Cultivating the garden
Pratipakshabhaavanaa: Part II
Om Sri Gurubhyo Namah. Salutations to all the teachers.
Often, when we act in ways that oppose the Yamas or Niyamas, there can be a tendency to dive into the cause. You may feel that you act this way because someone did something to you, or perhaps you dive into your personal story and blame your parents for raising you the way you did, or some other childhood experience that shaped your thinking.
An important takeaway from the Yogic framework we have been discussing is that this kind of causal investigation, while interesting, is not necessary in order to counteract the thought and retrain the mind effectively.
One can simply notice and classify the trigger into one of the three categories - anger, greed, or delusion - and then gently let go of the thought before it turns into words or action.
Last week, we began a discussion on pratipakshabhaavanaa - the method to counteract thoughts that oppose the Yamas and Niyamas. Specifically, we started to go over a framework that Patanjali provides in the Yoga Sutras to categorize these opposing thoughts, called vitarkaa.
As in the image above, these thoughts can be in opposition to one or more of the Yamas and Niyamas, and can be categorized by:
1. The trigger
2. The doer
3. The intensity
In order to effectively counteract these thoughts, we must understand them, and so the first step of the method is to categorize your own thoughts using this framework.
This requires great presence of mind, and may seem difficult at first, but gets easier with practice.
This week, we will discuss the third dimension in this framework - the intensity of thought - along with the actual method, how it works, and how it relates to another concept we have previously discussed - the bhumis, or grounds of mind.
The Intensity
Take a moment to watch your mind carefully. Specifically, try to closely notice the life-cycle of a given thought.
If you watch it closely enough, you will see that every thought starts off small, like a little wave or a seed, and as you feed it attention, it grows. Sometimes, the thought can grow gradually, and other times, it can grow very quickly, and without any effort.
Try this exercise: Imagine a pink rabbit wearing a red and blue striped skirt.
This is something of an absurd imagination, and perhaps you have never thought of this object before. As a result, the visualization starts off somewhat weaker, and as you feed it more attention (ie. you try harder to visualize it, or you spend more time trying to visualize it), it gets stronger.
Let’s try another exercise: Imagine a pink laptop computer.
You may never have seen a pink laptop computer, but the object is a lot more familiar, and the previous exercise involved visualizing the colour pink. As a result, this visualization became strong a lot quicker.
Notice, in both examples, while the speed at which the thought gathered intensity varied, they both had one common factor - they started out weak, and became stronger.
In the mind, this is how thoughts work. They all start off weak, and the more attention we give them, they become stronger - like saplings that become strong trees with sufficient water and sunlight. What’s more, the more familiar they are (ie. if we have existing mental tendencies), the quicker they become strong.
Patanjali describes three categories of intensity of these thoughts:
Mridu: Weak
Madhyam: Medium
Adhimaatra: Strong
Several traditional commentators discuss how these categories are just for the purposes of illustration of what is, in fact, a spectrum of intensity. However, for the purposes of categorizing our own thought patterns, a framework like this can be quite useful.
All thoughts go through these stages, as we saw in the exercises above. However, based on our existing tendencies, not all thoughts grow to full strength, while others grow so strong that they bubble out of us as words or actions.
It is in this category - intensity of thoughts - that the key to the practice of pratipakshabhaavanaa lies.
The goal is to catch the thought as early as possible, rather than letting it grow. This is similar to cultivating a garden - one must try to catch weeds as early as possible before they start to destroy the flowers.
All thoughts start out weak, and have the potential to become strong. If a thought gets strong enough, it bubbles out of us as words or actions much like a boiling pot of water may overflow, and this bubbling out results in the mental tendency becoming stronger. The stronger the tendency becomes, the easier it becomes for the thought to become strong the next it appears.
This is the same underlying principle as with practice - the more you do something, the better you get at it, and the easier it becomes. Similarly, the more you are violent, the stronger the tendencies to violence will become, and the quicker you will jump to violence in the future.
Now for thoughts that are contrary to the Yamas and Niyamas - the vitarkaa - the goal is to weaken the tendencies that lead to those thoughts, and strengthen the tendencies that help us to practice the Yamas and Niyamas. With the example of violence, the goal would be to weaken tendencies towards violence, and strengthen tendencies towards non-violence.
As we try to change our own tendencies, we notice that the stronger the tendencies are, the harder they are to change. As a result, the first thing to do is to stop strengthening the tendencies in the first place. This is like if a water pipe is broken, we must first turn off the water before fixing the pipe. In practice, this means that we must first try to stop ourselves from playing out these tendencies as words or actions.
At this point, we notice that these tendencies are still strong, and thoughts of violence, etc. continue to pop up in the mind. Here, we divert attention from these tendencies as much as possible. This is like when we want to weaken a channel in the soil, we stop pouring water in it.
