Sattva

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Sattva (Sanskrit: सत्त्व, meaning goodness) is one of the three guṇas or "modes of existence" (tendencies, qualities, attributes), a philosophical and psychological concept understood by the Samkhya school of Hindu philosophy. [1] [2] The other two qualities are rajas (passion and activity) and tamas (destruction, chaos). Sattva is the quality of goodness, purity, positivity, truth, serenity, balance, peacefulness, and virtuousness that is drawn towards Dharma and jñāna (knowledge). [1] [3] [4] The act or a person who bears this is called Sattvik.

Contents

Hinduism

Samkhya Philosophy

In Samkhya philosophy, a guṇa is one of three "tendencies, qualities": sattva, rajas and tamas . This category of qualities has been widely adopted by various schools of Hinduism for categorizing behavior and natural phenomena. The three qualities are:

In Indian philosophy, these qualities are not considered as present in either-or fashion. Rather, everyone and everything has all three, only in different proportions and in different contexts. [10] The living being or substance is viewed as the net result of the joint effect of these three qualities. [10] [7]

According to the Samkhya school, no one and nothing is either purely sattvik or purely rajasik or purely tamasik. [7] One's nature and behavior is a complex interplay of all of these, with each guna in varying degrees. In some, the conduct is rajasik with significant influence of sattvik guna, in some it is rajasik with significant influence of tamasik guna, and so on. [7]

Bhagavad Gita

The Bhagavad Gita describes sattva as a path to liberation. [11] It describes sattva as superior to the other two gunas because it brings clarity, leads to higher realms, and is without impurities, but it is also described as a cause of bondage. [12] Verse 14.6 describes sattva as:

because sattva is flawless it is luminous and has no contamination. It is through attachment to happiness and attachment to knowledge (jñana) that it causes bondage, O sinless one.

The Bhagavad Gita [12] , Chapter 14, verse 6

It causes bondage, as explained in verse 14.9, by attachment to happiness. [12]

Buddhism

Sattva, or satta in Pali language, is found in Buddhist texts, such as in Bodhi-sattva. The sattva in Buddhism means "a living being, creature, person or sentient being". [13]

See also

Related Research Articles

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Samkhya or Sankhya is a dualistic orthodox school of Hindu philosophy. It views reality as composed of two independent principles, Puruṣa and Prakṛti.

Bhakti yoga, also called Bhakti marga, is a spiritual path or spiritual practice within Hinduism focused on loving devotion towards any personal deity. It is one of the three classical paths in Hinduism which lead to moksha, the other paths being jnana yoga and karma yoga.

Rajas is one of the three guṇas, a philosophical and psychological concept developed by the Samkhya school of Hindu philosophy. The other two qualities are sattva and tamas. Rajas is innate tendency or quality that drives motion, energy and activity.

Tamas is one of the three guṇas, a philosophical and psychological concept developed by the Samkhya school of Hindu philosophy. The other two qualities are rajas and sattva. Tamas is the quality of inertia, inactivity, dullness, or lethargy. Generally it is referred to as the lowest guṇa of the three.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jnana yoga</span> One of three classical paths for moksha in Hinduism

Jnana yoga, also known as the jnanamarga, is one of the three classical paths (margas) for moksha (liberation) in the Bhagavad Gita, which emphasizes the "path of knowledge", also known as the "path of self-realization". The other two are karma yoga and bhakti yoga. Modern interpretations of Hindu texts have yielded systems, techniques and formulations such as raja yoga and kriya yoga.

Guṇa is a concept in Hinduism, which can be translated as "quality, peculiarity, attribute, property".

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A sattvic diet is a type of plant-based diet within Ayurveda where food is divided into what is defined as three yogic qualities (guna) known as sattva. In this system of dietary classification, foods that decrease the energy of the body are considered tamasic, while those that increase the energy of the body are considered rajasic. A sattvic diet is sometimes referred to as a yogic diet in modern literature.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bhagavad Gita</span> Major Hindu scripture

The Bhagavad Gita, often referred to as the Gita, is a Hindu scripture, dated to the second or first century BCE, which forms part of the epic Mahabharata. It is a synthesis of various strands of Indian religious thought, including the Vedic concept of dharma ; samkhya-based yoga and jnana (knowledge); and bhakti (devotion). It holds a unique pan-Hindu influence as the most prominent sacred text and is a central text in Vedanta and the Vaishnava Hindu tradition.

