療法（Ayurveda；艾育吠陀）裡的一個重要原理- Jataragni。如果消化的火不足或太多，它會影響你的健康，它會影響你的平衡。它是第3 類型的火。當我們發燒時，你知道我們為什麼會發燒嗎？我們只是去治療症狀，我們不了解它的原理。當一個異物進入你的身體時，你的整個身體就會升溫，發燒就會出現。發燒是你身體正在發展一個防禦機制，它要燒掉所有外來東西，武力對抗那些入侵你身體的外來物。一但這些外來的細菌，病毒離開你的身體，你的發燒就會回復正常。發燒淨化你的系統。發燒的目的是淨化你的身體，擺脫病毒，那些外來的異物，無論是什麼，不是嗎？Jataragni ---消化的火。

iv)批評之火︰

當人們批評你時，會發生什麼事？火就醒過來，火在你的系統裡被喚醒。當我們站在一堆人群前面時，發生什麼事？某些事情會發生，我們會感到熱，我們會感到害怕而發抖，害怕被批評，害怕人們的意見，這就是批評的火。

v)知識或愛之火- Prem agni / Gyan agni

當生命走過所有這些火時，它會像黃金般被淬煉出來。令人遺憾的是我們並沒有理解到這個原理，我們甚至不允許火的出現。當發燒出現，我們就吃paracetomol讓發燒消退，讓症狀消退，我們的免疫能力因此降低，那不是說你不應該吃藥，而是你應該在合乎常情的狀態下吃藥。你必須處理問題的根源，去消滅入侵體內的細菌而不是只在消除體內的症狀或者體內的火。自然療法和印度草藥治療法，他們全都依照這個原則在處理。讓物質的火（Bhootagni）活躍著，你的身體會發展它自己的空調系統，如果一直把空調系統開著，那會破壞我們身體的調節機制，特別是在熱的地區和熱帶國家，你若一直日日夜夜的開著空調，環境裡就沒有新鮮的生命能量（prana）可以進入你的內在。你注意到了嗎？我們的身體會出汗然後它就會冷卻下來，就像微風吹來時，身體就變涼，身體有它自己的空調系統，但是我們需要從年輕的時候就逐漸去讓它習慣。但是令人遺憾的是我們從童年就已經習慣使用空調系統，所以突然要做改變就變得很難。雖然如此，你也可以留意這個面相。噢… 我不是要去反對使用空調系統，但是確保能有新鮮的prana，而且你的體溫能與周遭環境順暢調節，那對你將會產生一個不一樣的影響，於是你會有能力不必穿太多而可以走在一個寒冷的地方，或者在一個酷熱的地方而不會感覺到窒息。接下來說Kama agni--激情的火，我們甚至不允許這種激情的火出現，在我們裡面升起。慾望出現的那一刻，我們立刻就滿足它，然後它就不會停留在你內在，它就不讓你昇華。那些男女關係非常雜亂的人，他們沒有任何Kamagni，他們不允許激情的火出現，讓他們燃燒一下，烤他們一下。性的慾望出現的那一刻，他們立刻就去做，然後Kamagni就不會在你內在被喚醒。性是除了吃以外，最古老的印象（samskaras）samskaras之一。從全部的生命年代中，你可以確定已經做兩件事情，一是吃，另一個是性。就如一頭母牛，一隻猴子，一頭驢，一匹馬，一頭公牛，不管它是什麼，所有經歷過這些身體者，這兩種行為都在那裡發生過。當這種激情出現時，觀察它，然後你會發現它存在你身體的每個細胞裡，它完全地、如此徹底的吞沒你，它燃燒著並繼續前行，然後它轉換。透過這個慾望（kama），100%的警覺性、意識或不管你說是什麼，會被開發出來。但如果你不允許那個慾望出現，當一點慾望之火出現時，你立刻使它冷卻下來，然後你的能量或shakti或你內在的潛力將不斷的減弱，減弱，最後蟄伏不被開發，然後你就變得更惰性，更無生氣，敏感性愈來愈低，惰性愈來愈多，對任何活動你就愈來越沒有活力或勇氣或歡喜或熱情。那是為什麼那些男女關係複雜的人，他們沒有熱情，他們沒有力量或意願或實力去做任何行動。你注意到這個了嗎？是或不是？

