Class Three: A Sentence & A Plan **1) The point of all spiritual instruction is to help us get all the things we want, and to remove every challenge we have—and then to help everyone else in the world to do the same. Write here the one thing you would most like make happen, or the one thing you would most like to stop, in your life—right now as you take the course.** Students write this section. **2) Normally we want some things to happen, and we want other things to stop, in a way which is mistaken and therefore doomed to failure. How does this failure relate to the famous three qualities, or gunas, of sattva, rajas, and tamas—and to their role within the inner body? (Please include the English for the Tibetan translations of the three.)** The teacher of His Holiness the First Dalai Lama, Je Tsongkapa (1357-1419), gives us a wonderful description of this failure in a text he wrote on the inner body entitled *Practices of the Inner Drop of Spring.* He follows the standard translation created by the ancient Tibetan translators for these three words. *Sattva* is rendered as *courage,* and *rajas* is *drops—*which word can also be translated into English as *particles* of dust or blood. *Tamas* is called *darkness.* We have followed this ancient terminology in our own translation of the Gita verses here. In the secret traditions of Tibet, *sattva,* or courage, is seen as a quality of lightness and light. It is related to semen, and this is based in the *prana* or inner energy which flows through the white *ida* channel. This channel runs to the left of the central channel, or *sushumna,* near the spine. The quality of *sattva* is sometimes called simply *pleasure,* which makes sense since when prana does flow through the left-hand channel, it causes us to want things that give us pleasure. Unfortunately, it causes us to want things in a way which is mistaken, and is doomed to failure. That is, when prana as *sattva* flows through the left-hand channel, we not only want something, but the positioning of the prana causes us to want it in the wrong way. Suppose for example as our dream for this course we have written “I would like my husband to be more affectionate towards me, and hug me sometimes.” If while we make this wish prana is flowing as *sattva* through the left-hand channel, then we will automatically begin considering mistaken options to get our husband to be more affectionate. We might for example mention a cute boy at work, to see if our husband will get jealous and then more attentive; or we might ignore our husband when he seeks to be intimate in bed, to send a message that we want more closeness all day long. Both of these approaches are mistaken, because neither one of them works. And if you say that they work “sometimes,” and therefore they *do* work, our answer would be that something which doesn’t work all the time can’t be trusted to work, and should not be attempted. It would be like buying a car that you know doesn’t start two days a week. In getting what we want, let’s stop thinking about methods that only work sometimes, because that means they aren’t really the cause of what we want. The real cause should work *every* time we try it. The same applies for something that we want to stop in our life. When prana flows through the right-hand channel, which is red and is named *pingala,* the prana is called *rajas,* or *drops—*which also reflects how this quality relates to menstrual blood*. Rajas* is said to have a nature of movement, of asserting ourselves. The effect of its moving in this channel is that we want to avoid something unpleasant—and another name for *rajas* is in fact *suffering.* Again though—because of the positioning of the prana—we seek to avoid what we don’t like in the wrong way. Perhaps at work our boss tends to get angry and shout at us for small things. If *rajas* is moving through the right-hand channel, then we begin to consider mistaken options for responding to him. We might think to yell back at him, or we might try to get him in trouble with this own superior. Both options are wrong, because neither of them works all the time—and we know that. But we try one of them, because we’re not aware of any other option which *does* work all the time. *Tamas* or *darkness* is said to have a nature of heaviness and confinement. We can think of it as the habit of thinking up wrong solutions which is created by the movement of both *rajas* and *tamas* in their respective side channels. *Tamas* is darkness in the sense of not understanding the best way of getting what we want and avoiding what we don’t want. Lord Krishna points out that all three qualities are, in the end, born of “a nature of things (XIV.5).” This refers to our tendency of believing that things are *in* things; for example, that a pen is *in* a pen, and not coming from seeds ripening within our own mind. If we are able to stop this tendency in ourselves, then eventually we are able even to release our body of light from the bonds of the mortal body, as mentioned by Lord Krishna in this same verse. **3) Lord Krishna says we are “dear” to him if we are “free of desires (XII.16).” Does this mean that it is wrong to want something good to happen in our life?