Written By: Kidecia King
“There are five kinds of mental modifications which are either painful or painless.”
–The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
Vrttayah Pancatayyah Klistaklistah
Vrttayah: modifications/distortions | Pancatayyah: fivefold | Klista: painful | Aklistah: painless
“If you really want to be selfish [for any reason, whether it is because you feel that you cannot help it, or just because you do not want to help it], be selfish in the idea of retaining your peace.”
-Sri Swami Satchidananda
All thoughts, which, without a doubt, are sustained and/or empowered in your mind by your ego sense-of-self, come in two forms according to Swami Satchidananda.
Thoughts are either selfish or selfless, and they have the effect of either creating pain or creating peace in yourself and (then ultimately) in the world.
As the Swami reminded us, selfish thoughts create pain and misery for both the thinker and for those impacted by them (even if these thoughts initially have a façade of goodness, like in the pretense of love for the sake of vanity), and selfless thoughts create peace (even if they start out seemingly “bad,” such as in the scolding of a child in order to correct their wrong behaviors, or speaking out about injustice or wrong-doing).
It is, thusly, the intention behind all thought that matters most. It matters (both for yourself and for others), to emphasize this point very clearly, whether your thoughts arise from a purely ignorant, greedy, ego-centric, fearful, and or hateful place, or whether they come from a place of full understanding of their impact with a desire to do good and/or to connect with/express Truth and/or Love.
You, therefore, have control over what you create in the world starting with your intentions/thoughts. And the fastest way to identify whether these intentions will ultimately lead to misery or peace is to simply feel them out, interrogate whether they are grounded in the Truth of the Absolute Reality, and to scrutinize their purpose from the point of their conception, which we will explore further below.
Because your body-mind is a highly intelligent vessel that regulates your every function as it takes you through time and space, what Sutra 5 reminds us of is that your feedback mechanisms, which we will narrow down as your emotions and conscience here, serve as powerful navigating tools for gaging how close, or far, you are from your pure self-expression and Truth, at any given point.
Depending on the thoughts that you are thinking at any given moment, and how they make you feel, you can immediately identify what their impact will be in the world and whether they are ultimately in alignment with your, and others’, highest good. This will help you to not only honor your path of walking in non-violence as you agreed to do in step one of your Eight-Limbed Path, but will also help you to avoid creating negative karma (actions) within yourself and the world as well.
It is, therefore, your responsibility, as you continue with your practice–before ultimately putting all of your thoughts aside to be Liberated–to be mindful of your thoughts as they arise and to become true “analysts” of them if you intend to reach your ultimate goal of Self-realization/expression in this lifetime.
If you chose to be selfish about anything during the initial part of your practice, this Sutra and Swami Satchidananda, therefore, encourages, you are best served going “to the…extreme and be[ing] selfish in refusing to disturb your own peace,” since this will allow you to do the same for others as well.
Develop sensitivity to the feedback that you receive from the thoughts that you generate. Look at them closely and deeply. And remain honest about what your thoughts reveal as you move forward with your practice, and as you go about your day. This way, you can effectively determine whether what you are creating within (through, and around) you will ultimately lead to misery or peace when extended to your words and actions.
And do not try to think for other people either (because, in Reality, you cannot do this even if you become an ego-attached master-manipulator who spends time trying to get everyone to believe only what you tell them to believe). Instead, use your own creative navigating tool of the mind to simply generate peace by remaining connected to your conscience and emotions.
The best way to do this is really simple: Ask yourself how you feel when a certain thought comes to mind; does it feel good to you when you think it? And, will any actions that are inspired or influenced by it generate something good for you and the people around you?
If you find that a thought does not ultimately lead to anything good, because it does not come from a place of good intention (that will lead to good outcomes, free from misery and suffering), then, you must honor what you now know. When a thought comes from, and/or leads, to no good, it is best to either reframe or to purify it to move closer to the Absolute Truth. And, in some cases you may even find that you have to completely let it go if you find that a given thought is, or is connected to, a destructive or deceptive lie/untruth.
Be mindful of this as you move forward in your week and you will find that these efforts will not only deepen your Yoga practice, but they will also create a great deal of good in the world, in and around you, as well.
To Make Things As Easy As Possible Start Here:
Use The 10 Forms of Twisted Thinking (As Laid Out In David Burn’s The Feeling Good Handbook) To Get Started With Recognizing What Types Of Thoughts You Can Begin To Let Go Of One-By-One Moving Forward
Ultimately, however, regardless of what thoughts you may be thinking (or how they may make you feel), it is important to simply observe them neutrally without judgement or attachment.
While positive and mindful thinking are aspects of Yoga practice, so is neutral non-attachment. Your aim should be, if you wish to progress higher on your path through your practice, to learn to recognize the shape and impact of your thoughts honestly and neutrally (since they are not “who you are” at your core), learn to guide your thoughts effectively since you are in control to a large extent, use discernment to not become too attached to them whether perceived as “good” or “bad” (or “right” or “wrong”), and then completely put them all aside at some point for total Liberation.
Suggested Reading:
The Feeling Good Handbook by David Burns
Investigating multi-dimensional holistic wellness as an inter-disciplinary artist and Yoga-Meditation writer, thinker, and practitioner. Doing experientially-based self-agency work grounded in research, reflection, and practice.