something worth considering

Verse 4.23: The work of a man who is unattached to the modes of material nature and who is fully situated in transcendental knowledge merges entirely into transcendence.

~Before I start this post, I have to preface it by saying that Toronto will always have a special place in my heart because of the great bhakti yogis who live there. For that reason, it will always be one of my homes.~

In the summer of 2005 I moved to Toronto to start my Masters. A month after starting school and getting settled in, I travelled back to Ottawa to apply for a scholarship. I'll never forget that ride. I could literally feel the waves of stress leaving my body. It was a profound experience that gave me a glimpse into the mode of material nature known as "passion".

For many in Toronto, the constant flurry of activity may be something that goes unnoticed. I say this because I know from first hand experience! It was only that first time driving back home that I realized how stressed out I was and how affected I was by living in Toronto. Just that once. I never experienced it again. It didn't mean that I wasn't stressed out, it just meant I had lost my sensitivity to recognizing how it influenced my behaviour.

I bring this up because we've all had experiences of this in our lives. We've all consciously (or unconsciously!) adapted to various people, places, things and circumstances.

Adapting is one thing, but imbibing the consciousness or influence that is associated with something should be done with great caution.

For example, when I first moved, I felt that Toronto was always "on" and instinctively tuned into that frequency. In fact, for the next three years it was a oddity if I slept before 1am! I wish I could say it was because I was proactively doing something substantial, but most often it wasn't! It just became a bad habit.

I became "attached" to the atmosphere of activity and sense of busyness. When I took time out to study in India for four months in a small village, I struggled at first to let that attachment go. I realized that everything has its place. At times we require the energy to get things done, but just staying in that state is not only exhausting but can lead to anxiety (at least for me).

It's something that's worth considering. What are the things that influence us to feel and act in certain ways? If we find that we are happy, positive and feeling strengthened in our journey of self-discovery, keep doing it! If however, our introspection leads us to uncovering that we're feeling less than satisfied, it may be time to find some new positive influences in our lives.

here's how it works

Verse 2.45: The Vedas deal mainly with the subject of the three modes of material nature. O Arjuna, become transcendental to these three modes. Be free from all dualities and from all anxieties for gain and safety, and be established in the self.

If you want to know how to get the most out of something, you need to understand how it works - in depth. Bhakti yoga offers the rare opportunity to understand the underlying framework of the world we're in. Not only is this information interesting, in and of itself, but it also offers us insight as to how we function and what influences us. One of these topics has already been introduced - the concept of karma.

Another subtle force that affects us at all times is described herein as the three modes of material nature. Another way to understand the three modes is to consider them as influences which impact not only our behavior but our emotional, mental and physical state of being; they are categorized as goodness, passion and ignorance.

Imagine being covered under a blanket. That blanket is made by weaving yarn made up of three different colours. As long as you are under the blanket, those three pieces of yarn will always touch you. Similarly, we can consider this world like a blanket which is weaved together by the modes of goodness, passion and ignorance. Depending on our inclination and propensities, we become influenced by the modes of nature in different ways. This is the reason why we act in particular ways, even against our better judgement.

But you may ask, "I still don't get it. How am I getting influenced?" This is where the subtleties of bhakti yoga start to become revealed. Everything we associate with influences us, whether we realize it or not. From the people we spend time with, the things we read and the food we eat, the modes, which taint everything, have an impact us.

Yes! Did you know that even food influences us? The bhakti texts describe that those foods which are nourishing and healthy and include items such as grains, fruits and vegetables promote goodness. Foods that promote passion include items that are overly spicy, salty and sour and those that may be categorized as promoting ignorance are those that are stale and are decomposing.

So why is it important to understand this? As was mentioned in the beginning, to get the most out of something, you need to understand how it works. This knowledge helps us to understand why we choose to do the things we do and why we have and maintain certain attitudes. Yes, we come with a certain nature or personality and we are receiving the results of our past actions. However, this information helps us in choosing what to do now. By realizing there are things that can influence us favorably and unfavorably, we are given the opportunity to make educated choices as to what our future will look like.

It's easy to stay on the superficial and just pretend that everything is "just happening". However, this incredible knowledge gives us the understanding to get a glimpse of the inner workings of the world and make the most of this body and this life.