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Index Page
by Jayaram V
Do not have evil-doers for friends, do not have low
people for friends. Have virtuous people for friends, have for friends
the best of men - Dhammapada (78).
People degenerate by relying on those who are
inferior to themselves. By relying on equals, they stay the same. By
relying on those superior, they attain excellence. Thus rely on those
who are superior to yourself. - Tsong-Kha-pa
If you don't gain a mature companion, a fellow
traveler, right-living & wise, wander alone like a king renouncing
his kingdom, like the elephant in the Matanga wilds, his herd. -
Khaggavisana Sutta
We praise companionship — yes! Those on a par, or
better, should be chosen as friends. If they're not to be found,
living faultlessly, wander alone like a rhinoceros.- Khaggavisana
Sutta
Association with the wise becomes so crucial to
spiritual development because the example and advice of a noble-minded
counselor is often the decisive factor that awakens and nurtures the
unfolding of our own untapped spiritual potential. - Bhikkhu Bodhi
The idea of satsang as a spiritual or devotional activity is well
known to the
followers of Hinduism, Buddhism,
Jainism and Sikhism. Generally speaking, satsang is a
congregation of religious or spiritual people who assemble
together to listen to a guru or a religious discourse or participate in
some religious or spiritual activity such as devotional singing, dancing,
meditation or concentration. Serving those who participate in such activities
is
also considered part of satsang only.
Satsangs provide people with an
opportunity to keep themselves engaged in divine centered thoughts and actions and
remain focused on their
respective paths. Properly conducted satsangs can generate powerful,
cleansing, inspiring and purifying thought vibrations which can uplift
the people who participate in them and also sanctify the place in which
they are organized.
Literally speaking, sat means truth and sang means to be with or
associated with. Satsang is therefore friendship or association with
truth itself. It can be practiced either by remaining in the company of
a truthful or pure being such as guru or a monk or in the company of
people who are devoted to God. Friendship with a spiritual person is
also a form of satsang only. Thinking of God or divine thoughts,
reading spiritually inspiring
books, visiting a temple or place of
pilgrimage are other forms of satsang. Some people are fortunate enough
to be born in a family of highly spiritual beings. For them life will
be a continuous satsang. Others have to find either spiritual people or
some other means to practice satsang.
On a much deeper level, satsang means to
be with or remain associated with the inner quality of sattva or
purity. Sattva is one of the triple qualities of
Prakriti
(nature), the other two being rajas and tamas. The quality of sattva manifests in human beings as knowledge,
peacefulness, contemplativeness and thoughtfulness. People in whom this
quality is predominant possess superior wisdom and knowledge and are
usually drawn into devotional and spiritual way of living. Their
thoughts revolve around God and they seek to liberate themselves from
the bonds of ignorance and the cycle of births and deaths by
surrendering themselves to God and leading divine centered lives. A
sattvic person is a natural satsangi. Whether he is in the company of
others or alone, he is always in satsang or in association with the
good and the pure. The purpose of a satsang is to develop the
quality of sattva through spiritual friendship or association with sattvic people.
The quality of rajas drives people into restless activity. Rajasic
people are driven by an intense desire to prove themselves to others.
They are self-centered in contrast to the sattvic people who are divine
centered. Driven by passions,
emotions, egoism and pride, they consider themselves as the doers and
attribute their successes and failures to themselves or to
their innate abilities and talents. Their belief in God is
influenced by their personal goals and inner needs. Their relationship
with others and even with God is conditional. If they are disappointed
or suffer some set back, they would not hesitate to condemn God or
question His very existence. The moral leaders of the world who preach
but seldom practice and the religious bigots who inflict mass
suffering on humanity as self-styled soldiers of God belong to this category.
One should stay away from such crowd if one want to have peace of mind
and inner stability. Unfortunately in the present day world, many
religious institutions are managed by rajasic people who cause a
good number of problems to to themselves and to others because of
their
egoistic attitude.
