The Gunas: Nature’s Three Fundamental Forces

Life’s complex journey has the potential to bind as well as to liberate. In order to navigate this dual nature of experience, the ancient school of Indian philosophy called Samkhya (“that which sums up”) divides reality into two categories: the knower (purusha) and the known (prakriti).Purusha, the Self, is never an object of experience; purusha is the subject—that which is aware, that which knows. Prakriti,

on the other hand, encompasses everything that comes before us in the objective universe—whether psychological or material. Prakriti is all that can be known.

Unmanifest prakriti is a reservoir of limitless potential consisting of three fundamental forces called the gunas—sattva, rajas, and tamas—in balance with each other. Through the interplay of these forces, prakriti manifests as the universe. Therefore, all that can be known in this world, tangible and intangible, is a manifestation of the gunas in their various forms.

Cultivating awareness of how these forces operate can be a valuable tool on the spiritual path. By apprehending the “feel” of each guna and using that knowledge as a guide, you can move toward recognition of the knower—the purusha—(the Self), i.e. what you essentially are.

At one end of the spectrum we have tamas guna, which has the qualities of inertia, heaviness, darkness, ignorance. Then we move through rajas, which is activity, movement, raw energy and passion. And finally,

sattva, purity, knowledge, discernment, goodness, consciousness and radiance.

A stone is predominately tamasic, a storm rajasic, and sunlight sattvic.

Our minds and bodies are also classed as ‘things’ of the material world according to Indian philosophy and yoga. Anything that can be observed/known is external to the one true witnessing Self, the knower. So our various moods can be identified according to the gunas. When we’re exhausted after a long day and about to fall asleep at night and maybe even when the alarm goes off in the morning and we’re not ready to face the day, tamas is strong. When we’re excited to the point of distraction, that’s rajas. When we’re feeling calm and content and generally blissed out, perhaps after meditation or abiding in the Self, as the Self, hello sattva.

So what’s the point of all this? Well, knowledge of the three gunas helps us understand how things manifest, interact and evolve. In short, we gain insight into the dynamics of everything (including your own body and mind). This, coupled with self-inquiry gives us the ability to witness, observe, and learn all aspects of ourselves. If we can develop our consciousness to the point were we can identify where we’re at when we’re feeling out of whack (i.e which guna is dominating our mental attitude at any given moment) we can identify how to bring it back into balance.

This diagram illustrates the dynamics of the gunas very well.

The gunas as a dynamical trinity.

The Gunas Close UpThe word guna literally means “strand” or “fiber” and implies that, like

strands of a rope, the gunas are inter-woven to form the objective universe. Philosophically, the theory of the gunas explains what this universe is made of and how it came to manifest itself as mind and matter. But more important for seeker of truth, awareness of the gunas tells us whether we are genuinely moving forward in life (sattva), running in place (rajas), or losing our way (tamas).

For the spiritual or truth seeker, awareness of the gunas tells us whether we are genuinely moving forward in life (sattva), running in place (rajas), or losing our way (tamas).

Each guna has its own characteristics. Sattva is translated as "goodness," and this is the guna which one should cultivate and strive to allow to shine in our lives. It corresponds to our higher nature: discernment, knowledge, wisdom, sincerity, compassion, selflessness and focus on helping and caring for others as opposed ego-centered objectives and material attachments. Sattva brings with it clarity, mindfulness, and a spontaneous sense of serenity and happiness.

The essence of sattva in its highest expression is to act like a transparent pane of glass, allowing light—the light of pure conscious awareness—to reveal itself in the operations of the mind and in nature. Sattva is not enlightenment in and of itself, but it unveils what is true and real (sat). It shows itself as beauty, balance, and inspiration, and it promotes life, energy, health, and happiness. Cultivating sattva—by making choices in life that elevate awareness and foster unselfish joy—is a principal goal of the seeker after truth.

Rajas is the energy of change. It is distinguished by strong passion, desire, effort, and pain. Its activity may cause movement either toward sattva (increased spiritual understanding) or tamas (increased ignorance). Thus it may act positively or negatively. But it is most often characterized as unsteady, agitated, and unhappy—prompting change for change’s sake alone. Rajas brings a false sense of happiness by prompting the coupling of the senses with their objects. Thus rajas also binds us to attachment, to the fruits of action, and to sensory pleasures of every kind. Rajas, which means "passion," seems to go toward

extremes.  While it is indeed a passionate and active guna, it also has the tendency to go to the extremes or overboard.  Rajas is active, creative, emotional, sensitive, but can also anxiety ridden, overly boastful, and aggressive. Rajas brings with it a generous serving of agitation, exertion, competitiveness, pain, and enticement.

