8 Elements Simplified With Notes

bhümir äpo 'nalo väyuù khaà mano buddhir eva ca ahaìkära itéyaà me bhinnä prakåtir añöadhä Slide 1

“Earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intelligence and false ego--all together these eight comprise My separated material energies.” - BG 7:4

All beings have two bodies covering them. One is the physical body made of the five gross elements (earth, water, fire, air & ether) and the other is the Subtle, or Psychic or Astral body (called Sükñméya Çaréra in Sanskrit).

4. The Structure of My Subtle (Astral) Body Extracts Only 1 ©Dina-Anukampana Das

Slide 2

4.

The Structure of My Subtle (Astral) Body „ „ „

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Also known as my ‘psychic’ body. Our psyche has many divisions. We experience arguments going on within our ‘selves’. Are they ghosts or just different faculties. Can they be controlled, and trained? Are they always controlled? 2

©Dina-Anukampana Das

Slide 3

See the Chart – The 8 Elements Of the Material Universe

We all experience that there are several divisions to our own psyche. We have all had the experience of arguments going on within ourselves, for example when contemplating whether or not to commit a serious or even a crooked act. The Subtle body is made of the 3 subtle material elements, namely mind, intelligence and false ego. Just as a man may wear a shirt and over that, a coat, similarly, the soul is covered by an invisible subtle body, and then by the gross physical body made of the 5 elements. What does Gross/subtle mean? Gross means easily perceivable by the five gross knowledge-acquiring senses (jïänendriya). The five gross elements (païca mahä bhüta) can be arranged in order of subtle to gross :– Ether is the most subtle element within which the information of existence of the material world lies in the form of sound which can be heard. Air contains not only sound but it can also be felt by our skin. Fire contains sound and touch, and it also has form which our eyes can see. Water has sound, touch and form within it, with the addition of taste. Earth has all these plus smell. Therefore earth is said to be more gross than air because it can be perceived by more of our senses. In this same sense, mind is even more subtle than ether, because none of our 5 senses can perceive it. It can be perceived only by another mind. Intelligence is an even finer energy and requires more discussion and contemplation to identify, locate and perceive.

Slide 4

Sense Objects The world that I perceive outside my body can be defined as Sense Objects, which means that the whole universe is nothing more than something to hear, something to touch, something to see, something to taste and something to smell.

Energetic Chart of the Complete Whole, the Absolute Truth Spiritual Knowledge: Spiritual Knowledge: Real Ego: “I am an Real Ego: Ego: “I am an eternal servant of eternal servant of God. I must enjoy by God. I must enjoy by pleasing His senses.” pleasing His senses.”

The Spiritual Sky The Spiritual Sky Liberated Souls Liberated Souls

Beyond Beyond Perception Perception My MyBody Body

Supersoul Supersoul(God) (God) ‘Prema’ ’ = Love for God Prema ‘Prema’ Prema’ = Love for God

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Soul Soul(Self) (Self)A.M.B A.M.B Ego Ego(Sense (Senseofof“I”/identity) “I”/identity) Memory Buddhi Memory(Mother (MotherofofBuddhi) Buddhi) Buddhi) )

Spiritual Spiritual Ignorance: Ignorance: False Ego: - “I False Ego: - “I am this body am this body (gross & (gross & Subtle). I must Subtle). I must enjoy all that I enjoy all that I survey.” survey.”

Spirit Spirit (Consciousness) (Consciousness) Matter (Non Matter(Non(Non(Non- conscious) conscious)

Buddhi D&C Buddhi(Intellect) (Intellect)D&C Manas TFW Manas(Mind) (Mind)TFW

Subtle SubtleMatter Matter

Senses Senses55++55

Gross GrossMatter Matter

Sense SenseObjects Objects

Matter MatterComprises Comprises 88Elements Elements

Kaama These sense objects have the power to attract or stimulate our various 5 senses, and through repeated contemplation, desire, or the urge for material sense stimulation or activity, is born.

