Notebooks of Paul Brunton > Category 2: Overview of Practicies Involved > Chapter : !iscipline !

esires
!iscipline !esires
Renunciation
"
#o deny hi$self is to refuse to accept hi$self as he is at present% It is to beco$e keenly
aware that he is spiritually blind& deaf& and du$b and to be intensely eager to gain sight&
hearing& and speech% It is to reali'e that nearly all $en co$placently $istake this inner
paralysis for active e(istence% It is restlessly to seek the higher state& the nobler
character& a $ore concentrated $ind: it is to be willing to withdraw fro$ all that
accu$ulation of $e$ories and desires which ordinarily constitute the ego%
2
#he heart should be kept free% )or that& too& is a desire that binds& a longing that
tor$ents& like all longings& unnecessarily% Being bound brings disappoint$ent& brings
pain% *enounce the desire to live in any particular place& as you have renounced other
cherished desires% #hen happiness will not depend on its satisfaction% Nor will inner
peace be lost at its nonreali'ation%
+
!isgust with life& recognition of the futility of all hu$an e(ertions& is one co$$on
precondition of inwardly turning away fro$ the world% #he aspirant who feels this dies
to the world and conse,uently to the personal self which was active in that world% -fter
that& he is attracted only to that which is deep within hi$..to the utter /oid of the
Overself%
0
1ith si$pler ho$es and fewer pleasures& with physical bonds and e$otional
attach$ents reduced to a $ini$u$& it is easier for a $an to fortify his life and cultivate
his soul% 1hen he denies satisfaction to his various desires& he eventually e(hausts the
desire to live itself% 1ith this sterility the cycle of reincarnation co$es to an end and the
peace of Nirvana is his%
2
Prof. T.M.P. Mahadevan said: 3#he truest *enunciation is to renounce belief in the
world4s reality%3 P.B.'s comment on above: #his is the interpretation of 5ankara given
$ost co$$only% Perhaps by altering the word 3reality3 to 3$ateriality3 we $ay help the
1estern $ind%
6
#his is not the fierce& tough& ruthless& forcible use of the personal will to gain so$e
desired worldly thing or position& but the cal$& $ental.e$otional letting go of captivity
to it%

- single revolutionary act of renunciation rooting out the ego will take care of all the
lesser ones% #hat done& they will ad7ust the$selves in ti$e% 5o$e things he will not be
re,uired to give up%
8
It is not always and absolutely essential to re$ove fro$ one4s e(istence any thing&
person& or habit to beco$e detached fro$ it% 1hat is essential is to keep it at a distance
e$otionally%
9
#he ideal $ay re,uire sacrifice& in its na$e& of possession& love& a$bition& desire% But
unless he be a $onk& this purifying e(perience $ay be an internal one% :e $ay stay in
the world yet not be of it%
";
If the inner reality of holiness or renunciation is $issing& then the wearing of priestly
robes or yogic loincloth $erely ca$ouflages hypocrisy and hides hu$bug%
""
If& on the inward 7ourney fro$ ego to Overself& a $an has to give up everything& on the
outward 7ourney he $ay pick up everything again% If he has to beco$e a little child in
order to enter the kingdo$ of heaven& he will return fro$ that kingdo$ and beco$e a
$an again& yet without losing all that was worthy in the childlike faith% 1hatever the
aspirant has sacrificed for the sake of finding <od& <od $ay restore to hi$ afterwards%
"2
#he theory of detach$ent $ay see$ cold and heartless if applied to hu$an relationships
also& and its practice positively cruel% =et life itself enforces it upon us in the end% #here
is no avoidance%
"+
In the elderly $an& desires are gradually outlived and dropped& a$bitions begin to co$e
to a natural death% But in the philosophic $an they pass through the sa$e process
through his own deliberate choice and at an earlier age%
"0
#he $an who e$braces philosophy is not called upon to renounce the pleasures and
co$forts of this world& but he is called upon to re.evaluate his ti$e& discipline his body&
and train his will% #his is not done out of a harsh and narrow austerity but in the need
and na$e of the body4s health and the will4s strength%
"2
Prince *a$a wanted to withdraw fro$ his position& title& duties& and fa$ily in pursuit of
<od% But the wise /ashistha& the great teacher of >entalis$& asked hi$: 3Is :e apart
fro$ the world that you wish to renounce it?3
"6
1hether we ac,uire or renounce possessions is not really the $ain point% *enunciation
is a dra$atic and sy$bolic gesture whereby a $an announces his change of course% No
longer satisfied with worldly life& he will seek the kingdo$ of heaven in his heart% #he
physical $anifestation will depend on circu$stances& situation& fa$ily& country& and
outer or inner guidance%
"
It is an inner e$ptiness gained by casting out desires and attach$ents& habits and
tendencies& so that the heart is wide open to receive life4s greatest gift..<race% #he
craving to ac,uire personal possessions is a hard thing to still but once done we are
rewarded a hundredfold%
"8
It cannot be bought cheaply% *elin,uish$ents of distracting activity $ust be $ade&
disciplines $ust be brought in& the work on oneself $ust be done& the hands which want
to hold others unclasped and solitude e$braced%
"9
It is not enough to renounce so$ething by e(cluding it fro$ your physical life% =ou
ought also to e(clude it fro$ $e$ory and i$agination%
2;
#here co$es a ti$e when he has to turn his back on the past& for the old $an is
beco$ing a stranger and a new $an is co$ing to birth% >e$ories would obstruct this
process%
2"
)irst let go of attach$ent& then let go of the ego itself% )irst let go of all things..physical
and $ental& all creatures& all that is past..in the end nothing is really yours% #his inner
separation& this detach$ent& is the true freedo$%
22
#he counsel about not being attached to results was never intended to $ean being blind
to results% It $eans that we should rise e$otionally above the$@ it does not $ean that
we should not study their nature and take appropriate action accordingly% If we are to be
blown e$otionally hither and thither by favourable and unfavourable results& it will
never be possible to attain any peace% On the other hand& if we are not to use our critical
7udge$ent about people in situations& we cannot deal successfully with the world%
2+
It is better to reali'e that transiency is in the very nature of things% >an constantly
deludes hi$self with the hope that so$e transient possession will beco$e a per$anent
one% It never does& and the self.deception $erely robs hi$ of a peace he $ight
otherwise keep% -nd this is true whether he wants to possess another hu$an being or
another hundred dollars& whether he wants to chain so$eone4s love to hi$self or to
chain $ore things to his ho$e% :ence the student who is oppressed by the rapidity with