Tamas (literally translated as "darkness") tends to be a self-centered and slow-moving motivation.  It can be described as apathetic, lazy, and senseless. Tamas conceals the presence of consciousness. Tamas thrives in ignorance and it causes dullness of mind, it apparently ‘clouds’ the mind through its power to obscure. Its nature is heavy and dense. In its more positive or sattvic garb, tamas can supply a steadying influence in life—for example, bed rest can lead to healing. But tamas is primarily immobilizing: tamasic entertainment is mindless and intoxicating. Emotions and actions such as hostility, bad reasoning, and self-delusion born of ignorance can often be rooted in Tamas. Tamas brings with it a sense of lethargy and inattentiveness. It also leads to inaction when action is required. Each of us has experienced the binding power of tamas—the lack of energy and enthusiasm, procrastination, and excessive sleep.

The three gunas are constantly interacting with one another. We can discern hints of this interplay in English phrases such as “innocent pleasure” (sattva-infused rajas) or “rabid addiction” (rajas-propelled tamas). But while the gunas themselves are permanent in essence— having emerged from primordial nature (prakriti)—their interactions are transitory and afford only a false impression of permanence. In this way, the play of the gunas obscures the real (sat), and attracts and binds us to what is ultimately unreal (asat).

The Gunas at Work

It is obvious that during the course of our daily life we swing into various moods in response to stimuli from sense objects. We also react to people, places, and situations resulting in a constant change in our behavior pattern. Hindu scriptures attribute these changes to the gunas. The Bhagavad Gita and Bhagavatham enlighten us on these

gunas.

Our various activities always exhibit these gunas that constantly overlap forcing us to swing into various moods and behavior. When we pray, meditate, or listen to inspiring music we are satvik (pure). When we attend to our household or office work, we are rajasik (active). When we are lazy, lethargic, procrastinate and oversleep we are tamasik (dull).

Bhagavad Gita explains: (in one who devotes a great deal of his time to spiritual ends) “Sattva prevails overlapping rajas and tamas; (in one who devotes a great deal of his time to the attainment of material possessions) rajas prevails overlapping sattva and tamas; (in one who is predominately lazy) tamas manifests itself overlapping sattva and rajas.”

In the Bhagavatam, Krishna tells his friend Uddhava: “There is predominance of one or the other gunas in things, objects and persons. Our deeds and thoughts always express one guna or the other. Indeed, every object in this manifold universe and even celestial beings are influenced by these (mental forces) gunas.”

Bhagavad Gita: Mokshe Sanyasa Yoga confirms this: “There is no being, animate or inanimate, on earth or in the middle region or even among gods and devas or anywhere else, which is free from these three gunas born of nature.”

Gunas influence everything in creation. Let us see a few examples:

Sky: Puffy clouds are satvik; thunder and lightning are rajasik; and a clear sky is tamasik.

Wind: A mild, gentile breeze is satvik in nature, a cyclone is rajasik in nature, and still weather is tamasik in nature.

Water: A gentle creek (gentle movement/flow) is satvik; a raging river (aggressive movement) is rajasik; and a lake is (stagnant) tamasik.

Animal: A lion playing with cubs is satvik; chasing its prey is rajasik; and resting under the shade is tamasik.

Bird: A nesting bird is satvik; flying around to pick worms is rajasik; and resting on a branch is tamasik.

Insect: A busy caterpillar is rajasik; the cocoon is tamasik; and the butterfly is satvik.

Each guna represents a type of principle or motivation in the human mind.

The Bhagavad Gita explains how these gunas manifest in us:

Sattva: Being immaculate is illuminating and flawless and leads to joy and wisdom.

Rajas: Passion results in longing and attachment, motivating the individual to action and to face the consequences.

Tamas: Ignorance deludes through negligence, inactivity, laziness, and sleep.

In the Bhagavatam, Krishna tells Uddhava, “When sattva, which is pure and tranquil and has the power to illumine overcomes rajas and tamas the person is endowed with happiness, virtue and knowledge.

“When rajas, which leads the person to action and results in attachment ensuing the vision of multiplicity (duality), overcomes sattva and tamas, the person is active, finds wealth, fame, but suffers misery due to attachment.

“When tamas, which is characterized by inertia and casts a veil of ignorance on one’s mind and makes the person lose the power of discrimination, overcomes sattva and rajas the person is stricken with grief and delusion. He lives in a dream of hope and, to fulfill the same, he even becomes cruel. Laziness and inertia sets in.”

The Bhagavad Gita confirms this: “Those who are settled in sattva go upward, rajasiks dwell predominantly in the middle, and tamasiks remaining under the influence of the lowest qualities go downward.”

Krishna tells Uddhava: “These three gunas belong to the mind and not to yourself (Atma). Rise above the gunas and realize the Self. First overcome rajas and tamas by developing sattva and then rise above sattva by sattva itself.”