However, this can be hard to do, and requires a constant mindfulness of all activity - physical and mental. When you are acting, know what you are doing, when you are speaking, know what you are saying, and when you are thinking, know what you are thinking. It is a sort of meta-awareness of your activity. Rather than being pushed about by the waves of your mind, the Yogi must stand apart from it, and watch the waves come and go. Only then can there be hope of changing the direction.
Once we are able to effectively categorize our thoughts using this framework, we can effectively practice pratipakshabhaavanaa (pronounced pruh-tee-puck-sh-uh-bhaa-vuh-naah)
Pratipakshabhaavanaa: The cultivation of opposing thoughts
घोरेषु संसाराङ्गारेषु पच्यमानेन मया शरणमुपगतः सर्वभूताभयप्रदानेन योगधर्मः | स स्वल्वहं त्यक्त्वा वितर्कान्पुनस्ताना ददानस्तुल्यः श्र्ववृत्तेनेति भावयेत् | यथा श्र्वा वान्तावलेही तथा त्यक्तस्य पुनराददान इति एवमादि सूत्रान्तरेष्वपि योज्यम् ॥Being continuously burned up in the fires of this world, I have taken refuge in the practice of Yoga, which gives fearlessness to all living beings. Were I to take up the opposing thoughts (ie. vitarkaa) once again having given them up, I would be like a dog in my conduct.
As a dog licks its own vomit, so would I be acting, if I were to take up again what I have already given up. This is to be applied to all the sutras (ie. to all the Yamas and Niyamas).
- Vyasa’s Commentary on Yoga Sutra, 2.33दुःखाज्ञानानन्तफला इति प्रतिपक्षभावनम् ॥DukkhaAgyaanaAnantaPhalaaThe result [of these thoughts] is infinite suffering and ignorance. This is the pratipakshabhaavanaa.
- Yoga Sutras, 2.34
At this point we have understood how each of the Yamas and Niyamas results in a weakening of avidya, and how not practising them leads to a strengthening of avidya. We also know that avidya, ignorance, is the root of all suffering (dukkha). This understanding is the key to dissolving thoughts that oppose the Yamas and Niyamas.
The practice, like most practices in Yoga, is quite simple, and looks something like this:
Catch the thought as early as possible
Acknowledge it - do not suppress it
Replace it with a pratipakshabhaavanaa
Cultivate the pratipakshabhaavana
Repeat
The key is to catch the thought as early as possible. This is easier for some thoughts than for others. In particular, if you already have an existing mental tendency, the thought will rush along and become full strength fairly quickly, as opposed to a totally new type of thought. As a result, careful attention is extremely important.
Once you have caught the thought, it is important to acknowledge it.
Do not hide from it - that is delusion.
Do not suppress it - suppression is a form of attachment, and will result in the tendency becoming stronger.
Simply acknowledge it peacefully, and let it go gently.
Once you have let it go, replace it with a pratipakshabhaavanaa.
P: Wait, what is a pratipakshabhaavanaa?
The word “bhaavanaa” in this context means to cultivate a thought or a feeling. We already do this, when we “work ourselves up” into feelings of anger, guilt, and so on. As we know, constant attention to a thought strengthens it, and so “bhaavanaa” is the intentional strengthening of a thought.
Now there is a particular thought that we are to strengthen, and that is “dukkha agyaan ananta phalaa.” Specifically, this is a mental reminder that the contrary thought (e.g. the thought of violence) will only result in suffering, and a strengthening of avidya. We can remind ourselves about how the thought is increasing the divide between self and other, and how it is increasing our identification with the body-mind.
Another, shorthand, way to do this is simply to remind oneself that the thought is “not useful.”
It is important to treat the mind gently, as one would treat a naughty child who is putting their hand in a cookie jar. The mind does not know any better. It does not mean to cause you pain - it is simply following its old patterns. This treatment of the mind is absolutely critical, otherwise it can result in feelings of guilt, shame, and anger at oneself. The goal is not to berate oneself, but to intelligently counteract the thoughts as they arise. Rather than using the tactic of brute force, one must dance with the mind, training it with careful attention in order to tame it.
Through this practice, one starts to see the humour in the antics of the mind, rather than viewing it as a source of frustration.
Over time, the tendencies become weaker, and it becomes easier to catch the thoughts earlier and earlier, until eventually, they stop arising altogether.
Note: Using the example of violence - it may seem tempting to cultivate thoughts of love when faced with thoughts of violence. However, this is not the practice. Rather, the goal is to cultivate the opposing thought - reminding the mind that thoughts of violence will result in ignorance and suffering for yourself. The goal is to move away from the tendency towards violence. Then, love will automatically arise without any additional effort. When you move away from the west, you automatically move east, without any additional effort.