which his years are waning away will seek all the $ore intensely and aspire all the $ore
earnestly for that which is itself eternal and above the years%
20
1e have co$e into incarnation for a purpose: life is our business here& not running away
fro$ it% 1hen certain renunciations are called for& they are part of this preparation for
life& because they are needed in the fulfil$ent of this purpose%
22
:e who clai$s to have renounced the world and to own nothing $ust then beg& accept&
or take fro$ other people the things he needs to survive..food& clothes& shelter& and so
on% 1hile he has these things he is back in the world again& $aking use of it& in so$e
kind of relationship with it%
26
#his inner detach$ent fro$ the world co$es but slowly& so deep are the roots of desire%
#he young who value freedo$ to the point of re7ecting ho$e& parents& fa$ily& society&
education& and tradition should en,uire $ore deeply into what freedo$ is%
2
- double work goes on: the $an slowly withdraws fro$ the things which hold hi$&
which $ake hi$ theirs& while his higher aspirations attract the higher self to slowly take
over the place in his heart which they filled%
28
:e will discover that renouncing the world is only a stage on the way& that renouncing
oneself is an even longer and $uch $ore austere stage%
29
If we are called by the Auest to give up everything for a ti$e or for all ti$e it is only
that we $ay receive so$ething infinitely better in e(change% #he Auest calls us to
renunciation of earthly desires not to $ake us $iserable but to $ake us happy%
+;
:ow to translate these philosophic ideas and spiritual ideals into ter$s of actual life is
our proble$% :ere is the answer& fro$ an Indian te(t: 3One who relin,uishes the fruit of
action& is fro$ the spiritual point of view& a true 5anyassi&3 says the Gita% #his is plain
enough% 3One who re$ains unaffected by the fruit of action done in discharge of duty& is
not entangled in the $eshes of births and rebirths by such actionB3
+"
#here is $uch confusion about this reiterated counsel to practise self.surrender& to give
up the ego& and to beco$e unselfish% Its pri$ary $eaning is not that we are at once to
run out in the street and transfer all our possessions to other $en% Indeed& it is not
concerned with society at all% It is that we are to effect in consciousness a displace$ent
of the lower by the higher self% 5uch a displace$ent cannot happen so long as there is
any inner resistance on the ego4s part% :ence the counsel warns us to avoid such
resistance& encourages us to offer the ego willingly as a sacrifice to the Overself&
sti$ulates us to let go of the ani$al and hu$an co$ple(es which retard the
consu$$ation of such a sacrifice% Cach struggle passed through successfully builds up
our higher will%
+2
:e finds in the end that he does not need to divorce hi$self fro$ ordinary civili'ed
society e(cept for periodical and& perhaps& short daily retreats@ that the work to which he
is called is& pri$arily& an inner one@ that the only asceticis$ he is called to is a si$ple
self.$astery gotten in either the worldly order or the $onastic order@ and that his
spiritual ,uest is in the end a personal& not an institutional& one%
++
Perhaps $ost people find it easier to graduate their renunciations but so$e find the
oppositive way of drastic renunciation the si$plest solution%
+0
:e $ay keep his likes and preferences& his attach$ents& if he $ust& but he should be
prepared to drop the$ at the shortest notice%
+2
1hatever purifying renunciations and ascetic disciplines are to be effected should be
effected naturally& inevitably& and without strain fro$ within%
+6
3One is not to be called a renunciate for having $erely given up his possessions%
Dnattached at heart even though attached in outward show& standing aloof fro$ the
world& having broken all his bonds& and regarding friend and foe e,ually& such a $an& O
king& is to be regarded as e$ancipate%3Et..The Mahabharata
+
If he really wants to renounce the$ by doing without the$& he ought to do without so$e
of the things he loves% Only then will he understand the Oriental phrase& 3<od only is
rich%3
+8
It is not by beco$ing a pauper that one de$onstrates spirituality& as so $any yogis
think& or by beco$ing well.to.do& as so $any 3*ight #hinkers3 and Christian 5cientists
think%
+9
#he $ind4s detach$ent fro$ the world will bring the body into line with it in ti$e: this
takes longer than the ascetic4s way of forcibly i$posing rigid renunciations& but it is
$ore natural and less harsh..easier and philosophic% It softens the rigour of inescapable
controls% 1hat is $ore i$portant& perhaps& is that it works in a deeper ground& so its
result is $ore durable than the other way%
Asceticism
0;
:e $ay have to adopt a penitential way of living for a ti$e& purificatory and
refor$ative% It $ay even be re,uired for several years% But fanatical e(tre$es and
foolish self.tor$ents are not re,uired%
0"
:e who is owned by things and no longer owns the$ should turn to asceticis$ and
practise the virtue of renunciation% But he who is so ena$oured of asceticis$ that he
shrinks fro$ co$fort and shudders at the sight of pleasure should turn away fro$
renunciation% Balance is re,uired%
02
#his search for the road to <od has been turned by $any in the past into an
i$poverish$ent of hu$an e(istence& a denial of hu$an 7oy% =et if the greatest rapture
e(ists in the finding of <od& why should the way to it be so cloudy and gloo$y?
0+
:ow is he to achieve this inner freedo$? 5hould the $ethod include outer acts? 5hould
he $ake the :erculean gesture of parting with all his possessions? 5hould he e$brace
voluntary poverty like a $onk and henceforth live without receiving any regular inco$e
and conse,uently without paying any further inco$e ta(? #his ascetic idea of not being
fettered by any e(ternal thing is good as far as it goes% But it fails to take note of the fact
that one $ay be 7ust as fettered by an internal thought% #he ascetic gives up the vices
and allure$ents of the world in order to beco$e free& renounces earthly desires and
futilities in order to beco$e happy& shuns pleasures because he associates the$ with
guilt% But if he has not grasped the truth of $entalis$& if he does not co$prehend that
thought is the ne(t battlefield& he re$ains as tied as before& albeit by new chains%
00
:is feet will have to tread the painful path of asceticis$ for a while% But whether it will
be for a short or a long while& whether the pain will be little or great& whether the
asceticis$ will be slight or e(tre$e& will depend on the circu$stances of each
individual case%
02
#he drastic $eans used by so$e for$s of asceticis$ are not suited to nor willingly
accepted by $ost $odern seekers% It is preferable to lead the$ by gentler and $ore
gradual $eans%
06
:ave these $en found peace in their world.re7ecting hearts& won har$ony in their
wo$anless lives?