Become a sattvik in order to realize your true nature and see that the higher Self is above and beyond the lower self comprising of the body-mind-intellect or ego complex. To be a satvik what you have to do is to spend some time every day in self-inquiry, solitude, silence and contemplation. The best time to do this is early in the morning and just before retiring at night. Sit in contemplation for 15 minutes identifying yourself one with your ishta deivam (favorite god, i.e. Christ/Krishna) ever present in your heart.

As these gunas constantly overlap your daily life, get into a satvik mood as often as possible. The mind manifests these gunas based on the stimuli received from sense objects, situations and circumstances. Be a satvik by controlling your mind and surrender all actions to your Higher/True Self.

Inquire into your true nature, look within to be a satvik and you will radiate peace, tranquility, joy and happiness forever.

Identifying the sattvic, rajasic, and tamasic aspects of your mind in everyday life—and then cultivating rajas and tamas in service of sattva—is a surefire method for advancing and transforming every aspect of your life.

{Everyday Awareness}

The process of working with the gunas unfolds systematically in four stages:

1. The interplay of the gunas occurs almost entirely outside of your conscious awareness.

2. You (Awareness) begin to notice the gunas in the world around you (the rajasic display at the checkout counter, the sattvic sounds of a Mozart sonata), and learn to recognize the feel or pull of their distinctive qualities.

3. You (Awareness) witness your own sattvic, rajasic, and tamasic mental tendencies.

4. Finally, you (Awareness) begin to sculpt your involvement with the gunas—cultivating sattva, softening rajasic (negative) urges, while engaging its (positive) aspects towards worthwhile (selfless) endeavors. And finally, engaging tamas in the service of stability and (necessary) rest.

The Gunas in Life

Descriptions of the gunas form an important part of one of the most revered texts of the yoga tradition, the Bhagavad Gita. In chapters 14, 17, and 18, Krishna portrays the gunas in marvelous detail. He begins (in verse 14.5) by describing the power of the gunas to “bind the immutable embodied One (Soul).” He goes on to provide an account of the nature of each guna. Later (in verse 18.40), Krishna dramatically summarizes the scope of the gunas’ activities:

There is nothing on the earth, in heaven, or even among the gods, that is free from these prakriti-born gunas.

But if the gunas are so pervasive, how are we to work with them? Krishna’s advice is to sharpen our higher powers of self-observation and discernment. His recurring message is that with practice and the right resolve, we (Awareness) can learn to witness the activities of the gunas and employ them wisely with a sense of balance and purpose.

One of the most powerful ways to affect which guna predominates our minds and to balance them is through our food. All food is characterized as tamasic, rajasic or sattvic in nature. To make this process more visible, Krishna contrasts the look and feel of the three gunas in a variety of contexts. For example, he notes that:

The food you eat may (17.8–10):

Taste good and promote health, strength, and a pleasant (peaceful) mind (sattva).

Be over salted, highly processed and or spiced, and cause illness to the body and restlessness (an over-active, ‘monkey-mind) (rajas)

Be stale, unwanted by others, and not fit as an offering (tamas)

Processed, old, fried and overcooked food, meat and (strong) alcoholic beverages make your mind dull and your body feel heavy. So this food is tamasic. Tamasic foods are difficult to digest and lead to disease. Needless to say if you eat a lot of tamasic food tamas will have a strong hold over your mind.

Rajasic food agitates the mind and makes you feel restless. Rajasic foods include highly salted, bitter, sour, hot and spicy foods, onion, garlic and caffeinated drinks. These will agitate the mind. If you don’t believe me try

cutting them out for a few weeks then introduce them again and see what happens. I was a great lover of all things super spicy and especially garlic and onion. I was a total skeptic and refused to believe they had any effect on my mind until I spent six weeks in an ashram on a sattvic diet. When I reintroduced these foods on my diet I was able to experience their true effects much more clearly. Not that you should never eat rajasic food, but understanding the effect food has on our minds means that when you try to mediate the morning after a spicy, pungent curry and you find your mind is restless or over active, you know why! Harness the rajasic energy and go do something active/productive instead!

Sattvic foods are wholesome foods, ‘live’ foods that support a spiritual practice, these include fresh vegetables, fruits, whole grains and nuts and seeds. This sattva food makes your mind calm and clear and make you body feel light and vital. If you want to calm the mind or reduce mental activity and dive deeper into self-inquiry and mediation, these are the foods that are going to support that journey, choose wisely and bon appetite!

