The Three Energies. The Forgotten Canons of Health and Harmony

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Ayurveda recommends leading a sattvic lifestyle as it strengthens the immune system. Rajas and tamas are the opposite; they weaken or destroy our immunity and stimulate frequent and incorrect breathing. Breathing increases when we experience negative emotions like fear, anger or mental anxiety, during intense physical activity, sex and as strangely as it sounds, during sleeping. In a state of tranquil wakefulness, the length of exhalations within a half-hour period is 10,800 centimetres (108 metres), and 27,000 centimetres (270 metres) while sleeping. In this way, an extra 30 minutes of sleep results in the loss of three-quarters of an hour of life. When we suffer from serious illness, we breathe the same way as while sleeping, and at the time of death the last exhale is the longest. By coming to sattva we not only increase our health by strengthening our immune system, but also increase our duration of life by breathing less.

There is one more important recommendation – to avoid sleeping with our head facing north or northeast. Throughout our life we are all subjected to the influence of various energies and fields. Solar energy, the magnetic field of the Earth, the gravitational field of the Moon and the magnetic storms on the Sun – they all influence us. The human body possesses magnetic characteristics similar to those of the Earth planet.

The Earth’s magnetic field runs from north to south, as the human magnetic field does – from the head to the feet. As a result of it, if we sleep with our head towards the north, our magnetic field will be overcome by the magnetic field of the Earth. It can cause problems with blood circulation, an excessive heart rate and cause general deterioration of our health. You probably remember how two magnets act when the north poles are put together, face-to-face? They spin away from each other because they cannot stay in such a position. Now imagine what would happen to our aura if we were to sleep with our head facing north – the next morning it would be ripped apart, literally. After waking up, we would not feel rested and cheerful. But if we sleep in the opposite direction, toward the south, our magnetic field will interact correctly with the Earth’s magnetic field and we will feel fresh and full of energy when we awaken.

Early to Bed and Early to Rise Makes a Man Happy, Healthy and Wise

It is important to brush our teeth and take a shower immediately after waking to get rid of the guna of ignorance. It is best to have a bowel movement before taking a shower. At night the body gets rid of toxins, and if we do not go to the toilet or take a shower before 9 am, then all the toxins are absorbed back into the body.

A. S. Pushkin said, “Blessed is one who moves his bowels every morning without any force.”

One famous Ayurvedic doctor confirmed, “One of the main rules of good health is to empty the bowels in the morning; if it does not happen then disease will come soon.”

The guna of goodness means knowing the purpose of life, having a life that is stimulating and filled with goodness. In contrast to it, ignorance is destructive from beginning to end; the more our consciousness is influenced by ignorance, the more we want to sleep, watch TV series, associate in ignorance and passion.

We may ask, “But what should we do when we get up early?” The time of sattva is approximately from four to nine in the morning; at this time of day we feel absolutely no desire to drink alcohol, swear, watch movies or engage in similar activities. This time is designed for prayer, meditation, study, planning for the future – the long-term memory works at full power during this time. It is in these hours that we should receive a positive burst of energy for the whole day. In America there is a millionaires club, where one of the conditions of membership is that you have to get up before 5 am. They realised that without rising early it is very difficult to succeed.

One famous proverb says, “Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man happy, healthy and wise.” By understanding how the gunas work we can see the truth in this statement – during the early morning hours the energy of sattva (happiness and tranquility) totally saturates the atmosphere.

Brahma-muhurta

Masters of Ayurveda consider a proper daily routine to be a powerful form of therapy for improving health and have devoted the first chapters of their classic works to it.

Dinacharya, or strictly following a standard daily routine, is one of the best ways to enable one to remain in harmony and to prevent and cure disease.

Vagbhata in “Ashtanga Hridayam” begins his description of the daily routine with the following words:

brahme muhurta uttisthet svastho raksartham ayusah

“Get up from sleeping during Brahma-muhurta to preserve your health and life itself.” (AH)

The word brahma can be translated as belonging to Brahman, saint, sacred, the divine; to sacred knowledge, prescribed by Vedas; sacred science, study of sacred texts and study of Vedas.

Muhūrta means a moment, an instant, any short interval of time, or a defined period of time such as 48 minutes.

The time of day for receiving spiritual knowledge and happiness is known as Brahma-muhurta. According to Ayurveda, a healthy person needs to get up two muhurtas before sunrise, at 4.30 am to be exact – this is a calculation for South India when day and night are of equal duration. Depending on the geographical latitude of a particular place or the season of the year, the time of sunrise changes, but the duration of a sandhya always remains the same. Therefore, Brahma-muhurta always begins one and a half hours before sunrise, regardless of the place or season.

