You Are Not Book.indb - Stephen H. Wolinsky Ph. D.

104 / You Are Not
SUBSTANCE], but they veil the reality of brahman.
If they are fully in balance, nothing appears—neither
manifestation nor creation. Once this balance is disturbed,
however, the creation appears. In the physical
world, sattva embodies what is pure and subtle [e.g.,
sunlight], rajas embodies activity [e.g., a volcano], and
tamas embodies heaviness and immobility [e.g., a block
of granite].
From the point of view of human development, sattva
is the nature of that which must be realized; tamas
is the obstacle that opposes this realization; and rajas
is the force that overcomes tamas. In terms of human
consciousness, sattva is expressed as peace and serenity;
rajas as activity, passion, and restlessness, and tamas
as laziness, lack of interest, and stupidity. A person’s
character and mood are determined, at any given time,
by the dominant guna. The spiritual aspirant must
overcome tamas with rajas, and rajas with sattva. For
the realization of the ätman [THE SUBSTANCE], even
sattva must be overcome.” (The Encyclopedia of Eastern
Philosophy and Religion, p. 121)
THE GUnA COnCEpT
This standard definition of the concept of the Gunas is
a cornerstone of many Hindu Yoga practices for millennia.
The Miss-understanding
The misunderstanding that the attempt to change, alter,
or imagine that a Guna actually is, is where the problem lies,
when in order for the Guna concept to be, the I am must be
there to say it is so. Why, because, prior to the I am, YOU
ARE NOT, and there is no Guna concept.
Where does misunderstanding occur in relation to the
concept of the Gunas? It is the attempt to change a force