The gifts you offer to others may be (17.20–22):

Given at the right time, just for the joy of giving, with nothing expected in return (sattva)

Given reluctantly, with a sense of loss behind it or with the aim of gaining a returned favor (rajas)

Given at an inappropriate time or place, with disrespect or contempt (tamas)

The steadfastness with which you approach your spiritual path may

(18.33–35):

Help you bring your mind, breath, and senses into harmony (sattva)

Depend on your acquiring something you (ego) want (rajas)

Preoccupy you with fears, grief, and excessive sleep (tamas)

Your sense of happiness may (18.37–39):

Arise from inner discrimination and increase over time (sattva)

Be overly sensual; sweet in the beginning, poisonous in the end (rajas)

Arise from sense pleasures, sleep, lethargy, and negligence (tamas)

As you read this list, or turn to the more extensive teachings in the Gita, don’t let the stringent characterizations mislead you. They are not meant to promote self-criticism or condemnation. The gunas act as signposts—guides that indicate where you are on the evolution of your consciousness and where you are inspired to be.

Samkhya philosophers say that life exists for the purpose of acquiring experience and knowing the Self/Atma. The gunas are meant to facilitate this spiritual endeavor. They reveal, conceal, and stir us up—all for the purpose of drawing us closer to purusha, the knower.

Krishna, the voice of the knower, the voice of Truth (Atma or Self), sums up this relationship (in verses 14.19–20) with a lofty description of life’s goal—one in which ego identification with the activities of the gunas is transcended altogether. Though challenging, this millennia-old teaching continues to inspire seekers today:

When the seer/knower observes no agents of action (no independent

“doer” of action, no “thinker” of thoughts) other than the impersonal action of the gunas, and knows the transcendent (Atma) beyond the gunas, such a one attains My being (such one attains Self-realization).

The body-bearer, transcending these three gunas which create the body, freed from the sorrows of birth, old age, and death, enjoys immortality.

English translations of the Bhagavad Gita based on Perennial Psychology of the Bhagavad Gita by Swami Rama (Himalayan Institute Press).

 The three gunas actually flow in a cycle: sattva replaces rajas, raja destroys tamas, and tamas develops out of sattva. We can see this flow every day. In the morning we are lying in bed not wanting to get up - tamas is predominant. We need desire, rajas, to motivate us and give us the energy to get going. We seek rajas in that morning cup of coffee or that lovely, sweaty Ashtanga practice. By evening, after a full day's work, we sit at night, a cup of herbal tea in hand, and relax with a good book. Rajas has ripened into a sattvic state of mind. But once the tea has been consumed and the favorite book has been read, our minds turn back to the tamas gune. We are ready for the oblivion of sleep once again.

The three gunas are constantly in flux; like the game of rock, paper, scissors … as soon as one gets on top, the next one comes along and changes everything again. The cycle may turn quickly or it may take eons, but we know nothing lasts and everything changes. This is the nature of prakriti.

More on The Bhagavad Gita and the Three Gunas

"There are men who have no vision (no wisdom), and yet they speak many words. They follow the letter of the Vedas, and they say: 'There is nothing but this.'

Their soul is wrapped with selfish desires, and their heaven is a selfish desire. They have prayers for pleasure and power, the reward of which is earthly rebirth.Those who love pleasure and power hear and follow their words: they have not the determination ever to be one with the One.

The three Gunas of Nature are the world of the Vedas. Arise beyond the three Gunas, Arjuna! Beyond gains and possessions, possess thine own soul."

-- Bhagavad Gita, II:42-45 --In Samkhya philosophy, there are three major guṇas that serve as the fundamental operating principles or 'tendencies' of Prakṛiti (or, universal nature) which are called: sattva, rajas, and tamas. The three primary gunas are generally accepted to be associated with creation (rajas), preservation (sattva), and destruction (tamas). The entire creation and its process of evolution is carried out by these three major gunas, as explained below.

[Source: Wikipedia.]

To "be without (or transcend) the three gunas" is what the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi called "the technique of instantaneous realization." It is, he said, "a practical way of converging the many-branched mind into the one-pointedness of the resolute intellect," and "an effective technique for bringing the mind to a state where all differences dissolve and leave the individual in the state of fulfillment."

In urging him to "arise beyond the three gunas," Krishna is (according to the Maharishi) telling Arjuna "that all influences of the outside world, and their consequences as well, will cling to him and affect him as long as he is out of himself, as long as he allows himself to remain in the sphere of relativity (body-mind) and under its influence, (and) that once out of that sphere, he will find fulfillment in his own Self." In this way, he will transcend his karma, and fulfill his destiny.

In "The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna," the sayings and teachings of the 19th century Indian saint, Ramakrishna observes that "under the spell of God's maya, in a state of ignorance, man forgets his true nature. He forgets that he is heir to the infinite glories of his Father."

"The mind," he points out, "is made up of three gunas. And all three are robbers, for they rob man of all his treasures and make him forget his own nature. The three gunas are sattva, rajas, and tamas. Of these, sattva alone points the way to one’s fundamental truth, but even sattva cannot

take a man to God."

