Vedanta, Spiritual Practice and the Necessity of a Qualified Mind

There’s something of a paradox with Vedanta when it comes to the need for spiritual practices, such as meditation, yoga, and self-inquiry.

On the one hand, the teaching is resolute that the Self is already attained — indeed, it’s the essence of what you are. You can’t ‘find’ yourself because you ARE yourself.

As I wrote in the previous article:

Enlightenment is not something you have to acquire or add to yourself.

Vedanta reveals that you are already free. You are already the Self; deathless, eternal and all-pervading. Your problem is simply lack of knowledge about who you are.

Therefore, it is knowledge alone that liberates you by removing the obstacles that have prevented you from apprehending that freedom is your nature.

Wouldn’t that seem to negate the need for spiritual practice? The answer isn’t a simple yes or no, as we’ll find out.

The Problem is Ignorance

The Self is not a state of consciousness that can be attained. If it was a ‘state’, that would make it impermanent because any state that can be attained can also be lost.

The Self is consciousness itself; the pure, undivided, unconditioned consciousness in which all states are experienced.

The previous article and ‘What is the Self? Vedanta and the Power of Self-knowledge’ explored the nature of the Self. We say how enlightenment isn’t an ‘attainment’, as such. It’s the removal of self-ignorance.

This self-ignorance is at the very root of samsara.

Samsara is the existential suffering that results from seeking happiness, wholeness and security in the world of objects.

Having identified the problem as ignorance, we realise that the only solution to ignorance is knowledge. Knowledge dispels ignorance just as the sun dispels the darkness of night. To gain knowledge, all you need to do is find and utilise the appropriate means of knowledge.

In the case of self-knowledge, the means of knowledge is Vedanta. Vedanta has a number of prakriyas, teachings, designed to systematically remove ignorance and establish Self-knowledge. We’ll explore the three-stage process of the teaching later in the next post.

Vedanta is a bit like uninstalling an old operating system and installing a new one. The old operating system, based on ignorance, was rooted in misidentifying the self as the body-mind-sense complex. The new operating system reorients your identity to awareness. All you need to do is to consistently expose your mind to the teaching.

The Quality of Your Mind is Everything

In order for this to work, however, you need to first consider the quality of your mind.

Just as seeds will only grow in a fertile, appropriately prepared field, the seeds of Self-knowledge can only germinate in a suitably pure, stable, contemplative mind.

Unless care has been taken to cultivate a steady, tranquil mind, the mind will always return to its default. In the case of the samsari, this will be a mind gripped by intractable desires, attachments and aversions; a mind habituated to vainly seeking happiness and fulfilment in worldly things.

Such a mind will find it impossible to assimilate Self-knowledge. That’s why Vedanta will mean nothing to the average person. It takes a mature and sophisticated mind to value this knowledge, much less to actualise it.

Originally, Vedanta was intended for yogis; people with highly disciplined, refined, crystal clear minds.

If the student has a suitably pure, sattvic mind, simply listening to the words of a teacher may be enough to set them free. Such people are extremely rare, however — and never more so than today, in our chaotic, value-compromised society with all of its distractions, conflicts, and everyday stresses.

Qualifications Are Essential

While there are many seekers of enlightenment in the world, only a small number will ever attain their goal.

Their success or failure isn’t down to the capricious hand of fate, but to the extent to which they have cultivated a mind fertile enough for the seeds of Self-knowledge to germinate.

In order for Self-knowledge to bear fruit and liberate the mind from samsara, the student must have certain qualifications; certain qualities of mind.

It’s the presence or absence of these qualifications which determines whether you attain liberation or not.

In order to achieve anything in life, you require specific qualifications. This makes sense if you think about it.

If you want to study a certain subject at university, there are entry requirements. To proceed without having the necessary qualifications and grounding in that subject is a waste of everyone’s time. You need a solid foundation before you can hope to build on it.