33Elements Elements

55Elements Elements Force ’ = Desire (Urge) for Material Sensations / Activity ‘Kaama’ Forceofof‘Kaama ‘Kaama ‘Kaama’’ = Desire (Urge) for Material Sensations / Activity

The TheWhole Whole Universe Universe

Summary: ‘Prema’ covered by ‘Ignorance’ (I am this body) transforms into ‘Kaama’ ©Dina-Anukampana Das covered by ‘Ignorance’ (I am this body) transforms into ‘Kaama’ Summary: ‘Prema’

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©Dina-Anukampana Das

Slide 5

5 knowledge (information)(information)acquiring senses Data Input

Mind = CPU, like a computer’s

We and Define Define We Shall ShallIdentify Identify and The The Mind Mind by by the theThree Three Functions Functions which which we we use use itit to to perform: perform: Thinking = Processing TT Data/Info : All Data inpu comes ONLY from the 5 senses

(accept/reject = like/don’t like) Output: Voice, Hands, Legs, Anus, Genitals 5 working (action) senses ©Dina-Anukampana Das

FF

Feeling = Emotions

W W

‘Willing’ = PsychoPsychomotor coco-ordination (Executing the conclusion of my thinking and feeling)

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Senses Contrary to modern science’s concept, we have not only 5 but 10 senses. Knowledge Acquiring Senses The ears, skin, eyes, tongue and nose are called j’ïänendriyas (knowledge acquiring senses), which indicates that the mind cannot be aware of any knowledge or information of the surrounding world except through these 5 ‘gateways’. (Therefore the 4 inherent defects of the senses necessitates that all information/knowledge we get from the sensual perception must also be imperfect.) These senses can be likened to a computer’s sources of data input eg. Mouse, keyboard, scanner, microphone etc. Where is your Mind? We all say that we have a mind, but without consciously defining it or understanding it, but when asked to show where our mind is, we are usually stumped. However a perfect answer is given in the Bhagavad Gita – the mind is located at the centre of the 5 senses. This is easily confirmed because by stimulating any of the senses, I can attract your attention. What is Concentration? The mind is actually at the centre of all 10 senses. The Bhagavatam states that when two or more of our 10 senses are focused on one object, then the mind is focused in concentration. We can verify this that by hearing our teacher and consciously looking at the teacher, we can keep sharp focus of our attention. At the same time when our working senses start to do something, it distracts and slows down our mind. Working Senses The working senses can be likened to the output devices in a computer. This makes the mind to be like the CPU (central DATA processing unit). After processing the data input by our senses, we must do something with that knowledge or experience. When we come to a conclusion, we then have

to act. We interact with the world outside of our body only through our 5 karmendriyas or working senses. These are our voice, our hands, our legs, our anus and our genitals. These five instruments are the only way by which we influence or interact with the world around us. All our other organs are within the body and maintain it, but we cannot use them to perform work outside of our bodies. We Shall Identify and Define The Mind by the Three Functions which we use it to perform: “If we cannot define something then we cannot discuss it.” In normal parlance, we use the word ‘mind’ in many different ways, but to define it scientifically we need some parameters that we can verify with each other. In the Vedic model of the subtle body, the mind is defined by the three functions which we use it for. This makes it tangible, or conceivable, so to speak. 1. T Thinking is one function that we all do. It can be defined as processing the data/knowledge that is input through the five senses. Let us define that energy or that part of our psychic body which we use to process data, or to think, as our Mind 2. F Feeling refers to our emotions. We all experience emotions from fear to anxiety to anger. One part of our psychic body is the seat of these emotions. Now is that part the same one which we use for thinking? Our common experience is that whenever we are feeling very upset, we avoid making any important decisions because our thinking process is clouded. We usually will put it off for some time and make an effort to calm ourselves down before we make the important decision. This indicates the validity of this model, that the part of our psychic body, let us call it the Mind, which we use for thinking is the same seat of our emotions/feeling. 3. W Willing in this context does not refer to our will-power or determination (that is a function of the Intellect, which is defined below). It is defined as executing the conclusion of or our thinking and feeling, and in medical language this function is known as psycho-motor coordination. Sometimes when a patient is suffering from depression, he may be instructed to do one hour’s gardening every day – this type of occupational therapy proves therapeutic for the mind. Many of us have experienced that playing an

absorbing computer game or going for a drive can help us to calm down quickly if our mind is feeling ill at ease. We can also observe that if, for example, while a teacher is explaining something, if he begans searching for a pen or something else while speaking, his mind and his speech slow down. This indicates that it is the same Mind that is used for performing the function of willing, as for thinking and feeling. A prominent characteristic of the mind is to like or dislike something, to accept or reject something. Slide 6

Answer: When one can CONTROL his mind (go(go-swami), it will be his BEST friend. When one’s mind controls him (go(godasa), dasa), his own mind will be his WORST enemy. (This can be accomplished by the PURE intellect which is completely free from false identification with the material body.) ©Dina-Anukampana Das

Two Functions of The Intellect

D

1) Discriminating, decision making

C

2) Controlling & Directing the DearBrotherMind

Intellect

The Mother of Intellect is Smrti, Smrti, or memory power. If memory is powerful, then it gives strength to the intellect, with which it can overpower & control the mind Mind is my BEST FRIEND or Mind is my WORST ENEMY. How to resolve this?