To illustrate this point, Sri Ramakrishna tells the following story:"Once a rich man was passing through a forest, when three robbers surrounded him and robbed him of everything he had. Then one of the robbers (Tomas) said: 'What's the good of keeping this man alive? Kill him.' He was about to strike their victim with his sword, when the second robber (Rojelio) intervened and said: 'There's no use in killing him. Let us bind him fast and leave him here. Then he won't be able to tell the police.' Accordingly, the robbers tied him with a rope and went away."

"After a while the third robber (Salvador) returned to the rich man and said: 'Ah! You're badly hurt, aren't you? Come, I'm going to release you.' The robber set the man free and led him to the edge of the forest. When they came near the highway, the robber said, 'Follow this road and you will reach home easily.' 'But you must come with me too,' said the rich man. 'You have done so much for me. All my people will be happy to see you.' 'No,' said the robber, 'it is not possible for me to go there. The police will arrest me.' So saying, he left the rich man after pointing the way."

"Now," explains Ramakrishna, "the first robber (tomas), who said: What's the good of keeping the man alive? Kill him,' is tamas. The impulse to destroy. The second robber (rojelio) is rajas, the inner impulse which binds a man to the material world and entangles him in a variety of activities. Rajas makes him forget God. Sattva (Salvador) is that subtle impulse alone that shows the way to Truth, to God. It produces virtues like understanding, wisdom born of discrimination, compassion, righteousness and devotion. Again, sattva is like the last step of the stairs. Next to it is the rooftop (Atma). The Self (Atma) is man's own abode. One cannot attain the Knowledge of the Self or Atma unless one transcends the three gunas."Thus, to be self-realized and to abide in one’s true nature (Atma), one must "arise above and beyond the three gunas" as Krishna advises Arjuna in the second chapter of the Bhagavad Gita, as it is only in facing and transcending the gunas that one reaches moksha, liberation or enlightenment, and finds abiding peace and happiness.

"In the process of self-realization, "sattva is the essence of the form which has to be realized, tamas is the inherent obstacle to its realization, and rajas is the power by which that obstacle is removed and the

essential nature be realized."

Gunas Tamas Tamas-Rajas Rajas Rajas-Sattva Sattva Qualities of nature (destroyer) (creator) (sustainer) (inertial-dull) (action-passion) (balance-equanimity)

Characteristic-----Ignorance—useless activity— productive act.— social reform act--Self knowledge (discernment/wisdom)

Type of diet------- “dead” foods, highly salted, spicy,---more natural----- “live” foods meat, alcohol, caffeinated foods vegetarian diet fresh fruits/vegetables processed foods

Outlook on life------materialist---- ambitious materialist spiritual

Sense of Identity—Body------ personality, possessions, fame I Am, Self, Atma

Social class-------service/laborers-- politicians/rulers/soldiers-priests, teachers, doct—Self-realized Spiritual Master What life’s about------sensual pleasures possessions, fame, fortune, etc.-right, selfless action-----------Self-realization/salvation/liberation

from the bondage of ignorance Which leads to error/sin & suffering

The Three Gunas: How to Balance Your ConsciousnessJune 13, 2012 by admin 0

By David Frawley (Vamadeva Shastri)

We live in a magical universe filled with great forces of life and death, creation and destruction. Divine powers can be found everywhere to lift us into a greater peace and understanding. But undivine forces are also ever present, working to lure us down further into confusion and attachment. Truth and falsehood, ignorance and enlightenment form the light and dark, the illumination and shadow of the world. In this basic duality of creation we struggle not merely to survive but to find meaning in our lives. We must learn to navigate through these contrary currents so that we can benefit by the ascending spiritual force and avoid the descending unspiritual inertia.

Nature herself is the Divine Mother in manifestation and the universe is her play of consciousness. She provides not only for material growth and expansion that moves outward, but supports our spiritual growth and development, which moves within. Nature possesses a qualitative energy through which we can either expand into wisdom or contract into ignorance.

Nature functions through conscious forces, spirits if you will, which can be either enlightening or darkening, healing or harming. Most of these powers are unknown to us and we do not know to use them. Trained as we are in a rational and scientific manner to look to the outside we lack the ability to perceive the subtle forces hidden in the world around us. However for any real healing of the mind to be possible, we must understand these forces and learn how work with them as they exist not only in the world but in our own psyche.

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Ayurveda provides a special language for understanding the primal forces of Nature and shows us how to work with them on all levels. According to Yoga and Ayurveda, Nature consists of three primal qualities, which are the main powers of Cosmic Intelligence that determine our spiritual growth. These are called gunas in Sanskrit, meaning “what binds” because wrongly understood they keep us in bondage to the external world.

1) Sattva - intelligence, imparts balance

2) Rajas – energy, causes imbalance

3) Tamas – substance, creates inertia

The three gunas are the most subtle qualities of Nature that underlie matter, life and mind. They are the energies through which not only the surface mind, but our deeper consciousness functions. They are the powers of the soul which hold the karmas and desires that propel us from birth to birth. The gunas adhere in Nature herself as her core potentials for diversification.