0
#he logic of Buddhist asceticis$ is as relentless as it is co$fortless%
08
Cven >uha$$ed could not stop the arisal of ascetic ideas and practices& however
plainly he banned the$%
09
5cience 7ustifies itself insofar as it helps to $ake life on this planet $ore bearable and
$ore pleasant% 1e are here to live% )ools $ake the rigours of renunciation the end of
living%
2;
-scetic regi$es& 7ust like other spiritual practices& $ay beco$e a source of spiritual
pride% It is needful for hi$ to watch out for the subtle desire to indulge the$ as
glorifications of the ego% Instead& the proper desire is to sub$it to the$ as steps to the
true consciousness%
2"
#hose who can only learn self.discipline by leading the restricted life of asceticis$ $ay
do so% #he wise& however& will rule the$selves by reason..which is not so$ething one
suddenly calls up for the first ti$e in one4s life& but is the $atured fruit of a gradually
growing habit of thinking%
22
If we need not follow an e(tre$e asceticis$& we $ust obey a $oral discipline that seeks
to purify thought& feeling& and conduct% If we are not asked to beco$e $artyrs and
heroes in the battle against lower i$pulses and calculating worldliness& we are called to
the battle itself%
2+
-scetic panegyrics on the si$ple life find their logical conclusion in grinding poverty
and utter destitution%
20
#he notion that a wo$an cannot have a husband& bear children& and wear fine dresses if
she wants to and still enter the kingdo$ of heaven& is as stupid as it is barbaric% =et this
is the constricted teaching which is propagated in the na$e of 3higher3 spirituality% But
its proponents are usually $onks the$selves& $en who& having found what suits the
taste& te$pera$ent& or circu$stances of their particular personality& would proceed to
i$pose such taste on all $ankind by raising it to the dignity of a universal law% >y
plaint against ascetics therefore is that they turn their very li$itations into vaunted
virtues%
22
It is to the e(tent that a desire stands in the way of pursuing this ,uest that it is to be
negated& but only to this e(tent% #his $eans that a total asceticis$ is usually
unnecessary as it is often undesirable%
26
#he true place of asceticis$ is at the beginning and in the $iddle of this ,uest& when a
$an beco$es conscious of his weakness of will and slavery to sensuousness% In order to
strengthen the one and neutrali'e the other& it is a part of yoga to practise hard austerity
and painful self.denial% But this is done only for a ti$e@ it is a $eans not an end& a path
to detach$ent and deliverance but not a goal for hu$an life%
2
- proper asceticis$ is concerned with the curbing of desire& the practice of self.denial&
the overco$ing of weaknesses& and the control of body& $ind& and speech%
28
-n intelligent asceticis$ is proper& even praiseworthy& for certain periods at certain
ti$es% It gives a $an power over hi$self& his body& his passions& his appetites% It
disciplines whereas the $ad asceticis$ $erely destroys%
29
#he asceticis$ has its place& 7ust like the Fong Path& of which it is a co$ponent& but
when it is stressed to an unnatural point& fanaticis$ is born& e,uilibriu$ is lost& and
tolerance is destroyed%
6;
#he practice of a wise and philosophic asceticis$ enables hi$ to separate hi$self fro$
a widespread illusion..identification with the body% 1hen its self.denials are directed
against fleshly appetites& passions& and desires for the purpose of co$pelling the$ to
sub$it to intuition and reason& greater health for the body and greater truth for the $ind
are secured%
6"
Proper asceticis$ ought to be not a tor$ent or a punish$ent& but a purifier@ it gets rid of
bad habits and clears the way for good ones% It trains feeling& disciplines body& prepares
a te$ple for 3the :oly <host%3
62
#he stringent rules of so$e $onastic institutions $ay discipline the body and defy its
senses& but the conse,uences $ay show in a harsher character and a colder heart%
6+
<auta$a found that i$posing harsh denials on the body& ascetic pains and rigorous
tor$ents& gave certain valuable fruits..such as strengthening of the will..but did not
give enlighten$ent%
60
But this said& it $ust also be said that philosophical $ysticis$ does not desire to nullify
our hu$an 7oys with a lugubrious and so$ber asceticis$% #here is an unfortunate
tendency a$ong ordinary $ystics to beco$e so enthused about the way of asceticis$ as
to regard it not as it should be& that is& only as a $eans to an end& but as a co$plete end
in itself% #he original purpose of ascetic discipline was threefold: )irst& the victory of
$ind over body as a preli$inary to the victory of $ind over itself% #his involved ta$ing
passions and disciplining appetites% 5econd& the solar ple(us& the spinal nerve ganglions&
and the brain nerve.centres were not only recharged with essential life.force but both
the cerebro.spinal and sy$pathetic nervous syste$s were stopped fro$ obstructing& and
$ade to pro$ote& the new and high ideals i$planted in the subconscious $ind by the
conscious one% #hird& the sti$ulation of the pituitary and pineal glands% )ourth& to
straighten and strengthen the spinal colu$n% #his gave a clear unhindered path for and
helped to evoke the currents of a $ystically illu$inating force fully evoked by special
$editation e(ercises% -sceticis$ was like a re$edy taken to cure a sickness% But in their
unbalanced reaction against worldly life& its followers turned it into a per$anent way of
life% >edicine is $ost valuable as $edicine& but not as food% Because ,uinine has cured
so$eone of fever& he does not incorporate it in his diet for the re$ainder of his lifeti$e%
=et this is 7ust what $ost ascetics did% #hey succu$bed to intolerant $anias with
fanatical e(aggeration and without understood purpose& and thus lost the balance of
their psyche%
Clearly& the way of sanity lies between the two e(tre$es of self.indulgent worldliness
and of body.crushing $ortification% Philosophy highly values asceticis$ when used
with ade,uate reason& when sane& te$perate& and balanced% It knows how necessary
such a regi$e is to cleanse the body of poisonous to(ins and keep it strong and healthy%
But it despises the unnecessary $isery and useless struggles with which the ordinary
ascetic obsesses hi$self% It sy$pathi'es with the $odern seeker when he is not as
attracted by the rigours of a forbidding asceticis$ as his $edieval forebear was% It
respects& indeed includes and advocates& an occasional and li$ited asceticis$& but it
re7ects a per$anent and e(cessive asceticis$% It very definitely $akes use of abstinence
at a certain stage of the aspirant4s career but then only as far as necessary& and for a
li$ited ti$e& and with the knowledge got fro$ e(perience% It certainly bids its votary to
practise so$e austerities& sub$it to so$e disciplines& but not to $ake a fetish of the$&
to use the$ only so far and so long as they are helpful to achieve self.$astery and
bodily health and thus treat the$ as $eans& not ends% Fastly& it affir$s that self.restraint
and sense.discipline are always necessary& even though harsh asceticis$ is not%
#he li$itation of a $erely physical asceticis$ is de$onstrated by the fact that bodily
habits are really $ental habits% !esire& being but a strong thought& can be effaced only
by an e,ually powerful thought& that is& by a $ental process% No $erely e(ternal
discipline or physical renunciation can have the sa$e effect& although it does help to
bring about that effect and therefore should be used% -sceticis$ pronounces the pleasure
we take in the e(perience of the senses to be evil in itself% Philosophy replies that it is
the being carried away fro$ reason and intuition by the pleasures& the being attached to
the$ to the point of utter dependence upon the$& that is evil% #he fanatical and
dog$atical kind of asceticis$ declares the physical things we touch and taste to be evil&
but philosophy says touch and taste are really $ental e(periences and that their $ental
discipline will be $ore effective than abstaining altogether fro$ their physical e(ercise%
:ence& it leaves us free to en7oy the good things of this world& so long as we do not get
too attached to the$ nor inwardly enslaved by the$% Fiving in inward detach$ent fro$
the world is $uch $ore i$portant than practising outward conte$pt for the world%
62
#he ascetic who retires fro$ the sordid struggles& gnawing insecurities& and dangerous
discontents of our ti$e& like a rabbit into its hole& gains ease at the cost of conscience%
#he philosopher $ust think of others as well as hi$self% If the $essage to the world of
this ancient wisdo$ were only a call to its in$ates to desert it& then would the outlook
for $ankind be a sorry one indeed%
66
#he ascetics who seek to kill out desire are the$selves infla$ed with the desire to kill it
out% #hey $ay lull& refine& purify& or e(alt desire..but its root always re$ains%
6
In so far as ascetic regi$es clip our worldly desires& they also clip the illusions and
deceptions which are bred by those desires%
68
#he wise and well.disciplined $an will be able to put on asceticis$ or take off lu(ury
like a suit of clothes& that is& at will& at any $o$ent and in any place%
69