Tanmatras are rudimentary, undifferentiated, subtle elements from which gross elements are produced. There are five sense perceptions – hearing, touch, sight, taste and smell – and there are five tanmatras corresponding to those five sense perceptions and the five sense-organs. The tanmatras combine and re-combine in different ways to produce the gross elements – ether, air, fire, water, and earth – which make up the gross universe perceived by the senses. The senses come into contact with the objects and carry impressions of them to the manas (mind), which receives and arranges them into precepts.

In Samkhya, pradhāna is the "primal matter," "the first principle from which all material things have evolved. It is an alternate term for prakriti in a state of equilibrium of the three gunas – sattva, rajas and tamas, the three modes of prakrti. When purusha comes in contact with prakriti, the balance is distorted, and the 23 principles evolves from prakriti.

Yoga philosophy is one of the six major important schools of Hindu philosophy, though it is only at the end of the first millennium CE that Yoga is mentioned as a separate school of thought in Indian texts, distinct from Samkhya. Ancient, medieval and most modern literature often refers to Yoga-philosophy simply as Yoga. A systematic collection of ideas of Yoga is found in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, a key text of Yoga which has influenced all other schools of Indian philosophy.

Mahat-tattva or mahat is a concept in the Samkhya philosophy of Hinduism. It is the first evolute of Prakriti, the causeless cause of the world, that is generated after Prakriti begins to evolve when its equilibrium is disturbed, which causes expansion of material energy and matter. In the process of evolution, after mahat emanates, egoity (ahamkara), mind (manas), the five sense capacities, the five action capacities, the five subtle elements, and the five gross elements evolve. These are the 22 other elements that constitute the basic metaphysics of Samkhya.

The Karma Yoga is the third of the eighteen chapters of the Bhagavad Gita. The chapter has a total of 43 shlokas. It is also the 25th chapter of Bhishma Parva, the sixth book of the Mahabharata.

<i>Samkhya Yoga</i> (Bhagavad Gita) Second chapter of the Bhagavad Gita

The Samkhya Yoga is the second of the eighteen chapters of the Bhagavad Gita. The chapter has a total of 72 shlokas. The chapter is the 26th chapter of Bhishma Parva, the sixth episode of the Mahabharata.

<i>Jnana Karma Sanyasa Yoga</i> Fourth chapter of the Bhagavad Gita

The Jnana Karma Sanyasa Yoga, also spelled as the Gnana Karma Sanyasa Yoga, is the fourth of the eighteen chapters of the Bhagavad Gita. The chapter has a total of 42 shlokas (verses). The chapter is the 28th chapter of the Bhishma Parva, the sixth book of the Mahabharata.

References

  1. 1 2 Gerald James Larson (2001). Classical Sāṃkhya: An Interpretation of Its History and Meaning. Motilal Banarsidass. pp. 10–18, 49, 163. ISBN   978-8120805033.
  2. James G. Lochtefeld, "Sattva", in The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism: A–M, Vol. 2, Rosen Publishing, ISBN   978-0823931798, p. 608
  3. 1 2 Ian Whicher (1998), The Integrity of the Yoga Darśana, State University of New York Press, pp. 86–87, 124–125, 163–167, 238–243 [ ISBN missing ]
  4. Carus, Paul. "Karma and Nirvana. Are the Buddhist Doctrines Nihilistic?" Monist 4 (1893-94): 417-439.
  5. Alter, Joseph S., Yoga in modern India, 2004 Princeton University Press, p. 55
  6. Mikel Burley (2007). Classical Samkhya and Yoga: An Indian Metaphysics of Experience. Routledge. pp. 101–105, 120–122, 167, 185. ISBN   978-1134159789.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Alban Widgery (1930), "The principles of Hindu Ethics", International Journal of Ethics, Vol. 40, No. 2, pp. 234–237
  8. Ian Whicher (1998), The Integrity of the Yoga Darśana, State University of New York Press, pp. 63, 124–129, 138, 188–190
  9. Ian Whicher (1998), The Integrity of the Yoga Darśana, State University of New York Press, pp. 63, 110–112, 124–126, 163, 188
  10. 1 2 James G. Lochtefeld, "Sattva", in The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism: A–M, Vol. 2, Rosen Publishing, ISBN   978-0823931798, p. 265
  11. Sutton, Nicholas (2016-12-16). Bhagavad-Gita. Blurb, Incorporated. p. 244. ISBN   978-1-366-61059-1.
  12. 1 2 3 Sutton, Nicholas (2016-12-16). Bhagavad-Gita. Blurb, Incorporated. pp. 211–213. ISBN   978-1-366-61059-1.
  13. T. W. Rhys Davids; William Stede (1905). The Pali-English Dictionary. Asian Educational Services. pp. 154, 673. ISBN   978-81-206-1273-0.

Further reading