All objects in the universe consist of various combinations of the three gunas. Cosmic evolution consists of their mutual interaction and transformation. The three gunas are one of the prime themes of Ayurvedic thought. They form a deeper level than the three biological humors and help us understand our mental and spiritual nature and how it functions.

Sattva

Sattva is the quality of intelligence, virtue and goodness and creates harmony, balance and stability. It is light (not heavy) and luminous in nature. It possesses an inward and upward motion and brings about the awakening of the soul. Sattva provides happiness and contentment of a

lasting nature. It is the principle of clarity, wideness and peace, the force of love that unites all things together.

Rajas

Rajas is the quality of change, activity, and turbulence. It introduces a disequilibrium that upsets an existing balance. Rajas is motivated in its action, ever seeking a goal or an end that gives it power. It possesses outward motion and causes self seeking action that leads to fragmentation and disintegration. While in the short term Rajas is stimulating and provides pleasure, owing to its unbalanced nature it quickly results in pain and suffering. It is the force of passion that causes distress and conflict.

Tamas

Tamas is the quality of dullness, darkness, and inertia and is heavy, veiling or obstructing in its action. It functions as the force of gravity that retards things and holds them in specific limited forms. It possesses a downward motion that causes decay and disintegration. Tamas brings about ignorance and delusion in the mind and promotes insensitivity, sleep and loss of awareness. It is the principle of materiality or unconsciousness that causes consciousness to become veiled.

Correspondences of the Three Gunas

Color

Sattva – White, purity and harmonyRajas – Red, action and passionTamas – Black, darkness and delusionTime

Sattva – Day, clarityRajas – Sunrise and Sunset, twilight, transitionTamas – Night, darknessEnergy

Sattva – neutral or balancedRajas – positive, sets things in motionTamas – negative, retards motionWorlds

Sattva – heaven or space, the region of peaceRajas – atmosphere, the region of stormsTamas – earth, the realm of gravity and inertiaLevels of Cosmos

Sattva – causal or idealRajas – subtle or astral, pure formTamas – gross or physicalKingdoms of Nature

Sattva – spiritual beings: Gods, Goddesses and sagesRajas – human realmTamas – mineral, plant and animal kingdomsStates of Consciousness

Sattva – wakingRajas – dreamTamas – deep sleepAHCbanner

Sattva and the Mind

The mind, or consciousness in general, is naturally the domain of Sattva. Consciousness itself is called Sattva in Sanskrit. Unless the mind is calm and clear we cannot perceive anything properly. Sattva creates clarity, through which we perceive the truth of things, and gives light, concentration and devotion. Rajas and Tamas are factors of mental disharmony causing agitation and delusion. They result in wrong imagination and misperception.

From Rajas comes the false idea of the external world as real in itself, which causes us to seek happiness outside ourselves and lose track of our inner peace. Rajas creates desire, distortion, turbulence and emotional upset. It predominates in the sensory aspect of the mind because the senses are ever-moving and seeking various objects. As long as we remain immersed in the pursuit of sensory enjoyment we fall under the instability of Rajas.

From Tamas comes the ignorance that veils our true nature and weakens our power of perception. Through it arises the idea of an ego or separate self by which we feel ourselves alone and isolated. Tamas prevails in consciousness identified with the physical body, which is dull and limited. As long our identity and sense of well-being is primarily physical we remain in the dark realm of Tamas.

Sattva is the balance of Rajas and Tamas, combining the energy of Rajas with the stability of Tamas. By increasing Sattva one gains peace and harmony, and returns to Primordial Nature and Pure Spirit in which is liberation. However attachment to Sattva, such as clinging to virtue, can bind the mind. For this reason we must strive to develop pure Sattva, which is its detached form, or Sattva not clinging to its own qualities. Pure Sattva does not condemn Rajas and Tamas but understands their place in the cosmic harmony, which is as outer factors of life and body whose proper place is apart from our true nature.

When pure Sattva prevails in our consciousness we transcend time and space and discover our eternal Self. The soul regains its basic purity and unites with God. When out of balance, the three gunas bring about the process of cosmic evolution through which the soul evolves through the kingdoms of Nature, experiencing birth and death, happiness and sorrow in various bodies. The movement of the three gunas is coterminous with creation.

Sattva as the state of balance is responsible for all true health and healing. Health is maintained by Sattvic living, which is living in harmony with Nature and our inner Self, cultivating purity, clarity and peace. Rajas and Tamas are the factors that cause disease. Rajas causes pain, agitation and the dissipation of energy. Tamas brings about stagnation, decay and death. Rajas and Tamas usually work together. Rajas brings about the over expression of energy, which eventually leads exhaustion, in which Tamas prevails. For example, too much spicy food, alcohol, and sexual indulgence, are initially Rajasic or stimulating. These eventually lead to such Tamasic conditions as fatigue and collapse of energy. On a psychological level too much Rajas, which is turbulent emotion, leads to Tamas or mental dullness and depression.