** Now we understand, through the explanation of the three qualities or *gunas,* that there is a wrong way of liking things, and a wrong way of disliking things. If though we are able to induce prana into the central channel—which is the whole point of the asanas, or physical practices of yoga, and of spiritual study such as this course—then we will come to understand the correct way of achieving the things that we want in our life right now, and avoiding the things we don’t want. That is, Lord Krishna is not telling us that we should be “free of all desires” in general: that we should just sit like a vegetable in our room and not hope or aspire to a life which is full of light and wonder. Rather, he is saying that we should be free of all desires which involve trying to get what we want in a mistaken way—and then we will be happy, which is a dear thing for him to see. So what is the right way to get what we want in our life, right now; and to avoid what we don’t want? We need to go through the four steps of a path of karma, in order to plant the seeds which determine the entire reality of our own life. And we need to change or take out the seeds for what we don’t want. Lord Krishna is fully in support of this kind of aspiration. **4) What does it really mean to “give up the fruits of our actions (XII.12),” and why would this produce “instant” peace in our minds? Please include the Sanskrit here for “giving up the fruits of action.”** We will see the idea of “giving up the fruits of our actions” repeated throughout the Bhagavad Gita. It is extremely important that we understand what this phrase really means, and what it doesn’t mean. First of all, let’s look at the Sanskrit—which is pretty straightforward. “Actions” is a translation of the work *karma (karma),* and the “fruits” of these actions are called *phala (phala).* An easy way to remember the derivation of the former word is with the English word *create,* which comes from the same root. The latter word is related to *ball* and *full,* giving the image of a plump ripe fruit. The word for “giving up” here is *tyaga (tya#ga),* which Lord Krishna and Arjuna will also be discussing later, in its sense of *renunciation.* Thus the whole phrase is *karma-phala-tyaga:* giving up the fruits of our actions. It is absolutely crucial that we never think of this phrase in the way it has been so widely misintrepeted—a way which completely ignores the whole discussion of right action and the role of misunderstanding itself, throughout the entire Gita. It is not the point that we should give up seeking any kind of goals or happiness in our life. It is not even the point that we should only work for the happiness of others, and not expect any reward or happiness for ourselves. A *sane* and *healthy* approach would be to undertake deeds which make *everyone* happy. As the Tibetan Lamas have said, our goal is to bring (*bhava*) happiness (*sukha)* equally (*samastha*) to the entire world (*loka*)—*Loka samastha sukhino bhavantu,* as the yogis like to put it—and we ourselves are one member of that world. This is a win/win scenario, and we are not to be passed up when the happiness is handed out. The fact is that if we go about getting the things we want with understanding, then automatically we are causing the entire world to get what they want even as we ourselves reach all the things we ever dreamed of. And there is no way that we could, by using this method, deny ourselves the fruits of our efforts, *even if we wanted to.* But more on this later. Say then that our dream is financial independence, perhaps so that we could have the means to go out and help the rest of the world. The only way to achieve this independence is through a path of karma: we clearly understand that we need to take four concrete steps to plant the necessary seeds. That is, we need to help *someone else* achieve their own financial independence. This is the key to the “peace” that Lord Krishna says will come “immediately after” we learn to give up being attached to getting the fruits or results we want by undertaking mistaken actions. We state in a single sentence what we want, and then simply plant the seed for it by focusing on someone else who wants the same thing. No stress, no anxiety, no wasted effort on mulling over options *that just don’t work.* No more choices to make: don’t torture yourself uselessly by worrying whether you should invest in stocks or buy a property; whether you should leave your current career or stick with it. Simply help another person get what you want, and sit back *in peace* to enjoy it as the fruits spring up. **5) Creating a path of karma—getting what we most want in our life right now—requires first that we decide in a single sentence exactly what we want. What is the second step, and what kind of raw material does it require? Is this material difficult to find?