If we wake up during the Brahma-muhurta, it allows us to begin the day with calm and cheerfulness and maintain this state throughout. This is the time when sattva predominates, which itself brings harmony to all energies. Passion starts at sunrise. With the sunset tamas takes over. Before sunrise the atmosphere is saturated with sattva; this is the only time of day when this energy is dominant. At this time there is a positive flow of energy which creates the best conditions for meditation. Thus it is the most beneficial time of a day. By getting up at this time, we can synchronise our rhythm with the rhythm of the Sun. Rising during Brahma-muhurta increases and maintains the best qualities of our unique nature – svabhava – and allows us to be established in it. This condition is called svastha. Svastha is veritable health, the achievement of which is possible only when one becomes established in virtue and goodness. Brahma-muhurta is also the best time for us to pay respect to elders and gurus, offer prayers, meditate, read spiritual scriptures and chant sacred names. The Goddess of Fortune shuns us if we do not perform these morning rituals.

Sri Chanakya-niti-sastra (15.4) states: “He who wears unclean garments, has dirty teeth, eats like a glutton, speaks unkindly and sleeps after sunrise, although he may be the greatest personality, will lose the favour of Lakshmi.” In other words, prosperity, health, beauty and vitality leave us if we get up after sunrise, no matter how important we are.

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We may wonder what time of day is more suitable to perform various activities – morning or evening. Undoubtedly the morning is more suitable; it is easy to experience how calm and blissful the atmosphere is in the morning. If we are in tamas (ignorance), we become more active at night and sleepier in the morning. Most crimes are committed at night. Darkness and gloom are characteristics of tamas, that is why night-time should be for sleeping. Almost everything in nature falls asleep when the Sun sets and awakens as the Sun rises. You will never see a bird or animal covering their face with a wing or paw from the light of the Sun as it rises.

The nervous system rests from approximately 9:30 pm to midnight; if we do not sleep at this time, our rest will never be satisfactory, regardless of how much we sleep. According to Ayurveda one of the most detrimental things for our health is staying awake at night, particularly for night work. The World Health Organization’s research department announced the inclusion of night work in its list of factors most likely to cause cancer.

Morning is the time of goodness (sattva); our most creative ideas occur to us and our intuition is heightened at this time. There is a saying, “Morning is wiser than evening”. We should never make serious decisions in the evening, but wait until the morning. If we follow this rule, we will not have to waste energy fixing unnecessary mistakes.

Chapter 7

Association

Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else’s opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation.

    Oscar Wilde

Our Life is a Theatre Where Everyone Plays a Role

Eastern psychology says that we are similar to a chameleon; we take on the colour of the things we associate with. Our lives are determined by association because we absorb the qualities of environment we live in – such is human nature and nothing can be done to change it.

There was a famous experiment some years ago: some mentally balanced, successful students were selected and then divided into two groups. The first group was told they were prisoners and the second that they were wardens, and they would conduct themselves in accordance with their roles. After four days the experiment had to be stopped, although it had originally been intended to last for one week. The students in the prisoner group were starting to manifest signs of severe depression and other modes of behaviour similar to real prisoners. Those who were wardens became more aggressive and rude toward the prisoners, although they were friends in real life. One student warden even became physically violent. They had become completely immersed in the mood of prison life.

Even actors who play angry characters become angrier. There are also examples of actors becoming more harmonious and wise after playing the role of a saint. The lives of contemporary actors are often tragic as they rarely play roles of balanced, spiritually advanced people.

On a larger scale, life is a big theatre where we play defined roles, and how we play determines the role we take in our next life. Although we are eternal spirits, because we are embodied in this world, we play specific roles – men, women, French, Jewish, German, Ukrainian, engineer, teacher, boss, etc. It is interesting – we write our own life story, consciously or unconsciously creating the paradigms which govern how we think and behave. The more ignorance is in our life, the more darkness and misfortune there will be. On the other hand, the more goodness, the more light and happiness we will experience; we will be more aware, our lives will be interesting and full of possibilities.

Would you like to play the role of a person who is angry, unhappy, bored, constantly criticizing others and demanding of everyone and everything? Why do we choose such roles?

Association must be Chosen

We need to choose consciously what roles to play and who to associate with. We have already been given some roles in this life; usually we cannot change our nationality, parents, relatives, or radically change the size of the body. But even within these limitations there is a wide range of possibilities and choices. If we want to understand who we are, we must look at the people with whom we spend most of our time and have the closest relationships.