再來是Jataragni。飢餓的火是與Jataragni相同的東西。你甚至不允許飢餓在你身上出現，甚至在你感到飢餓之前，你就塞一堆東西到胃裡，一直塞，食物變成嚴重的毒素，在身體裡產生更多毒素的效應，很多人得了疾病或死亡，不是源於飢餓而是因為吃得太多，在今天的世界，很少人因為飢餓而死亡，卻越來越多人因為吃太多而死，因為我們不允許飢餓的火出現，我們從未點燃那把火。這是斷食的原理。當你斷食時，你身體的每個細胞也變得有活力，斷食是一種非常好的治療方式，它能清理你的系統，Jataragni 能清理你體內的全部毒素。當你的頭被擔心、緊張、不愉快的想法和惡夢所塞滿，斷食將對你有非常大的幫助。對斷食有大量的研究，只喝水或果汁的斷食，將會讓這種火在你內在出現。Jataragni，它能淨化你的血，它能將毒素從身體裡除去，它能讓你感覺更好。在基督教，耆那教，伊斯蘭教和幾乎所有世界上的宗教都將斷食和禱告連結在一起，因為斷食碰觸到你那些最深的印象（samskaras），你內在從很多時代以來一直吃，不斷吃的古老印象…

再一次說明，有一些人在不太了解有關於火的知識就直接進行斷食，那可能也會把你燒掉，它應該要好好理解。有一些人走的太極端，他們不是吃得太多就是斷食的太超過，兩者都不好。斷食能清潔你的身體系統，帶來平衡，但必須循序漸進，有人指導。

批評的火︰害怕社會的批評。

人是一種社會的動物，人生活在一個社會裡，他們必須遵循某些社會規範，他們不能只依個人的心願在社會上生存。你不能說我是自由的，我可以做任何我想要做的事。你不能做所有你想要做的事。你開車到路上，你就必須靠右行駛，你必須走你應該走的地方，你必須在你應該停止的地方停止，你必須跟隨一定的法規和社會秩序，當你在世界上必須跟隨一定的法規和秩序時，自然就會害怕批評，害怕得到一張罰單，所有這些害怕被處罰的恐懼就會在你心裡出現。遵守某些法律就會帶出對維持這些法律的關注。現在，這裡再次強調，如果你非常在乎人們對你的看法或者是批評，你就會錯失機會。批評的火幫助你維持心裡的道德價值，但是如果它失去控制或者超越界限，那麼同樣批評的火就能剝奪你的自由，開放的心，歸於核心和自由的感覺。你了解到我說的嗎？批評的火如果太過多了，那麼你會連微不足道的事情都緊張和擔心，不是嗎？經歷過害怕批評，“不管人們說什麼，那又怎麼樣呢！”他們的意見一直在改變，你對你的意識很了解，你不會做對任何人產生危害的事。你向愛之火前進，愛在你心裡創造了這樣的火，愛之火能真正把你從害怕批評向上提升，你不介意人們說什麼，愛的火是如此的強大，它完全的帶領著你。愛的火或知識的火都是相同的，他們是同義的。你不是稱它為愛的火就是知識的火。愛的火從思念開始，一種以往沒有過的強烈思念，你對它是如此陌生，因此它能使你感覺到非常的不舒服。只在人類的生命誕生的過程中才能經歷這樣的感覺。愛的火和知識的火在開始時創造出不愉快或者思念的感覺，但最後卻到達極樂的綻放，完全的綻放。這些是生命裡的5種火--- Panchagni。

Tapas真正的字意是被油炸或燒烤。你可能在一些雜誌上看到在Kumbhamela時，有人單腳站立並將灰燼洒滿全身，在頭上放了火爐，而且到處都放置了火，這是對Panchagni的過度曲解。他們說，一個人若經歷過這5種火，他就會被淨化，他就會獲得解脫，但這是對經典的錯誤理解。人們想說，有人已經透過5種火，那好，就到處放了5 種火，把5種放在頭上，5種放在下面，然後從火中走過。所有這些人所做的，都只是在折磨他們的身體而已，這就稱為變性的堅忍修持（rajasic tapas）。