** Once we have decided what we want in our life right now—once we have written down on a piece of paper what it is we want—then it’s time to take the second step. This step is selecting a person with whom to plant the seed for what we want. It’s critical to understand that we cannot plant a seed without another person. All such seeds must be planted in another person: this kind of person is our raw material. The seed is planted very powerfully, and a full path of karma is created, only if we spend a lot of time *planning:* thinking carefully about which person we would like to plant our seed in. Let’s say that we have reached a point in our life where we are incapable even of deciding what it is we really want: we feel unsure about the direction we want to go in our life right now. To plant a seed for some inspiration about our next move in life, we need to locate a person who is looking for the same kind of inspiration. We need to select the person very carefully, and then we have to plan how we’re going to help them. Every time we spend even a stray moment as we do something else—eat our dinner, drive to work—thinking about who we will help, and how we will help them, we are already creating thousands of powerful seeds. The ancient scriptures say that every single second we spend planning how we are going to help another person get what we want, we create 65 more good seeds. The actual *helping* of the other person takes relatively less time, and creates fewer seeds. In seeking our dreams in life, we need to recognize that we need to be doing more than just helping others: for one thing, we need to *plan* this help in great detail. This makes all the difference, and explains why people who simply help others without understanding all four steps to a path of karma often don’t succeed in their own life. And so, in our present example, we begin the process of seeking someone who is unsure of where to go next in their life. Up to now, our focus has been completely on ourselves, on our own compelling need to find a direction in our life. Just *looking* for other people who need the same direction already plants powerful seeds that we were never planting before. At the beginning of this process—when someone first suggests to us that we should seek someone else with the same goal, to help them—we might right away think to ourselves that there isn’t really any person like this in our life right now. But once we start actively looking, we begin to notice them everywhere. The seeds we plant by beginning to take a sincere interest in the hopes and dreams of others are very powerful. In the beginning, we might begin to notice that *everyone* around us is a little unsure about where they want their life to go. And then slowly, as the seeds kick in, we also begin to see a spark of the divine in everyone around us as well. That is, there is raw material *everywhere* for the good we want to do, and then we will begin to see the good we want to see for ourselves in everyone else, because we are finally planting massive seeds. In the end, we will be able to say, as Arjuna does to Lord Krishna, “I see you everywhere, in endless forms…you are the Lord of all that exists; you are the bodies of every living being (XI.16).” **6) What does Lord Krishna say we should do if we are able to define what we want in our life right now, and if we are able to act correctly to get it?** {Lord Krishna says (at XVIII.9) that “an action worthy of doing must be done.” He is referring of course to an action which is done *correctly,* with proper understanding: no more fighting with our husband, no more sweating over options with our boss or our career. Just plant the seeds, and sit back and relax. But the point that Lord Krishna is making here is that *it is our responsibility* to act in the world. Once we have sat with Arjuna and Lord Krishna in the chariot between the lines—once we have heard that Arjuna *should* act, but only act with understanding of the seeds—then it is our responsibility to act. Many of us already act kindly to others, but oftentimes only because we find it agreeable to do so. When it becomes work, hard work, then we pass it up for something else that we find agreeable, even if the new thing isn’t as helpful to others as the first. At some point, Lord Krishna is saying, we must admit that it is our duty and responsibility to help others: we should do those things which are worthy to be done. *Coffeeshop assignment:* Please meet with at least one other member of the class (preferably someone that you didn’t know before the course started) to talk a bit about this class, before the next one. *Meditation assignment:* 15 minutes per day before the next class, pull out the piece of paper with your current life goal written on it. Look at it and then go into your meditation. During the meditation, work on Step Two of your path of karma; that is, start thinking of people you know who seek the same dream as you do. And then begin, during your meditation, making a plan to help them get this dream. You’ll be planting seeds galore. *Meditation times and dates* (homework without this section completed will not be accepted):