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Mental Types According to the Gunas

To have Sattva predominant in our nature is the key to health, creativity and spirituality. Sattvic people possess an harmonious and adaptable nature which gives the greatest freedom from disease both physical and mental. They strive toward balance and have peace of mind that cuts off the psychological root of disease. They are considerate of others and take care of themselves. They see all life as a learning experience and look for the good in all things, even in disease which they strive to understand, not

merely to suppress.

Rajasic people have good energy but burn themselves out through excessive activity. Their minds are usually agitated and seldom at peace. They have strong opinions seek power over others often regardless of the means. They are impatient and inconsistent in dealing with their problems and do not wish to take the time or responsibility to get well. They blame others for their problems, including their therapists.

Rajasic people can accomplish their goals and are generally in control of their lives. However, they are not awake to their spiritual purpose, and are dominated by the ego in their pursuit of happiness. Life brings them shocks, which can cause them great suffering, particularly when they lose control. Even when they achieve their goals they find that they are still not happy.

Tamasic types have deep-seated psychological blockages. Their energy and emotion tends to be stagnant and repressed and they do not know what their problems really are. They do not seek proper treatment and usually have poor hygiene or poor self-care habits. They accept their condition as fate and do not take advantage of the methods that may alleviate their problems. They allow other people and negative influences to dominate them and do not like to be responsible for their lives. They prefer not to deal with their problems or will not let others know about them, which only allows the problems to get worse.

Mental Constitution According to the Three Gunas

The gunas show our mental and spiritual state through which we can measure our propensity for psychological problems. The following test is good index of these qualities and how they work within our life and character.

The answers on the left indicate Sattva, in the middle Rajas, and on the right Tamas. Please fill out this form carefully and honestly. After answering the questionnaire for yourself, you should have someone who knows you well, like your husband, wife or close friend, fill it out for you also. Note the difference between how you view yourself and how others see you.

For most of us our answers will generally fall in the middle or Rajasic area, which is the main spiritual state in our active and outgoing culture today. We will have various psychological problems but can usually deal with them. A Sattvic nature shows a spiritual disposition with few psychological issues. A highly Sattvic nature is rare at any time and shows a saint or a

sage. A Tamasic person has a danger of severe psychological problems but would be unlikely to fill out such a chart. The areas in ourselves that we can improve from Tamas to Rajas or from Rajas to Sattva will aid in our peace of mind and spiritual growth. We should do all we can to make such changes.

MENTAL CONSTITUTION CHART

DIET: Vegetarian_________Some meat____________Heavy meat diet__________DRUGS, ALCOHOL, STIMULANTS: Never____Occasionally______Frequently____SENSORY IMPRESSIONS: Calm, pure______Mixed_______Disturbed__________NEED FOR SLEEP: Little__________Moderate__________High________________SEXUAL ACTIVITY: Low_________Moderate__________High________________CONTROL OF SENSES: Good______Moderate__________Weak_______________SPEECH: Calm and peaceful________Agitated___________Dull________________CLEANLINESS: High_____________Moderate___________Low_______________WORK: Selfless_______________For personal goals_______Lazy_______________ANGER: Rarely______________Sometimes___________Frequently_____________FEAR: Rarely________________Sometimes___________Frequently_____________DESIRE: Little_______________Frequent_____________Excessive____________PRIDE: Modest_______________Some Ego____________Vain_________________DEPRESSION: Never___________Sometimes_________Frequently_____________LOVE: Universal_______________Personal___________Lacking in love_________VIOLENT BEHAVIOR: Never______Sometimes_______Frequently_____________ATTACHMENT TO MONEY: Little______Some_________A lot_______________CONTENTMENT: Usually____________Partly___________Never______________FORGIVENESS: Easily__________With effort________Holds grudges__________CONCENTRATION: Good_______Moderate_____________Poor______________MEMORY: Good______________Moderate____________Poor________________WILL POWER: Strong___________Variable_____________Weak_____________TRUTHFULNESS: Always______Most of the Time_______Rarely_______________HONESTY: Always____________Most of the Time_______Rarely_______________PEACE OF MIND: Generally______Partly______________Rarely_______________CREATIVITY: High_____________Moderate____________Low________________SPIRITUAL STUDY: Daily________Occasionally________Never______________MANTRA, PRAYER: Daily________Occasionally________Never______________MEDITATION: Daily_____________Occasionally________Never______________SERVICE: Much_________________Some______________None______________

Total: Sattva_____________Rajas_____________________Tamas______________

The Three Gunas and Therapy

Many different types of medical and healing therapies exist for the mind. To benefit from them properly and to avoid their possible side-effects, we must

understand their approach and when they are useful. Here Ayurveda helps us greatly by showing how healing therapies relate to these three gunas. This provides us a deep understanding of the healing process and its likely results. Sattvic therapies work through Sattvic qualities of love, peace and nonviolence. Rajasic therapies work through Rajasic qualities of stimulation, energization and agitation. Tamasic therapies work through Tamasic qualities of sedation, sleep and grounding. Ayurvedic therapies are primarily Sattvic and employ Rajasic and Tamasic modalities only under special circumstances.