Tapas也具有3種屬性︰Sattvic，Rajasic，Tamasic。

Tamasic Tapas是著魔的Tapas，在那種情況，一個人會折磨他自己。因為你無法折磨別人，所以你折磨自己，沒有人會問你為什麼折磨自己。某些人處罰他們自己，這就是惰性的（tamasic），將灰燼沾滿身體，然後走在火中。然後，另外有一些人，他們帶著達到某些目的的慾望在做練習，“我想要得到某些成就。”那有一種混雜的作用，背後總是有一些動機。即使他們做一些服務，在服務後面總會有一種動機，“我應該得到某些東西…”這就是變性的堅忍修持，一個人為了炫耀而去做的Tapas。一個人在斷食然後告訴全世界的人，“噢！大家聽著，我正在斷食，我正在靜心，我正在做這個，我做的很好，沒有一個人能像我一樣，我能夠唱的更好，我跳舞，我將要做這個，我做了非常多的服務…”因此做了拿來炫耀而且用“我，我，我”的態度來做的Tapas，就是Rajasic Tapas。

悅性的堅忍修持（Sattvic Tapas）是你甚至不感覺到你正在做的那種Tapas。你只是現象的一部分，今天的世界是一個現象，1995年的世界是一個現象，而你只是那個現象的一部分。你在那裡。你看，在一個湖裡有那麼多細小的漣漪，但是若每一個漣漪都認為它正以一個漣漪的形態存在，它就是處在愚蠢的狀態。一陣風吹來就有那麼多漣漪出現，一會兒之後它們全都又歸於平息。這個時代在意識的海洋裡正以漣漪的形式存在，而一個時代的潮流出現，產生了那麼多的漣漪，一個漣漪叫它自己是Jyoti，另一個叫蜜雪兒，另一個叫大衛和麗莉…所有不同的名字都已經給了那些有限的漣漪。然後在幾天內，在幾年內，所有這些漣漪都將平息，而新的漣漪會出現。不是嗎？了解這個，一個人帶著這個覺知經歷過這種生命之火，那就是sattvic tapas。

即使在這種Tapas裡，仍有3個部分︰

i)身體的tapas； ii)言語的tapas； iii)心智的tapas

那些是什麼？身體的tapas是什麼？保持生理的衛生，隔離昏沉倦怠，對5種感官擁有主控權，如果你不想要看電視，就不看。如果你不想要吃，就不吃，保持個人的衛生，維持在本我之中，並對身體的感官能有效控制。這是身體的tapas。

然後言語的Tapas，不要講會刺激別人的言語，不要講會讓人造成錯誤感覺的話。 要講真理並令人愉快的真理。

(Anudevag karma vakyam satyam priyamhitam jayak)

