**1) Briefly describe two meanings of the first commitment, to be clean.**
In one sense, the practice of “cleanliness” refers to constantly striving to see that our world is a sacred place, and that all the beings around us are enlightened Angels. In another sense, it refers to not cluttering up our lives with busyness; or craving countless shallow relationships with others; and piles of junk lying around the temple of our home.
**2) Describe the commitment of contentment.**
Contentment refers to not wanting things that we don’t have, and really enjoying the things that we do have. A yogi never complains about whatever food or place they may happen to get, and they don’t worry about what others have gotten that they have not. Of course this contentment doesn’t extend to our spiritual life: we should never rest contented about our spiritual progress until we have become an enlightened Angel who can serve all other beings.
**3) Give the Sanskrit word for contentment; its roots; and some related words.**
The Sanskrit word for contentment is santosha s<tae;! , which is made up of two parts, the prefix sam- sm! and tosha tae;. Sam- means “complete” or “together,” and is found in the English words complete, consummate, and enough. Tosha comes from a root √tush tu;! , meaning “to be full or contented.” Related words are thigh (fat part of leg), butter, and Tushita (the name of a paradise).
**4) What has been described as “the highest form of spiritual hardship”; what are some typical forms of spiritual hardship; and what would be a mistaken spiritual hardship?**
Patience, or the art of not getting angry in a situation where it would normally be quite the time to get angry, has been described as the highest form of spiritual hardship. During the course of our spiritual development we should expect to be faced with the need to spend long hours in study or meditation; to encounter the sorts of incredible obstacles that are attracted by spiritual practice; to deal with the inner doubts and turmoil that often accompany this practice. Hurting the body or mind in any damaging way though—such as starving oneself, exposing the body to physical conditions which may damage it, or overdoing any spiritual practice so that we may later regret what we have done and give up all such practice—is simply irresponsible and bad karma.
**5) Give the Sanskrit word for “spiritual hardship”; its root; and related English words.**
The Sanskrit word for “spiritual hardship” is tapas tps! . This comes from the root √tap tp! , meaning “to heat.” Related English words are tepid, Beltane (the sacred Celtic fire), and temperature.
**6) Describe the form that “regular study” traditionally took.**
The Sanskrit word for “regular study” (svadhyaya) refers by tradition to studying the major spiritual classics and teachings at the feet of a Master of an authentic lineage, over a period of many years. One would be expected to commit these works to memory, so that you could recite them by yourself (sva).
**7) What is considered the highest commitment of all?**
The highest commitment of all is the commitment to serve and learn from one’s Master.
**8) Do ordinary citizens of a country collect karmic seeds if a soldier from the country shoots and kills another person?**
If we do not actively object to a war effort being carried out by our country, then we do collect karmic seeds whenever a single soldier on our side shoots and kills a person on the other side, exactly as if we ourselves had thrust a knife into the person killed.
**9) Can our old bad karmic seeds be destroyed, before they ripen? If so, briefly describe how.**
We can use the Four Forces of purification to destroy old bad karmic seeds. The first force is to quietly review all that we understand about seeds, thinking about our destiny, to save the world ourselves. The second force is to feel some intelligent regret—not guilt—about how our past action and its weed will delay our destiny. The third and most important force is to strictly avoid repeating the same mistake—for a specific period of time if we feel that we cannot permanently commit to not repeating it. The fourth force is taking some specific, positive action to counteract the negative one; for example, volunteering some time in a hospital, if we have done something to hurt another person physically. Simply setting aside some time to think about how the seeds work to create our world is the single most powerful counteraction possible.
**10) Do we have to know the specific action that we committed in the past, in order to remove its negative karmic seed?**
Oftentimes we are experiencing the painful result of an action that we did in the past and no longer remember. In cases like this, we can logically deduce what it was we must have done to experience our current pain—consulting authoritative texts about karma and consequences where needed. And then we apply the Four Forces accordingly.
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