You are the Architects of your own Harmony

 

 

 

‘Meet the Masters’ series of Life & Mind Institute involves insightful lectures by eminent speakers addressing the present day challenges in a fresh perspective. Under the same series, Tavleen Foundation recently conducted a dialogue with Guruji Sri Pattabhiram on the topic ‘Discipline- A Yogic Approach’.

 

Guruji, the direct disciple of Swami Rama of the Himalayas and Founder-Director of Sadhana Sangama Trust, Bangalore, gave valuable insights on- what is discipline and how to become more disciplined in our life- taking yogic science as the fundamental.

 

In the words of Guruji Sri Pattabhiram-

 

  1. What goes wrong with the ‘self’?

Today, we do know about the worldly matters, but we’ve become a stranger to our own self. This feeling of ‘I don’t know’ creates insecurity, loneliness and stress. Even sitting with ourselves appears distressing. We can live without our family members for a week, but not without our mobile phone! As per Yoga Shastra, we must attend to the cause and not the effect. Doing vice-versa complicates life.

 

You must know that there is nothing wrong with our life overall, it is the approach that goes wrong. Like how in times of aggression, you try to find fast solutions to everything- your mind goes out, instead of settling within.

 

  1. What is Discipline?

Anushasan is formed of anu that means ‘to follow’ and shasan that means ‘the light’. It means to follow the light to harmony. The world has confused it with fear. Discipline can’t be imposed as forced virtues don’t stay for long. You have to become a disciple of that to make the action committed and enjoyable. For example, when an astrologer asks to light a lamp at 3 am daily to get rupees 1 crore, you would do it. This means you make yourself a disciple of the 1 crore and feel the motivation to pursue it.

 

Now what is that you have to follow as a disciple? It is Yoga. The idea is not to stick to some aasnas, it is to acquire complete harmony. Everything starts with and culminates in Meditation.

 

How to achieve Harmony?

 

Level 1: Harmony with the self: Think of what can bring you harmony and the same thing then becomes your discipline.

 

Level 2: Harmony in Relationships: Many individuals are suppressed and family institution is getting disintegrated. People don’t listen. Discipline cannot occur with ‘only me’ philosophy. Try to pursue togetherness by sharing, including and creating space for each other.

 

Level 3: Harmony with the environment: Man is what the mind is. Mind is what you think. If all the energy centers within the brain are disharmonious, we cannot stay happy or peaceful. Sometimes, mind captures judgments about a person in the form of fixed images, and we don’t change those images with time. We must let go.

 

 

Concluding words

 

You must think about harmony and ways you can bring it in your life. As body does not produce disease, mind does; similarly when need becomes greed, man becomes monster. Do not look outside for solutions, rather explore within. You can develop supreme harmony with the help of a good guru or leader. Harmony is a state where there is no conflict. Difference of opinion may occur between people, as no two individuals are alike. The idea is to develop a sense of concern to respect the differences as well. Once such concern develops, real transformation begins and this is precisely what Yoga does.

 

‘Become a disciple and achieve harmony’….