#146 How discipline leads to freedom
Everyone wants freedom – the power to do what one wants to do, the power to think what you one wants to think, and the power to desire whatever one wants.
Everyone wants to experience a freedom of being, where there is no enslavement or domination.
On the other hand, discipline reminds us of rigidity, structure, being boxed in, a directing of our powers, our thoughts and our desires.
Discipline and freedom seem to be on two opposite sides of the spectrum.
And yet the only way to get to freedom is through discipline.
Financial freedom does not come in an instant. Small actions that form the discipline of saving money on a regular basis through SIPs (Systematic Investment Plans) or fixed deposits or recurring funds accumulate and compound over time. Good investors advise you to start small and have consistent actions in investing.
You can have financial freedom if you have financial discipline.
Good health and well being does not come from any one magic trick. Small acts related to nutrition, adequate and restful sleep, moderate exercise and rest contribute to good health. These consistent actions over a period of time form our discipline which is not rigid regimentation but staying the course even though there are times that we all slip up. Good health gives us the freedom for our many pursuits such that our health does not constrain us whether it is the mountain that one wants to climb or putting in the long hours required for a project.
You can have the freedom of good health if you have the discipline of healthy habits.
The freedom of time does not come from doing things only when you are in the mood. In fact if you want to have free time, you need to have a clear understanding of your life priorities in the areas of relationships, work, finances and so on. All these areas get sufficient time and attention from you. If you focus only on one area say work at the cost of family, sure enough there will be an emergency in the family situation which could easily have been avoided. You have the discipline to say ‘No’ to things that guzzle up time like doomscrolling, watching random videos, hours of TV watching or events that people think you must attend.
You can enjoy the freedom of time if you have the discipline of managing your time in line with your priorities.
The freedom of knowledge in a specific domain does not come by randomly listening or reading to a bit of everything or even enrolling in many courses. The online education space is booming now. The Ivy league universities and other top learning platforms are hosting numerous online courses on different topics. Mind you, these courses have great instructors, great content. Do you know what the drop out rate is – More than 95%. I am sure we are contributing generously to the 95% who did not complete an online course. The truth is that no one forced us to take the course and yet less than 5 % of us complete the course that we voluntarily chose.
We want the knowledge but are unwilling to apply the discipline that is required to complete a course let alone apply the knowledge gained.
The freedom of wisdom of Vedanta does not come suddenly by sitting under a bodhi tree or having a samadhi experience. Self-discovery comes from the discipline of repeated and systematic shravanam. Self-mastery comes from the discipline of embracing the disposition of Karma Yoga in all areas of life. We make the effort to contribute in our roles while aligning with dharma. We stop resisting people and experiences in all areas of life and cultivate a cheerful, gracious acceptance.
You can have the freedom of wisdom if you have the discipline required for gaining self mastery and the relaxation required for self discovery.
What does the Bhagavad Gita, say about discipline?
The Bhagavad Gita talks about tapas or religious discipline at the level of the body, mind and speech.
Devadvija guru praajnapujanam shaucham aarjavam
Brahmacharyam ahimsa cha shaariram tapa uchyate. (17.14)
Worshipping deities, brahmanas, teachers and wise people. External cleanliness, straightforwardness, self discipline and not physically hurting are collectively called discipline of the physical body.
One’s shraddha, trust in Vedanta grows when one worships deities and wise people. Showing our respect and reverence to a deity or a person opens our heart which is now willing to receive what the deity or the wise person is offering us. Worship or puja involves effort in procuring materials, learning the right way to perform worship and performing seva to the deity or the wise person. The discipline of suspending one’s cynicism, ragas and dveshas, helps us become more objective and receptive.
The effort towards shaucham, external cleanliness starts with our desks, cabinets and wardrobes. It implies our respect towards our surroundings and a value for efficiency and order. The tendency to be manipulative is countered by a deliberate effort for aarjavam – to be straightforward without the worry of what will people think. The tendency to give into one’s indulgences is countered by brahmacharyam, self mastery in the use of our sense organs. The tendency to hurt another is countered by the deliberate effort to not hurt the other ahimsa. The practice of these qualities is called discipline of the body.
What is vak tapas, the discipline of speech?
Anudvegakaram vaakyam priyahitam cha yat
Svaadhyaayaabhyasanam chaiva vaangmaya tapa uchyate (17.15)
Speech which does not cause agitation which is true, pleasing and beneficial and daily repetition of one’s Veda are called the discipline of speech.