The quality of tamas is responsible for lethargic and insensitive
behavior among people. Tamasic people are usually disinterested in God and
seldom drawn into active and disciplined life. Because they are
insensitive to others and to their own inner feelings, they often indulge in cruel and criminal
behavior causing pain and suffering to others. They are
also drawn to intoxicating substances and food that causes lethargy. Even if they believe in God, they
usually resort to secret cults and unusual methods of self-torture and
self-destruction to achieve
self-realization. Tamasic people are usually negative and
pessimistic. They drain away other people's energy by raising objections or
discouraging them from taking any action. They always have an excuse for
not doing things or doing things in a negative way. Prone to addictive
habits, they also suffer from extreme mood swings and bouts of
depression. One should stay as
far away as possible for such people.
By joining a satsang one can improve the quality of sattva and suppress rajas and
tamas. As the mind is drawn more and more into divine
centered thinking through association with like minded people, the
quality of sattva increases. People who participate in them regularly become more reflective and
intuitive. Their minds come to rest and their senses become quieter.
Their egos yield place to the working of the purifying
and cleansing energy and the awakening of the dormant energies. This
process may however take years and not by satsang alone. But satsang
can definitely help people in stabilizing their minds in divine
thoughts and developing the quality of sattva that is so important for
transforming the lower self.
Satsang is therefore spiritual friendship or association. In the modern world, in the midst of many distractions and
allurements, people can practice it in many ways, not just
through the traditional methods of meetings alone. It can be practiced even when one is physically
alone by staying focused on the thoughts of God and the
path of liberation. On the path of liberation the distractions are many and so are
the challenges. But one can over come them by strengthening the quality of sattva. Some of
the means to practice satsang in the present age are suggested below.
Friendship with self
The self is the inner most and hidden aspect of our personalities.
It is the state of "I am" that remains in the background and
silently observes whatever that is going on. You can
feel its presence during meditation and by becoming your own
observer as a detached self.
Usually it happens due to the
grace of a Guru or God himself. Some times it may begin as a mental
process which gradually becomes an ongoing reality. Those who are not fortunate enough
to have this experience should practice detachment, cultivate the
virtues of dispassion and devotion and remain themselves focused on
this inner self till they experience it in their deepest state of
meditation. To dwell upon the thoughts of the inner self is the best
form of satsang. Friendship with self
is friendship with God. Consecrating everything to the self,
attributing all your actions to the self and seeking its involvement in
everything you do is the highest form of satsang you can practice as an
individual all by yourself. By doing it you can achieve the true
satsang or oneness with self. This is satsang at the spiritual level.
Friendship with Pure Thoughts
The mind or manas is a lower form of consciousness. It is a platform
on which every kind of thought form arises and subsides. The mind has
no discretion of its own. It is a play ground of thoughts. Any thought
and every thought that can gain entry into it can stay there and do its
routine. Higher than the mind is chitta or buddhi, the discriminating
spiritual intelligence which is also called jnana in contrast to the
materialistic and logical knowledge of the mind known as vijnana.
Chitta is the metaphysical mind and manas the physical mind. Chitta has the
ability of hamsa (swan), the vehicle of Brahma, in separating the pure
from the impure and good from the bad. This discriminating ability
comes from knowledge (jnana) gained through experience or the study of
scriptures or by listening to the words of enlightened masters. One has
to use this discriminating ability or buddhi to remain focused on pure
thoughts, thoughts that are spiritually helpful, purifying, inspiring
and elevating, thoughts that can neutralize negative and harmful
thoughts of others and thoughts that can help the mind stabilize
itself and establish itself in the divine. In the modern world we have
several opportunities to remain focused on pure thoughts. We can use
the power of discrimination to make the best use of television, internet and the
news media. We can use the
right kind of websites, such as Hinduwebsite.com or the right kind of
message boards, news groups, magazines and television channels to
stabilize our minds on good and elevating thoughts. We can select
inspiring and purifying books such as the Bhagavadgita, the
Upanishads,
the Adigranth, the
Dhammapada, the Bible or the Koran and also the
works of enlightened masters and
gurus. Cultivating the
friendship of pure and elevating thoughts is satsang at the
mental level.
