SPARK 2 
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
Scorch Your Vasana
A large number of people are aware of their weaknesses, and of the “one bad habit” that has always cost them a lot. It could be anger, jealousy, greed, self-importance, lust or low self-esteem. We may have multiple issues but it is generally possible to identify one of them as the main problem. The word ‘vasana’ has been used by Vedanta teachers to mean an underlying tendency that time and again expresses as a thought, word or deed in us. Therefore the challenge is reduced to eliminating the debilitating vasana, which threw a spanner in the works all through our life so far.
They asked Maharshi Ramana how one could get rid of one’s vasanas. His answer was, “Scorch them.”
The guidance from the sage has tremendous significance. I would understand it this way. The teachings of the Upanishads are like the hot sun and our vasanas are like tender plants, which normally get watered by our indulgence in ‘thought, word or deed’ that fulfill the tendencies. Scorching goes way beyond starving, and is therefore more powerful. Just to deny gratification of a vasana often leads to suppression, which would not last long. Reflecting on the radiant revelations of the Upanishads leads to such insights that make our old, foolish ways get not only exposed for their silliness but also burnt in the flame of the ‘new way of seeing.’
Take for example, the inspiring metaphor given in the Mundaka Upanishad (3.1.3): The first bird beholds the second one and undergoes a transformation. The seeker contemplates on the sought, and changes. He throws away his false ways that caused bondage so far. He attains oneness with the Pure Self. The first bird is the self, with its sad vasanas. The second bird is the hidden potential in every one of us, the Pure Self. The study of Upanishads blesses us with the ability to question our present self-perception and, through persistent inquiry, arrive at steady appreciation of our true nature.
Proper study leads to meditation. Attempts at meditation without gaining clarity about the subtle science of Self-knowledge lead to a mechanical exercise. Such an exercise can become another enclosure of the self, a new form of ego. Greater the clarity gained through study and inquiry, lesser there is of ‘anything to do’ in meditation. Gentle negation of false identifications becomes the flavor of meditation. Staying free of images and cleansing our consciousness of all negative emotions become the essence of this spiritual engagement. Meditation ‘happens’ and we no more ‘do’ meditation.
When thus we recognize our wrong ways, we not only withdraw from areas where the vasanas find their fulfillment but also engage in intense contemplation on the teachings that point out the state of being that is free of them (the vasanas). Not watering the plants is good but scorching them is better.
Let us therefore scorch ‘the one vasana’ that came in the way of our spiritual ascent.
Swami Chidananda
Portland, Oregon
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