Sattvic healing uses Nature, the life force and the power of the cosmic mind through such treatment methods as herbs, vegetarian diet, mantra and meditation. Rajas can occassionally be useful in the healing process. Rajas helps break up Tamas, while Sattva, being a condition of harmony, does not always have the ability to do so. It is often necessary to move from Tamas to Rajas in order to return to Sattva, like needing to stimulate or shock a person into awakening to their repressed pain. Tamas is seldom useful in the healing process except when required to sedate too high Rajas. For example, a person in hysteria, an excess Rajas condition, may require a strong sedative herb or drug, a Tamasic therapy. In this case Sattva would be too mild to calm Rajas.

Ayurvedic psychology aims at moving the mind from Tamas to Rajas and eventually to Sattva. This means moving from an ignorant and physically oriented life (Tamas), to one of vitality and self-expression (Rajas), and finally to one of peace and enlightenment (Sattva).

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Three Stages of Mental Healing

Breaking up Tamas, developing Rajas Moving from mental inertia to self-motivated action.Calming Rajas, developing Sattva Moving from self-motivated action to selfless service.Perfecting Sattva Moving from selfless service to meditation.Naturally it is important to know what stage is appropriate for a person. A person in a Tamasic condition requires outer activity to break up their inertia; he or she cannot simply be asked to sit quietly and meditate. At such times Rajasic (active) methods are necessary and Sattvic (passive) methods may not be sufficient. The person requires communication and working with other people. A person in a Rajasic condition, however, requires a reduction of activity and interiorization of consciousness

(development of Sattva). Yet this must be done gradually because Rajas does not subside all at once. The person must be introduced into meditation through practical therapies of yogic postures, mantras or visualizations. A person in a Sattvic condition requires spiritual practices and not ordinary psychological treatment, and can easily move into meditation without much external support.

However, these three stages are not simply different levels. We all have Tamasic, Rajasic and Sattvic factors in our minds. We all need each of these three processes to some degree. There are times when our minds are Tamasic, like right after waking up in the morning or when daydreaming in the afternoon. Whenever we are mentally dull or emotionally depressed Tamas is predominant. Rajas prevails when we are agitated, disturbed, active or outgoing, like when we are very busy working with a number of people or projects. Sattva prevails when we are quiet, peaceful and content, or naturally fall into meditation.

Similarly we should not judge other people by how they appear when dominated by one quality only. Even a spiritually advanced person has Tamasic moments or periods when he or she may do something regrettable. In the same way spiritually undeveloped persons have Sattvic moments when they may do something inspired, noble or kind. When looking at ourselves we should try to see all three factors in our nature and behavior and try to develop our Sattvic side.

Stage 1: Breaking Up Tamas/ Moving from Tamas to Rajas – Personal Healing

For this transition fire is necessary. We must wake up, act and begin to change. Deep seated patterns of attachment, stagnation and depression must be released. We must recognize our suffering and learn from it, confronting our pain, including what we have suppressed or ignored for years. A new sense of who we are and what we need to do is required. Action (Rajas) is indicated, not only in the mind but involving outer aspects of our lives. We must break with the past, bring new energies into our lives, perhaps change jobs or modify our relationships, or move to a new locale.

Stage 2: Calming Rajas/ Moving from Rajas to Sattva – Healing of Humanity

For this transition space is necessary. We must surrender our pain and give up our personal seeking, letting go of individual hurts and sorrows. Egoistic drives and motivations must be surrendered for the greater good. We must

depersonalize our problems and look to understand the entire human condition and the pain of others. Leaving behind our personal problems we must take up the problems of humanity, opening up to the suffering of others as our own. We must learn that life creates suffering in order to help us to grow spiritually. This is a stage of service and charity.

Stage 3: Developing Pure Sattva – Universal Peace

To bring about this transition we must develop love and awareness as universal forces. We must learn to transcend the limitations of the human condition to our higher spiritual nature. Inner peace must become our dominant force. We should no longer seek to overcome our pain but to develop our joy. We should no longer be centered in our personal or collective problems but in developing communion with the greater universe and the Divine powers at work within it. At this stage we move from the human aspect of our condition to the universal aspect, becoming open to all life. This is the stage of spiritual practice. It is beyond all ordinary healing and works to heal our relationship with God or the inner Self.