Friendship with Pure Beings
The idea of people coming together to participate in religious
activities took the shape of monasteries in Buddhism. The Buddhist monks
live in groups and contemplate on the teachings of the Buddha.
The monastic life facilitates the purification of their minds and
bodies. Besides the continuous chanting and contemplation send out into the
universe powerful thought vibrations and contribute to the welfare of
the community that lives near by. In Sikhism satsang became an established norm and way
of declaring one's faith in the Guru and the teachings of the Adigranth.
In Hinduism life in hermitages (ashrams) provided an opportunity for people to live together and participate in divine oriented
activities. The Hindu Puranas and the epics evolved out of such
congregations and became the focal point of satsangs. Their narrative
form and intelligent admixture of fact and imagination helped the seers
and sages to introduce many subtle concepts of religion, virtue and
morality to the assembly of men and women gathered in the forests,
cities, royal courts and the rural areas. In medieval India the
popularity of Bhakti movement or devotional Hinduism contributed to the
popularity of satsangs where people could express devotion to
their personal Gods through various acts of self-surrender and selfless
service. Religious gatherings play an important role in keeping the
traditions and alive. For people who are otherwise busy, they
provide the best opportunity to focus their minds on spiritual
goals and keep their inner aspirations alive. In a way temples, churches and
pilgrim centers serve the same
purpose. They bring together people of various backgrounds and help
them strengthen their resolve to pursue a life of purity and inner
virtue. Friendship with materialistic people, enhance our materialistic
ambitions. Friendship with spiritual people strengthen our spiritual
aspirations. So it is important whom we chose as our friends. However, even among spiritual people there are several
grades. Some are truly virtuous. Some are outwardly spiritual, but
inwardly rajasic, which we can see in the self seeking and domineering way they
act and behave. It is therefore important to know what company we keep
and what company we need. Friendship with virtuous people is satsang at
the physical level
Universal Friendship
The ultimate form spiritual friendship is friendship with the whole
of creation, with no particular objective or interest in mind. It is an
expression of one's love and admiration for God and His entire
manifestation. It expresses itself as unconditional love, unbound
compassion and universal brotherhood. It is an acknowledgement of God's
omnipresence and omniscience, a token of one's surrender to God. This
idea reached its culmination in Buddhism in the idea of Kalyana Mitrata
(auspicious friendship) and is also reflected in the teachings of
Christ when he exhorted his followers to love their enemies. His
assurance of atoning the sins of people who acknowledge their mistakes
and turn to him for forgiveness was born out of this love.
Friendship with God
Friendship with God is the ultimate and highest form of satsang. It
can be practiced at various levels, physically, mentally and
spiritually: physically by worshipping his image or statue, mentally by
chanting his name or singing his glory and spiritually by meditating
upon his form or qualities. It can be practiced directly in relation to
God or through a Guru, acknowledging him as an embodiment of God. In the
Mahabhagavatam Lord Mahavishnu explains to his devotee Prahlada eight
forms of worshipping God. They are
-
Shravanam: Listening to the names,
achievements and greatness of God.
-
Kirtanam: Singing or reciting the
names, achievements and greatness of God.
-
Smaranam: Recollecting the names and
greatness of God.
-
Pada-sevanam: Serving at His feet..
-
Archanam: Worshipping the form or
image of God ritually.
-
Vandanam: Offering obeisance to God
by joining the hands or prostrating before Him.
-
Dasyam: Acting as a servant of God.
-
Sakhyam: By being friendly with God
-
Atma-nivedanam: Submitting or
surrendering oneself completely to God.
Friendship with God requires whole hearted approach and unwavering
faith. Renunciation is an act of sacrifice in which all notions of
attachment with samsara (causative world) are set aside in the pursuit
of truth. Devotion is a declaration of love while renunciation is the
highest form of devotion in which one leaves behind everything and
surrenders to God and His total care in order to be Himself eternally.
True satsang is realization of self or the union of the
individual self with the Highest self.
Suggested Further Reading
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