去注意一下，當你與人們坐在一起時，你告訴他們什麼，你跟他們交談什麼？你是否振奮他們的心智，當他們離開你時，是否感到放心，平和？或者他們是帶著憤怒，貪婪，妒忌，挫折或沮喪離開你。你知道，經常當你保持沈默時，你是一個更好的人，你更迷人，你是更受歡迎的人，更令人愉快的，你們稱為什麼？令人愉快的嗎？一旦你張開嘴巴，你就不知道會說出什麼話來，你就不能控制你所說的。話直接從你的嘴巴裡沖出來，你甚至不思考一下它們的影響是什麼，它是那麼的能成為其他人心智的牽引器，你的話能成為一朵花或一把刀。 (Vaanmaye tapah Anudevag karma vakyam)言語是不應該去騷擾人們平靜和安靜的心智，但如果你意圖想要去製造，那又另當別論。但經常你的言語卻無意的騷擾了別人的心智，這就是(Vaanmaye tapah Anudevag karma akyam)。Satyam，真理，接下來是講述真理的方式。所有那些說話很刺耳的人，如果你問他們為什麼要這樣，他們會說我說的是事實，為什麼還要繞圈子，不需要四處繞圈子。好吧，它是事實，但是可以用令人愉快的模式來表達事實。你了解到我說什麼嗎？在梵文裡有一個例子經常被用到，如果你遇見一個盲人，你可以告訴他說，瞎子，到這裡來，這是你能稱呼他們的方式。瞎子不是謊話，你是正在叫一個盲人為瞎子，但是對某人來說，“你是盲人”會讓他感覺到受傷害。如果改說，噢﹗Pragyachakshu - 表示他的眼睛是他的意識。在梵文中經常提到一個例子，如何講才能令人感到親切？“噢！意識清醒的人請到這裡來。”或者說，“噢！瞎子到這裡了。”一個盲人，他完全透過他的意識在看，他透過他的第3只眼睛或者意識在看，那是一個直覺的眼睛。這就是(Vaanmaye tapah)。(Vaanmaye tapah)是重要的，為什麼？因為當你在這條瑜珈的道路上成長，你的話語會變得越來越強而有力，如果你叫某人傻瓜，即使他們並非真正傻瓜，他們也將變為一個傻瓜。那是完全有可能的。你叫某人笨蛋，即使他不是笨蛋，但是有99%的可能性他會變成笨蛋。你的話語有能力給出祝福，也有能力給出詛咒。(Vaanmaye tapah)會淨化你。否則，如果你講嚴厲刺耳的話，那些事情會回向到你自己身上。我不是意味著你應該總是講一些淡而無味、虛諉、別人喜歡聽的話，這也是自欺的行為。你不必如此卑鄙的，一切事情都只求表象美好。“噢！什麼事情都說好。”有些人靠著什麼事情都說好，好，好，好…來營造一種美好的氣氛，然而內在卻是充滿挫折感。在頭腦裡，他們正詛咒著，但外表他們卻在微笑。你不需要像那樣，一個人格分裂的人。同時你也不需要成為一個為真理而嚴厲刺耳的表達者。這就是(Vaanmaye tapah)。

接下來是Manomayi Tapas-心智的Tapas︰(Manaprasada saumyatvam maun atma vinigraha)保持著愉快的心智是一個很必要的tapas。在你的心智裡，你感到心情愉快但很快的你就會丟下它。應該要保持著心智裡的愉快。(Manaprasada)意思是在心智裡的愉快，滿足。(saumyatva)是什麼意思？平靜、沈著，和冷靜。你能感到愉快，但卻是激動的。那不是(Manaprasada saumyatvam maun atma vinigraha)。 一些人能夠感到非常愉快，但是內心卻未必是。愉快能使他們感到瘋狂，激動。而saumyatva指的是沉著的愉快，通常愉快的人，他們會對其他人造成困擾，因為他們是沒有覺知的。在那種愉快、興奮裡，他們談論著事情，但他們卻完全沒有覺知到他們在說什麼，他們在做什麼和他們的作為如何地影響到其他的人。但是如果一個人是沈著的，這個字用對了嗎？平靜和沈著的，他就會更有覺知，覺知會出現在沈著的心智裡。你清楚知道其他人的感覺和他們的感覺如何影響到別人，你對你周遭的環境也是敏感的。所以令人愉快的心智是沈著的心智，(maun saumyatvam Manaprasada)，寧靜的心智都不是喋喋不休的心智。寧靜是心智的tapas。將散亂的心智全部集結在一起，把全部鬆散的心智繫在一起，那就是寧靜--- maun。接下來是(atma vinigraha)，維持在本我之中，回到本我之中，這就是心智的tapas。心智一而再的往外跑，往外跑，往外跑，不費力的一次又一次將它帶回到本我之中，輕鬆的維持在本我之中，並看清楚在每一個人內在裡的本我，那個也是我內在的本我，那個也是本我。通常，我們認為我們的心智是在身體裡面，但事實上不如此，是身體在心智裡面。我們已經談論過那個了，不是嗎？你的生命能量（prana），你的生命能量比你的肉身體大10倍，然後你的心智體、思想體又比你的生命能量體大10倍，然後你的直覺體又比心智體更大10倍，然後至福體又比直覺體更大10倍。10倍意味著無限的倍數，我們的至福體是無限大的，那是為什麼當你感到愉快，受祝福時，你不會感受到邊界，你不會感受到有極限，你感覺到被擴張。然而當你感到悲哀或者不開心時，你會感覺到被擠壓，因為你的生命能量體變得比你的肉身體還小，那就是不快樂的機制。你知道那就像你試圖將你的身體穿過通風口，它是不合適的，你的身體無法適合這種情況，因此你有窒息的感覺，那是你感到不開心的原因。像那樣，當你能量體那麼大，然而你卻試圖把它擠壓到一個小空間，因此你感到不開心，不愉快。當你走過一個大門時，你的身體能輕易的透過，而每當你在生命裡不開心時，你知道你已經把你的愛放進一個小小的通道。你的愛是如此的高貴，如此的巨大，它需要一扇盛大的門來讓它透過，但是你卻將你的愛，那個大的像大象身體的愛，硬塞入一座小煙囪或通風口，它卡在那裡，既不能出也不能進，這就是糾纏。那是為什麼一種受限的愛好像會把問題帶到你身上的原因，你不了解愛的巨大，這就是tapas。

