Tag Archives: Jane Austen

May 6, 2025 · 10:11 pm

Mansfield Madness:

Can there be really healthy relationships? Movies and social media almost normalize abusive partners even as we are subject to the influence of the “narcissistic-in-chief.” We are being wrongly led to accept this as a normal state of mindless disregard and disrespect. Incivility is becoming practically an international phenomenon! Recently, an expert climber from Austria left his (amateur) climbing partner behind, to freeze to death on a mountain. Reportedly, it’s not the first time he has done this (the other lady survived). What de heck?
So, just sayin’…with all this ‘incivility’ circulating more and more in society, it may turn out to be a good thing (perhaps for our longevity also?) that Jane Austen challenges our modern ideas of love and friendship. She especially ridiculed imaginary ideas of “love at first sight” and her attitude has actually been called ‘anti-romantic’. More precisely, she was a philosopher (with an excellent sense of humor) who grew up during the height of the Renaissance, when rationality was considered the basis of a good life–and stupidity was laughed at. Thus she was against all things that promoted gullibility for the sake of ‘love.’ Despite her critique of over-wrought emotionality, Austen wrote what are considered the most romantic novels, ever written. This seem contradictory, doesn’t it? We need to explain this. In Pride & Prejudice, the heroine, Lizzy, refuses to marry for mere economic advantage, or even physical attraction. Meanwhile, the other, “lesser-as-to-morality” characters get themselves stuck in wretched marriages and financial circumstances. We can see that they deserve this outcome! Meanwhile, the heroine (and hero) who stick to their principles, get invariably good results and suffer no material disadvantage. By holding to reasonable moral convictions, there is a rational, (almost logical) result that guarantees rational (read: long-lasting) happiness. Mysterious and yet we sense the truth in these things. Why does it work?

Somehow, in moments of clarity, we understand happiness to be based on ‘equality,’ which we express by an unselfish “give and take” of respect and gratitude with a partner or friends. This is not about one person doing all the giving and the other person doing all the taking. That is not love. In fact, modern relationship therapists (good ones), now advise us to notice how our prospective partner treats ‘service’ workers (especially when there’s an issue with your order), and other vulnerable persons. The point is, the way we treat people that we can abuse without consequences, says a lot about our character, and if you’re a serious (or aspiring) Jane Austen fan, you know that this sense-of-civility is where her novels are focused. She is incisive and wickedly funny (and compassionate) about little faults of character, yet her novels focus on serious deviations from civilized and moral behavior. This directly affects the way the novels proceed. Often, her novels are misunderstood as lacking a plot. They are not “action” novels. Rather, they focus on actions which describe high character vs ignorant and immoral or amoral behavior. Jane is precise in showing how her characters’ attitudes and behavior generate events which culminate in…karma! Despite everything that modern society tries to tell us about the “good guys finishing last,” we believe this to be right, and are never surprised to find that those with the highest character end up with a great life and lower characters end up with the “booby-prize.” This is too easy to observe by examining the wretched life of this creature in the White House, who is ruining everything for the USA, the world, the environment and (whether he knows it or not), himself and his family. As they say, “What goes around, comes around.” Jane Austen’s novels describe a “moral universe.” There is justice.

Unfortunately, we become confused as to how character and choices affect our lives. At this time, 2026 in the USA, especially if we are rational, we must be galled by it all! The vacuum of morality, ethics and normal standards of behavior…so we are seeing every day, that law and justice mean nothing when graft is involved. The average person is hardly philosophically prepared to deal with the truly stupid ideologies at play. My mentor notes that while we may not all study psychology, we all have one, and the same goes for philosophy. The philosophy of “takers” is that their own needs are more important than anyone else, there’s no love involved. Basically it’s atheism when we imagine ourselves as most important, respectable, powerful, the “center of the universe,” or holding a monopoly on ‘correct’ political ideologies. On the other hand, those capable of love see the equality of all and they express their love by giving,..(but not stupidly). Not in the idiotically romantic or gullible sense of giving. Pure romantic relationships are based in metaphysics, and ‘depth’ psychology. Romantic love expresses our deepest intentions (based on the level of consciousness we have) and is directed by (pure) intelligence, and, of course, those with polluted intelligence make the most irrational decisions. Read it and weep. Now let’s get smart–and get metaphysical.

This is where Jane’s advice, “Know thy own happiness,” is relevant. This is the core of her message in her novels—it’s Truth. The truth revealed by self-knowledge, leads us to freedom. With self-knowledge, our gratitude and respect, for all that is worthy of love, removes the ignorance that blinds us to our best life. Thus, it’s a good idea to discover (literally “uncover”) some idea of self—so who are we?