- te$perate asceticis$ hardens the will& fortifies against te$ptation& and profits
character% 5uch self.i$posed discipline of ani$al desires and earthly aggrandi'e$ent
pays high dividends%
;
1e need not a fussy asceticis$ but an inspired hu$anis$%
"
#he ascetic who wants to dodge e(perience in the belief that it is either valueless or vile
is the unfortunate victi$ of a widespread inability to distinguish between $eans and
ends in these $atters of yoga& renunciation& and the like%
2
#he $odern $an is predisposed to want too $uch of the co$forts and too $any of the
pleasures of the world% - little asceticis$ will therefore do hi$ no har$ and $ay bring
hi$ $uch benefit%
+
- self.tor$enting frustration& i$posed fro$ without& is not the sa$e as and not to be
$istaken for a self.i$proving asceticis$& i$posed fro$ within%
0
#here is an asceticis$ which blights life and e(hausts $an& which shrivels his
sy$pathies and free'es his hu$our% #his he ought never be willing to accept& nor does
true philosophy ever ask hi$ to accept it% #here is another asceticis$ which e(pands
life and renews $an& which confers the benediction of good health and tends towards a
war$& cordial& and cheerful disposition%
2
>en with energy crushed it by ascetic practices until the state of a hibernating toad
beca$e their highest goal% >en with good will denied it by withdrawing fro$ society
and leaving the fields of activity& guidance& and leadership free for $ore selfish $en& so
that the general welfare inevitably sufferedB
6
1e do not honour the soul by i$posing tortures on its tabernacles%

#he weakling who is incapable of resisting whatever can bring hi$ pleasure& who has
never learnt discipline fro$ the results of his weaknesses& has no other way to harden
his will than the way of ascetic withdrawal%
8
Conte$porary society is apt to laugh at and even to hinder these aspirations% 1e are not
likely to beco$e saints% -ll the likelihood runs in the opposite way% 5o let us not hesitate
to practise a little self.denial& a little self.discipline& yesB even a little asceticis$%
9
#he Gain yogis even $ake the severest asceticis$ the chief feature of their path to the
spiritual goal%
8;
#he discipline of the will $ust be practised against one4s weaknesses and passions% #his
is where the ascetic finds his proper 7ustification% But he need not push his effort into
absurdities& for then he beco$es a fool& or to e(tre$es& for then he beco$es a
$asochist%
8"
Nobody need be frightened away fro$ the ,uest by unnecessary fears and i$aginary
obstacles% Co$plete asceticis$ and full retire$ent are not asked for by philosophy% It
asks instead for a spirituali'ing of life in the world% It is realistic even when being
idealistic% It leads $en on fro$ where they already are& not fro$ where they find it
i$possible to be%
82
#o withdraw ascetically fro$ worldly affairs and let go one4s grip on worldly things
,uite deliberately& and not through old age or chronic illness or repeated failure& is
so$ething that $any active.bodied or keenly intellectual people find difficult to
understand%
8+
It is not fully helpful to us& creatures of $odern civili'ation and $etropolitan cities as
we are& that $ost of the infor$ation which has co$e down to us about this sub7ect has
co$e fro$ $onks& nuns& abbots& and her$its too often given over to e(cesses of
asceticis$% #his has given us their point of view& but we ourselves are not placed at the
sa$e point as they are%
80
1e dislike the idea of beco$ing saints and fear the idea of beco$ing $artyrs& 7ust as we
are averse to the idea of beco$ing ascetics% #he spirituality of an anti,ue period is not
for us% 1e agree to learn a sub7ect only when it is $ade easy& or to beco$e spiritual only
when the disciplines and dangers are first re$oved% 1e want the Auest but without the
cross& the Overself without forsaking the ego%
82
It is not suggested that he beco$e the kind of $ystic who re$ains on the outside of life&
unattached and rootless& a $ere onlooker while others act and work and $ove and love%
86
Philosophy does not encourage the escapist in his evasion of $orally obligatory
responsibilities or in his illusion of $erely e(ternal asceticis$%
8
#he notion that& in order to live a spiritual life or to attain spiritual salvation& a $an $ust
always flee fro$ the world arises fro$ several different causes& as well as fro$ certain
understandable confusions% It is not baseless although in a nu$ber of cases it is useless%
One of the causes is disgust with the evil that surrounds us% One of the confusions is
failure to perceive that $ental flight is far $ore i$portant than physical flight%
88
#he :indu.Buddhist $onastic sects which consider life in this world to be an evil& and
the world itself to be an ine(plicable $istake to be endured until we can escape fro$ it
by a transcendental attain$ent& are not supported by all their own sages% 5o$e& and they
are of the best& re7ect such state$ents%
89
It is sinful to throw away or destroy what Nature or $an has taken the trouble to
produce& and what so$e other person can use% Fife attaches a penalty to such a sin& the
penalty of loss or privation in the thing concerned% It is not generally known or
recogni'ed as a sin but then not all of the higher laws are known or recogni'ed%
9;
Fike the celebrated -bbess of Port.*oyal& so$e thought that by living in s,ualor they
were actually living in poverty& to which they were vowed% But this was a ghastly
$istake& a confusion of definitions which brought about la$entable results%
9"
#o accept such values and to act in accordance with the$ would lead society back to a
pri$itive stage and deprive it of the benefits of invention& the progress of civili'ation&
and of the inspirations of literature and art%
92
5uch te$porary ascetic practices are an un$istakable gesture to the Overself that he is
willing to $ake so$e sacrifices in return for do$inion over his ani$al nature& that he is
prepared to pay with the coin of self.discipline for liberation fro$ slavery to his lower
appetites& that& in short& he really has elevated his values%
9+
-$ong Orientals the popular association of poverty with holiness is undeniable% #he
fakir begged his way as he wandered& the dervish begged at the door..both had given
their lives to religion%
90
- reasonable ascetic abnegation $ay well beco$e necessary at so$e stage& but it is he
who $ust 7udge and test hi$self%
92
=ou are to hate nobody but to e(tend to everybody the sincere hand of goodwill& to bless
all because in your own heart the conscious presence of the Overself has itself blessed
you% :ence to purify your personal feelings fro$ hate& resent$ent& anger& or $alice& it is
always needful to lift the proble$ of your ene$y or your critic onto that plane where
divine love and forgiveness can be felt and bestowed% But to discharge the social duties
of the world in which we live& it is also needful to deal with hi$ according to reason%
#he two attitudes are not conflicting ones% )or whatever practical action you will then
take will be taken cal$ly& nobly& and 7ustly%
96
#here are certain vital differences between the harsh asceticis$ of ordinary $ysticis$
and the balanced discipline of philosophy% #he first is an effort to arrive at a spiritual
state by physical $eans& by forcible suppression and by $echanical obedience% #he
second is an effort to arrive at the sa$e state by $ental $eans& by gradual self.training&
and by intelligent response% #hat is& the philosophical aspirant waits for the inner call to
i$pose a bodily renunciation upon hi$self% :e does not i$pose it arbitrarily $erely
because so$e e(ternal authority co$$ands hi$ to do so or because he seeks blindly to
i$itate the saints%
9
-n occasional and li$ited austerity& intended to help and strengthen the growing will& is
valuable to everyone% It is even $ore valuable to the spiritual aspirant because it teaches
hi$ to dissociate the self fro$ the body%
98
Our ob7ection is against that kind of asceticis$ which on the one hand $erely e(pands
vanity and increases egotis$ and on the other is only outward& for$al& and physical%
99
-scetic self.discipline $ust precede spiritual self.reali'ation% 1e $ust let go of the
lesser things of earth if we would find the greater ones of heaven%
";;
#he philosophic discipline $akes use of physical austerity at certain periods and in a
li$ited way% But it does not prescribe it arbitrarily% #he prescription $ust co$e fro$
within the aspirant hi$self% #his ensures the right ti$e& the $ental readiness for
i$posing whatever outward discipline $ay be re,uired%
";"
#he si$ple life advocated ,uite understandably by saints and $ystics as a $eans of
detaching people fro$ too $uch worldliness is to be welco$ed% But two points should
be $ade and then kept clear% It should not be confused with the $onastic life& with vows
of poverty i$posed on lay$en% It should not be opposed to the cultural life and deprive
us of the gifts of art& beauty& colour& and replace the$ by utter bareness or drabness% It
should not be fanatical and push its dislike for the products of $an4s invention to the
e(tre$e% #he cave is the si$plest habitation% -re we to stop only there? -nd scratch on
the walls instead of printing on paper?