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1st Function: D Discrimination. The intellect performs the higher task of making decisions rationally, based on our past experiences stored in our memory. (ref. SSR Ch 6 “animal means that one has no memory”; BG 2:63 “when memory is bewildered, intelligence is lost”) 2nd Function: C Control the mind. A little experiment - If I were to request you to focus your eyes and your mind on a particular object, say a rose flower for a few moments. If you agree to my request, you then use your mind to ‘will’ your eyes to move their focus to the particular flower. Now if I continue speaking descriptions of the flower to aid your meditation on it, eg. “This is a pink flower. It is fully blossomed. It has about 20 petals. It is very sweet smelling. It is about 3 cm wide. etc" These sounds enter your ears and as you contemplate the rose, it helps you to drive out all other thoughts from your mind and focus your attention wilfully on the flower. Now how do we do this? As we hear the spoken words through our ears, sound passes through our ears to the mind. We think about it, then, using our intellect, we make a decision whether we want to do this or not. Then after deciding we do want to, we send signals to our eyes to focus on the object in question, we send signals to our other senses to be still, and we control our mind to think only about the selected input source. We all do these psychological activity spontaneously. This function of deflecting and controlling the mind is done by what is called our ‘buddhi’ or intellect. It functions primarily on the basis of our memory. Every act

we do, according to the particular mood we are in, we do based on our memory. But when we get into a rage, we lose our memory and hence our rationality and are unable to weigh consequences properly. In this (or any other negative) psychological stage, it is described that our Mind has taken over control of the intellect instead of the intellect controlling the mind. Later on, when we calm down again, as the mind becomes freed of the lower energy of anger (or lust or greed), the intellect gradually rises to the top again, and regains control of the mind. At that time, we see things in a different perspective, and we regret what we might have said or done harshly in anger. If we start trying to observe this change, of when our naughty mind slips out of control of our intellect and begins to cheat us (like a dog slipped out of its leash), and when it turns our intellect into its slave, after a few weeks, because we’ve been looking for this subtle change, we become aware of it. Understanding this model of mind and intellect struggling for supremacy helps us control anger etc. without judging ourselves too harshly. Otherwise we feel bad and think “I am a bad person”. Separating our self by de-identifying from our mind, helps us to take control of it. When we are merged in our identity with the mind, the process of taking control of the mind does not begin – at that time, we ourselves are in cohoots with the enemy, namely the unbridled, angry mind. A vivid analogy is that of a man taking his dog for a walk. The poor fellow has mis-identified himself with the dog, and so every time the dog stops to smell some other dog’s stool, the man himself kneels down to smell it. Everytime his dog barks at someone and threatens to bite that person, the foolish man, who is a slave to his mind, immediately releases the dog from the leash and allows it to maul the other person. This is the condition of one who has fully identified himself with servitude to the whims of his mind because he has misidentified his very self (soul) with the subtle body (mind).

Slide 7

Nature of The Ego Real Ego

Whom do I think I am?

Kinkara =

This is fundamental to ALL our psychic processes.

Kim + Karoti “I am the servant (of God).” ------------------------------------

False Ego Ahankara = Aham + Karoti “I am the doer”

Am “I” Malay, Indian, Chinese, Young, Old, Poor, Rich, Beautiful, Hindu, Muslim, American etc etc? etc? Aren’t these all merely designations of “my” body… not actually ‘ME’….? 7

©Dina-Anukampana Das

bhümir äpo 'nalo väyuù khaà mano buddhir eva ca ahaìkära itéyaà me bhinnä prakåtir añöadhä

Force of attraction between senses & their objects – ‘kama’

Earth ------Water ------F i re --------Air ---------Ether -------

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5 Objects of the senses

OUR GROSS & SUBTLE BODIES

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Smell Taste F o rm Texture Sound

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3 Subtle Material Energies

©Dina-Anukampana Das

“Earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intelligence and false ego--all together these eight comprise My separated material energies.” - BG 7:4

Nose Tongue Eyes Skin Ears

Knowledgeor infoacquiring senses (input)

……………………….

Mind → → → Intellect* → → False ego → →

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Perform Karma Activities (output)

5 Gross Material Energies

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Hands Legs Voice Anus Genitals

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Thinking, Feeling & Willing Discrimination; Control Mind Sense of Identity / “I am”

*‘Memory’ (smrti) is the mother of ‘Intellect’ (buddhi).