(Manomayi Tapas atma vinigraha)回到本我，緊握住你內在的核心。嗯…今天就講到這裡。

Jai Guru Dev.

        Fire sustains life. There are five types of fire.

1.      Bhootagni : Fire by which you heat your home, keep the warmth in yourself, it sustains life, the physical fire. This is very obvious, isn’t it? It may not be so obvious in tropical countries where they don’t give much value to fire, but you know in cold countries, how important it is. Without the physical fires, life extinguishes. And this physical fire is to some extent is present in the body.

2.      Kamagni : The fire of desire.

When the desire, the fire of desire comes, it gulps you. The fire of desire or lust, passion is kama agni. It is because of this fire of passion that life continues on this planet. Fire of passion is present in all the species of creation.

3.      Jataragni : The fire of hunger and digestion:

This is one of the important principle in Ayurveda – Jataragni. If the fire of digestion is less or more, it affects your health, it affects your balance. 3^rd type of fire. You know when we get fever, why do we get fever? We simply treat the symptoms, we do not understand the principle. When a foreign body enters your body, your whole body turns up the heat. Fever comes. In fever, your body is developing a defense mechanism. It’s burning out all that foreign particles, enemies that have entered your body. As soon as these foreign bacteria, virus goes out of the body, your fever comes down. Fever purifies the system. Purpose of fever is to purify your body, get rid of the viruses, foreign particles whichever, whatever, isn’t it? Jataragni, fire of digestion.

4.      Pravagni? The fire of criticism

When people criticize you, what happens? Fire awakes up. Fire awakens in your system. When we stand in front of big crowd what happens? Something happens. We feel hot, we feel shivery. The fear of criticism, opinion of people. This is the fire.

5.      The fire of knowledge or love – Premagni or Gyanagni

        When life moves through all these fires, it comes out as gold. Unfortunately we have not understood this principle. We do not even allow the fire to come up. The moment fever comes, we take paracetomol and put the fever down, put the symptoms down. Our immune system goes down. It’s not that you shouldn’t take medicines, you take it in a natural way. Attend to the root cause of the problem. Eliminate the bacteria rather than just eliminate the symptoms or the fire in the system. Naturopathy and Ayurveda, they all deal on this principle. Keeping alive the bhootagni.

        Your body develops its own air conditioner. Putting air condition on all the time then we are destroying the self modulating system of the body. Especially in hot and tropical countries, you keep the air condition on all the time day and night. No prana, no freshness comes in you in the environment. Have you notice it? Our body brings out sweat and cools. Like when the breeze comes the body becomes cool. It has its own air conditional system. But we need to get used to it from young age. But unfortunately we have been used to air condition from the childhood so suddenly making a shift it becomes difficult. Nevertheless, you can look into this aspect. Hmm… I have nothing to against using air condition. But making sure that fresh prana comes and your body temperature agrees with the environment will make a difference. Then you gain ability to walk in cold place without wearing too much or to be in a hot place without feeling suffocated.