";2
5ince they are so irrelevant to our ti$es& why should we not soften the harsh rules of
asceticis$& so long as such softening does not $inify the ulti$ate purpose itself& does
not prevent a $an fro$ attaining the highest self.fulfil$ent?
";+
1hen asceticis$ beco$es a for$ of ill.treating the body& it renders no useful service..
neither to religious aspiration in the best sense& nor certainly to the body itself& its health
or well.being%
";0
Buddha drew attention to the unpleasant parts and functions of the body and the
unpleasantnesses associated with it& in order to get people disgusted with the body so
that they $ight beco$e less attached to the desires associated with it% #he :indu
teachers instructed their seeking pupils to live near cre$ation grounds and burial
grounds with a so$ewhat si$ilar purpose in view& e(cept that here there was e$phasis
upon the brevity of incarnation% But for those whose $inds can function on a higher
level& there is no need for such a one.sided outlook% Neither fanatical asceticis$ nor an
utterly bare& so.called si$ple life should obscure the fact that the body also brings
satisfactions% #he pleasures of eating need not be disparaged@ appreciation of beautiful
song need not be $issed%
";2
Buddha tried the fanatic4s way of asceticis$ but in the end gave it up for the >iddle
1ay%
";6
#he body& passions& and undesirable e$otions $ust be perseveringly disciplined% 1hilst
ungoverned and running wild& they constitute the lower nature that is sy$boli'ed in so
$any $yths as a dragon& lion& or serpent which has to be slain before the guardians of
the divine gate per$it entrance% 5uch purification is a necessary preli$inary to and
prere,uisite of the higher training& which opens the individual $ind to spiritual
consciousness% #his does not $ean that total asceticis$ is de$anded& and& indeed& in the
present era& such a de$and would often be an i$practical one% 1hat is de$anded is
inner asceticis$& that is& inner purification of thought and feeling% C(ternal $easures
$ay be ad7usted later& according to the individual circu$stances and personal
inclinations%
";
-sceticis$ is not identified with philosophy but only with $ysticis$% Nevertheless
there co$es a period in his life when he has to go through the battles of :ercules& fight
and overco$e his lower nature before he $ay be initiated into higher reali'ations% 5e(
$ust and can be con,uered% Only when this is done can rapid spiritual advance$ent be
in order%
";8
#o take a single instance& the asceticis$ which $arked those two Oriental $essages
HBuddhis$ and :induis$I& will not be a suitable feature of the new $essage% #he new
one says that we are to live in the world but not to beco$e worldly& and that we $ay
en7oy the good things of this world so long as we do not forget also to en7oy the good
things of the 5piritual Auest%
";9
:e is here to understand life@ and it can be understood 7ust as well in business as in a
cave% >oreover if he stays in the world he will have a far better opportunity to serve
$ankind than if he runs away% #he ti$e for withdrawing fro$ business in order to have
$ore ti$e for $editation and study will co$e when it is right later on% :e will gain
little by withdrawal unless he does so under the orders of a co$petent teacher& whereas
he will be able to benefit by the invaluable lessons and practical e(perience that
business affords hi$% It is not a $atter of finding ti$e& this business of self.reali'ation&
but of finding the right tuition%
"";
#he ascetic physical regi$es such as strict celibacy& total abstention fro$ alcoholic
li,uor& living apart fro$ worldly people& and not engaging in worldly business& were
planned to keep the novice away fro$ distracting environ$ents and obstructing
te$ptations% #o concentrate successfully in $editation the $ind $ust first beco$e
$oderately settled% If it is e(cited with any passion& or agitated by any anger& then the
aspirant finds it i$possible to $editate properly% 1hat he loves& longs for& or desires
$ay co$e first before hi$ when he sits down to $editate% #he picture of that thing
appears before hi$ and $akes his effort to concentrate $ore difficult% :e $ay re$ove
this une,ual e$phasis by strengthening his will through the deliberate renunciation of
that thing for a ti$e% #his ,uietens the $ind before he begins and thus there is a gradual&
if te$porary& dropping.away of the desire which $ight otherwise intrude and interfere%
#his is the theory of asceticis$% Its defect is that the result is too often either a
te$porary repression or a total failure%
"""
It is not at all necessary to e$ulate the e$aciated self.hypnoti'ed anchorite or the
so$bre intense ascetic%
""2
If the Chinese ideal of the :ar$onious 1hole enters deeply into his thought& a one.
sided attitude toward life see$s too restricted% :e can see no reason why a te$porary
and narrowing ascetic concentration& necessary though it was for $ost persons& should
beco$e a per$anent i$position of austerity%
""+
#o re7ect a fanatical asceticis$ is not to plead for a free self.indulgence% #he sybarite
has no place on this ,uest% >oral& $ental& and physical health needs the support of will
and discipline%
""0
5o$e practise asceticis$& others $erely pretend to do so%
""2
Neither penance nor asceticis$ need be per$anent% #hey are but stages& after all% #he
aspirant will receive an inner pro$pting when to bring the$ to an end% If& however& he is
unintelligent& e(cessively obstinate& or e$otionally unbalanced& he $ay disregard the
pro$pting and turn what should be a $eans into an end%
""6
If we want to understand why so $any $en have pursued ascetic ideals in a large part
of the world and since before the Christian era& we have only to glance at those who
have not pursued these ideals but rather the very opposite ones% 1hat have a$bition&
wealth& power& pleasure and fa$e done to the character of those who placed the highest
possible value upon the$? :ow often have they weakened finer feelings& strengthened
ignoble selfishness& or kept the $ind on shallower levels?