If you want to run a marathon or climb mountains, you need to make sure you have the necessary level of fitness and stamina first of all. To attain this qualification, you commit to a regular regimen of exercise, strength training, healthy eating, and so on.

Vedanta is no different. In order for the teaching to work, the mind must first be prepared.

Vedanta itself is actually quite easy. You sit, listen to the teaching, and work out any doubts with the help of a teacher, and apply this knowledge to the mind. The knowledge then works its own magic, just as switching on a light in a darkened room automatically dispels the darkness.

The challenging part, however, is ensuring the mind is (and remains) qualified. A mature, refined, prepared mind is absolutely essential.

The Four Main Qualifications

In Tattva Bodha, Shankara outlines a set of four main qualifications.

1. Discrimination (Viveka)

Discrimination is the ability to differentiate between the fleeting and the eternal; to exercise sound judgement and make decisions based upon a clear understanding of dharma and the appropriate values.

Lack of discrimination keeps you bound to the mithya world of changing forms and oblivious to the changeless substratum that is satya, or the Self.

By taking appearance to be real, you remain victim to the mind’s rampant likes and dislikes and subject to its conditioning and basest instincts. Like a puppet on a string, you remain bound by samsara‘s cycle of desire, attachment, and sorrow — which, as we’ve seen, incapacitates the mind, making discrimination impossible. Thus, the problem of samsara perpetuates.

In Vedanta: The Big Picture, Swami Paramarthananda says:

“Discrimination enables us to see the limitation of pursuing worldly goals as a means of fulfilment and the necessity of instead pursuing moksha. With discrimination, we can differentiate between passing worldly pleasures and lasting spiritual liberation, between illusion and truth, between ignorance and knowledge. Discrimination keeps us on the right path, enabling us to see with clarity and to be clear about our true goal.”

2. Dispassion (Vairagya)

Dispassion is the second primary qualification.

Clear discrimination naturally leads to dispassion with reference to the world of sense objects. When you understand that all objects are impermanent and incapable of delivering lasting happiness, an attitude of dispassion gradually develops. Rather than clinging to worldly things, you relinquish binding attachments and allow things to come and go without overt stress and grief.

Swami Paramarthananda elaborates:

“Realising that our attachment to worldly objects is only a form of bondage, we no longer make that our top priority in life. Certain things are still needed for our survival, such as money, food, and shelter. But our primary pursuit is now liberation from dependence upon objects, and this is only achieved by the self-knowledge that leads to moksha.”

As Ramana Maharshi said, “Let what comes come, and let what goes go. See what remains.”

**3. Six-fold Inner Wealth (Shad sampathi)**

The fourth qualification relates to discipline and is sixfold in nature.