        Then comes kamagni,  the fire of passion, we do not even allow this fire of passion to come up, rise up in us. The moment the desire comes immediately we fulfill it, then it doesn’t stay in you, it doesn’t burn you up. People who are very promiscuous, they have zero kamagni. They do not allow the fire to come up to burn them a little bit, bake them a little bit. The moment the desire of sex comes, finish them there. Then the kamagni does not get awakened in you.

        Sex is one of the oldest sanskaras other than eating. From all life times, you had done two things for sure, one is eating and another is sex. As a cow, as a monkey, as a donkey, as a horse, as an ox whatever it was, passing through all these bodies, these two acts have been there. When this passion arises, observe it and it is in every cell of your body, it engulfs you totally, so fully, it burns and moves on, it shifts. There is 100% totality of alertness, awareness whatever that gets developed through kama. But if you do not allow that to come up and immediately as a little desire comes, immediately cool it down then also your power or shakti or potentiality in you goes down and down and dormant and you become more inert. Less sensitivity comes and more inertia develops. There is no vigor or valor or joy or enthusiasm in any activity one does. That’s why people who are very promiscuous, they do not have the enthusiasm, they do not have the force or will or strength to do any action. Have you noticed this? Yes or No?

        And then jataragni. Same thing with jataragni. The fire of Hunger. You don’t even allow hunger to come into you. Even before you feel hungry, you keep stuffing things in. And stuffing and stuffing and stuffing, the food becomes more toxic,  has more toxic effects in the body. Many people get disease or die not out of hunger but out of over eating. Today in the world very few people die out of hunger. But more and more people die out of over eating, because we have not allowed the fire of hunger to come up, we have never kindled that. This is the principle of fasting. When you fast also, every cell of your body becomes alive. Fasting is a very good therapy. It can cleanse your system, the jataragni can cleanse all your toxins. When your head is clogged with worry, tension and unpleasant thoughts, nightmares, fasting would be a very great help. There is great deal of research on fasting. Just water fast or juice fast. Allow this fire to come up in you. The jataragni, it can purify your blood. It can remove toxins from the body. It can make your feelings better. In Christianity, Jainism, Islam and almost all the regions in the world, fasting and prayer are linked because fasting touches the deepest sanskara in you, impression in you from ages to eat, and eat, and eat, and eat, and eat, …

        Again, there are some people who simply go on fasting without knowing too much of fire can also burn you down. It should be done with an understanding. There are people who go to extreme; either they over eat or fast too much. That is not good either. Fasting can cleanse your system, bring balance, again with moderation, with guidance.

        Fire of criticism: The fear of social criticism.

        Man is a social animal. Human lives in a society. They have to follow certain rules. They can not just go ahead with one’s wishes. You can not say I am free, I can do whatever I want to do. You can not do whatever you want to do. The moment you get into the street, you have to drive on the right side. You have to walk where you should walk. You have to stop where you should stop. You have to follow certain code and conduct. When you have to follow certain code and conduct in the world, naturally the fear of criticism, the fear of getting a ticket, the fear of being punished all these come up in you. Abiding by certain laws brings about certain concern for keeping these laws. Now, here again, if you are so much concerned about the criticism of what people would think about you or say about you, you are missing the boat. The fire of criticism keeps the moral in you. But if it goes out of control or out of limit, then the same fire of criticism can shut down your freedom, your sense of openness, your sense of centeredness and freedom. Do you get what I’m saying? The fire of criticism if it is too much, then you are tensed and worried over nothing. Isn’t it? Pass through the fear of criticism, doesn’t matter what people say, so what! Their opinions change, and you know to your consciousness that you are not doing any harm to anybody. You move on to the fire of love. Love creates such a fire in you.