""
- $an $ay ,uite properly seek his $aterial welfare without in any way being a
$aterialist% #he kind of ascetic $ysticis$ which confuses the two is based on $ere
surface readings& not inner realities% #he $odern 1esterner ,uite rightly has no use for
that $edieval outlook& that spurious holiness which praises the spiritual $an only when
he is also a starved $an% :e will prefer to follow Gesus4 in7unction to be in the world&
but not of it%
""8
#hey co$$it the $istake of going too far when they co$bat asceticis$% #hey rightly
ob7ect to its fanaticis$& but this does not 7ustify its total denunciation% It has a place&
however li$ited& and a very necessary place& however te$porary& in the life of all those
who seek to rise above a $erely ani$al e(istence% Because so $any ascetics have been
ignorant and e(tre$ist and unbalanced& this is no reason for refusing to honor the need
of a prudent& sensible& and balanced restraint of the lower nature%
""9
#he kind of asceticis$ which turns its votaries into hu$an cabbages or living corpses is
unattractive in theory and unco$fortable in practice%
"2;
#he ascetic belief that co$fort is a spiritual hindrance& lu(ury a spiritual sin& and art a
spiritual te$pter is not entirely groundless% >uch depends on the definitions $ade& the
standards set& but $ore especially on the circu$stances fi(ed by destiny%
"2"
#he denial of co$fort is not necessary to a si$pler life& although gri$ ascetics $ay
think so% 5itting on soft cushions need not $ake anyone $ore $aterialistic as s,uatting
on bare earth& ce$ented or tiled floor has not $ade any 1estern visitor to Indian ashra$
$ore spiritual& if he dares to ignore his disco$fort and think a little for hi$self%
"22
C(cessive surrender to the physical senses& instincts& desires& and appetites has created
the need in $ost religions of codes& syste$s& and schools of the opposite& that is&
asceticis$% #his is why $ore stress has been laid upon asceticis$ in a syste$ like yoga
than is really re,uired& and why fanaticis$ so often acco$panies it when it is e(cessive%
"2+
#hose who wish to respond to the ,uest4s silent invitation $ust begin by repentance&
continue by self.discipline& and end by surrender%
Possessions
"20
If a sceptic asks& 31hy should I be detached fro$ the things and creatures which $ake
$e happy?3 the answer is a $ultiple one% )irst& their transiency..all and everyone are
sub7ect to change& thus $aking possible a change in the happiness you get fro$ the$%
5econd& their brevity..ne(t year they $ay not be present for your en7oy$ent& whether
through death& accident& illness& or ill.fortune% #hird& life is like a drea$@ its solid reality
is a borrowed feeling not really there but in the deeper being of yourself% )ourth& and
final..to discover this being is why you are here anyway& what you have to do in the
end& even if you put it off for $any a reincarnation% Nor will you $iss out on happiness
if you do respond to the idea of detach$ent% It does not $ean living like a cave$an% It
does not $ean denying life& art& co$fort& hu$anity%
"22
#he sa$e possessions which enslave one $an $ay set another free% )or where the first
uses the$ to strengthen desires& nourish passions& increase selfishness& and e(ploit
hu$anity& the second $ay use the$ to build character& i$prove intelligence& foster
$editation& and serve hu$anity% #he very things which captivate the first $an help to
liberate the second one%
"26
#he belief supported by *ousseau that living si$ply and on a low inco$e i$proves
character or pro$otes spirituality is correct only in the case of those who have
renounced the world& that is& of $onks and nuns% In the case of the others& who
constitute the $ass of $ankind& it is correct only for e(ceptional persons who know
how to live in the world and yet not be of it% But $ost people are in the grade of life4s
school where they need to ac,uire e(perience and develop the faculties of hu$an
individuality% #he spurs to that are first& responsibility& and second& a$bition% #hese and
the need to discharge fa$ily obligation $ust in the end force the$ to i$prove
the$selves and to i$prove their position%
"2
It is possible happily to en7oy the pleasures of life in the world& the sense of power
which position gives in the world& the securities afforded by properties and possessions
in the world& without clinging inordinately to their ownership in the $ind% It is possible
to hold the$ without uncontrolled attach$ent& to take or leave the$ as fate or
inclination dictates% #his is not to say that hu$an feelings are to be e(punged and
hu$an nature crushed& but only that they are to be freed fro$ avoidable and
unnecessary $iseries by the practice of philosophy%
"28
1e hear $uch counsel fro$ the Orient bidding us relin,uish career& fortune& and fa$ily%
Is the pauper to be an aspirant4s ideal type? Cven #iruvalluvar& a $an who$ 5outh
Indians revere as one of their greatest saints and poets& in his $ost celebrated classic&
The Kural& rated poverty not only as painful but as a great evil% :e abhorred begging%
"29
1hen he lets hi$self get cluttered up with an e(cess of possessions& each de$anding
his attention& interest& and care& not to speak of his ti$e& his needs get confused with
wants& reality with illusions%
"+;
Possessions should not beco$e prisons% #he aspirant4s $ental attitude toward the$ $ust
be vigilant lest he lose his deeply hidden independence% #he ideal is to $ove through
life with inward detach$ent% #he thought of the i$per$anence of all things is one
which should spontaneously arise in his $ind whenever he co$es into good fortune%
"+"
#he way of decreasing possessions as a $eans of increasing spirituality is necessary at
certain ti$es to certain persons& but not to all persons at all ti$es%
"+2
It $ay be a help to so$e in the attain$ent of inner freedo$ if they stop using the
possessive pronoun 3$y3 in reference to anything that belongs to the$ e(cept their
weaknesses%
"++
If we could learn to hold things less possessively and people less adhesively& we would
en7oy the things and give 7oy to the people $uch $ore than we do now%
"+0
#he $ore he brings hi$self to let go inwardly of his possessiveness& the less he will
suffer% It is easier to do so at first in abstract $editation and later in actual everyday life%
"+2
=ang Chu who was a #aoist& but such a strongly individual one that he did not hesitate
to $odify the teachings where necessary& thought that neither being poor nor being
wealthy was desirable& that a better condition was the $iddle one between the two% #he
sage argued that they brought their own special kind of an(ieties with the$ and so were
not conducive to peace of $ind%
"+6
If the religionist declares that $an cannot live by bread alone& the $aterialist retorts that
he cannot even survive unless he seeks& obtains& and eats bread% >oreover if too little
$oney $ay bring a lot of $isery& a lot of $oney $ay still acco$pany a lot of $isery%
But on the other hand if& as it is often said& $oney does not bring happiness& neither
does poverty% #he reasonable $an is not tricked by such generali'ations% :e looks
deeper and longer and $ore into those individual circu$stances that are not so obvious%
"+
#he fifth of the yama restraints laid down in yoga discipline is variously translated as
avoidance of 3avarice&3 avoidance of 3abundance of worldly goods&3 avoidance or non.
taking of 3gifts%3 #he original word is ari!raha Hin Gaina te(tsI% #he philosophical view
is that it $eans both 3$iserly hoarding of possessions&3 and 3non.taking of gifts
conducive to lu(ury%3
"+8
If a $an will not get this inner attitude toward possessions while he owns the$& he $ay
still fail to do so if destiny snatches the$ away%
"+9
)reedo$ $eans being able to $ake $oney without contracting into the sense of an(ious
possession which goes with it%
"0;
-lthough decried by the yogic and /edantic te(ts& what is wrong with eating tasty food?
!oes not its en7oy$ent pro$ote secretion of digestive 7uices? -nd although decried by
the sa$e te(ts& how is character har$ed by co$fortable surroundings or by artistic and
intellectual culture? -nd finally& in what way could any of these things be discreditable
to truth or the ,uest?