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Sense of “I”, Sense of Identity. Whom do I think I am – this is fundamental to ALL our psychic processes. Eg. If riots break out between Hindus and Muslims, if I think of myself as Hindu, I might feel like attacking a Muslim. But if I did not think of myself that way, I would not be able to muster such feelings of hatred. If on the other hand, I identify myself as being a pure spirit soul, a conscious spark of God and His eternal servant, then I will also see that all other creatures possessed of life force are conscoius sparks and therefore also pure spirit souls like me, and all of us are dear to our creator, God. I will see them lovingly as my brothers/sisters. The soul is always pure. But only when covered by the ugly mind and lusty senses, it appears impure, but it is just like the sun being covered by clouds. If the ignorance is removed, at once that soul acts on the platform of purity. As Lord Jesus said very succinctly, “Hate the sin, not the sinner.” It is ignorance of our true, blissful, eternal spiritual identity that we mistakenly identify our selves with the temporary body and mind, and thus we behave badly, labouring under that illusion. If all people could be made to realize, “I am not this body – I am the spirit soul trapped within” all wars would soon come to an end!

“Besides these, O mighty-armed Arjuna, there is another, superior energy of Mine, which comprises the living entities (jévaätmas) who are exploiting the resources of - BG 7:5 this material, inferior nature.”

apareyam itas tv anyäà prakåtià viddhi me paräm jéva-bhütäà mahä-bäho yayedaà dhäryate jagat

Slide 8

The Soul Is the Self, the Person

Nature of The Soul

It is the Soul that is conscious; The Soul is He Who Suffers or Enjoys any experience that the Self perceives through the senses/mind/intellect & ego. The bodily instruments of perception (psychic & sensuous) do NOT suffer or enjoy independently – there is one unitary/individual enjoyer or sufferer in each body – that is the Self, the Soul Vedanta describes soul’s nature as “aananda “aananda mayo ’bhyaasaat ’bhyaasaat”” = Eternally PleasurePleasure-seeking

For instance, when someone who knows us intimately asks us if we are we angry, our answer might be yes or no. 8

©Dina-Anukampana Das

Nectar of Instruction, Text 10, Purport by Srila Prabhupada (Opening Paragraph): At the present moment almost everyone is engaged in some kind of fruitive activity. Those who are desirous of gaining material profits by working are called karmés, or fruitive workers. All living entities within this material world have come under the spell of mäyä. This is described in the Viñëu Puräëa (6.7.61): viñëu-çaktiù parä proktä kñetrajïäkhyä tathä parä avidyä-karma-saàjïänyä tåtéyä çaktir iñyate [Cc. Madhya 6.154] Sages have divided the energies of the Supreme Personality of Godhead into three categories—namely, the spiritual energy, marginal energy and material energy. The material energy is considered to be the third-class energy (tåtéyä çaktiù).

From Intro to Bhagavad Gita As It Is: The Bhagavad-gétä (8.6) also explains the general principle that makes it possible to enter the spiritual kingdom simply by thinking of the Supreme at the time of death: yaà yaà väpi smaran bhävaà / tyajaty ante kalevaram taà tam evaiti kaunteya / sadä tad-bhäva-bhävitaù “Whatever state of being one remembers when he quits his present body, in his next life he will attain to that state without fail.” Now, first we must understand that material nature is a display of one of the energies of the Supreme Lord. In the Viñëu Puräëa (6.7.61) the total energies of the Supreme Lord are delineated: viñëu-çaktiù parä proktä / kñetra-jïäkhyä tathä parä avidyä-karma-saàjïänyä / tåtéyä çaktir iñyate Cc. Madhya 6.154 The Supreme Lord has diverse and innumerable energies which are beyond our conception; however, great learned sages or liberated souls have studied these energies and have analyzed them into three parts. All of the energies are of viñëuçakti, that is to say they are different potencies of Lord Viñëu. The first energy is parä, transcendental. Living entities also belong to the superior energy, as has already been explained. The other energies, or material energies, are in the mode of ignorance. At the time of death either we can remain in the inferior energy of this material world, or we can transfer to the energy of the spiritual world. So the Bhagavad-gétä (8.6) says: yaà yaà väpi smaran bhävaà / tyajaty ante kalevaram taà tam evaiti kaunteya / sadä tad-bhäva-bhävitaù “Whatever state of being one remembers when he quits his present body, in his next life he will attain to that state without fail.” In life we are accustomed to thinking either of the material or of the spiritual energy. Now, how can we transfer our thoughts from the material energy to the spiritual energy? There are so many literatures which fill our thoughts with the material energy—newspapers, magazines, novels, etc. Our thinking, which is now absorbed in these literatures, must be transferred to the Vedic literatures. The great sages, therefore, have written so many Vedic literatures, such as the Puräëas.