The Secret Doctrine of Goddess Lalita
(Sri LalitaAṣṭottara Rahasyārthamu)
39. maitryādi vāsanālabhyā
She who is to be attained by love and other good dispositions.
To attain such a lofty goal as total abidance in the Self, a seeker must persevere and stay committed to the practice. Mind is conditioned by many inauspicious impressions (aśubhavāsanā) accumulated over many lifetimes. These impressions obstruct our spiritual progress. As long as our minds are controlled by our tendencies, there is no hope for us. Self-abidance will continue to remain out of reach. Therefore, the first step is to get rid of these negative tendencies. The only way to do so is by cultivating positive tendencies or śubhavāsanā-s. The yoga śāstra advocates cultivating four dispositions or qualities: maitrī (friendship), karuṇā (compassion), mudita (joy), and upekṣā (indifference). This nāma refers to these same qualities.
People are of four types: those who are easy going and happy, those who struggle and are unhappy, those who try to perform meritorious deeds, and those who perform cruel deeds. We interact with these four types of people all our lives. When we interact with them closely, we are likely to acquire their tendencies. To make sure their tendencies don’t create new tendencies in us, we must counter the negative tendencies with positive tendencies, such as becoming friends with those who are happy, being compassionate to those who are unhappy, rejoicing with those who perform meritorious deeds, and remaining detached from those who perform cruel deeds. Such positive tendencies will remove negative tendencies like envy, stubbornness, intolerance, and hatred. The negative tendencies (aśubhavāsanā-s) will gradually get replaced by positive tendencies (subhavāsanā-s).
As we cultivate strong śubhavāsanā-s, we must let go of good vāsanā-s as well. Even good vāsanā-s are worldly in nature, since they also comprise the three guṇa-s (rajas, tamas, and ṣatva). vāsanā-s, good or bad, prevent us from attaining and stabilizing our vision in the formless, attribute-less brahman. Therefore, we must transcend both positive and negative tendencies by cultivating a strong vāsanā for brahman, Pure Consciousness. This may not be possible right away. The mind must first be purified with śubha vāsanā-s, and eventually, through deep contemplation and clear understanding of the nature of the Supreme Self, it must transcend all vāsanā-s. As stated in Chāndogya Upanishad 7-26.2, “…from purity of mind comes constant remembrance of God, and from constant remembrance of God, one becomes free of all bondage - one becomes liberated." Therefore, we need not entertain any doubt. A mature seeker is not plagued by doubts. He can easily go to the next step in his practice, quickly reach the peak, and remain there. Therefore, even though a seeker is required to initially cultivate good tendencies and develop strong brahmavāsanā, he must eventually transcend even that vāsanā. As long as strong tendencies persist, they obstruct progress. Positive tendencies purify the mind, but do not help in realizing the Self. When total abidance in the Self is attained, Devī manifests in the seeker as vāsanā-alabhyā, the One who transcends all vāsanā-s.