The ABCs of Metaphysics: Our true self, is consciousness, not a material thing. Our body is merely a vehicle. In fact, we are spiritual beings “dba,” doing business as human beings. Usually, we seek external pleasure while remaining asleep to the true self. The external world misguides us to ignore the reality: Our conscious self is an untapped source of unlimited bliss and knowledge! If we allow ourselves to be controlled by the urges of the senses, we suffer. For example, naturally, when our hunger is very intense, it becomes impossible to think about anything but food—and no one can interest us in anything else. Similarly, if a man is physically attracted by a woman, he cannot simply grab her and try to enjoy her body. It is extremely selfish to see her ONLY as an object of HIS gratification, and not as a person with her own wishes and purpose, and ignoring this is the cause of uncivilized and disgusting behavior. Same for women who use men…m-kay, ladies?Actually, morality might be considered a type of common sense, which Americans generally used to have. Used to have the saying, “What goes around, come around.” That’s mostly not a thing anymore. Now, we are a society struggling under a “collective” loss of moral compass, and it’s a bad situation. As we see, criminals disguised as politicians are circling like sharks, taking advantage of our collective loss of common sense. We’ve been misled and it’s unintentional, yet not so innocent as losing our car keys. We have some responsibility.

So, now what? Can Jane Austen & Yoga help us? Is there a rational path or a scientific process that can help us? There is. It’s a process of re-connection to our Source. It’s called yoga (literally, ‘connection’). We experience unhappiness because our self-knowledge is “covered” by material modes of nature—goodness, passion and ignorance. Think of a traffic light with red, green or yellow. Beneath the colored lenses, is pure white light. These 3 modes of nature are covering our pure consciousness and causing us to falsely mistake “self” as the body. This is explained in the 2nd Chapter of the Bhagavad-Gita (see link on my homepage to order it). So how do we stop identifying ourselves as a temporary material body? Science proves that we cannot be these bodies because our bodies undergo reincarnation: We are changing the skin cells (every 2 weeks) and all the cells are changing, every 7 years. So divide your age by 7 and that’s how many times your body has reincarnated in this life! You don’t have a toddler or child’s body anymore, yet you might remember that you played and expressed yourself as a child. The body changing virtually every moment, however, the metaphysical (conscious) self remains constant. The practice of yoga gives us the full freedom we need, to truly love others rather than just seeking to exploit them. As for the body, it’s important and we take care of the body because it is an amazing vehicle-opportunity to realize that we are more than just matter. The inner, conscious “self” is a spark of pure consciousness, with qualities that are like the qualities of our Source, yet we are always a separate person with free will. We get spiritual intelligence (buddhi-yoga) by making a sincere connection to our source. This process of “devotional connection” is called bhakti-yoga.
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So, having said this much, this blog was supposed to be about Mansfield Park, wasn’t it? Mansfield Park is a challenging novel for many readers. In this novel, we see characters who are all equally liable to fall in love while “checking out” in terms of rational thinking. Omg. It’s such an old story! The hero, Edmund Bertram, develops a dangerous infatuation with the artful and seductive Mary Crawford. Initially, he sees the faults in her thinking and behavior, yet he is gradually blinded. Her beauty, her harp-playing …and Cupid’s arrow! He forgets all her faults and only sees her alluring charms. She’s the “one and only” perfect partner for him! Seriously? Never mind that she has no interest in religion (Edmund is 100% serious about becoming a clergyman), and she is “amoral” or having no sense of right or wrong, and not open to discussing ethics or morality. Her brother, Henry Crawford, is just like her. Like a bull in a china shop, Henry seduces women, (married, unmarried or engaged to another man), and shows no consideration for his friend’s (Edmund’s) very respectable family. Sir Thomas Bertram, the very conservative father of the family is of the women don’t seem to notice the danger. The Bertram family is essentially clueless to what is happening, because they are mislead by Henry’s ‘polished’ superficial manners and formidable theatrical talents. It is terrifying how Edmund’s sister, Maria, who is newly engaged to a very wealthy yet very inferior “Mr. Rushmore” (described by John into an adulterous relationship, (one that inevitably becomes an excruciatingly public affair. The heroine, Fanny Price, is the only person in this novel who is able to ‘see’ Henry’s selfish agenda, despite his professions of love for her. This is a difficult novel because most of us don’t relate to Fanny’s rather strict sense of decorum, plus, this novel can hardly reach the moder reader since it is all about, “The meek shall inherit the earth,” which westerners have totally lost contact with. This novel attacks the irrationality of that, “love at first sight” feeling. Fanny thinks back to what she has actually witnessed, as to Henry’s cadish behavior. Her rationality is shocking. It is difficult to engage the “brain-in-1st-gear” and see our “romantic imagination run wild” for what it is, a behavior that puts ourselves at risk. We have a picture in our imagination and think that we know someone, only to find out, the hard way, that they are not a good person. In these crazy hyper-unphilosophical times, we tend to engage too quickly in physical intimacy, and thus we miss all the red flags, and find out too late. Don’t be in a rush. We need to go VERY slow during the dating process (check out this link to Anna Runkle’s channel “Crappy Childhood Fairy” on YouTube. especially if you’ve experienced any childhood abuse, neglect, etc.). Don’t let anyone pressure you into a casual physical relationship.

