Mastery Beyond Asceticism and Indulgence

Human beings have a tendency to move from one extreme to the other, like a pendulum swing. When we are faced with a particular concern we want to resolve, we apply this tendency. When it comes therefore to the force of desire and the attraction of material objects, we either become attached to them and try to grab and hold onto them (the materialist approach) or else, we try to remove their influence from our lives and thereby deny our relation to these objects (the ascetic approach). In The Life Divine, Sri Aurobindo provides a comprehensive overview of each of these extremes in the chapters on ‘The Materialist Denial’, and ‘The Refusal of the Ascetic’. His solution lies in the perception of unity as outlined in the chapter ‘Reality Omnipresent’.

A true solution to our relationship with material things and the desire to possess them is not in simply abandoning them, nor is it in losing oneself in the attempt to satisfy the desire for possession that we have when we come into relation with these material objects.

We find in Nature a widespread, seemingly wild dispersal of seeds in order to ensure the survival of the various species. As the mental power develops, we find a much more targeted action that does not require this type of (apparently) wasteful action. As the consciousness develops, there can come a point where action is directed, controlled and poised for achieving the intended purpose, without falling either to the side of ascetic denial of the force of the material creation, or to the side of Nature’s untrammeled dispersion.

For the spiritual seeker, too, there comes a point where indulgence in desire or in attachment to the objects of the senses needs to be curtailed so that the focus and energy can be directed toward the spiritual pursuits. Ideally, this can be done through non-attachment without going to the extreme of the ascetic refusal. In early stages it may be necessary for the seeker to cut himself off from the process until he is able to maintain his central focus and not be distracted. At that point, he may take up interfacing with material objects and activities if he is called upon to carry out his yogic development in the world.

Sri Aurobindo notes: “Asceticism for its own sake is not the ideal of this Yoga, but self-control in the vital and right order in the material are a very important part of it — and even an ascetic discipline is better for our purpose than a loose absence of true control. Mastery of the material does not mean having plenty and profusely throwing it out or spoiling it as fast as it comes or faster. Mastery implies in it the right and careful utilisation of things and also a self-control in their use.”

Sri Aurobindo, Bases of Yoga, Chapter 4, Desire — Food — Sex, pg. 65

Understanding and Addressing the Desire and Craving for Food

We have a fixation on food. We do not seek food just for nourishment and proper care of our bodies, generally; rather, we use food to provide us with comfort, emotional support, and fulfillment of desires for various tastes. We center many of our relationship rituals around food.

At some point, many individuals conclude that they need to adjust their eating habits, whether through dieting, or fasting. The disease conditions of anorexia and bulimia are extreme examples of our attempts to incorporate our manner of addressing food issues in relation to societal expectations and norms.

Spiritual seekers also have, at some point in their spiritual growth, frequently adopted various habits related to food, nutrition and taking care of the body. In many cases, when they try to control the impulse for food, they try to enforce a discipline on the body and work to suppress the response. This does not necessarily ‘solve’ the issue. The attention to the drive for food, or for particular types of food, remains, and at times this attention asserts itself and distracts the seeker from the spiritual effort. This can lead to a cycle of attention, suppression, and obsession that does not resolve the issue satisfactorily.

There is a need to get to the real root of the issue, which can be understood through a process of detailed observation. Most times the individual is focused elsewhere and thus, there is not a constant pressure. When the interruptions arise, the observational standpoint of the witness can engage to determine the actual causative factors, so that they can be removed, modified or transformed.

All actions of the outer nature are driven by the action of the three Gunas, qualities of Nature, Tamas, Rajas and Sattwa. There are thus different factors involved depending on which Guna is predominant at any point in time. Cravings and desire for food that arise during the ascendency of Tamas include habits that are built up by repeated experiences, regardless of the actual needs of the body. Also, as a response to stress, as well as hormonal triggers based on despondency, feelings of weakness and alienation etc. A craving for sweet taste frequently arises during Tamasic events. Those that arise as a result of Rajas tend to include a drive for particular responses or tastes, such as a hankering for highly spiced or salted foods. Rajas also responds easily to energies that the individual is exposed to in daily interactions. Engagement with individuals who are filled with desires or ambitions, or pressures that arise due to societal tendencies and expectations frequently translate internally into a sense of hunger. There are even responses of hunger associated with the predominance of Sattwa, for instance when one undertakes to focus intensely on the body, its nutritional needs, a scientific way of eating, or some particular dietary preference, and thus, the fixation on eating is translated into a process justified as having a rational and necessary basis.