        The fire of love that can really take you up from the fear of criticism. You don’t mind what people say. The fire of love is so strong. It takes you totally. Fire of knowledge or fire of love is same, they are synonymous. Either you call it fire of love or fire of knowledge. Fire of love begins with a longing, an intense longing which was not known ever before, it feels so new, so it can make you feel so uncomfortable. Only in human life, in human birth can this fire be experienced. Fire of love or fire of knowledge creates unpleasant or sense of longing in the beginning, but moves on to the blossoming of bliss, the blossoming of fullness. These are the five fires in life,  Panchagni.

        Tapas means actually being fried or baked. You would have seen in some magazine in the Kumbhamela[1], somebody is standing in one leg and putting ashes all over the body having pot of fire on the head and putting fire all around. This is such a misinterpretation of Panchagni. One who has gone through the five fires has been purified, has crossed to the other side. This is what they said. But the scripture has been wrongly understood. People thought put five fires around, one who has passed through the five fires, ok, then put five fires all around; put five above on the head, five underneath, fire walking. All these people do, torture their body, this is called rajasic tapas.

        Tapas also are of three types: Sattvic, Rajasic, Tamasic.

        Tamasic tapas is the demonic tapas in which one tortures oneself because you cannot torture others so torture yourself. Nobody will ask you why you are torturing yourself. Certain people punish themselves. This is tamasic. Putting ashes all over the body, walking on fire. And then there are other types of people who do practices with the desire of achieving something, “I want to achieve something.” which has a mix effect, always with some motive behind. Even they are doing some service, behind the service there is a motive “I should be getting something…” This is rajasic tapas. The tapas one does to show off. One does fasting and tell the whole world, “Everybody, oh! I am fasting, I am meditating, I am doing this, I am doing very good, none like me, I can sing better, I dance, I’ll do this, I do great service…” So the tapas that is done with show and done with I-ness “I, I, I” is rajasic tapas.

        Sattvic tapas is that which you do not even feel you are doing. You are just part of the phenomenon. The world today is a phenomenon. The world of 1995 is a phenomenon, and you are just part of that phenomenon. Where do you exist? In this lake, see there as so many tiny waves, but if each wave thinks I am existing as a wave, it is being foolish. One wind blow and so many waves arise and they all subside a little later. Let this time in the ocean of consciousness, a wave, there was a current of this time and so many waves have arisen. One wave calls itself Jyoti, another called Michelle, another called David and Lily… All different names have been given to those limited waves. And in few days, in few years, all these waves will subside and new wave arise. Isn’t it? Knowing this, with this awareness, one goes through this fire of life, that is sattvic tapas.

        Even in this there are three sections:

·                    The bodily tapas ;

·                    The tapas of speech; 

·                    The tapas of mind

        What are those? What are bodily tapas? Keeping physical hygience, keeping lethargy out, having a say over all the five senses. If you don’t want to watch TV, just don’t watch. If you don’t want to eat, just don’t eat. Keeping personal hygience. Remaining in Self and having a control over the senses in the body. This is physical tapas.

        And then tapas of speech is speaking such words which does not excite people, in a wrong sense. Speaking truth and speaking pleasant truth.

anudevag karma vakyam satyam priyamhitam jayak

        Just notice when you sit with people and what you tell them, what you talk to them? Do you excite their mind, do they go away from you feeling relieved, peaceful? Or they go away from you with anger, greed, jealousy, frustration or depression. Often, you know, when you keep your lips tight, you are a better person, you are more charming, you are more wanted person, more palatable. What do you call? Palatable? The moment you open your mouth, you don’t know what comes out, you have no control over what you say. Words simply come shooting out of your mouth and you don’t even look into what are their effects. How it can be like a dragger for somebody else’s mind. Your words can become a flower or can become a knife.

