Transcending the Three Temperaments

Human behaviour is governed by three tendencies – Sattva, Rajas and Tamas. These three gunas (qualities, temperaments) determine the tendencies of the human body-mind. The play of these three temperaments is subtle and unseen, but their symptoms are perceivable at all levels of human existence – physical, mental, intellectual and occupational.

Tamas is the tendency of inertia or passivity. Rajas is the tendency of motivity or activity. Sattva is the tendency of equanimity or balance. The proportion of these three temperaments within the human body-mind shapes its overall behaviour. This is why you find people prone to a variety of dispositions.

Tamas is characterized by lethargy, inertia, passivity, ignorance, greed and attachment to lowly desires. Tamasic people tend to eat stale food; they don’t like fresh and lively food. They are laid-back and find solace in pleasures that stimulate their senses. A tamasic body is prone to lethargy. A tamasic mind indulges in base thoughts and negative emotions like hatred, anger, ill-will. A tamasic intellect is dull and rigid.

Rajas is a temperament that fuels activity. It serves as an engine for life-in-action. However, when this engine gets into overdrive, the result is hyperactivity. Rajasic people find it difficult to relax, both physically and mentally. They have to be constantly engaged at work. They just cannot stay still. They prefer hot and spicy food. They are highly ambitious, whether or not they have the qualities to achieve them. They are rarely satisfied with whatever is, and constantly seek new sensations and variety in life.

Sattva is the quality of equanimity and balance. It is the most subtle and intangible of the three gunas. Sattva provides composure, level-headedness, purity and virtuousness. Sattvic people are sensitive to the effects of food on the body and mind. They always eat well-balanced and optimum amount of food. Sattvic people make optimum use of sleep, activity and rest. They do not overindulge in any one thing. They tread the middle path. Sattvic people can be in a state of rest even while working, because they have learnt the art of relaxed action.

It is possible to have a mix of these tendencies at various levels of existence. For example, one who has a predominantly tamasic body can have a predominantly rajasic mind. Such a person will always be lost in incessant thinking and emotional sways while being physically sluggish.

After getting to know the virtues associated with sattva, everyone would love to become sattvic. It is very much in our power to increase the temperament we want. All the three gunas are present in everyone in different proportions. It’s not that sattva is totally absent in tamas or rajas predominant people. Some amount of sattva is alive even in the most tamasic or rajasic people. It’s just that it has been muted because such people have constantly ignored it in favour of tamas or rajas. Constantly ignoring the sattvic force within your body-mind makes it dormant.

The secret to develop sattva is to program your subconscious mind with habits that promote sattva. You can begin with your eating habits. An oft-repeated saying is that you are what you eat. Program your mind to enjoy easily digestible, nutritious and energizing food. Avoid heavy, fatty, spicy, sugary, processed and preserved food.

When you begin with reforming the habits of your body, your mind too will follow suit. When we begin from the bottom and move upwards, we automatically receive cues from nature regarding what to do next. Act upon the cues and develop sattvic habits. Soon enough, you will find yourself enjoying a sattvic lifestyle.

However, here’s a word of caution. Being sattvic is not the ultimate goal of life. There are dangers of remaining stuck with the sattvic way of life without seeking to go beyond it.

Many people who take to spirituality consider the progression to the Sattvic way of life as the final goal. There are dangers inherent in resting on the plateau of Sattva, without transcending it.

The biggest danger of remaining stuck with sattva is the probability of backsliding into tamas. If sattvic people are unaware that there is something beyond sattva, they can become complacent, egoistic and arrogant.

There are many people of sattvic nature, working for social cause. There is no harm in doing selfless service, as long as they are truly selfless. People of Sattvic nature tend to take credit for performing altruistic deeds for the wellbeing of society. True wisdom lies in surrendering all deeds to the Self. However, they revel in a sense of self-pride for being the doer of noble deeds.

The state that is beyond the three gunas is known as the transcendental state – the state that transcends these temperaments of your body-mind mechanism. Being in the transcendental state, you can make use of the three gunas as and when you require them for Self-expression, without being susceptible to their influence. Being in the transcendental state your gunas are at your discretion. For example, at bedtime, you make use of tamas to get into deep sleep. While meditating you make controlled use of tamas and sattva to enter into deep state of stillness. When some activity needs to be done, you make use of rajas and perform the activity. Thus, for everything that you need to do, you have your gunas at your disposal.

The transcendental state doesn’t distance you from the world. You take part in every activity that you need to. Inspired actions arise from the Self and express through your body-mind. You connect and transact with the world, but you are not attached to it. You have a top-view of things. You express divine love for people; not ‘personalized’ love that is related to the body and mind. Every activity becomes a means of Self-expression instead of fuelling the ego.

It is possible to attain this state, because it’s already available within you. If it had to be acquired from elsewhere, then it wouldn’t have been possible. You need to raise your level of consciousness by listening to the truth, through service unto the truth, through devotion of the truth.

Begin by raising your awareness to spot the play of the temperaments. Notice when tamas dominates your choices. Observe where rajas takes you away from the state of relaxed alertness. Be vigilant about how the ego bloats about sattvic qualities. With heightened awareness, you will be able to spot when tamas, rajas and sattva are at work in your body-mind.

You need to raise your awareness so that you not only move from tamas to sattva, but also transcend sattva into the stateless state of the Self.

Summary:
Human behaviour is governed by three tendencies or gunas – Sattva, Rajas and Tamas. Sattva is the most subtle and intangible of the three gunas. Sattva provides composure, level-headedness, purity and virtuousness. Hence, one would love to become sattvic. Being sattvic is not the ultimate goal of life. There are dangers of remaining stuck with the sattvic way of life without seeking to go beyond it. You need to raise your awareness so that you transcend sattva into the stateless state of the Self, known as the transcendental state. Being in the transcendental state, you can make use of the three gunas as and when you require them for Self-expression, without being susceptible to their influence.