The role of emotions in spiritual life

We may sometimes get the impression that emotions are māyā, something to be avoided, but we can see that the process of devotional service is very strongly based in emotions.

We may sometimes get the impression that emotions are māyā, something to be avoided, but we can see that the process of devotional service is very strongly based in emotions. Much of books such as the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, are dedicated to describing the emotions of the inhabitants of the spiritual world toward Krsna and teach us how to develop them. Emotions are the basis of relationships; therefore, one who represses all emotions will have difficulties in developing a personal relationship with Krsna. One may be able to reach impersonal liberation, but it will be improbable that one will be able to reconnect with their eternal relationship with the Lord in this way.

On the other hand, when emotions are centered on selfish desires and material relationships, we experience lust, anger, envy, pride, greed, etc., which entangle us in the material duality. We can see thus that emotions can be the cause of bondage, but also of liberation. When Arjuna felt grief before the battle of Kurukṣetra, he used this grief to enquire from Krsna. When Hanumān felt anger, he used it to burn Lanka, and so on. We don't want to extinguish emotions, just learn to direct them to Krsna.

Just like money and material talents, emotions are assets that when properly directed, can be used to increase our service to Krsna, becoming powerful catalysts in our spiritual practice. On the other hand, thinking that emotions are inherently bad can lead to repression or denial, which can have many negative consequences.

We are not impersonalists

There is a fundamental difference in the way Māyāvādis and Vaiṣnavas see the world. Māyāvādis think that the material world is false, an illusion imposed over the transcendental reality. A Vaiṣnava, however, doesn't see the material world as false. It is real, and it is a creation of Krsna; it is just not the ultimate reality. The material world exists, and what we experience here is real. The problem is that we misunderstand things, taking the temporary situations we experience here as permanent, and seeing different objects, relationships, and emotions as sources of personal enjoyment, instead of resources that can be offered to Krsna. The goal for us is thus not to negate the world as false, or to annihilate our individuality, but to destroy our personal māyā of seeing things as separate from Krsna.

For a Māyāvādi, the ultimate goal is to dissolve individuality and emotions, merging into the impersonal effulgence, while Vaiṣnavas see the development of spiritual emotions (rasa) in their eternal relationship with Krsna as the purpose of life. For Vaiṣnavas, emotions are an eternal feature of the soul. They just need to be purified.

When we see nice vegetables and other products, we don't think that they are illusions that must be discarded. We see them as ingredients we can use to make nice preparations and offer to Krsna. We should see our emotions in the same light. Even if not completely pure, they are tools we have to come closer to Krsna. Hankering can thus become a driving force in chanting or associating with devotees, grief can lead to renunciation, fear can intensify our prayers, pride can make us enthusiastic in service, and even despair can bring us closer to the Lord, making us surrender unto Him.

On the other hand, when emotions are cut off from Krsna and repressed, they can lead to hardness and impersonalism (which is the opposite of bhakti), or burst violently later on, with unpredictable results.

Engaging emotions positively

The role of emotions in spiritual life is something that started being seriously discussed in our movement only relatively recently. Before that, the general mood was to see emotions as māyā and try to repress them. If one could develop love for Krsna by just repressing his emotions and performing dry austerities, this would surely be a good bargain, but we can see practically that devotees who go on this path are often not very successful. Frequently, they become callous, impersonal in their relationships, with many developing mental problems or falling back into material life after some time.

Positive emotions, like love and friendship, can be easily engaged in relationships with other devotees, deity worship, and so on, but even negative emotions like lust and anger can be used in devotional service if properly directed. Anger can be used as a transformational force to create and transform things, fighting the battles that need to be fought. If anger comes when we see some injustice or some wrong being done, and it is properly directed to solve the problem, it can be very productive. Similarly, lust can be properly engaged in family life, to beget and raise children. Devotees who have a lot of lust are frequently the best husbands and mothers; the point is not to suppress it, but to use it appropriately. This is the path to purify our emotions and gradually connect them with Krsna, one of the greatest secrets to being successful in spiritual life.

