THREE GREAT BARRIERS TO
THE ATTAINMENT OF THE ABSOLUTE
(Sri Swami Chidananda)
Sankaracharya, describing the ascent of the individual soul from the state of bondage into the experience of Freedom and the Absolute , said "O man, you have three great barriers to overcome. These three barriers are: Mala (impurity), Vikshepa (tossing of the mind) and Avarana (veiling)."
Now you are in a state of grossness. You are totally identified with the body-house. You feel that you are the body. You have become engrossed in it. "I am not this body. I am the Atman," you may say. But very next instant, in action you are demonstrating their opposite. See for yourself. Your tongue utters, "I am not this body. I am the Atman." You feel as though you are on the very threshold of Atmic consciousness. Then someone comes to you, looks at you up and down, and says to you forcefully, "You fool! You are wasting your time. Why aren't you out getting a job?" Immediately, your intellect abandons itself to the mind, the mind refers you to habit, habit betrays you to instinct and instinct causes a wave of anger to rise up in you from the very depths of your being. And, in such circumstances, you would often be at a loss to say that you were not identified with the body.
The sudden wave of anger that rises up and bolts out your awareness of purity, perfection, truth and beauty is the basic blemish of your human nature. It makes life appear suddenly chaotic and confused. It makes you lose your awareness of pure consciousness. And this wave is only one. In its wake, many others follow: lust, greed, bigotry, hatred, intolerance, arrogance, envy, jealousy, hypocrisy and pride. These waves surge up and cause havoc within. They are the impurities of your human nature. They negate the Atman and the divine principle within. They have to be totally eliminated if you want to rise up into higher states of consciousness.
The first of the three barriers that you have to overcome is impurity. Now what happens when that anger-wave and all those other waves rise up in the mind? They cause an upheaval. They throw the mind into a state of agitation, turbulence and turmoil. It is then impossible to think serenely, concentrate one-pointedly and meditate deeply. Your mind is not in a calm and serene and tranquil state. The second of the three barriers that you have to overcome is mind-tossing. The third barrier is that which makes you totally forget the reality of your higher, divine nature. It is a thick veil which lies between the Atmic consciousness and the body-consciousness totally concealing the absolute purity and perfection of your higher nature from your view. It leaves you in a state of darkness and ignorance. This veil you have to tear aside.
All these three barriers you have to overcome: the blemishes or impurities of your human nature, the restlessness or tossing of your mind, and the essential non-awareness, the nescience or the ignorance of your intellect. All the three bar your way to freedom and independence.
If it is dark, what do you do? You bring in the light. And if you want to remove impurity, you bring in or develop purity. The moment the positive quality appears, the negative one simply vanishes. For negativity, in fact, has no real force. Mark this very carefully: negative qualities do not have any independent existence of their own. They merely designate the absence of positive qualities which, if they were present, would re-establish balance and harmony in your soul. There is no such thing as hatred per se. But there is certainly an absence of truth in those who deliberately distort the facts. Likewise, there is no such thing as falsehood per se. But there is an absence of love and kindness in those who consistently close their hearts to their neighbours in need. Hatred ceases to be the very moment love manifests. The positive alone is real; not the negative. It disappears when the positive is present.
Gurudev Swami Sivananda says that all divine virtues can be cultivated. All positive qualities can be developed. In his own inimitable way, he says, "Practise daily the eighteen 'ities. You will attain immortality. You will behold unity in diversity. You will abide in infinity and eternity." Here is "The Song of the Eighteen 'Ities."
Sri Ram, Jaya Ram, Jaya Jaya Ram Om
Sri Ram, Jay Ram, Jaya Jaya Ram.
Serenity, regularity, absence of vanity,
Sincerity, simplicity, veracity,
Equanimity, fixity, non-irritability,
Adaptability, humility, tenacity,
Integrity, nobility, magnanimity,
Charity, generosity, purity.
Practise daily these eighteen 'ities.
You will soon attain immortality.
Brahman is the only real entity.
Mr. So and so is a false non-entity.
You will abide in infinity and eternity.
You will behold unity in diversity.
You cannot attain this in the university.
Now don't delay. Do your duty. Do it now. The cultivation of these virtues is a fundamental part of your self-culture. It leads you on gradually to the formation of a divine character.
If you purchase a new tract of land, you don't sow seeds in it right away. You first prepare the ground. You remove the stones, pull out the brambles, haul away the stumps and burn up the weeds. Then you break the sod, plough a furrow in the soil. Now at last you are ready to sow the seed. In the same way, getting rid of all the trash in human nature, eliminating all that is unspiritual, all that is brutal, cruel, bestial and undivine is necessary to found a basis on which your spiritual life can be built. In order to realise, "I am not this body. I am not this mind. Immortal Self I am," you must first cleanse yourself of the basic impurities of your human nature. They are not really there. Plant the flowers of virtue in the garden of your heart. Then you will be able to rise into a state of godliness.
O man, be a spiritual hero! Overcome the brutal, bestial nature of the body through the cultivation of virtue. Overcome the oscillating, tossing, restless nature of the mind through one-pointedness and interior prayer and other processes. Tear aside the veil of ignorance through discrimination, deep meditation, ceaseless self-analysis and self-inquiry. Then you will be able to attain to an experience of Reality-consciousness. You will be able to reach the great goal of God-experience. You will become blessed.
* * *