Whichever causative factor may be involved, the physiological response includes the release of hormones, neurotransmitters and signals that spur a response to food or a particular food. Feedback loops are created by repeated, habitual activities, such that the body expects food at certain times and will send signals around that time to remind the being that it is “time to eat”.

Once we can begin to understand and identify the mechanism, the next step is to specifically unravel these varying motive forces and apply a suitable corrective. In some cases, simply denying the impulse repeatedly will work if the basis is a habitual response that the body has cultivated. In other cases, recognising the influence of external pressures or the force of rajasic desire, a conscious shift of attention to a higher level focus and callilng forth sattwic support can aid the process. In some instances, we can actually recognise the need for a particular nutritional element and satisfy that, noting then that the craving is resolved and does not return once the underlying missing element has been provided. In modern day life, processed foods are actually made with tastes and chemicals to enhance the ‘addictive’ nature of the foods, and thus, avoidance of highly processed foods can yield fast and highly advantageous results, both to help resolve cravings and for the individual’s overall health and well-being over time.

Some paths try to solve the issue by asking the practitioner to simply accept whatever comes into the begging bowl that day. Others try to enforce the body through discipline and in some cases elements of torture. Still others counsel a specific dietary regimen to follow such that the scope of craving and desire is held back.

The issue then is to understand and solve rather than to put a lot of energy obsessing about food, the craving for food, or the suppression of the craving. In the end, the energy spent in the obsession is energy that could be better directed to the spiritual pursuits.

Sri Aurobindo observes: “Perhaps with regard to the greed for food, your attitude has not been quite correct. Greed for food has to be overcome, but it has not to be given too much thought. The proper attitude to food is a certain equality. Food is for the maintenance of the body and one should take enough for that — what the body needs; if one gives less the body feels the need and hankers; if you give more, then that is indulging the vital. As for particular foods the palate likes, the attitude of the mind and vital should be, ‘If I get, I take; if I don’t get, I shall not mind.’ One should not think too much of food either to indulge or unduly to repress — that is the best.”

Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, Looking from Within, Chapter 5, Attitudes on the Path, pg. 166

Understanding the Issues of Mastery Over Vibrations Inwardly and in the External World

We try to control or dominate other people generally through various methods. It is customary in many cultures to subject children to strict discipline and education so that they do things the way the parents or educators like, or they get subjected to some kind of punishment, whether it be corporal, emotional, or vital; or else, get rewarded for doing what is expected. This is a form of “operant conditioning” as described in the Western psychological literature. What this does NOT accomplish, however, is the true mastery over the impulses, feelings, etc. and can lead to either a suppressed mental and vital nature, or else, outright rejection or rebellion.

We try to indoctrinate the young people with certain principles of living, what we call moral maxims, such as ‘thou shalt not kill’ or ‘thou shalt not covet the possessions of thy neighbor” or ‘thou shalt not commit adultery” or ‘thou shalt not bear false witness’. When the young people observe, however, that the people trying to instill these concepts do not actually follow them in their lives, there is a sense of disconnectedness and unreality to them. Additionally, it is easy to say ‘thou shalt not” but we do not educate ourselves (or the young people) on actually how to achieve mastery over the impulses and vibrations that lead us into the situations that cause us to violate these principles.

Only those individuals who have conquered these impulses (or others) within themselves, can actually provide guidance to others, and that guidance is generally not in the form of a verbal or written instruction, but in the form of creation of a vibratory field that is palpable and which brings the wayward vibrations of others entering that field into harmony. This however can be a very temporary phase. We have heard the legends about sages who were able to bring peace and co-existence between the lion and the lamb, for instance, but that does not solve the issue outside the environs of the sage.

We also understand that when a disciple surrenders to a realized teacher, or Guru, that the Guru may, if he so chooses, and has himself the mastery, aid the disciple in overcoming the vibratory pattern that is desired to be changed. With the permission of the student, the Guru can actually adjust and tune the receptivity of the being so that it does not vibrate to the unwanted vibrations any longer. This of course requires that the Guru has himself obtained the necessary mastery.

