Inner World of Yoga – Day 25
Inner World of Yoga: Day 25
Mind Structure: Part 3 Vasanas and Samskaras
by Wendy Kolanz
As long as we are caught in our mind stuff – decisions, patterns and habits of reaction created by our vasanas and samskaras – we remain blind to our real nature and reality. We continue to live in a state of suffering, and we continue to engage in mental and emotional distraction for release, which means we fluctuate wildly between perceived moments of happiness followed by more suffering and pain. There is no real joy and no balance of the energies within us. We are basically adrift and continually losing our vital energy, remaining at the mercy of our own self-ignorance.
The most deeply ingrained “decisions” resulting from the workings of samskaras and vasanas which go on to manifest in the mind as reactions in virtually all relationship situations, are the earliest ones that manifest by the age of 6 or at the most, 8 years. The problem of course, is we are seldom aware they are operating.
These are the most powerful decisions we make in our lives and they set the stage for all our relationships in life, yet we are not even aware of them.
These early ones, products of our childhood, become integrated and enmeshed with our energy system (chakras, koshas, vayus, etc.), our senses and our mind structure, to the degree that without conscious intervention, taking responsibility for ourselves, and having the courage to look at ourselves, they may not ever be revealed. We are however, aware that our relationships cause us suffering. If we pass from this life with them still firmly entrenched within us, not only have we not really “lived life” but we are also doomed to recycle until we do.
