The Three Qualities of Life
Have you heard of the gunas?
The gunas are Sattva, Rajas and Tamas.
Stemming from Samkhya philosophy which Yoga, Tantra and Ayurveda derive, the Gunas are the qualities and attributes that make up the world we live in, including the elements which make up the Doshas (Vata, Pitta and Kapha). They give us an understanding of the world that surrounds us. Objects, thoughts, words, actions, foods, practices and places hold these qualities in varying degrees.
They distribition of these three qualities within our lives, minds and bodies is constantly being influenced by our choices and environments. Our actions, foods and thoughts can be Sattvic, Tamasic or Rajasic. On one hand we have a tendency to remain within the influence of our current primary guna, comfortable with what’s familiar yet when we become aware of the gunas and their influence we can actively and intentionally direct ourselves towards the qualities which are best for us.
So let’s get into what the three gunas are and I’ll let you get a feel for which guna you feel is most nourishing to your soul!
Sattva is the quality of lightness, purity, peace, harmony and goodness leading to the illumination of knowledge and enlightenment.
Rajas is the quality of action and momentum. It can lead to agitation and reactivity yet when refined is also the force of positive change.
Tamas is the quality of density, inertia and ignorance. It can lead to depression and dullness yet when refined, it is also the force of materialisation and grounding.
I’d like to share with you an excerpt from Spiritual Compass: The Three Qualities of Life by Satish Kumar. In this excerpt he shares how these three qualities manifest in our life as the things we consume, the actions we take and in how we seek things.
Three kinds of food
Foods which promote vitality, health and joy, which are soft, sweet and nourishing are sattvic.
Foods which produce pain, grief, and disease, which are bitter, sour, pungent and harsh are rajasic.
Foods which produce dullness, heaviness and lethargy, which are tasteless, stale and intoxicating are tamasic.
Three kinds of action
Action which is performed without attachment, without desire for reward and with love is sattvic.
Action which is performed under stress and for the purpose of gratification is rajasic.
Action which is performed in ignorance, without regard for consequences and which brings injury is tamasic.
Three kinds of person
The person who has no ego and who is unperturbed by either success or failure is sattvic.
The person who is swayed by passion, who eagerly seeks results and who is greedy is rajasic.
The person who is unbalanced, vulgar, deceitful, malicious and despondent is tamasic.
Three kinds of happiness
Happiness which is a result of a clear understanding of the self and the world is sattvic.
Happiness which arises from the gratification of the senses, which seems like nectar at first but is like poison at the end, is rajasic.
Happiness which comes from delusion and which is derived from sloth and negligence is tamasic.
A key point to note is that the distribution of gunas isn’t black and white. The gunas can also be expressed through sub-gunas, where the gunas merge and something can be both sattvic and rajasic. For example, anti-war activism holds rajasic qualities of action, momentum, change, destruction and agitation yet is carried by the qualities of sattva, as the intentions and purpose are to illuminate knowledge, freedom and peace.
So, with all that being said…
Can you feel a familiarity with any of these qualities?
Where can you see yourself?
Where do your actions sit?
What quality are you digesting in your foods?
Where are you seeking happiness?