Inquirer: You explained very clearly in your Sunday Zoom satsang last night why it is impossible that free will is actually ‘free’ thanks to the way the mind is structured, and that we do not have any real agency over any of our choices. Additionally, you pointed out that in spite of this rather depressing fact, it is human nature to adhere strongly to the notion of agency and control, which understandably, makes karma yoga very difficult. So, my question is, is it possible to change the mind, if we are not in control of choices at all?
Sundari: The issue here is as always, who is asking this question? As the ego or jiva, there are ways to make changes with the application of karma yoga and guna knowledge.
I said: “we are not in control of the gunas and cannot change them. But if we understand how to manage them, we can take the appropriate actions at the appropriate time so that we maximize their positive aspects and minimize their negative aspects for peace of mind. The key to freedom is managing our feelings and the repetitive thought patterns that give rise to them through guna management. From this perspective, even if the mind is not peaceful (sattvic), it does not interfere with our baseline experience as the Self, satya.”
This is the essence of the guna teaching. Then I went on to say that the only meaningful way to change the habitual patterns the mind runs on is to make a permanent change on the Causal level, through Self-knowledge. So, here it seems that there are two things going on, which there always is (apparently). Let me explain.
1. Mithya: To change things on the mithya, or cause and effect level, we need to have knowledge of and manage the gunas and practice karma yoga. In this way, even though the mind is conditioned by the Causal body, to render binding likes and dislikes non-binding, we must re-educate the ego and subjugate it to the knowledge that it is not in control. One can put this into practice without approaching discrimination between satya, pure nondual Consciousness, and mithya, reflected consciousness, duality. This greatly improves life for the jiva, but it is not moksa.
2. Satya: For moksa to obtain, Self-knowledge must free the mind of bondage to and identification with the body/mind, entirely. This requires satya – mithya discrimination, which if it assimilates, makes a permanent change in the Causal body – in Isvara. It is possible to effect a change in the Causal body because there is a common identity between Isvara and the jiva, which is non-reflected, or nondual Consciousness. But this is not easy because until ignorance is completely eradicated, there is still identification with the person, and their likes and dislikes. This is why nididhysana is usually the longest part of self-inquiry.
Essentially, these two points elucidate the difference between secular karma yoga, which is for doers, and jnana yoga, which is for inquirers qualified for moksa. At this point, what keeps some inquirers stuck is that they erroneously believe that they must study Vedanta to ‘Self-actualize’. While it is important to memorize all the teachings correctly, this will not produce moksa, Self-actualization.
Self-actualization obtains when Self-knowledge has eradicated all duality, and the identification with the person is no more. Here, satya mithya discrimination no longer applies because you are what is actual. Ignorance and knowledge are both objects known to you.
Love
Sundari