Mastery of the mind (sama)First, you must learn to control the mind and senses. Until you master these faculties, you remain a slave to them. Rather than being blindly led by your conditioning and vasanas (the tendency to repeat past actions), you learn to take a stand and assert control of your own mind. This is the hallmark of a mature person.As Swami Paramarthananda notes, this doesn’t entail suppression, but sublimation by “learning to consciously regulate, channel and direct our thoughts to avoid anxiety, stress and depression.”The mind is your primary instrument and must be conditioned and used in an appropriate, healthy way — and one that is in line with dharma. You alone choose where your mind dwells. You have the power to refuse to entertain thoughts and desires that are harmful to your nature, and which obscure your true goals and highest purpose.
Mastery of the senses (dama)
Once you have mastery of the mind, you then naturally have control of the senses, such as sight, sound, speech, and so on. This means that you are no longer victim to compulsive desires and addictions, and the need to continually feed your senses. You act as a gatekeeper to your senses rather letting them run away with themselves, as this invariably leads to an agitated or dull mind. Mastery of the senses means you choose how you direct your senses, both in terms of the input and the output.
Withdrawal from sense objects (uparama).
This qualification follows on from the previous two. The ability to withdraw from sense objects is an important part of inner discipline.A mind that’s continually hooked to worldly objects and sense pleasures is a mind subject to extroversion, and this can be a great impediment to the pursuit of Self-knowledge. You will never have the necessary time, energy or motivation to pursue moksha as long as you are fixated on worldly goals, desires and pleasures.This qualification ties in with discrimination and dispassion. When you take a more objective, dispassionate view of worldly pleasures, and are clear of your true goal, it’s easier to disengage and prevent the mind from being consumed by cravings for sense objects.By consciously directing the mind and senses, they naturally withdraw from sense objects, just as a tortoise withdraws into its shell.
Forbearance (titiksha)
Forbearance is to the ability to weather life’s inevitable storms and stresses. As Krishna says in the Gita, the opposites of life — the dualities of heat and cold, light and dark, pleasure and pain, praise and criticism — are unavoidable and must be endured with even-mindedness. The qualified seeker simply accepts the ‘pinpricks of life’ without complaint and drama. Again, this qualification is strengthened by the cultivation of dispassion.
Focus (samadhana)
The ability to focus is an important component of discipline. Without a steady mind capable of sustained reflection upon the teaching, Self-knowledge will remain nothing but an abstract concept. The committed seeker has single-pointedness of mind and a clear goal in sight. With fortitude, nothing can shake them from their path.
Faith (shraddha)
The final aspect of discipline is faith. Vedanta is challenging. It might at first seem counterintuitive. It may go against just about every ‘common sense’ assumption you’ve ever had about yourself and life. That’s why it’s necessary to proceed with an open, inquiring mind and be willing to have faith in the words of the teaching and teacher.This is not a blind faith, however. It’s no use to simply accept the word of an outside authority with no way of verifying its truth for yourself. This has led to enormous catastrophe throughout human history. Here, your faith is provisional. It is faith pending the results of your own investigation and inquiry.

4. Desire For Liberation (Mumukshutva)

Last, but by no means least, is the desire for liberation. This is what Krishna calls “the desire that is not opposed to dharma.”

Without the burning desire to free, you won’t devote the necessary time and energy to getting free.

There will always be something more tantalizing to pursue in the world of objects and experience.

Failing to recognize the value of the teaching, you will continue to suffer the agonies of samsara as you endlessly and futilely seek happiness and permanence in the world of impermanence.

It’s only when you realise that freedom can only be attained by removing this dependence on the world of the finite that your intense desire for liberation will give you the necessary motivation to commit to Vedanta.

Each of these qualifications naturally leads to the next.

First, discrimination is necessary, for with discrimination we see that, unlike finite worldly goals, only moksha can deliver lasting fulfilment.

From this comes dispassion, lessening the bonds of attachment to material objects. Only then do we cultivate sufficient desire for liberation.

This desire provides the necessary motivation and commitment to work with the teaching until the knowledge is assimilated and the mind is released from the bondage of samsara.

Lift Yourself Up By Yourself

These basic qualifications that must be in place in order for Self-knowledge to work.

In fact, if you do nothing else but cultivate these qualities of mind, you will live a happy and peaceful life.

The mumukshu, however, seeks more. As the seeker of liberation, your goal is nothing less than liberation from samsara.

People are always quick to point to others, circumstances, the state of the world, or even the hand of fate as the source of their problems. But, in truth, the enemy is always closer to home.

In spite of our tendency to assume that our problems are out there in the world, samsara is not an external struggle. Krishna makes it clear that the battlefield is the human mind and it’s a war against ignorance: “The mind alone can be your greatest asset or it can be your worst enemy.”

The key to freedom is, therefore, mastery of your mind; in making certain that the mind is working for and not against you. To do this, you must “lift yourself up by yourself.”

Some spiritual seekers have an unfortunate tendency to look to others for their liberation, perhaps in the form of a charismatic guru, internet evangelist, conspiracy theories, a church, community, or maybe even a cult.

Prone to laziness and magical thinking, the more tamasic seekers don’t want have to think and discriminate for themselves, much less learn to control their mind and senses.