"0"
1ittgenstein gave away a large inheritance because he believed that $oney is a
nuisance to a philosopherB #he result was that he had to take a 7ob& working a$ong
people who $ade hi$ $iserable%
"02
#o suggest& as philosophy does& a standard of living that re7ects e,ually the e(aggerated
narrowing down to pri$itive and $onastic conditions or the e(aggerated e(panding up
to incessant ac,uire$ent of possessions is si$ply to suggest a healthily balanced life%
"0+
#he si$ple life is rightly advocated as an acco$pani$ent of the spiritual life% But the
purpose of this advocacy should not be forgotten..to save ti$e and thought fro$
beco$ing too preoccupied with physical things% =et those who draw help fro$ beauty in
art or nature& who are affected by colour and for$& should not throw aside this cultural
heritage in favour of bare& dull& dreary& and so$eti$es s,ualid surroundings in the na$e
of simlicity%
"00
It is easy to fall into the error that spirituality $eans stagnation& that transcending the
worldly life $eans abandoning it% #his error arises because it is not clearly
co$prehended that the operative principle is what one does with his thoughts& not with
his things% )or the second activity is always a result of the first%
"02
#he attitude taken up in preaching or writing that $aterial things are worthless and on
no account to be sought for& is not only nonsensical but often hypocritical% It is seldo$
put into practice by its advocates%
"06
It is co$$on for religious preachers and $ystical authors to conde$n the effort to
ac,uire $oney% It is unco$$on to find one who defends it% But the correct attitude
toward $oney ought to be deter$ined by the way in which it is gained and by the use to
which it is put% #he young $an who nourishes honest a$bitions and puts the$ to work
without in7ury to other $en but rather in service of the$& until he is able to co$$and
sufficient wealth& and who then retires and puts his wealth to work in a way which
enables hi$ to co$$and the kind of surroundings and life conducive to spiritual ideals&
has attained true balance% #he processes of $oney.$aking can destroy those ideals or
pro$ote the$% Ignorance and greed bring about the first result& but wisdo$ and balance
the second%
"0
Inner security can be gained by anyone anywhere& but in Curope and -$erica it can be
gained with less difficulty and $ore speed if the seeker has 7ust enough outer security to
enable hi$ to do the things he needs to do to foster spiritual growth% >oney will corrupt
hi$ and delay or even stop his ,uest only if in its ac,uisition he does not know when to
stop%
"08
>ust I add this new possession to the others? Is it a help toward living or really an
encu$brance? If it can replace an e(isting one by being $ore efficient& better for health&
co$fort& work& or elegance& it $ay be per$issible% But if it $erely $ultiplies the
nu$ber of ob7ects needing care or using up attention& I will do better without it%
-c,uisition run to e(cess is the $odern disease%
"09
#he gospel of the si$ple life& as preached by the #olstoyans& the <andhians& the =ogis&
and the )akirs& re7ects every beautiful thing because& in its view& all art is distracting&
unnecessary lu(ury% It re7ects $ost of the inventions& develop$ents& and creations
brought about by $odern science and industry because $an can live without the$ and
did& until recently& do so% It de$ands that he ac,uire the barest $ini$u$ of goods& food&
clothing& and shelter which he can $anage to $aintain e(istence% Philosophy& while
appreciative of the virtue of being unpossessed by possessions& of the advantage of
so$e si$plification of our pattern& sees no need why we should go so far as these
ascetic e(tre$ists go% It re7ects their re7ections and turns away fro$ their de$ands% In
short& it accepts the reasonable en7oy$ent of life& art& possessions& and the physical
world& so long as we do not forget the ,uest while we are en7oying the$%
"2;
#he atte$pt to cling to possessions or persons after they have been lost is the craving
for what is past and the refusal to live in what is already here% It can only lead to
frustration and dissatisfaction%
"2"
1hen a thing& a position& or a person is no longer an obstacle to his interior work of
purification or $editation& then he has achieved the detach$ent fro$ it which
philosophy seeks% #he possession of it will then be acceptable and har$less%
"22
1hen the spirit of inner detach$ent has really been gained& whatever things were
discarded during the struggle to attain it $ay again be taken up and used if they are
needed%
"2+
In the end the things he appreciates are $ore his own than those he possesses%
"20
It has yet to be shown that any wealth beyond what is needed for decency of living
$akes anyone any happier& or that owning $ore possessions and property than others
have $akes hi$ really better off in the end than they are%
"22
>y true wealth lies not in the e(tent to which I possess things but in the e(tent to which
I can cheerfully dispossess $yself of the$%
"26
#hose who co$plain of the burden of having too $any possessions should re$e$ber
the $isery of having too few possessions%
"2
#he best of all possessions is to have this inward and secret possessionlessness%
"28
It is not in the actual owning of things that the wrong lies@ it is in such blind attach$ent
to the$ that their ephe$eral character and hidden penalties are left unrecogni'ed% #he
beautiful and the useful have their proper place in ho$e and life% #heir offering $ay be
accepted if it is kept within our understanding of truth and does not displace it and if our
sense of values is not s$othered by it%
"29
If he lacks the $aterial things and possessions to provide for essential re,uire$ents& his
$ind will constantly recur to the$% In that sense he finds that poverty does not let hi$
attain peace of $ind%
"6;
1ith $oney one can disdain the inferior and purchase the best& cultivate the art of
beautiful living& raise the ,uality of this hu$an e(istence above the $erely ani$al one&
i$prove and refine surroundings% But without $oney& the only satisfactory alternative is
the si$ple desireless life of a yogi%
"6"
#he purification of the heart fro$ worldly attach$ents is not easily achieved% - si$pler
life& setting a li$it on the nu$ber of possessions& is a proven help to such an
achieve$ent%
"62
#he $oney he earns or possesses and the $aterial benefits which he desires& pardonably
occupy his $ind% #here is nothing wrong in this fro$ the philosophical standpoint
although there $ay be fro$ the fanatical ascetic.$ystic standpoint% But when they
preoccupy his $ind to the e(clusion of all higher things& then the i$balance is certainly
wrong%
"6+
#he $ore possessions the $ore ti$e we have to give to the$& and therefore the $ore
energy% #here is then proportionately less of both available for higher studies&
$editation practice& and $etaphysical reflection%
"60
>any of those things which we eagerly collect or gratefully accept as possessions in the
beginning& we ruefully recogni'e as encu$brances in the end% )or the responsibilities
and conse,uences which follow in their train are often not to our liking%
"62
#he $onk who takes the vow of personal poverty and renounces the possession of
worldly goods is not superior to& but only on a parallel plane with& the householder who
decides to si$plify his life and discard superfluities or inessentials%
"66
Carthly things are to be regarded as possessing a secondary value and offering a li$ited
satisfaction% 1here they have such a grip on the heart that this attitude cannot be taken
up& then they are to be deliberately renounced to the e(tent and for the period necessary
to set the heart free% #hus philosophy is so$ewhat ascetical but not wholly ascetical%
"6
#he si$ple life opposes itself to the abundant life: philosophy reconciles these
opposites% Its full develop$ent of hu$an faculty passes through an alternating rhyth$&
using both of the$% But enlighten$ent itself is independent of either condition% It co$es
fro$ grace& not fro$ poverty and austerity nor fro$ possessions and elegance% #he
austerity draws out self.control% #he possessions& which include $ental and artistic
ones& enlarge the outlook% Both are $erely for training the hu$an entity% #hey are
$eans& not ends%
"68
#he si$plicity which is advocated in the na$e of asceticis$& taking the original
definition of the words as 3training&3 is unob7ectionable% It is part of the work of
bringing the body and the physical senses under control& $aking the$ obey $ind and
will% It is an atte$pt to rule the ac,uisitive instinct which de$ands $ore and $ore
belongings& $ore and $ore possessions& and in the end $ore and $ore lu(uries: this
leads into attach$ents to the$ and dependence on the$ for one4s happiness% Buddha
pointed out that cravings and desires were insatiable and block the way to durable
satisfaction% #hese facts have been used as part of the 7ustification for $onastic
e(istence% #he $onk does not have to take care of $ore ob7ects than he can pack into a
single s$all suitcase% #his leaves his $ind and ti$e freer for its religious pursuits% But
for those who have elected to stay in the world and follow the lay$an4s supposedly
lower and certainly less harsh way of life a wider view is per$issible& and a little
latitude $ay be given to the need of co$fort and the sense of beauty% Bleak& shabby& or
ugly surroundings do not pro$ote spirituality% Cheerless and co$fortless furnishings
$ay dull sensitivity% It is not far fro$ these things to regard art& $usic& poetry& colour&
fine literature& and general culture as hindrances to the spirit at best& or ene$ies to the
seeker after <od at worst% But in the enlarge$ent of life& $ind& thought& feeling& and
intuition for which philosophy beco$es the agent& there is space for all these things%
#hey are turned into helps on the way& feeding and pro$oting the spiritual life%
"69
#he :indu sadhu and the )ranciscan $onk would applaud *o$an 5eneca4s assertion
that 3property HisI % % % the greatest cause of hu$an troubles%3 But would it not be 7uster
to counterbalance this with the co$$ent that the lack of property is one of the great
causes of hu$an troubles and cri$es? Can there be content$ent before basic hu$an
needs are $et? Can we return to the cave$an4s propertyless and pri$itive way of life?