By the way, gotta say this…it’s striking that many of the unprincipled characters in Austen’s novels, are the one many modern readers “fall for.” They find Mary Crawford (and her ‘rakish’ brother, Henry Crawford, irresistibly charming! Yet, once you see the truth about these characters, you cannot “unsee” it. Those who don’t see it…it is as if they have been reading a different novel! They willfully (and stupidly) refuse to acknowledge the in-your-face truth presented about Henry and Mary. Jane Austen is brilliantly and intentionally doing this and she knows that some will fall for Henry. Anyone who falls for Henry has little or no moral compass. Their morality check is wacked, it’s a FAIL! At their own peril, they ignore the fact that Mary and Henry are behaving monstrously. These characters themselves, explicitly tell us what they are! Mary Crawford speaks lightly about her own thoughtlessness: “Selfishness must always be forgiven you know, because there is no hope for a cure.” (MP Ch 7). Henry explains that he prefers a woman who is engaged to be married. Omg! If we cannot see through these characters, then we are doomed if we ever meet a Henry or Mary Crawford. Fanny Price is the only one to escape the vortex of one of the most horrifying and poisonous stories of “romance,” –ever! She is not blinded and, in the end, this devastatingly realistic story reminds one of the ending in Moby Dick. Yoikes! Only one survivor!
“Could she believe Miss Crawford to deserve him, it would be – Oh, how different it would be – how far more tolerable! But he was deceived in her: he gave her merits which she had not; her faults were what they had ever been, but he saw them no longer.” (MP, Ch)

How do we stay rational during those moments when the love endorphins are going full force? Do we need a strategy? We certainly do! Many a love song has been written about this dilemma! Nothing can be done about other people’s behavior, yet we can protect ourselves from serious consequences and entanglement. It’s a matter of having the right consciousness.

The video link (below) is something amazing. It’s a lecture given by my mentor, HD Goswami, on the best way to start understanding this self-knowledge. Enjoy the video!

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November 12, 2023 · 1:29 pm

O, Henry! (Mr. Henry Crawford, that is)

Dear readers, it’s been a good long time since my last blog. What can I say? I was in the wilds of Alaska. No seriously! After a long, long 18 months, it was time to get back to the lower 48. I’m happy to again have the time to jump back into my blog!

My teacher once stated that if we were fully enlightened, we would understand the reality of all souls as unimaginably beautiful beings. We are simply conscious beings “DBA” (doing business as) humans and it is a mistake to misidentify ourselves as these temporary material bodies, or to identify with all the thoughts that enter our heads. What is the true self or consciousness and how do we rediscover self? The good news about yoga philosophy is that the process is so easy. Only it takes a little intelligence and sincerity and then, of course, Jane Austen’s novels are so, so witty…and wickedly funny!

Jane is widely recognized as a literary genius and demands her readers’ full attention. She once wrote in a letter, “I do not write for such dull elves as have not a great deal of ingenuity themselves.” In other words, she put her genius to work in creating her novels and in reciprocation perhaps, would naturally expect her readers to roll up their sleeves and “have a think” about what she is saying in each of these little portraits of “4 or 5 families in a country village.” Many people do not understand her purpose in writing and worse, (trying for leniency of judgement here), seem to distort and invert the message, so that the ‘metaphysical’ aspect is often presented inaccurately or even completely ignored. We can only wish that the directors had read the novel with their intellect in 1st gear. This will never do! We might consider that dear Jane lived during the height of The Enlightenment, when philosophy and metaphysics were at the very center of public discussion. Almost anyone reading Jane’s novels at that time understood both her unique writing talents and the concept of a moral universe. Amazingly, she wrote without being preachy. Like Shakespear himself, she charmed and entertained readers with her exceptional realism in her depictions of character and what was praised as ‘natural’ dialogue. Even now, we often feel (at least I do) that many of the characters she describes remind me of people that I know! All the novels end happily, (for those who deserve it), and therefore fall under the category of comedies as opposed to tragedies, except in the case of Mansfield Park, which has to fight against the devastation to the Bertram family due to Maria Bertram’s excruciatingly public ‘fall’ from respectable society. I find it difficult to contemplate this novel without a sense of awe. It has more of a rational than romantic ending.

