#237 ‘I know Vedanta but how to apply to my life?’

This is a common question.

It is like the pot who was aspiring to be clay saying that, ‘I know I am clay but how to apply this knowledge in my life.’

Familiarity with words used in Vedanta is often mistaken for knowledge.

Just as words such as economics, psychology and politics are used by us but we may not fully understand these terms unless we have studied them.

The pot has to be told that ‘You don’t have to apply the knowledge of becoming clay. You can only aspire to become something you are not. ‘

But if the pot is already clay and does not  recognize it, then it is not a problem of theory and application but a problem of ignorance. The ignorance of one’s true nature as clay will go only with knowledge. You were always clay, satyam.

The pot has to be told that it is the doer identity that is constantly striving. It is the doer who wants to apply all the knowledge.

For most areas of life, theory goes hand in hand with practice.

It is not enough to know how to make vegetable biryani unless you or someone else translates it to practice and enjoys the fruits of labour.

It is not enough to know the principles of communication unless you apply it in your relationships and make them more harmonious.

It is not enough to know the principles of making money in the stock market unless you actually make money. 

And so it is easy to see why we have developed an orientation to theory and practice.

Our orientation is that knowledge has to translate into practice or it is incomplete by itself. Perhaps it is true for most areas of knowledge where karma is involved and we are looking for certain results.

The approach in Vedanta is different from other areas of knowledge. And so we have to learn how to learn Vedanta and that involves understanding what can be applied and what can never be applied. 

Vedanta includes both – self -mastery and self-discovery.

Really speaking, Vedanta is only about self-discovery. However since we have parachuted into Vedanta learning because of the strength of our punya from previous lifetimes it may appear that we might not come in with adequate preparation in this lifetime. Hence we consider self-mastery also as necessary qualification for self-discovery.

Self-discovery is pretty simple and straightforward.

You are the limitless reality. There is no one other than you. You are the limitless that is in and through all the forms and at the same time is free from all the forms. Simple right?

There is a reaction – How can I be the limitless?

Ah..that is why we need self mastery as we require a mind that is free, unconditioned, unburdened to see the truth of these words as oneself.

So what can one do?

Yes, that is the right question. Here is where application comes in.    

Self-mastery includes living a life of Dharma, offering your karma unto Bhagavan across all your roles and accepting the results of your karma as prasaada.

Is knowledge of Karma Yoga enough? Not at all. It must be followed by applying this disposition in all areas of life. And we all know that it is not easy. There are people and situations that we resist. We would rather avoid some roles. We would rather avoid some aspects of some roles. We would rather be held hostage by our ragas and dveshas. So indeed if you want to apply Vedanta to your life, then this preparation of oneself in the form of self-mastery is a pre-requisite to self-discovery.    

Self-mastery includes performing karma aligned with Dharma – practicing ahimsa, non-hurting to all beings, satyam, upholding truthfulness, daya, generosity, santosha, contentment, tapas, religious disciplines where you are stepping out of your comfort zone of thinking that ‘I am only the body-mind’.

Knowing the principles of Dharma is not enough because interactions across work, friends and family are happening all the time. Dharma as ethical values lives and thrives in a Dharmi. So indeed if you want to apply Vedanta to your life, then this preparation of oneself in the form of self-mastery is a pre-requisite to self-discovery.   

Further, Self-mastery includes strengthening our qualifications and applying viveka in discerning through enquiry what is permanent and the impermanent.

Our problem is not that our body is impermanent. Our problem is that we want the body to be eternal.

We want what is temporary to be eternal.

Mastery requires us to see this again and again and enjoy what is temporary and release the person or the situation from our projection that it be permanent.

By application of this viveka, our vairagya, objectivity and dispassion our ragas- in the here and hereafter increases.

Cultivation and practice across situations involves cultivating shamaadi-shataka-sampattih, the six-fold inner wealth – 

shama, mastery of the mind,

dama – mastery of the sense organs,

uparama – peace that comes from performing one’s svadharma,

samadhaanam – one pointedness of the mind,

titiksha – forbearance and

shraddha – trust in the Shaastra and Guru.

By just knowing what the qualifications for Vedanta, one does not automatically get these qualities. It definitely needs application.

And so there are enough areas and more that you have scope to practice and apply.

Yes, it seems difficult to practice but only until it becomes spontaneous. 

Self-mastery includes your will, your effort, grace and indeed your practice.

Self-discovery requires you to drop your will, your effort and just see who you are.

Both are important.

What is to be understood is to be understood and what has to be applied has to be applied.

Really speaking Vedanta is neither theory nor practice. It is to be discovered as you.