All of us will remember the times when we regretted saying what we did or the times we lied because of inner pressure. One can enjoy the freedom of speech when there is no inner pressure to hurt the other, or lie or say something that is unhelpful to the other. This only comes from the discipline of using the power of speech on a daily basis.
This has been elaborately covered in one of the earlier episodes no.58
The Bhagavad Gita also speaks of mental discipline
Manah prasaada: saumyatvam maunam aatmavinigraha
Bhaavasamshuddhirityetat tapo maanasam uchyate (17.16)
Mental cheerfulness, saumyatvam, cheerfulness in expression, maunam- absence of pressure to talk, aatmavinigraha- mastery over the mind, clean intent all these together is called mental discipline.
These attitudes comes from deliberate ways of thinking which create new pathways.
The earlier orientation of cynicism and irritation is coming up. You deliberately bring in cheerfulness by smiling. Think of something that irritates you. And then smile for 15 seconds. It no longer irritates you as much.
Every person you meet, try to think of one thing you can appreciate about that person and you have brought cheerfulness into your expression.
Rather than lashing out at another person hold your peace.
Deliberate actions over a period which initially require effort helps us regulate ourselves such that we can enjoy the spontaneity and the following freedom.
On the other hand, when the tapas, religious discipline is done either for the sake of honor or respect, which is unsteady and not lasting, it is not helpful. Or when the tapas is done because of confusion by afflicting the body, or to destroy someone else, it is not helpful.
Discipline is not about instant gratification. It is based on the ability to move out of one’s comfort zone often to sweat it out.
Discipline involves taking small consistent steps of daily actions which become our habits. The key component of this is our perseverance and commitment. Very often we go off course or emergencies come up because of which we were not able to implement what you had decided. No worries. It is our commitment that keeps us on track much like the ship that is on course to get from point A to point B.
The journey of the ship is never a straight line. In the choppy seas of distraction the path of discipline is not a straight and narrow one but a path that is broad. On the journey one discovers the gusty winds that throw us off course and also the beneficial winds that help the ship to sail along smoothly. The momentum built up by sailing along allows us to celebrate our successes in discipline in different areas of our lives too. There are times in the journey where we want to pause and assess where we are. In this life journey towards freedom, we acquire a better understanding of factors that support us and factors that constrain us. A supportive friend or your own supportive, kind voice or an accountability buddy is definitely a support. Your self criticism or an illness can be a constraining factor. Still, whatever be the constraining or supportive factors, we may go off track but we can always get back on course and become much the stronger for it.
Our commitment becomes the fuel to begin again.
There is something very beautiful about the possibility that we can always begin again.
Every day is a new day.
Every moment is a new moment and we can begin afresh without the baggage of ‘I never get this right. I don’t have the discipline Why do I fail so often? Why can’t I be consistent’? and so on. We can keep this drama of reactivity aside. It is this very build of emotional reactions that fractures the foundation of discipline.
It is a circular argument. We complain that we don’t have discipline. We are not consistent and then we confirm our hypothesis about not being disciplined and feel bad about ourselves.
Instead we focus on the process and build our habits in a way that it frees up our mind to envision the big picture.
An important aspect of self mastery is how we discipline ourselves.
Any kind of self mastery is the outcome of how we work with ourselves. There is one part of us that is accustomed to comfort and convenience and another that is accustomed to discipline, structure and frameworks.
No matter how much we plan in life, life happens to us when we make plans. No matter how intelligent and successful, no one can have complete control over external events as we did not make the laws that shape them. But everyone can contribute to the desired outcomes. This is exactly where discipline becomes useful in our lives because we can master our attitude which percolates into the wisdom of all actions. Mastery of our emotions allows us to experience them and channelize them, express them if required.
If we have mastery we will not regret what we did.
If we have mastery we will participate in all the things that are important to us.
If we have mastery over our information consumption, we understand the difference between staying informed and being inundated.
If there is mastery in the way in which we engage in our relationships, then there is likely to be balance because we will be focused on what we are giving and receiving and what more we can give and receive and work on that in all our relationships.
If there is no mastery, there is a dependence on only one relationship and one will try to extract every ounce from something that does not or cannot give complete fulfilment.
The path to freedom has several milestones of discipline inviting us to be free from the limitations we place on ourselves.
Discipline helps us to preserve peace and order. It makes us more dependable and trustworthy. Disciplines frees us from our earlier conditioning.
In our younger days, we valued freedom more as it seemed opposed to discipline. What we thought was freedom then was just a romantic idea about uncontrolled impulse gratification. The surprising thing is that it is valued a little more as we grow older because we see that freedom can only come from discipline.