In every single movie adaptation (and even some academic reviews, grrr!) of Jane’s most demanding novel, Mansfield Park, the heroine, Fanny Price, is sadly misrepresented. Meddling with the character of the heroine herself alters the message of the story by seriously obscuring the importance and significance of her behavior. If they ever actually read the book, these directors seem willfully ignorant of what was important to the author, and even to what is an important part of the story. They do everything they can to “sex up” Fanny, rather than giving her the latitude to be herself–and she is not the typical heroine. She is unusually meek and timid, yet very much worth understanding. No doubt, she requires a bit of explaining. Allow me: At about 9 years old, she is plucked from a very impoverished situation and adopted by the wealthy Bertram family. She’s still a bit young to comprehend her good fortune. She misses her family and must navigate some daunting social dynamics while living within the Bertram household. Mainly, Fanny Price grows up as a sensitive child in an awkward and humble position amidst the splendor and polished manners of her cousins, aunts and uncle. Fanny’s mean-and-nasty aunt Norris, who proposed the idea of adopting her, never lets her forget her humble origins. However, many readers are also not kind to Fanny or at least they choose to forget that if Fanny were to stand up for herself the way many readers think she should, there’s no doubt that she would be cast out of the house or sent home to live in wretched poverty. Game over! Fortunately, our Fanny is not just sensitive but also very sensible. She doesn’t act impulsively or irrationally, and she embodies something we have forgotten: The (to us) insufferable idea that, “the meek shall inherit the earth.” Seriously, we never even hear the word “meek” in modern communication. It’s unfathomable that Fanny tolerates, or is capable of tolerating, the demeaning comments, slights and never pushes back at the outright false accusations. She never contests who she is or what she deserves. Yoikes! We feel for her and are outraged against Mrs. Norris. If thoughtful, we must conclude that this is so NOT a weak heroine, despite some of her scenes of “sobbing” (these almost max out my ‘sobbing’ limits). Still, it’s clear that, you would sob too, if it happened to you! Truly, Fanny Price is an exceptionally strong character with a solid moral compass who creates her good fortune by the sheer force of her character and does this without support. Her cousin, Edmund, is often totally AWOL or ignorant of her feelings, so it’s not like the other heroines, who have a sister or friend to talk to.

Let’s do some yoga philosophy to help understand where this Fanny gets her unshakable mojo: In true classical philosophy, as taught by Socrates (‘know thyself’), and similarly in Buddhism, anyone seeking to attain happiness needs a moral compass, firm character and peace of mind. As opposed to our modern tendency to spend a lot of time absorbed in ‘extremes’ of overt stimulation, such as addiction to social media. Experts are alarmed that western children are getting dumber. Confusing instant gratification with happiness is delusional. Fanny is an example of someone using their intellect to steer away from danger and irrational behavior. Her sister, Maria, a beautiful yound woman who promises to grace the very pinnacle of the social ladder, yet without training in self-control and unhabituated to self-reflection, is engaged to marry what John Mullan calls, “a block of wood on legs” and then Mary and Henry Crawford appear, and begin their seduction of the Bertram family.

Maria is vulnerable. Absorbed in external pleasures she is ignorant that there is an unlimited source of happiness which doesn’t require anything else. The only knowledge that will save us from being cheated by cheap thrills…is the understanding of self. As Krishna states in the Gita, (B.Gita 7.2) “Knowing this, nothing remains to be known.” That is such an interesting statement, and in Jane Austen’s novel, Mansfield Park, we can examine “cool-headed” rational thinking and its connection to a good life, or how we, (like Fanny and unlike Maria Bertram), can avoid falling from a good life into an irrational and hellish life, unnecessarily.

Exploring a bit more Mansfield Park, we find the very wealthy Bertram family in various states of willful unawareness. The aunt, Mrs. Norris, is miserly, cruel and a busy-body (in contrast to the amazing indolence of her sister, Lady Bertram). Yet while obsessing over saving a few pence, here and there, the aunt is oblivious to the wellbeing of her niece, Maria, the eldest daughter of Sir Bertram. By her aunt, Maria is endlessly flattered into vanity and convinced that she has attained every perfection. Maria’s younger sister, Julia is also vain yet being the younger sister and less handsome saves her from the dangerous level of vanity that leaves Maria completely vulnerable to idle flattery from the likes of cold-hearted Henry Crawford. After Henry finishes with Maria, (for the moment), our heroine, Fanny Price, unexpectedly finds herself next in line for Henry’s calculated attentions. In fact, poor Fanny gets the worst of it, as Sir Thomas and her relations, pressure her to capitulate to Crawford’s proposals. Henry is wealthy and has many alluring talents and every charm of seduction (which many readers fall for), yet Fanny cannot forget what she has seen, especially his cruel abandonment of Maria. Seeing her moral integrity and sweetness, Henry develops a somewhat real attraction to Fanny and unleashes his considerable powers and charms to woo her. Fanny finds herself in a serious predicament as to whether Henry is just playing with her, as he did with her cousins. Mary Crawford is beautiful, charming and as vain and selfish as her brother. Edmund falls for her. Mansfield Park is a good lesson in understanding the dangers of individual narcissism.

