58 - Moderation in Spiritual Life | Swami Tattwamayananda

-6th chapter: verses 16, 17, 18<br />-The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on October 30, 2020.<br />-16th verse: “Success in Yoga is not possible for him, who eats too much or doesn’t eat at all, nor for him, who sleeps too much or is awake too much.”<br />-Eating is used as a metaphor here for any kind of activity by the senses of action and perception, as they feed the mind. All such activities should be done with moderation. Extreme ascetic practices and extreme indulgence are both equally harmful.<br />-Some seekers may over-indulge themselves in spiritual activities thinking that they can reach the goal faster. Since we play with the mind in spiritual life, this should be done with moderation. There are remedies for over-exertion at physical level, but very few such remedies exist at mental level. For example, long hours of pranayama can cause asthma and delusions of grandeur.<br />-Some seekers are able to practice extreme asceticism successfully as they may have attained a high level of self-control from spiritual practices in previous life.<br />-According to Shankaracharya, the purpose of spiritual life is to transcend the physical level. With extreme asceticism, the body may become weak and drag the mind to physical level.<br />-Prayer or meditation should not be done in a way that makes one feel exhausted. Meditation should bring a feeling of inner bliss and contentment. If one has a sense of reverence towards what he is practicing, he will be able to sustain the practice without feeling the effort, and he will be able to overcome obstacles – both external and from his own mind.<br />-If one enforces spiritual practices on himself before being ready for it, it can create bitterness. For example, someone who is always fasting may start finding fault in others, even though the purpose of fasting is to get closer to God.<br />-Extreme asceticism can also manifest itself as a strong desire to let off the steam after the spiritual activity – for example, the desire to watch TV soon after meditati