Another point is the difference between suppression and repression of emotions. One is the process of using it positively, while the other is just a dangerous practice.

Suppression means to acknowledge an emotion and then use our intelligence to channel it appropriately, just like taking a flame and putting it into a lamp instead of letting it burn the house down. We may feel anger toward another devotee, but breathe and decide to address the issue calmly later, using the emotion in the meantime to vigorously clean the temple, for example. In this case, suppression means to acknowledge that someone made me angry, that there is a problem, but direct it into something positive instead of quarreling with someone. Later, with a calm head, I can work to solve the underlying problem.

Repression, on the other hand, means to refuse to acknowledge the emotion and instead push it deep into the unconscious. It doesn't disappear; it is just like throwing fire into the garbage, allowing the flame to spread there until it becomes a blaze. Emotions that are repressed and thrown into the unconscious can burst out in unexpected and dangerous ways later. When we see devotees unreasonably angry without apparent reason, falling down in spectacular ways, or doing outrageous things, it is often the result of long-term repressed emotions.

The other side

As we can see, emotions have an important role in spiritual life, and artificially repressing them can be dangerous. However, there is also another side.

A serious mistake is to confuse sentimentality for devotion. Often, devotees confuse mood swings or emotional excitement with genuine spiritual realization. One may cry in kīrtana, feel waves of emotion, or show affection for others, and assume this equals advanced devotion, just to crash later, when these sentiments fade away, leaving emptiness.

There is a huge difference between purified emotions, which come as a result of our devotional process, and the raw material emotions that can be directed as part of the process. It is the same as comparing the milk and sugar that are used to make the sweets offered to the deity with the mahā-prasāda that comes from the altar. Just as one will not go back to godhead by eating ordinary milk and sugar, one will not advance by just showing ordinary emotions. If properly engaged, these emotions can help, but they themselves are not symptoms of love of Godhead.

The greatest danger in confusing ordinary emotions with spiritual ecstasy is that once ordinary emotions are taken as the result of the process, the goal changes into just increasing these emotions, instead of properly practicing and developing the real thing. One then becomes addicted to just experiencing material emotions of grief, jubilation, and so on, which can end up becoming a kind of mental disease. Devotees who have a history of drugs or schizophrenia can even start believing they are meeting with Krsna and the Gopīs. That's not where we want to go.

Another mistake is to get stuck in our own grief, guilt, or despair, mistaking it for spiritual humility. Again, it comes from mistaking material emotions that can be engaged, with the final result we aim to produce with the spiritual process. Grief and guilt may be used as a catalyst to chant the holy names more attentively and attend spiritual programs, for example, allowing this spiritual practice to produce humility and other genuine spiritual qualities as a result. However, if we become self-absorbed in just churning our own grief and despair, allowing the mind to indulge in these negative feelings repeatedly, we are just creating a toxic pattern that will be difficult to break later. Again, it will put us on the path of mental disease instead of love of Godhead.

Finally, we have the strongest emotion of all, the attraction to the opposite gender, which also has to be dealt with carefully. Celibacy can be a powerful force because it can allow one to direct this potent energy into accomplishing other goals. That's what we do in brahmacārī life, for example, directing this energy into devotional service and spiritual practice. Sometimes, one can purify his lust in a few years as a result of this spiritual practice and maintain his celibacy for life, but if this doesn't happen, one has to eventually get down from idealized images and engage it properly in family life, using it to build a family. The process of directing lust inside of family life is not different in principle (one has still to learn to direct this energy into productive activities instead of just engaging in sexual activities all day long). The difference is that in family life, one has the possibility of engaging in sexual activities when suitable, instead of letting the passion burst out in unhealthy ways.

In the 4th canto of Srimad Bhagavatam, family life is compared to a fort, and a loyal spouse with a general who protects us from being smashed by the attacks of lust. It is certainly an inspiring analogy that shows that family life is an important aspect of the process of learning to deal with our emotions that should not be overlooked.

What struggles do you face in your spiritual life? Post in the comments below ⤵️

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