Returning to Henry Crawford: Some readers are smitten with Henry despite Jane Austen making it perfectly clear that he is the epitome of insincerity in a lover. DULL ELF alert! …Jane Austen expects her readers to have a THINK about what Henry is doing to the women in this novel. Specifically, as to ‘trifling’ with the affections of a woman, as in the abominable behavior of Henry towards Maria. It requires some serious self-delusion to imagine that it was better for Maria to have loved and lost. Maria herself doesn’t feel this way. She’s as embittered and feels as scorned as we can imagine. When Jane Austen accuses a man of “creating an attachment” (essentially, the wrongness is due to the man creating strong feelings in the woman, and Jane Austen considered it barbarious. It is unthinkable that modern women would fall for this character, yet this happens all the time. Jane wrote this novel as a warning and some readers take it as a titillating description of a charmingly flirtatious man, just as Maria Crawford, (no model of goodness or integrity herself), speaks of it. Her casual ‘remedy’ for the situation is what finally tips off Edmund that she also, is not a good person!

So how do we avoid being duped by our own vanity? We wallow in a culture that tells us to believe that we are flawless, while social media pretends that the inner self doesn’t exist. We are constantly given the message of placing importance on the physical body, yet we are “giving up the substance for shadow” as we have no idea how beautiful we already are (as spiritual beings). The only ‘cure’ is to reconnect with ourselves and our real spiritual identity. Bhakti-Yoga practice satisfies and reveals our inner self through the rediscovery of the Source of our existence. Jane Austen actually used the word, “meditation” in her novels, and her heroines often retreat to their rooms for that purpose. Interestingly, special rooms were built in the homes (of the rich usually). These room were called ‘closets‘–which were made for the purpose of allowing the owner the luxury of just being alone. Back in the Regency era, people actually valued time spent alone and in meditative contemplation. They were aware that sitting quietly or walking in nature helped to calm the mind. What Jane’s heroines were doing when they engaged in a few moments of meditation then, is something that many thousands of people are doing today…and if we do this practice daily, it bestows what we all desire, namely focus and serenity. Perhaps this sounds too good to be true yet science backs it up. I love science and will be inserting as much science-based information as possible so keep clicking on those links. Bhakti-yoga is also a spiritual science that is based in eastern wisdom.

As for what kind of perks come with Jane and Bhakti-yoga practice, yes there are indeed concrete benefits for the brain. One way to boost our consciousness is a good Jane Austen binge-reading session. My 10 year binge was amazingly therapeutic. Science (seriously) agrees. According to one Stanford study, our brain under the influence of Jane Austen is a brain in therapy. Who knew? Well, someone must have known because her novels were even used as therapy for shell-shocked soldiers of WWI and even that ultimate tough-guy, Winston Churchill was a fan. Beside all this, many intellectuals, philosophers and science-minded readers of her novels admit to finding great comfort in her depictions of a moral universe, because it portrays reality in a way that ‘makes sense.’ Some of us remember when the world used to make sense. Ah, nostagia!

The really good news is that you can begin from wherever you are at right now and can access what Jane called self-knowledge, or as it is called today, self-realization, through an easy metaphysical process called bhakti-yoga. I am still trying to learn the luxury of, ‘sleeping’ on decisions. Sometimes our worst choices can be based on emotional, financial and physical impulses. We can save ourselves from such impulses simply by the practice of meditation on our Source (there are many names for God, and my favorite is the Sanskrit name, Krishna, which means, “all-attractive”). Otherwise, there are many cheaters who are on the lookout for fools (or someone having a weak moment and acting impulsively).

Click here to watch an excellent lecture on the philosophy of yoga given by my mentor and the founder of Krishna West, HD Goswami. As HD Goswami explains, the basis of bhakti is clearly explained in the wisdom-text from India, known as the Bhagavad-gita, or The Song of God (order here). In the Gita, we are invited to venture into a reawakening of self through devotion. To act from the deepest pure love is actually the highest form of yoga or connection with our source. In the Gita, one is assured of ‘swift’ deliverance from material suffering by infusing all actions and offerings with devotion. In this way we can gradually reawaken our eternal relationship with the original source of our existence. This a beautiful and powerfully effective process and we are sharing it freely with all. As my teacher explains:

“The word “yoga” comes from the Sanskrit root Yuj which means to link with, or combine. Bhakti-yoga means to connect to the Supreme by means of loving devotional service.” –H.D. Goswami

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November 4, 2018 · 10:01 pm

Jane Austen’s Moral Universe and Karma

“Instant Karma” videos on YouTube can be quite interesting. Usually someone is engaged in risky or illegal actions and is rewarded with injury, arrest or even death. When I watch ‘Darwin’ Awards videos, my first thought is, “this guy or woman (it’s often a guy!) really didn’t have to do this! Why are they acting so willfully oblivious to consequences?” Consequences are another name for karma, which refers to the universal law of ‘action and reaction’ or, “what goes around, comes around.” Essentially, karma is a function of universal justice. It’s like a mirror used to give us a better view of our behavior. For example, Jane Austen took civility very seriously. The Regency era was a polite one. High class people considered their duty to society. Considering the lack of karmic awareness in the modern world–and maybe because things began to change her time–Jane wrote about the personal dealings between a variety of high and low characters and the varieties of consequences–sometimes tragic and sometimes comic. In her novels, and also in the timeless spiritual text, Bhagavad-Gita, we learn about acting with the understanding of an essential connection between souls. This is the “duty” part.

