Namaskar - Oct 09

Dristi Santosha
Jnanagni Kula precept 18: “The precept of contentment: Recognise the essential fullness
and completeness. If you know you are missing nothing, the virtue of santosha or
contentment arises. Essence is always full – situations are up and down. Contentment
rests in the realisation of the innate wholeness of your essence.”
Having taken initiation into a community of non-dual Tantrik practitioners I have vowed
to sincerely dedicate myself to the expression of 21 precepts. I find that expressing the
precept of contentment is always a choice I have, no matter what the circumstances of my
experience. As we say, “pain in life is inevitable, but suffering is optional.”
SANT
ANTOSHA IS
BALANCE
Yogesvara Sarasvati
However, as a scientist of my own experience I have clearly noticed my ability to both make
this choice intellectually and to actually express and experience it without hypocrisy, denial,
arrogance, or aloofness is directly related to my physical state of health. Of course, a more
advanced practitioner is able to fully express enlightened virtues no matter what their bodily
condition – the great Sri Ramana Maharshi comes to mind as he always remained in the
state of santosha despite the terrible pain of bone marrow cancer, etc. But, for a beginner
like me it is plainly obvious: when I am tired, depleted and somewhat sickly it is harder for
me to find the simple contentment with life. Conversely, when I am replete, well rested
and feeling limber, not much can get me down.
Thus, in addition to the 21 precepts we all work hard to follow, there are the “three
essential hallmarks of an authentic spiritual practice: 1. Primacy of the body, 2. Constant
Awareness of one’s energy state, and 3.
Practice where you are at, not where you
want to be, or think you should be.” All of
these hallmarks are intimately linked to the
experience of santosha.
As yogins we must know our bodies are the
gateway to our freedom, or if treated with
disregard, they are self-created prisons for
our spirits. Knowing this, we practice
“primacy of the body” and treat our bodies like the divine vessels they are. Therefore, not
only do we avoid polluting ourselves with various poisons, toxins and other junk we like
to call “food,” but we also don’t buy into the misinformation that abounds about crazy
austerities, aggressive purification cleanses, and various other junk we like to call “yoga.”
A Tantrik yogin must be juicy; with a full store of a quasi physical/spiritual substance we
call “ojas.” To speak in very oversimplified terms, ojas is a rarified form of the water
element. Our human experience consists of a delicate balance of the five elements: earth,
water, fire, wind and space. Quite simply, when these elements are in harmony and
balanced santosha arises naturally and effortlessly. And the opposite is true: when our
elemental make-up is off kilter, no matter how hard we push and try, or “know” that
contentment is always available, we simply won’t feel content. Santosha is balance and
balance is santosha. At some point we just can’t fake it.
Furthermore, while it is important to have all elements in harmony, the one element that is
very specifically linked with santosha, contentment, is the water element. The water element
is responsible for our sense of taste, our enjoyment of life, our sensuality, and quite
importantly, it is intimately linked with our self-image formation and our emotional
reactivity. Thus, we can short cut the whole five-element balance thing by going straight to
the water element. If it is balanced, we will be healthy, content, at ease and enjoying the
simple pleasure of being alive.
However, it is because of this life-embracing philosophy that new-age tantriks have gotten
yoga means taking a nap, sometimes it means
skipping a meal, sometimes it means not caring
about the rules and eating a hot dog
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