Yoga Psychology
In this article, we will be talking about how the mind functions in relation to these. The mind is our instrument of seeing, surely as a pair of glasses affect how our sight operates. Therefore, understanding these three qualities is an excellent way to grasp what the nature of the mind and it's mechanics are.
Since the essence of yoga is to rid one's mind of it's modifications, then this understanding is a key starting place.
A Natural Mistake
All of these qualities can be found in the Vedantic metaphor of the rope and the snake, leading one to grasp fully the implications of living in this phenomenal universe.
Consider the famous Vedantic "Rope and Snake" metaphor:
In twilight, you are walking along and see suddenly a snake on the ground, so you react to that danger, and leave. The next day, you walk again by that same area, and see that the snake you thought was there was only a rope.
So, how does one mistake a rope for a snake? Through the power of the three gunas:
Tamas- you didn't see the rope correctly, it's real nature was veiled to you.
Rajas- you projected the image of the snake onto the rope.
Sattva- you actually saw a rope, and it's true nature was revealed to you.
In order to get from nothing to something, one must see the power of the mind, again, our instrument of seeing. The Three Gunas operate on this level.
Tamas
Tamas is the veiling form of nature that hides the true qualities of the object from us.
Tamasic thinking comes in some common forms that we have all heard of: denial, lack of common sense, many drug induced states of mind, laziness, inability to understand, control behaviors, and finally addiction.
Tamas, therefore, is a key part of many types of violence since it's behind the dehumanization step needed to induce violence upon someone else.
It is said that the tamasic mind is like a frozen dirty lake, into which one can see very little.
Food that produces tamas include meat, alcohol, depressants, anti-depressants, opiates, fried and very fatty foods as well as various non-food ingestions like marijuana and smoking in general.
Rajas
Rajas is the projecting form of nature that imposes a quality upon an object it does not possess.
Rajasic thinking is the energy of action, change, and ego, or self-arrogation or arrogance. This is the quality we experience when a child is calling something "mine" or when fanatics of every sort proclaim "their" cause as the highest or best.
It is said that the rajasic mind is like one with an impurity mixed into it, or in whose waters the muddy bottom has been stirred up. One only sees mud and swirling activity under the surface and whose waters themselves are stirred up with many waves.
Food that is rajasic includes, caffienated beverages like coffee, tea, chai, power drinks, and soft drinks; as well as spicy foods with chilies, and very acidic foods in general. Garlic and onions are rajasic foods as well.
Sattwa
Sattvic thinking is that revealing power of seeing things as they are through one's experience. People often speak of the 'wisdom of experience' and inasmuch as one sees something clearly with that experience and not move into cynicism, then this is sattvic thinking. If one has had an "aha" experience about any subject, this clarity of sattwa was operating there within the mind. This is an aspect of the mind which is trained in yoga to predominate.
A remarkable quality of expression is had by those who are sattvic. Their minds are very sharp and they see things past the obvious expressions found by normal folk. It is said that a sattivic mind is like a calm glassy lake with clear water, and one can see into great depths thereby.
Sattvic food is bland, nutritious, vegetarian and simple to digest. Since foods contain subtle qualities that become thoughts, it's very important to see and experience how foods effect the mind through consistent meditation and the propagation of ahimsa (non-injury) in all aspects of life- food, thought, word and deed.
Om,
DurgaDas
(http://www.silentmotionyoga.com/articles/files/ayurveda-gunas-qualities-of-nature-the-mind.html)
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