If we are interested in reality, we may think of our universal connection with all other beings. Why do we feel this? It comes from our connection with the Supreme Being, who is the source of our existence. As they say, “we are all connected.” This understanding is the basis of metaphysical science. The yogi focuses within and finds real pleasure within the self (B.Gita 5.21). Jane grasped this truth and shares this intelligent vision of seeing the equality of all souls. On a plaque at Winchester Cathedral, where Jane’s remains lie, is a quote from Psalms: “She openeth her mouth with wisdom and on her tongue is the law of kindness.”

This idea of equality of all beings was the basis of the Declaration of Independence, “…all men are created equal, endowed by their Creator with inalienable rights…” This conception is different from recent demands for ‘equality’ based on the body. In fact it is futile and ludicrous to attempt to prove physical equality. Any mundane test you can devise will clearly show that we are, empirically, unequal in terms of intelligence, physical strength, artistic talents, mathematical ability, etc. Yet spiritually we are all equal. Yoga means ‘to connect’– is to see everyone equally and this is the rational basis for being civilized towards others. My teacher writes about this ‘equal vision,’ called, samatvam in sanskrit. This is the solution for the current, disastrous social trend of ‘identity politics.’

“Samatvam, spiritual equality, requires and inspires true compassion, beyond the attachment and hatred that usually infect political and social causes. Such causes, based on duality, sew the seed of future hostility even as they address present conflict.”

A Comprehensive Guide to Bhagavad-Gita-by HD Goswami (pg.68)

A civilized society demands something more important than polished appearances and exhibitions of wealth. It places importance on respecting others. Jane Austen shares the same message in her novels. In Sense and Sensibility, there is a profound transformation in the heroine’s (Eleanor’s), younger sister, Marianne, who was rather clueless about civilized behavior and had a great intolerance for other points of view. She also nearly destroys her physical body by a reckless policy of uncontrolled emotions. Eventually, Marianne comes to value Eleanor’s exceptionally civil behavior and she finally, thoughtfully confesses, “I compare [my behavior] to what it ought to have been. I compare it with yours.” At this point, Marianne becomes a heroine–yay! So there you have it. Jane Austen gave us characters like Marianne (one of my favorites) so that we can feel inspiration to change–even if we are also beginning our journey with somewhat extreme views or sensitivities (called ‘sensibilities’ in Jane’s day). How do such characters work to change us?

They influence us because in a Jane Austen novel, such well-written and famously realistic characters provide not just interesting reading but also a powerful tool for affecting our psychology. This is natural since, if we can appreciate a character as complex and flawed and basically, real enough, then we can be sufficiently affected. Assuming that we are not ‘dull elves’ and have introspection enough, we can catch at Austen’s message and it becomes natural for us to make critical associations and comparisons and to look at ourselves critically in order to improve our own character. This inspires changes to happen in our feelings, mind, motives and it affects the quality of our lives.

Today, every has heard of karma. All mundane actions create a reaction, either good or bad. When we act selfishly or immorally we create bad karma–of course good actions also create good karma. Rule #1: The more wisdom we painlessly adopt, the less suffering from inpulsive actions. For example, when Lizzy Bennett first detects the serious error of her first impressions concerning both Mr. Darcy, and Wickham, she declares, “Until that moment, I hardly knew myself!” When challenged by the formidable Lady Catherine de Bourgh, Lizzy courageously sticks to her guns and declares that she owes it to herself to pursue her best life, without reference to the demands of anyone “unconnected” to her. As they say, “You go girl!

Austen is the one to follow. Narcissistic people on social media are unfortunately called ‘influencers.’ We wish they weren’t! Mostly they are engaged in confusing people as to their real self-knowledge. We can also attain the happiness of those who act wisely. Amazingly, Jane makes chastity elegant. Somehow it is natural that (many) people feel sorry that Lydia Bennett chooses to abandon moral principles and run off with Mr. Wickham (P&P). And also we cannot but appreciate that Lizzy and her eldest sister, Jane, also deserve the better results of their more exalted behavior. Elizabeth tells Jane, in Pride and Prejudice, “Until I have your goodness, I cannot have your happiness.” So karma is real and we can learn about goodness by reading Bhagavad-gita (and of course by reading Jane Austen’s novels!). Like a scientist we can discover the distinction between real and false roads to perfect life–and if we are not happy then there must be a reason or an error of judgement in our thinking and actions. We keep learning and adjusting our lives until we reach wisdom, self-knowledge and rational happiness and contentment.

