Drista Anushravika Vishaya Vitrishnasya Vashikara Sanjna Vairagyam
Vairagya is the mastery over the craving for what has been seen or heard.
1.16तत्परं पुरुषख्यातेर्गुणवैतृष्ण्यम्
Tat Param Purusha Khyateh Guna Vaitrshnyam
The higher vairagya arises from a vision of the Transcendent Being and leads to the cessation of craving for the things of the world.
In my last blog post, I addressed the discipline required to achieve stillness of the mind. There is a second component to this process: non-identification or vairagya.
This aspect of the practice is arguably the more difficult to wrap ones head around. We are all used to working hard to achieve a goal. In fact, this is intrinsic to how our society works. So, what would happen if we took away all notion of achieving a goal. Well, what's the point then?, you might well ask.
The irony lies in the fact that we can only achieve true freedom when we realise that it's already within us. In fact, everything we could ever want or need is already there inside of us. I'm not saying quit your job and go live in the woods. (Although if that is what you want to do, then by all means, go for it!)
It comes back to realising that it is neither practical nor desirable to cast off all things material and live as an ascetic. We are on this earth having this human experience for a reason. And whether or not your purpose here is clear to you, you can rest safe in the knowledge that you are exactly where you need to be, doing exactly what it is you need to be doing.
That is not to say that we should be complacent, it is simply about accepting the present moment, realising that things might change in a minute or tomorrow or in a year, but not making our happiness dependent on that.
Imagine yourself as an infant for a moment, exploring all that the world has to offer. Babies have no concept of needing to get anywhere or being a certain way, they simply delight in what each new day holds. Of course we want children to grow and develop, but we would never tell a toddler that she is not perfect the way she is and that she should hurry up and grow up already.
So what I am trying to say, albeit in a roundabout way, is: Do the work, but realise you are already perfect.
Unil next time, perfect beings!