-re not physical well.being and healthy surroundings necessary to satisfactory
e(istence& and living decently necessary to the transition fro$ the $erely ani$al to the
properly hu$an order? !id not Cpictetus put it in a phrase: 3#here is a difference
between living well and living profusely3? Ought we not learn so$ething fro$ the
sadhu4s attitude of non.attach$ent without falling into his e(tre$is$? 5hould we not
estee$ control of thoughts and co$$and of desires and passions for the inner peace
they give to a $an? In short& it is not only things but not less the $ental attitude which
$atters%
";
:ow can he escape? #here are but two ways% #he first is to gather sufficient wealth into
his bins to enable hi$ to snap his fingers at conventional society& or at least to stand
aside and laugh at the world whenever he likes% But by the ti$e he has succeeded in this
purpose& he is unlikely to want to free hi$self% #he grip of routine will be greater than
ever before% #his $ethod of liberation is a proble$atical one& after all% #he second and
certain way is to cut down his wants and needs so that his call on this world4s goods is
s$all%
""
- $ini$u$ of possessions $ust be set unless a $an is to go about co$pletely naked% -
$ini$u$ of shelter $ust also be set& otherwise he $ay lose his health or soon die off% -
$ini$u$ of food and drink likewise has to be set& or the body will perish even ,uicker%
1here then is this $ini$u$ to be placed? Is it to be the sa$e for every $an? Is it to be
the sa$e for $en in utterly different cli$ates..such as the tropics and the arctic? #he
higher individuality is one& and unchanging& whereas the personal self $ay take
different for$s at different ti$es& and certainly changes%
"2
3Blessed are the poor&3 said Gesus% Gesus could not have $eant that there is spiritual
advantage in living in a slu$% It is $ore likely to breed discontent& or why do those who
increase their inco$e $ove to a better neighbourhood? #he phrase is not to be taken
literally but $etaphorically& as were so $any utterances by Orientals% #o live inwardly
ever detached fro$ things..whether they are owned and used or not..is a blessed state&
giving peace of $ind%
"+
#he disadvantage of having possessions is that they dissipate our energies and use up
our ti$e& either in $aking use of the$ or in taking care of the$% #hese energies and this
ti$e and especially the attention involved in the$& $ake it $ore difficult for beginners&
I repeat..for beginners..to reorient their $ind towards the Overself%
"0
#here is nothing wrong& but& rather& everything right in aspiring to a certain a$ount of
success in worldly life along with one4s spiritual develop$ent% But one $ust $ake sure
that the worldly attain$ents are not gained at the e(pense of neglecting his inward
develop$ent& and that they do not infringe upon the ethical principles which govern
discipleship%
"2
-fter an active& aggressive business life one does reach the ti$e when $ore e$phasis
should be placed on inner develop$ent% Outer ac,uisition can beco$e largely a
distraction as that period e$erges%
"6
#his is also true as respects personal attain$ents& whether intellectual& scientific& or
otherwise% 1hen the ti$e has co$e for $ore intensive inner seeking it $ay be wise to
consider if one4s further activities in these other fields should not be left to others%
"
>oney can be regarded as a sy$bol which represents& a$ong other things& two which
are ,uite i$portant although une,ually so% #hey are power and privacy%
"8
It is usually the $oneyless aspirants who decry wealth and praise poverty Hcalling it
si$plicityI% If $oney can chain a $an $ore tightly to $aterialis$& it can also give hi$
the conditions whereby he can set to work freeing hi$self fro$ $aterialis$%
"9
If he feels the urge to discard superfluous personal possessions& he ought to obey itB
"8;
It is doubtless ,uite pardonable for a $an to regard as per$anently his own what he has
possessed for a long ti$e and to believe that life not only will let hi$ have it always but
ought to do so% #o hi$& the idea of detach$ent $ust be an irritant%
"8"
:ow $any of our possessions are& in reflective analysis& $ere toys for adultsB 1e
e(pend so $uch effort and desire to get the$& we cling so desperately to the$& and we
$ake ourselves so unhappy to lose the$..when they are really toys& playthings% 1e take
their arrivals and departures too seriously& hence we are over$uch elated or over$uch
depressed ,uite needlessly%
"82
1hy $ust it be assu$ed that only the beggar& $oneyless and ho$eless& can ac,uire this
knowledge& this truth? 5urely the privacy needed for $editation is easier got by the
wealthier $an? <etty& oil $illionaire& su$$ed up the chief benefit of his wealth as
3privacy%3 -gain& why $ust it be assu$ed that because $ost seekers in the past as in the
present 7oin a religious order& or $ystical organi'ation& all should beco$e followers of
so$e guru or leader? :as not history told us of those who found their own way after
having passed beyond the beginning stages of 7oining or following?
"8+
#o use possessions while being inwardly detached fro$ the$& to work as actively as if
one had the a$bition to succeed while all the ti$e as indifferent toward success as
toward failure..this is part of the freedo$ he seeks and gains%
"80
If a little e(tra co$fort leaves one4s thoughts untroubled& one4s feelings undisturbed&
why not indulge in it?
"82
It is not for everyone to accept the rule that to be civili'ed is to be sinful& that to $ake
the furnishing of a house co$fortable& tasteful& and agreeable is to betray spiritual
standards% !oes spirituality vanish if we go beyond $aking the house hu$anly
habitable and $ake it aesthetically pleasing also?
"86
It is true that every unnecessary possession $ay beco$e a hindering fetter& obstructing
the inner life% But what is unnecessary to a $an in one set of circu$stances or in one
position of life $ay be ,uite necessary to a $an in a different one%
"8
#he attach$ent to worldly goods and fa$ily life $ust be delicately balanced by the
consciousness of their i$per$anence% It is i$possible to get such a balance when the
attach$ent is e(cessive%
"88
Fao #'u: 31hich is the $ost to you& your person or your goods? >uch hoarding $ust
be followed by great ruin% :e who knows when he has enough suffers no disgrace%3
"89
1hen we consider the care& the an(iety& the distraction& the ti$e and energy associated
with possessions& it $ay be a relief to shed so$e of the$& and not a grief%
The "otebooks are copyright J "980."989& #he Paul Brunton Philosophic )oundation%