Such a person will look for someone else to think for them — anyone confident and charismatic enough will do — and, like a baby in its mother’s arms, will depend entirely on that person for their sustenance and liberation.

This never leads liberation, however; only greater bondage.

No one else can ever set you free. Krishna makes it clear that you and you alone must take responsibility for your own liberation.

If you don’t become the master of your body/mind/ego, you will always be its hostage.

The real enemy is within.

Until the untamed mind is conquered, moksha is impossible.

Karma Yoga

So, how do you go about attaining these qualifications? Vedanta doesn’t leave you high and dry. It provides a range of spiritual practices (sadhanas) to help create a balanced, stable and qualified mind.

The primary means is karma yoga, which I have already written about in depth.

The essence of karma yoga is understanding that while you have the right to act, you have no control over the fruit of those actions. The moment you shoot the arrow, you have no say over whether it hits the intended target.

By practising karma yoga, you cultivate a steady, stable, tranquil mind; a mind fit for contemplation. Your happiness is no longer dependent on getting your own way. After all, no one can expect permanent success in life.

The results of action are always unpredictable. To base your happiness on unpredictable factors is to invite a lifetime of fear, frustration and unhappiness.

A materialistic, results-driven mind is always subject to enormous anxiety, stress and strain. That’s why Swami Paramarthanada defines true success as the capacity to face both success and failure with an evenness of mind.

For the samsari, who seeks happiness in external objects and experiences, action is determined by his or her likes and dislikes and performed with attachment to the results.

The karma yogi, on the other hand, is no longer driven by the desire to achieve specific material ends.

As a karma yogi, your primary goal is moksha; freedom from emotional dependency on objects.

You act not according to your likes and dislikes, but according to dharma.

You do what is to be done when it is to be done, offering every action to the Self with an attitude of gratitude and devotion. You then accept whatever results come as legitimate and proper; taking every outcome as prasada, a divine gift.

A life of dharma and karma yoga is the ultimate stress reliever. Grief over the past and anxiety about the future melt away when you cease living your life solely for yourself, but as an offering to the divine.

As a seeker of liberation, this is your primary sadhana (spiritual practice). By performing action in accordance with dharma and the karma yoga mindset, the vasanas are gradually rendered non-binding. This purifies the mind, reducing the psychological pressure of extroverting desires and aversions and rendering the mind fit for liberation through the assimilation of Self-knowledge.

As Krishna says, “Without a peaceful, stable mind, contemplation upon the Self is impossible and freedom is elusive. Lacking the ability to contemplate, there is no peace. Without peace, how can there be happiness?”

Krishna describes karma yoga in some depth in the second chapter of the Gita:

“One gains success by performing one’s duty with the karma yoga attitude. Action prompted by desire and anxiety over results will always cause misery. Therefore, seek refuge in this knowledge. Surrender to the Self, and let every action be a form of joyful worship, relinquishing all concern over the outcome. Doing this, you will free yourself from the bondage of action and your mind will easily attain liberation.

“A life of karma yoga creates a tranquil heart and dispels the delusions of the mind. One becomes dispassionate toward the things of this world, all of which come and go of their own accord. No longer fixated on the objects of the senses, the mind becomes serene and steady, and it comes to rest in contemplation of one’s own Self. Being established in Self-knowledge is the gateway to liberation.”

Vedanta offers other tools for the purification of the mind, such as meditation, the cultivation of a devotional mindset and an understanding of the three gunas. The primary means for most seekers, however, is karma yoga, which we will explore in greater depth in the next article.

The articles in this Essence of Vedanta series are excerpts from my commentary on the Bhagavad Gita, which systematically unfolds the entire teaching of Advaita Vedanta. Be sure to get your copy and enjoy the series and much more in its entirety. “Bhagavad Gita – The Divine Song” by Rory B Mackay is available on the Unbrokenself shop here, and also on Amazon and all other good booksellers.