Dama (Sanskrit)
The Sanskrit term dama ( दम ) occupies a very important position in yoga and can be reproduced with sensory control.
etymology
The masculine noun Dama ( दम ) has the following meanings: self-determination, self-control, restraint, punishment, repentance and house, home . A dama is a member of an unrecognized mixed caste. The adjective dama means tamable, conquerable, suppressible .
Dama should not be confused with Dāma दाम ( ring, garland ) or with dhama धम ( blowing, melting ). Dhāma धाम 's hold, carry .
definition
Adi Shankara defines Dama in the Tattva Bodhaḥ as follows:
"Damaḥ kaḥ? Cakṣurādibāyendriyanigrahaḥ "
“What is dama? It is the control of the external five sense organs "
description
It is a natural consequence for one who has brought his mind under control that he learns to control his gross senses as well. Dama thus succeeds Shama . After Shama it forms the second of the six inner riches ( Shat-sampat ) in yoga.
But Dama can also act independently of Shama. It is entirely possible that someone suddenly loses control of the mind, but not control. A feeling of anger may well arise in one, but this surge need not necessarily be accompanied by bad words.
The senses are five in number - eyes (sight), ears (hearing), nose (smell), tongue (taste), as well as hands, feet and skin (touch). The eyes always long to see certain things. Similarly, the other four senses have an inherent passion. A passion arises from uncontrollable desires that come over you and take hold of you. These wishes are at the beginning of a lengthy process that ends with their being granted. Comparable to diseases that we don't know about and that only later manifest in our body, they gradually creep into us.
The senses are naturally directed outwards. Like wild horses they run after their respective objects, one after the other, sometimes all at the same time. Their current does not want to stop and they do not leave the mind alone for a minute. The tongue wants to taste delicious food or just keep chatting. The eyes want to watch television. The hands are restless and so on. The senses make no distinction between useful and pleasant. They are consumers and feed the mind with unhealthy and undesirable sensory impressions.
Dama means training the senses, very similar to the dressage of a wild horse. A disciplined lifestyle and healthy habits help a lot. The senses need to be trained to follow good habits and still stay in control when faced with challenges or temptations. A well-bred child will not utter harsh words when faced with hostility because he or she does not even know them. However, should these still be found in his vocabulary, he will avoid saying them.
If the senses are controlled with vehemence or fearfulness, the mind will rebel against this or wander and brood over other pleasures. Tellingly, people think more about good food on fasting days and make up for their deficit the day after with a lavish party! A healthy practice of mind control (dama) should support mind control (shama) and vice versa.
A helpful method is the so-called "quarantine". What this means is to live in a quiet place with few distractions. This is not to say, however, that a reduction in sensual attractions automatically frees you from all of these. The process is rather like a chain smoker who wants to give up his bad habit. Only in the rarest cases can this succeed overnight. Much more practical and promising is a gradual reduction in the daily dose and a replacement of the harmful nicotine with more harmless substances. The control of the senses and their detachment from their objects is a discreet and difficult process, which should be carried out with great caution but not abruptly.
meaning
In Vedanta, Dama is the second of the six inner riches ( Shat-sampat ), alongside Shama , Uparati , Titiksha , Samadhana and Shraddha . In yoga, mastering it is a fundamental requirement. These six inner riches, along with Viveka (discernment), Vairagya (letting go) and Mumukshutva (striving for liberation), are part of the sadhana chatushtaya , the fourfold spiritual path of self-control, cleansing, purification and opening of our existence to the divine.
swell
- Adi Shankara: Tattva Bodhaḥ .
- Swami Krishnananda: Spiritual Aspiration and Practice, Chapter 6: The Six Treasures . Ed .: The Divine Life Society.