Having said this, one can spend time intentionally cultivating sattvic thoughts. For example, cultivating thoughts of compassion or love towards other beings, or intentionally paying attention to the lovable nature of all beings. The more one cultivates sattvic thoughts in opposition to tamasic or rajasic ones, the more the tendency for sattvic thoughts will arise. Over time, with practice, sattvic thoughts will start to arise by default.
The same goes for the opposite. If one cultivates rajasic or tamasic thoughts, the more those types of thoughts will arise by default. The mind is like a flywheel in either direction - it is your choice to make it a virtuous cycle or a vicious cycle.
To summarize this:
When experiencing thoughts of violence (for example), remind yourself that following the tendency will result in unending ignorance and suffering (ie. do not try to cultivate thoughts of love in that moment - this would just be a form of suppression).
At other times, however, make a habit of cultivating sattvic thoughts (e.g. compassion, etc.).
P: This is too hard. My mind is all over the place, and I can barely catch a single thought before it bubbles into words or action.
Jogi: Yes, it is hard. It is important to note that not everyone is ready for this practice of pratipakshabhaavana. The eight-limbed Yoga follows the preliminary practices, which weaken existing tendencies and attenuate the kleshas to the point of being more manageable.
P: How will I know if I’m not ready?
Jogi: Try it! It will quickly become apparent, especially if you find it too difficult or frustrating to practice pratipakshabhaavanaa. This is an indicator that the “opposing thoughts” - the vitarkaa - are all, or mostly all, high intensity.
P: Then what should I do?
Jogi: Start with the prelimiary practices until the thoughts are of middling or low intensity. Keep trying pratipakshabhaavanaa in parallel. Over time, you will find that it becomes easier.
Using the Bhumis
Towards the beginning of this series, we had gone over a preliminary categorization of the mind into one of five possible bhumis, or grounds. In increasing order of sattva, they are:
Kshipta: Agitated, restless
Mudha: Dull, inertial
Vikshipta: Sometimes focused, sometimes not
Ekaagra: Completely one-pointed, at will
Niruddha: Entirely controlled
If you haven’t already, use this article to try to categorize which bhumi your mind generally falls into. The mind can move between these categories, even as frequently as within a given day, but try to notice the default state of the mind - the ground to which your mind tends to return.
If your bhumi is kshipta, the more likely you will be to fall prey to the vitarkaa (e.g. thoughts of violence, lying, stealing, etc.). On the other hand, the closer your bhumi is to niruddha, the more the automatic thoughts in your mind will tend towards the Yamas and Niyamas.
Additionally, these bhumis are a good indicator of whether the Yogi is ready to practice pratipakshabhaavanaa or not. If you find that your bhumi is closer to kshipta, you will likely find this practice to be extremely challenging, if not downright frustrating.
On the other hand, if your mind is closer to ekaagra or niruddha, this practice may seem too easy.
Most people fall into the vikshipta category - where the mind is sometimes distracted, but sometimes focused. If this is where you find yourself, then it is worthwhile to spend some time with this practice. It may seem difficult at first, but it will get easier as time goes on.
However, if your mind is in the kshipta or mudha bhumi, then this practice can easily lead to suppression and frustration, ultimately leading to a strengthening of your existing tendencies, which is counterproductive to the goals of Yoga.
In this case, rather than starting here, start with Kriya Yoga. If that is too difficult, then focus your efforts on the practice the four attitudes as a preparatory step. If you find that too difficult, then practice ek-tattva-abhyaas - focusing on one thing at a time.
Over time, through this series of practices, the mind becomes sattvic enough to catch the thoughts as they are arising, and before they turn into words or action. It is like a lake - if it is too muddy or choppy, fishing will be extremely frustrating. Once the water is calm and clear, it becomes a lot easier to see and catch the fish, even when they are further away.
“It occasionally happens that, through a lapse of mindfulness, evil and unskilled states arise, memories and thoughts pertaining to the fetters. His mindfulness is aroused only slowly, but then he soon abandons that state…puts and end to it.”
- Gautam Buddha, Sutta Nipata, 35.203
Until next time:
Watch your mind closely, and categorize your thoughts using the frameowork to find the trigger, the doer, and the level of intensity.
Try to catch your thoughts as early as possible, and cultivate the pratipakshabhaavanaa, reminding your mind (by literally talking to yourself mentally), saying “mind, this is not useful, and will result in unending ignorance and suffering.”
Take notes to see how this practice affects your ability to easily follow the Yamas and Niyamas.
As always, feel free to reach out with any questions, objections or feedback by responding to this email, commenting down below, or by posting anonymously at r/EmptyYourCup.
Next time: Q&A: Negative consequences of meditation