vaanmaye tapah anudevag karma vakyam

        Words that does not create ruffle in the calm, quiet mind of the people. If you want to intentionally create that’s a different story. But often you speak and it is unintentional from your side and it creates disturbance in others’ mind. This is vaanmaye tapah anudevag karma vakyam. Satyam, truth and then the way to tell the truth. All those who speak very harsh if you ask them, they say I am saying the truth, why to go around about it, there is no need to go round. It’s truth, alright. But it can be a pleasant expression truth. Do you see what I’m saying? Often in Sanskrit an example is given. If you meet someone who is blind, you can tell them blind man come here. This is the way you can address them. A blind person is not untruth that you are calling a blind man a blind man. But that saying someone, “you are blind man” can make them hurt. Instead say, oh! Pragyachakshu - means his eye is his consciousness. In Sanskrit often says an example how to speak sweet, oh! Man of consciousness, come. Or come, oh! Blind man comes. He sees just through his consciousness. A blind man, he sees through his 3^rd eye or consciousness, intuitive eyed one. This is vaanmaye tapah. Vaanmaye tapah  is important, why? Because as you grow on this path of yoga, your words become more and more and more powerful and if you call someone a fool and even if they are not fool, they will become a fool. There is all possibility. You call someone stupid, even though he is not stupid but there is 99% possibility he becomes stupid. Your words have the power to bless and your words have the power to curse. Vaanmaye tapah purifies you. Otherwise, those things rebound back to you, if you speak harsh. I don’t mean that you should always speak wishy-washy, speak goody-goody, sweetie-sweetie, this is also self deception. You don’t have to be so vilely, everything is nice, oh! Everything is nice. Some people make a big mood out of it, they say everything is nice, nice… inside is frustrated, frustrated. In the mind they are blaming but outside they are smiling. You don’t have to be like that, a split person. At the same time you don’t need to be a harsh expresser of truth. This is vaanmaye tapah. And then

Manomayi Tapas : Tapas of the mind: Manaprasada saumyatvam maun atma vinigraha.  Maintaining the pleasantness in the mind is a big tapas. You feel pleasant and very soon you can drop all the pleasantness in the mind, maintaining the pleasantness, Manaprasada, pleasantness, contentment in the mind. Saumyatva means what? Calm and composed, cool. You can feel pleasant but excited. That is not. Some people can feel very pleasant but they need not feel calm. The pleasantness can make them feel crazy, excited but along with that composed saumyatva. People who are happy, they create trouble to others because they are not aware. In that happiness, excitement, they say things, they are not at all aware what they are saying, what they are doing and how it can affect others. But if a person is composed, is it a right word? Calm and composed, he is more aware. Awareness comes in composed mind. You are sensitive to others feelings how it affects others, sensitive to your surroundings. So pleasant mind and composed mind. Manaprasada saumyatvam maun, silent mind and not a chattering mind.

Silence is the tapas of the mind. The mind which is scattered, bringing it all together, tying all the lose ends of the mind together, that is silence - maun. And then atma vinigraha remaining in the self, back to the self. This is tapas of the mind. This mind again and again goes out, goes out, goes out, again and again bring it back effortlessly, easily to remind to the Self and see the Self in everybody. That’s also my Self, that’s also my Self. Normally, we think our mind is in the body but it is not so. Body is inside the mind. We discussed that already? Ten times bigger than your physical body is your body of prana, your energy, bio-energy is 10 times bigger than the physical body. And 10 times bigger than your pranic body is your mind body, your thought body. And ten times bigger than that is your intuitive body. And ten times bigger than that is the blissful body. Ten times mean infinite times, boundless is our blissful body. That is why when you feel happy, blissful, you don’t feel the boundary, you don’t feel the limit to you, you feel expanded. And when you feel sad or unhappy, you feel crushed because your prana is getting smaller than your real body. That’s exactly the mechanism of unhappiness. You know it’s like you are trying to put your body through the ventilator. It can not fit. Your body can not fit so you feel suffocated, that’s why you feel unhappy. Like that when your prana is so big but you try to crush it into small you feel unhappy, unpleasant. When you walk through the door, your body can go through. Whenever you are unhappy in life, know that you have put your love into small channel. Your love is so great, so big, it needs a royal door to walk through. But you have stuck that big elephant body of your love into a small chimney or ventilator. It can neither go out nor come in. This is entanglement. That’s why that love seems to bring problems to you. You do not understand its magnitude. This is tapas. Manomayi tapas atma vinigraha. Coming back to the Self, gripping the centeredness in you. Hmm…

        That much for today. Jai Guru Dev.