Could one meditation-breathing technique replicate most of the things taught by Bhagwad Gita, the epitome of Indian spiritual heritage?
In my view, the short answer is “Yes”. The actionable teachings of Gita can all be translated into one action – The Advanced Meditation Exercise (TAME) that I have written about earlier. I have also mentioned this point in the same article.* In this note, I will explain it in more detail with examples of how TAME (with some variations) can be used to implement these teachings.
It is important to read the TAME article before continuing with the note below.
Start with understanding TAME
As mentioned in the TAME article, the exercise is the breathing equivalent of the traditional Indian fire ceremony of sacrifice called “yagya”. In this ceremony, a fire is lit and things that one would like to sacrifice are cast into it while praying. In my view, this physical ritual aims to help the mind perform similar sacrifices within itself. Performing the sacrifice well inside the mind is thus the real aim of performing it outside. Having performed this ritual physically, it becomes easier for a person to recreate it in his mind and perform it mentally. The difference is that while in the real world, material that is sacrificed is cast into the fire, in the mind attachments, aversions, anger and other things that disturb the mind and hold back a person from being spiritual are cast into the mind’s eye as sacrifice (not acting upon them but casting them into the mind’s eye is the sacrifice). All acts of transcendental sacrifice and renunciation can thus be replicated in this single, mental exercise. The section below provides some examples based on some teachings from Gita.
Before we start – a note on the power of imagination
Most of the spiritual battles we fight are in the mind. It is here that perceptions get shaped, that desires arise, that anger takes hold, and where actions are triggered. For this reason, spiritual techniques use the same “weapons” that mind-disturbing forces use. Imagination is one example. Desires rely very heavily on imagination. They conjure up scenarios in the mind that are powerful enough to push a person to act. This is imagination at it’s most powerful. Countering desires also needs one to use imagination. Examples below show how imagination can be harnessed by the spiritual self as well.
Teachings from Gita (examples of how to apply TAME)
For those not familiar with Bhagwad Gita, a good place to get its overview and summary may be here.
Below, I list a number of actionable teachings from Gita and discuss how these can be performed thorough TAME. A reader may be struck by how similar the different actions I am suggesting are. And that’s the point. One single exercise, with minor variations, can be used to perform all the actions that Gita suggests.
The verses below have been selected to provide a general idea of how to apply TAME. I believe that a reader should then be able to easily extrapolate the insights from below to apply TAME elsewhere in Gita – as applicable.
Tolerate the impermanent senses
Verse 2.14: Even a slight disturbance of the senses can create strong mental reactions of happiness or sorrow. These sense-disturbances are impermanent like winter and summer seasons. And just like the changing seasons, we should tolerate different sensory signals and not let them disturb us.
Examples of such sensory perceptions being cast away could the following:
- A person is told that he is being sacked.
- A person feels like having a drink – something he knows he should not be doing.
- Unexpected noise is interrupting someone who was looking forward to some peace and quiet and he is unable to get away from the place.
- A dish is not tasting as good as it should.
- A significant other breaking up with a person.
- A room that one needs to stay in is not clean.
- Seeing others as fortunate because of what they have and seeing the self as unfortunate because one does not have the same.
… and so on. Any sense signal (sight, sound, smell, taste, or touch) that is pleasant, or unpleasant, or that we want to be pleasant but is not creates a desire or aversion that can potentially disturb the mind. If a person lets these aversions and desires play around in his mind, the result is not happiness. The result is a bit like an addict seeking a high. Even if the desired outcome is achieved, the happiness is as enduring as a narcotic shot that brings temporary respite till the next desire arises.
Applying TAME: The incoming breath routine remains as described in the TAME article. Changes that one experiences through senses can be mentally encapsulated in the outgoing breath and cast into the fire of the mind’s eye. In doing so, one can imagine that the potentially disturbing sense signals he experiences are being funneled into the outgoing TAME breath and burnt as they fall into the mind’s eye. As this happens, a person can also imagine that these senses are not being allowed to touch the rest of the person.
This exercise may not deliver immediate results. And it will certainly not change the reality outside. However, in my experience, over a period of time, the mind starts becoming insulated from these sensory ups and downs and finds a peaceful state within. This peaceful state within is a lot better place to be in while coping with the challenges that remain outside one’s control.
The next goal that is spiritually recommended would be that the person insulates his actions from the attachment or aversion he is feeling at the moment. Actions should be driven by consideration of what should be done rather than what a person wants to do based on a mind disturbed by attachments or aversions. By protecting the mind from such disturbances, this exercise can enable right action. This brings us to the next selected Gita verse.
Establish the self in yoga
Verse 2.48: Establish yourself firmly in yoga by performing actions not based on attachment but your honest understanding of your duty. In this endeavor, remain equally poised (satisfied within yourself) in successful and failed outcomes. This equanimity is yoga.
The verse advises a person to do what is right regardless of likes and dislikes, and to not let the outcomes of actions (success or failure) disturb the mind. This logically follows the Verse 2.14 discussed earlier. Disturbances of the mind should be channeled in the mind’s eye and not into actions. Actions should be driven by our best understanding of what is right and what is wrong – not by what we like or dislike (or what is in our self-interest). And the outcomes of actions are experienced as sense signals and (as suggested by Verse 2.14) should be cast into the mind’s eye rather than letting them elate or disturb the mind.