There are of course instances where a seeker has found out how to gain that inner mastery of impulses and feelings. Generally this takes serious effort at self-understanding and time to shift the focus, the intention, the vibrational receptivity.

Some disciplines attempt to gain control through avoidance of the temptation. Oftentimes when the seeker returns to the societal setting, however, he finds that he has not actually solved the problem, just suppressed it temporarily. Some other disciplines attempt to gain control through confrontation with the temptation. In some cases, this leads to self-deception and the acceptance of the vibration that is to be changed, leading to ‘enjoyment’ rather than ‘transformation’ of that vibration. Another methodology has to be worked out that neither simply suppresses nor accepts the vibration; but rather, is able to withstand its force and either adjust the focus or transform the vibration.

Once an individual has found the method and conducted this inward transformation, the impact may naturally spread to others, or be communicated actively to others. This aligns with our understanding of the “hundredth monkey” phenomenon, as new skills learned by one can spread to others who vibrate within the same range of energetic activity.

The Mother notes: “One can’t control outer matter if one does not control inner matter, for they are the same thing.”

“… mastery means the knowledge of handling certain vibrations; if you know how to handle these vibrations you have the mastery. The best field of experimentation is yourself: first you have the control in yourself and once you have it in yourself you can transmit the vibration to others, to the extent you are capable of identifying yourself with them and of thus creating this vibration in them. And if you cannot handle a vibration in yourself, you don’t even know the procedure; you don’t even know what to do, so how can you manipulate it in others? You may encourage them by words, by an influence over them, to do what is needed to learn self-control, but you cannot control them directly.”

Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, Powers Within, Chapter XI Power of Control, pp. 96-97

Programming and Reprogramming of the Being Through Application of Will

Everything we do represents an action of will. Even inaction winds up being a ‘willed’ action. We are provided a choice at each moment as to how to respond to circumstances, pressures, events, opportunities that lie before us. In many cases, however, we do not recognise the power of choice as we feel compelled to respond in a particular way, through instinct, habit, or conditioned, trained behaviour.

If we observe closely the process of developing a habit, and the influence of habits on our behaviour, we see that it starts with an observation, a connection, that creates either an attraction or a repulsion in our vital being. As we choose our response, we create a ‘neural pathway’, a ‘groove’ if you will, that makes it easier for the same response to arise in connection with a similar circumstance in the future. The more we actively choose, or at least passively permit, this response, it develops into a more or less fixed action and we have then a habitual pattern that begins to condition our action in the world. The more ingrained that set pattern is, the more effort of will is required to change it; therefore, it is best to make positive choices at the beginning of the process when the response is yet in its ‘seed’ form and before it becomes a fully grown habit.

Just as a habit is created, it can be dissolved. We have programmed the habit into our being, so that the mind accepts it, the vital nature is drawn to it, and the body expects it. The detailed operation of neuro-transmitters, hormone release, and physical experiences of craving are the manner in which habits become embedded in the being. Yet all of these things can be changed through operation of will. The exertion of will-power is something that can be trained and systematically developed over time, through repeated effort. While it may not fully succeed in immediately overcoming a deeply engrained pattern, over time it succeeds in modifying the behaviour.

Certain habits go on to become physical addictions. This can be an addiction to intoxicating beverages, drugs, or even the stimulation and gratification that can come to the vital being from exciting actions, or from sexual activity or from dominating behaviour such as bullying, or from excessive interaction with immersive video games or television programming. Whatever the form or source of the addiction, we are observing embedded, deep grooves in the being that utilize neuro-transmitters and hormone release as a mechanism to create deep physical reactions of ‘need’, and any attempt to change these addictions creates ‘withdrawal symptoms’. In this case, the issue is the same. Once the addiction is in place (which started with an approval of the action the first time!), it needs an effort of will, combined with implementation of methodologies to systematically break down the addiction and move the body-life-mind to a new pathway forward.

