Tapasya: Straightening by Fire

An Article for Natural Awakenings

In a rich world of endless material stimuli—colors, sights, sounds, smells, tastes, thoughts, words—we find ourselves very easily tangled up in desires. We want to experience everything: better clothes, decadent foods, alcohol, gadgets... We are also concerned with what people think of us; how we will possibly cram everything we “need” to do in a day; where we will take our next vacation; how far we advance in our careers. We are buried in the clamor and baggage of our desires. We lose consciousness and spend our lives wanting what we don’t have, not seeing where we are, what we are, our perfect God-nature within.

Tapasya originates in India and is a simple and direct practice for renouncing worldly desires. If you enliven your “tapas,” as it is said, you build a creative fire within, no longer susceptible to you yourself being consumed by all of the tempting fires of the external world.

Tapas

Tapas is a Sanskrit word meaning, simply, “heat.” But in the context of yoga and spirituality, tapas is your internal fire and willpower that grows as you turn inward to abstain from worldly desires. When we find ourselves compelled to mindlessly eat, tapasya encourages a fast. For incessant talking and thinking, enliven your will to be silent for extended periods of time. What you want, you do the opposite of. This austerity balances and strengthens. It may be hard at first, but if you remain steadfast, it becomes easier and easier. In due time, you can proceed joyfully in tapasya. Your work pays off.

Russian esotericist Peter D. Oupensky writes, “If a man gives way to all his desires, or panders to them, there will be no inner struggle in him, no ‘friction,’ no fire. But if, for the sake of attaining a definite aim, he struggles with the desires that hinder him, he will then create a fire which will gradually transform his inner world into a single whole.”

     Remember, even when practicing restraint from your desires, be gentle with yourself. You’ll miss the point if you end up with loads of emotional stress and self hatred for when you inevitably give in and eat that cookie or indulge in some other way. It’s okay! You are practicing, not perfecting. Do your best (not try your best), and you will reap great health and tapas benefits!

An Exercise in Silence

The ego bangs and shouts endlessly if you let it. (Note that you and the ego are separate entities!) Your ego causes you to miss the beautiful dance outside and the peaceful stillness deep inside. In the same way that you are what you eat, you also are what you think. If you mindlessly let your thoughts drag you down, all you see is negativity and judgment. It’s very difficult to observe the patch of bright flowers in a field when you only ever focus on weeds. And spiritually-speaking, over-thinking throws a heap of debris on top of the divine essence within. You simply cannot dig through all of the clutter quickly enough in a life time if you don’t stop thinking… and talking… and consuming. No matter how intelligent or noble you consider yourself while deep in thought, you frankly cannot be who you are when you are so consumed in it—by it. “Good” or “bad” thoughts are thoughts, which you are not.

So, find who you are by beginning tapasya with a simple exercise in silence. Take a personal vow to refrain from vocalization, and work toward a meditative, thought-free state in your mind. Begin with just an hour a day. It may be easiest to do this when you are alone, but if you are with people, make sure to inform them of your decision. Ask that they support you.

This quiet time enables you to hear your soul, your thought- and ego- less you, and observe your external environment plainly for what it is. For this hour, you get off the tumultuous rollercoaster ride and watch peacefully from stable ground. You can see passengers still on the ride screaming and banging about with their hair whipping out of control and stinging their faces. You might begin to grasp a new insight from this perspective!

Expect nothing from your practice, however. Expect only the quiet, as this is your intention. Be aware of yourself, but know you’ve done it right if you just keep your mouth and mind silent for the hour. Let it all go. Persistence, simplicity, and awareness bring you to a meditative state, where tapas develops, and where you meet yourself with continued practice and openness.

Yogi Sri Yukteswar describes Tapasya vividly here: “Conserve your powers. Daily renewed sense of yearnings sap your inner peace; they are like openings in a reservoir that allow vital waters to be wasted in the desert soil of materialism. The forceful activating impulse of wrong desire is the greatest enemy to the happiness of man. Roam in the world as a lion of self control; don’t let the frogs of sense weakness kick you around.”

Tapasya is a gateway to being born again, outside of the grasp of materialism and sense gratification, addiction, neuroticism, and self-consciousness. So be stong, be bold! Light your flame and watch as it joins the Great Fire that loves everything unconditionally, and is everything—needs nothing. Happy Silence to you.

Quotes taken from “Be Here Now” section on Tapasya from the larger section “Cook Book for a Sacred Life.” Hanuman Foundation.