Note: Importantly, these outcomes also include potentially flawed ways by which we may be performing this TAME exercise, while trying our best to do it. A person should try his best to remain undisturbed by the outcomes of both the physical action outside and the mental action inside. So, if he is unable to perform the TAME exercise as suggested here, he should still try and remain positively engaged and persist rather than feel disheartened and give up. Conversely, a successful effort should not result in celebration. Both elation and dejection are disturbances that one should try and process using TAME.
Applying TAME: The basic physical exercises of yoga and the resulting straight, stable, and healthy physical posture forms the basis for a steady mind. This mention of physical posture is also there in Verses 6.12-6.13. This advanced meditation progressively moves into the non-meditation time of a person. This movement happens with consistent practice of the meditation. As a result, during non-meditation time, a person often starts returning to the TAME breathing pattern and mental peace that is anchored in the mind’s eye. During this time, it becomes possible to perform the action recommended by this Gita Verse 2.48. Such a breathing pattern and mental peace can also be brought about consciously – with practice.
The first thing mentioned here is the need to “establish oneself firmly”. This is done at two levels – physically (through good posture mentioned above) and mentally. The mental action comprises two steps. The first step is to imagine yourself being as solidly and unwaveringly situated inside your mind. This is a bit like sitting in a good, stable yoga posture. Experience (imagine) the stillness this mental foundation brings. Imagining this firmness and stillness within your mind is itself a very peaceful experience. The second step is through the exhalation activity of TAME. Before the exhalation, take a moment to imagine the outcomes of your effort – success as well as failure, physical outcomes as well as mental. Imagine placing these on the outgoing breath and casting them into the fire of your mind’s eye as a sacrifice. Experience yourself thus becoming distant from and indifferent to both failure as well as success. These failures and successes are being cast into your mind’s eye and cannot touch you. Practicing TAME in this manner gets you there.
When this exercise is repeated over time, a person starts becoming more and more relaxed about the outcome of his effort. The drive to act must not and does not reduce. However, there is progressively reduced concern over the outcome. This mental distancing from the effort and its outcomes brings an enormous amount of peace to the mind. After all, if I am not disturbed by the ups and downs that flow from my actions, I am not going to feel disturbed about so many things that would otherwise unsettle me. Actions that should be performed are performed, but not because they are driven by my attachment or aversion. They are, in-fact, driven by spiritual knowledge. This brings us to the next verse.
Spiritual knowledge should guide one’s actions
Verse 2.49: Stay away from inferior actions that are driven by desire for rewards – for they eventually lead to misery and grief. Instead, seek refuge in spiritual knowledge and let that guide your actions [for this leads to winning of true wealth**, which is spiritual (inner peace and blissful happiness – ultimately, happiness is what we are truly seeking) ].
Flowing from the commentary for Verse 2.48, the above passage is clear. Instead of letting desire drive actions, have them driven by spiritual knowledge – which would inform one through intuition of where one’s duties lie. This intuition of what constitutes right action should drive one’s actions.
Applying TAME: A rationalizing mind will often search for self-serving course of action. Getting the mind to honestly agree to the right (selfless) action is a problem because a person starts thinking (i.e., rationalizing) instead of relying on intuition driven by conscience. A thinking person using logic will remain vulnerable to self-serving angles of thought that he can then find ample justifications to support. Spiritual knowledge of right action needs a person to move away from himself and see things as an impartial observer. This is the meditational equivalent of an out-of-body experience. When one no longer sees himself in the mix of decision, then he is more likely to make a selfless, spiritual decision. So, a good way to make a difficult decision may be to contemplate it while in a deep TAME session. In a TAME session, a person is most likely to separate himself from a decision and see things in a more detached, objective manner. He is thus most likely to call out his own selfish drives tilting a decision in one direction. During the TAME exhalation, one can imagine the collection of different decision outcomes of the decision and cast them into the fire in the mind’s eye. This is mentally sacrificing of personal effort and results of the effort for a greater good. Do this over and over in a TAME session and selfish motives become clearer. The challenge here is that a TAME session may still not overturn a deeply entrenched inclination to make selfish decisions. But TAME does start with exposing the internal contradictions of thinking something is not right and doing it anyway for selfish reasons. Changing the final decisions to make them selfless can take time; and consistent practice of TAME over a period of time can help. Changing deep-rooted selfish and biased decision-making is a bit like turning a super tanker. It helps to use TAME to slowly bend the mind to accommodate a larger purpose. But it can be done, and the end result is reached much faster than one might expect.
You have the right to act but not the right to the results thereof
Verse 2.47: You have only the right to perform actions but you do not have the right to the results or the rewards thereof. Neither consider yourself the cause of the results of your actions, nor get attached to inaction.
This is often treated as a flagship verse for Gita. I have included it in this article to not just discuss how TAME can be applied but also the spirit in which it should be used. Besides, any discussion on applying Gita’s teachings in life would be incomplete without this verse.
