Spiritual traditions have maintained that to develop sattwa, we need to practise and live spiritual disciplines. In order to deal with the intensity of the gunas there are different techniques. If tamoguna is predominant, and we need to practise some methods to transform that tamoguna into sattwa, then austerity has to be practised, tapasya. If rajoguna is predominant, and we want to convert that into sattwa, then we need to practise yamas and niyamas such as ahimsa or aparigraha just to change the quality of rajoguna into sattwa.
All the various traditions that exist in the world have followed these two paths. One, an extreme path of austerity and hardship, in which we may have to fast, we may have to be harsh with our body, we may have to expose our body to the elements – just to control the mind and overcome the natural inclinations of tamas and pleasure in life. The other path is much simpler than that: by becoming aware, we change the various components of our personality, one by one.
28 May to 2 June 1998, Mumbai