A simple example: we have a habit of taking a refreshment, a snack, in the mid-morning or mid-afternoon between meals. We may start doing this as an exception, perhaps in a period of high exertion and the body requesting an energy boost. If we repeat this daily, it becomes a habit, whether or not the body ‘needs’ it. If we try to change this habit, we then can observe that there is a subtle pull or what we may call a physical craving that tells us that it is ‘snack time’. In some cases, we give in to the craving and go and obtain the expected refreshment. In other cases, however, we can use our will to ‘reprogram’ this trained habit through substitution of a different action, such as an exercise program, or a focus on some subject of intense interest, or through a type of conditioning either through use of “reward” or “punishment”, or through a type of education of the body-life-mind complex to recognise that this snack is not required and is actually not helpful, as it will tend to increase weight and decrease our health over time. Another method is to provide the refreshment, but reduce the quantity or change the constituent foods, such that the body’s expectation is reduced and eventually can be eliminated. One way or another, with perseverance and patient exercise of the active will, the change can occur.

Another example was related by an individual about his experience in monitoring and controlling the impulse of speech. He undertook a practice for a period of time to not speak ‘socially’. He had a pad and pen and wrote responses to all social inquiries during that time. However, he determined to speak if speech was necessary in relation to the specific work he was given to undertake. This practice forced him to observe how the impulse to speech arose within him, and forced him to make variable choices depending on the circumstance under which speech either would, or would not, be required. He reported learning a great deal about the rising of impulses within the being generally, and the use of will power to guide and direct which impulses would be fulfilled and which would be denied.

The Mother observes: “There is always a moment when everyone has self-control. And if one had not said ‘Yes’ once, if one had not taken the decision, one would not have done it.”

“There is not one human being who has not the energy and capacity to resist something imposed upon him — if he is left free to do so. People tell you, ‘I can’t do otherwise’ — it is because in the depths of their heart they do not want to do otherwise; they have accepted to be the slaves of their vice. There is a moment when one accepts.”

Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, Powers Within, Chapter XI Power of Control, pg. 96

The Body’s Will to Health Is the True Cure of Illness

Most people associate the will-power with the mind. We concentrate on achieving something and we “set our mind to it” and exercise our will. When the issue turns to overcoming vital habits or bodily weaknesses, however, we find that the mental will is much less effective, and in many cases, we try to resort to various methods of brute force to gain control over them. What we fail to recognise in all of this is that the mental will is most effective on the mental plane, but that there are also a vital will and a physical will. When we say someone is being “willful” we generally are referring to a vital action that goes contrary to our mental conception of how things should be.

The mental will and the vital will, through their interaction with the physical body, can have an impact on health, yet, in the end, it is the body’s own will that determines health. Most people do not consider the body and its cells to be conscious and therefore able to have an expression of “will”. They look on the body purely as a type of ‘machinery’. Yet if we examine the body more closely, we see activities that go beyond simple machinery, and of course, the ‘machinery’ view only goes so far before it breaks down. Clearly it is not the mind that created the machinery nor can it control the machinery at the cellular level. Similarly, the vital force, while it animates the physical body, clearly is not the designer and developer of the cellular action. The mind does not direct cells on how to carry out their specific functions, nor does the vital.

At the cellular level, there are numerous functions that indicate a level of intelligence and self-direction such as the ability of cells to assimilate and then produce energy, the action of the immune cells, the coding and replication of the detailed cellular structures and function, the interactive nature of the different organs to coordinate together to create a living being, etc. The regular action of the immune system is clearly an expression of the body’s will to health. It is aided by the protective action of the vital sheath, or aura, but when once an illness gets inside that envelope, it is the immune system that takes up the effort to restore the health. Medicines applied from outside are adjuncts or aids to the body’s own resistance to disease or illness.

In The Mother’s Agenda, the Mother goes into a deep, and experiential review, of the cellular action and the aspiration and intentionality that takes place at the cellular level. As part of this review, she makes clear that external treatments or medicines only go a certain distance toward restoring and maintaining health: it is the internal cellular response, the ‘will’ in the cells, that is the true source of health and vibrant energy.

The Mother notes: “Wake up in yourself a will to conquer. Not a mere will in the mind but a will in the very cells of your body. Without that you can’t do anything; you may take a hundred medicines but they won’t cure you unless you have a will to overcome the physical illness.”

“The body is cured if it has decided to be cured.”

Sri Aurobindo and The Mother, Living Within: The Yoga Approach to Psychological Health and Growth, Disturbances of the Body and Physical Consciousness, Will, Discipline, Endurance, pp. 88-90