We all are familiar with situations wherein our actions did not have intended / desired consequences. Many would recall when something they were sure would happen as a result of their action did not materialize. This is a rephrased and a practical way of laying out what this verse is saying. Work that is dedicated to satisfying the senses of the self (which many may also say is done for selfish or even egotistical reasons) may not get you the result you want. This is because that right or power over creation is not given to anyone. Rephrased: no one has a right to get whatever they want out of this world. On the other extreme, any work that is done purely for the sake of God or as a selfless service would in any case be left to Him (or providence) in terms of the results it should achieve. So, in all instances, just because a person is doing something does not mean he is entitled to get the results he is striving for. This applies to all endeavors – material and spiritual, external and internal.
Applying TAME: This is also the spirit in which TAME should be performed. Perform the meditational exercise during and beyond the meditation time. But, do the actions (including the meditation) as a matter of service*** rather than as something that is being done to achieve a selfish result. The results achieved may be a smashing success or they may bring little perceptible progress. Either way, cast the results into the mind’s eye as a surrender of the outcome rather than let the outcome disturb you. Then again, you may not do this well and you need to cast this result into the mind’s eye too. The point is to keep trying to perform and to keep trying to cast the results off – all should be done in the spirit described above.
To those not familiar with Gita, the message of Verse 2.47 may come as a surprise. It runs counter to the very foundation of our understanding of this world. How can one be motivated if there should be no expectation of result? Why do something when you do not see yourself as the cause of the outcome? And what about the villains who’ve inflicted untold suffering upon others? Are they not responsible for their actions? Should they not be considered the perpetrators? These questions are perhaps best addressed through another article in this site.
Attaining Peace
Verse 2.70: An ocean is constantly filled by rivers from all sides but can still remain calm. Similarly, a sage remains undisturbed by all the desires that may be flowing into his mind. Peace does not come to the person who gets disturbed by these flows of desires and chases them (by acting upon them).
It may appear as though this verse is not asking us to perform an action but for even advanced learners of yoga a lot of active calming needs to happen within the mind itself in order to counter the incessant flows of desires into it. Without this active maintenance of peace, the mind becomes like a stormy sea – chasing desires through action. Happiness would simply not be possible without a peaceful mind – as I have written in an earlier article. Without actively using TAME or another spiritual routine, a person would inevitably start moving to satisfy the desires flowing into his mind.
Applying TAME: Active calming of the mind may be done through TAME. One can imagine the newly experienced desire to be placed within the outgoing breath and being pushed out into the fire or divinity imagined in the mind’s eye. Then, imagine the vaporization of the desire as it burns up and the freeing of the self from the desire as a result. Repeat the process – as needed.
Continuing the imagery above: A mind that is actively kept peaceful is alike a calm ocean. Desires flow into the mind a bit like a breeze flows over the ocean. Channeled into the mind’s eye, the breeze of desire creates nothing more than a ripple and dies down. On the other hand, a desire that pushes a person to selfish actions is more like a storm that pushes the ocean in different directions. According to Gita, happiness cannot be possible for a person navigating such stormy seas within his mind.
Closing notes
Working in the spirit of yoga is not easy. The mind will naturally regress to a state wherein it experiences desires and repulsions. And the distance from these emotions from sense-driven actions is just one impulse away. The key is sincere effort, not success or failure. Happiness and peace is a natural byproduct of such effort. So, a person needs to keep practicing TAME, even in the face of mixed or discouraging results.
There’s another thing here: there’s something about the mind’s eye that is supremely powerful. Its use has the power to bend the mind in a spiritual direction and do a lot more. It’s like a singularity in Physics – where the normal laws of Physics break down. Similarly, with the use of the mind’s eye, the near insurmountable stubbornness of the mind can be dissolved, old (desire-driven) habits discarded, new (spiritual-driven) ones formed, and a person can practically reinvent himself. Without the use of the mind’s eye, the full force of the past habits and the desires that rage within the mind will be far too powerful to overcome in a transformational way (See this article on the power of Tranformation being used here).
Finally, in my view, routines similar to the ones described in this article may be suggested in other Books, although the language may be more cryptic. For example, the Bible appears to be suggesting that one should try and perfect the use of the mind’s eye when it says the following: “The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.” – Matthew 6:22. This “single eye” appears to me to be the one between the eyebrows that this article focuses on and that Gita advises us to activate.
Additional reading
Here is an article on how some characters of Mahabharat personify the bad actors (Kauravs) inside our minds. The destruction of these bad actors through TAME is hinted by Gita. The Kaurav warriors in this description are the bad actors we intertwine consciously with the outgoing breath. And “God’s mouth” is the minds eye, into which the breath is directed to eliminate them.
Footnotes
* As I have also explained in the endnote of the same article, the TAME technique is described by Gita itself, though a reader may not bring it together and apply it as suggested in my articles.
** In this verse, Arjun (to whom this knowledge is being imparted) is being referred to by a name that means winner of wealth. As discussed in another article, this wealth can come to us in this life itself. One does not need to wait for after-life for the reward.
*** Performing deemed spiritual tasks like meditation and performing all tasks in the spirit of service is the primary advice of Gita.