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October 27, 2018 · 9:59 am

Your Best Life – Control the Mind

We all have a little difficulty with our minds occasionally. Anyone who has ever been unable to make a relatively easy decision because their mind kept bouncing back and forth between options knows the feeling of having a ‘monkey’ mind. Something like a bad hair day but having more to do with a glitch in the self-control mechanisms. Someone got it right in a funny song that calls the uncontrolled mind a, “24/7 obscene phone call.” According to wisdom traditions, it is the job of the intelligence to sort and prioritize the almost continuous flow of options being presented by the mind. Almost like a child, the mind requires constant observation and guidance. It also requires the oversight of sufficient intelligence, in order to hold it steady. This is not impossible for anyone engaged in bhakti-yoga. A yogi gains self-control over the senses as a natural result of purifying the intelligence. The yogi is said to have ‘single-minded’ intelligence and yet it requires sincere effort to achieve. In the Bhagavad Gita, it is stated that the mind is more difficult to control than the wind, yet it can be trained by constant practice and ‘detachment.’ For years and lifetimes even, we have been the slave of the mind and its focus on objects of the senses, almost relentlessly and so yoga is the way.

To begin to understand mental self-control we have to think about how the mind, an amazingly impulsive thing on some occasions, has no sense of the practical or the rational. Only the intelligence has this power of discrimination. The mind offers ideas and options every waking hour of the day and you may even find the mind “waiting for you” when you wake up in the morning. This might be called, “waking up on the wrong side of the bed.” The mind is what drags you to the chocolate cake and pizza — for breakfast. It’s that feeling, “I wanna…” even when you know perfectly well that it’s a bad idea or that, “I don’t wanna…” (go to bed, wash the dishes, exercise, etc) and yet your mind seems to (almost) have a mind of its own. On the other hand, picture intelligence as sort of ‘James Bond 007‘ that operates by way of cool, strategic analysis and deliberate plans.  We often regret impulsive acts when we realize (20/20 hindsight, right?) that by engaging the intelligence, difficult choices are made easier and the outcomes, generally, are happier. Philosophers and yogis know this. Mind control is most easily accomplished by yoga practice.

It is by spiritual awareness or, as Jane Austen would say, ‘self-knowledge,’ that we come to the point of ‘single-minded’ intelligence, and we also come to the important point of a certain level of detachment. Spiritual practices, done regularly, counteract the mind’s serious attachment to sense gratification. To put it simply, yoga helps us develop the needed determination to make choices that prioritize intelligence! The only alternative is to abandon our lives to the quasi-insane mental platform–not a great plan for a good life. Here’s a story that might illustrate, in a simply way, what I mean:

I was once camping in a beautiful national park and was thinking of diving into a crystal blue mountain river. It was a perfect day and it was all gorgeous scenery. Anyone could see that a dip would be refreshing.  Unfortunately, my mind was noisily protesting, “I don’t wanna!” Surely the water was cold yet so what? It was rational to seek the coolness of the water on such a warm day. Yet there was my mind…acting up and staging a protest even up to the nano-second before I hit the water.  “Noooooo!” …splash!  It was so amusing to get this chance to catch the mind “in the act” and what the heck was it all about? What was up with all that mental noise?   It was loud. It was obnoxious. And it was the same sort of mental commotion that was going on in the minds of the many people whom I saw standing nearby. Everyone seemed to be staring at the beauty of that blue water and yet no one was going in. Finally, one man approached the river in his swimming trunks. He stood nearby, poised on the edge of the water, and obviously trying to will himself to dive in. He appeared frozen in indecision. I had just come out of the water and, seeing his predicament, I called out, “You want dive into that beautiful water, right?”  He agreed without taking his eyes off the water. I began to coach him, “Pay no attention to that voice in your head.” “Just ignore it and dive in.” He thought for a moment, then he did just that! In a few minutes, and after a few more dives, he thanked me repeatedly and expressed his happiness at not missing out on the experience.  To have helped another person having problems with their mind really struck me. I realized in a very personal way that all living beings have this problem of being beleaguered and paralyzed while ‘stuck’ on the mental platform. We can do something about it, too!

If nothing else, the story above is proof that the mind can be a big party-pooper and will, if unrestrained, lead us around based on impulse and immediate gratification. Just remember that the mind does not ‘think.’ This is why it can sabotage our life and even prevent happiness. The intellect is necessary for making good choices, especially when we are choosing relationships. This is a big Jane Austen theme. In Pride & Prejudice Elizabeth’s youngest sister, Lydia, sadly ruins her life by choosing the wrong man. Her parents do nothing to restrain her wildness. After month of having “nothing but flirtation and officers in her head” she is set on a course for disaster. It is true that Lydia is quite young, only 15, and she is described as having strong ‘animal’ spirits which means that her physical desires will all the more rule over her. Unfortunately she is not given instruction as to how to think ‘seriously’ on topics which will lead to a good life. It is sad to think of anyone making choices that lead to a less-than pleasant future. Many people are very sorry that Lydia makes the worst possible choice in running away with Mr. Wickham. The wise see that some choices create a sort of path of “no return” because some behaviors have enough force to irreversibly destroy our freedom of choice. In some terrible cases, people develop an addiction to drugs and can no longer choose to use them or not. We can understand then, that consistently making good choices is important to having a good life, which centers on a life of freedom.