Ayurvedic psychology states that correct relationships are the basis of our psychological wellbeing. It is important to be surrounded by harmonious people who assist us in our progress, bring emotional equilibrium and help to preserve our peace of mind. It is equally essential to avoid those who destroy our nervous system, cause degradation and reduce our mental composure.

We should associate with such people only if and when they are willing to listen to our advice and are ready to make changes in their lives; otherwise, we should just pray for them and wish them well.

Regular association with people who encourage harmonious growth and love is more therapeutic and valuable than visiting a doctor. Even the mere presence of a wise person cools and calms the mind.

By thinking of someone we absorb their energy. This is why Eastern philosophy and psychology says, “Think of God, think of saints, and contemplate what the Holy Scriptures and enlightened personalities say”. These things will influence us with pure sattva – the transcendental stage.

Chapter 8

Philosophy – the Basis of Psychology

How the Living Entity Descends To This World

We will now discuss how the jiva (Sanskrit – living entity) descends to this material world and how it can become entangled there. We consider the gunas in terms of psychology because it can help us to develop proper personalities. At the present moment, the main problem of our civilisation is that the two gunas, rajas and tamas (passion and ignorance), have thoroughly penetrated the consciousness of many people. As a result, there is often no point trying to help someone if they have not been purified.

This table clearly shows how the jiva (living entity) descends to this world.

We are part and parcel of God, a spiritual substance which is united with Him.

Initially living existence was situated in the spiritual world (in Christianity it is referred to as the Kingdom of God) – a place that is unrelated to materialism and where everyone is aware of their Union with God and full of eternity, knowledge and bliss. But living existence somehow (we will not now proceed to discuss this theosophical moment) falls into some kind of stew of material energy. This is the mahat-tattva – the great material energy which consists of the three gunas of material nature.

When the soul descends from the spiritual world, this first embodiment carries the energy of the transcendental world.

But regardless of which part of the material world we are born into, we have a body and begin to associate with others. Then the next step is to identify ourselves with the surroundings – “Now I am in this world. I am such and such, I am a yogi, I am a sage, I am small, I am great, I relate to this family or tribe; others have such qualities…” This is the beginning of self-identification with matter. Firstly the gunas penetrate the intellect and then these conditioning develops.

Degradation of the Intellect

At the first stage, the intellect understands that the soul is eternal, that one needs to live in a loving relationship with God. But the intellect becomes slightly contaminated and then ahankara appears (Sanskrit – “false ego”). With the appearance of false ego, we begin to identify ourselves with something that is not our true self: with the body, subtle body, intellect and mind.

First of all we begin to identify ourselves with the senses and mind. Despite the mind initially being in goodness, it becomes contaminated through passion and begins to plan for sensual gratification. It overflows with passion and loses control over the senses, instead coming under their influence. Then the mind becomes engaged in material activity, despite seeing that this does not give satisfaction. Despite the mind being initially sattvic and mellow – for example, if we perform meditation and remain free of any attachments, then our mind is peaceful and happy – when the energy of the false ego is in effect, the mind becomes impassioned.

In this world there is always someone who is higher or lower than us. For example, our neighbour’s house may be better than ours, so we also begin to want one that is at least as good. When our mind becomes absorbed in mediating on satisfying our senses, it becomes incredibly powerful, even more powerful than our intelligence. As a result, it can engage the weakened intelligence in fulfilling our desires for gratification of the senses. Then the intellect also begins looking for different ways to satisfy the senses. If our intellect is developed, then it can plan many and varied forms to this end. In modern society, many possibilities have been developed for sense enjoyment.

The gunas (mainly, passion and ignorance) influence the mind and intellect through the sense objects – and the mind becomes infuriated because it cannot be completely satisfied with sense enjoyments. As a result the mind becomes more and more agitated. Have you ever seen a person walking the streets of New York or Moscow that is satisfied and peaceful? In large cities, the energy of passion is so strong that just by being there we will eventually start acting more passionately, we will begin to bustle around after only a short while of simply strolling calmly and peacefully. Cities are mostly absent of sattva, with only ignorance and passion. Goodness is found in more natural surroundings.

An Agitated Mind Loses Control of the Senses

By coming into contact with advertisements or something that attracts the senses, or by simply living in a modern metropolis, the mind becomes infuriated and wants countless things. Even if we live peacefully in the countryside, as soon as we come to the city, a desire to buy some object arises, then another, and another.