Jane Austen wrote about making good decisions, and her novels, though entertaining, center around her heroines’ choice of friends and marriage partners. They may initially be misled by some sort of attachment to the wrong people, yet they are sure to come to the point of intelligence, and often just in time.  In Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth Bennett is almost duped by Mr. Wickham, who has good looks and a soft-spoken sort of manliness. Fortunately, she takes some good advice from her aunt to ‘not be in a hurry’ and this gives her just enough time to find out the truth. In contrast to Elizabeth’s cool and rational behavior, the otherwise sensible Charlotte Lucas professes ‘unsound’ ideas as to what a woman should look for in a husband and, as we find out, make no use of reason in her choice of a marriage partner. Against every finer sense of feeling, she agrees to marry the socially awkward and exceedingly irksome Mr. Collins for the sake of a guaranteed ‘comfortable’ home. She leaves all her good sense behind with this choice.

I know that some Jane Austen readers and critics will justify Charlotte’s behavior by talking about the lack of opportunities for women at that period, yet still, there is no doubt that Jane Austen did not approve of this kind of calculated approach to matrimony. We read that Charlotte was looking for man who could supply her with material stability, yet not at all interested to know the character flaws of the person she was going to marry. Her only interest was for the ‘comfortable’ home. This is blatantly nothing but a ‘taker’ mentality. In contrast, Elizabeth said that she would only be induced to marry when she had found the ‘deepest’ love. She was looking for mutual respect and friendship, not just a good situation. We are sad for Charlotte’s choice because her plan for selfish pleasure will lead her to the most impermanent happiness. This is what Elizabeth is most concerned about as she leaves the newlywed Charlotte in Kent.

“Poor Charlotte! — it was melancholy to leave her to such society! — But she had chosen it with her eyes open; and though evidently regretting that her visitors were to go, she did not seem to ask for compassion. Her home and her housekeeping, her parish and her poultry, and all their dependent concerns, had not yet lost their charms.”

Not yet, but eventually… poor Charlotte, indeed! Thus Jane is teaching what the Gita repeatedly confirms, which is that pure love is eternal and based in reality, and therefore our best relationships on earth are not simply those which supply some temporary material comforts. The Gita also defines lower pleasures as, “having a beginning and an end.” Jane hints at the truth that loving relationships are, in fact, not ‘illusory’ when we understand that we are all spiritually connected. Reality means seeing by means of the intelligence, that souls are eternal and that material objects (including our material bodies) are unconscious and temporary and thus are not to be considered a true source of happiness. Of course, we still maintain the body nicely because it is a gift and a vehicle we use to attain spiritual consciousness and happiness.

One may ask, if the first principle according to the Bhagavad-Gita, is to practice control of the mind, then what is the exact mechanism for self-control and how does it occur?  The Gita (3.43) explains that the mind, optimally, works like the reins in controlling five powerful horses, corresponding to the five senses–sight, smell, taste, touch and hearing.  The intelligence is the driver holding the reins and the passenger is the soul, or consciousness.  In the best circumstances, the soul directs the driver-intelligence, which expertly reins in the mind so as to maintain control over the five senses. A favorite example of a consistently intelligent person appears as Mr. Knightley in the novel, Emma. This hero embodies the cool and deliberate nature of intelligence and as a friend, he steps in very regularly to correct Emma’s mischief.  He stands in stark contrast with other characters, even Emma herself. Again, the important point is that in all things yoga and all things Austen, there is a balanced approach and some room to safely experiment. As when riding a horse, one cannot be perpetually pulling on the reins without driving the horse to rebellion, so there’s no need to panic if you have occasional difficulties. The idea is not to repress every normal innocent inclination. In fact, for a serious urge-repressing society, look to England’s Victorian age, which immediately followed the more relaxed Regency period.  My point is that the Gita and Jane Austen’s novels promote a balanced approach.  In Northanger Abbey, our heroine, Catherine Moreland, a very innocent young heroine-in-training, gets into trouble when she allows her imagination to run wild–in the Gothic style of ‘fevered imagination’– with serious suspicions about the hero’s father, General Tilney.   She suffers some temporary mental anguish when the hero discovers her suspicions but she begins to understand the principle of controlling the mind (and her imagination) and all turns out well.


In any case, we may occasionally indulge in chocolate cake or even staying up a little past the usual bedtime–especially when attending a Regency ball!  We only desire that as far as possible the worst consequences are, well, inconsequential. As a friend, and following in the footsteps of Mr. Knightley, I do my best to combine these teachings from the Bhagavad-Gita and Austen’s novels.  I find that they compliment each other very well, even though they were composed thousands of years apart and originate from very different cultures.  Please join me again soon and let me know that you do enjoy them by subscribing or leaving a comment.

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