Deepak chopra how to overcome bad habits. The spiritual path to solving a problem is to read the book for free. Very typical for Vata type

This book will be of great benefit both to millions of people who are trying to get rid of bad habits themselves, and to millions of their relatives and friends who are trying to help these people solve their problems.

Dr. Deepak Chopra offers a completely unexpected look at bad habits, what they represent, and the people who succumb to them. Despite the fact that bad habits bring us both physical and emotional suffering, this book is about pleasure and prosperity, love and hope, health and happiness.

In essence, a person suffering from bad habits is a seeker of happiness, but he looks for it in the wrong place and wanders, perhaps for many years, in roundabout ways.

True happiness is a return to the deep harmony of body, mind and spirit - the harmony that was characteristic of you at birth and can be found again. Having restored it, a person will no longer feel the need for stimulants, depressants and everything that needs to be bought, hidden, injected, inhaled, turned on and off. You didn’t need any of this as a child, when a sunny day and the love of loved ones was enough to fill you with happiness. This openness to love, this ability to connect with the world around you is still with you, and you can easily and painlessly revive it.

PART ONE

WHAT ARE BAD HABITS

LOST IN SEARCH

Among the most serious problems of our society concerning human health, bad habits and their consequences, in my deep conviction, occupy far from the last place. Cardiovascular diseases, respiratory diseases, many forms of cancer, AIDS - these are just some of the ailments that are directly or indirectly caused by bad habits. This little book is therefore an attempt at a very condensed treatment of an extremely large and complex problem. At first glance, this may seem like a difficult task. Perhaps someone will consider the attempt to understand, in a couple of hundred pages, the most complex issues related to addictions, some self-confidence. And yet I am sure that even such a small book will be of great benefit both to millions of people who are trying to get rid of bad habits themselves, and to millions of their relatives and friends who are trying to help these people.

In other words, while I am aware of the variety of difficulties that arise in our society due to the bad habits of millions and millions of people, I still proceed to implement my plan with optimism and zeal. The reason for this is quite simple: despite the fact that we have to talk here about the deepest physical and emotional suffering, this book is about health and happiness, pleasure and prosperity, love and hope.

I understand that such a positive attitude in itself is somewhat unusual. Too often, our efforts to solve bad habits are poisoned by anger, intolerance and despair. Sometimes it sounds overt, as in phrases like “the war on drugs” or horror stories about how addictions ruined someone’s career and ruined someone’s life. In other cases, such a negative orientation is manifested less directly: consider, for example, the dreary environment of many “centers”, where patients are asked to cope with their problems themselves and where a circle of plastic chairs awaits them in a room with linoleum on the floor and fluorescent lighting.

Fear of the past, fear of the future, fear of taking advantage of the present moment to find true happiness - how many fears dot the path of a person prone to bad habits! An integral part Many methods of getting rid of such habits also involve fear. However, for most people, a fear-based approach is not a means of achieving long-term success. So my intention here is to offer a completely different perspective on bad habits and addictions—what they are and the people who succumb to them.

An addicted person appears to me as a seeker who, alas, has lost his way. This is a person seeking pleasure, and perhaps even some kind of transcendental experience - and I want to emphasize that such a search is worthy of every encouragement. Such a person is looking for the wrong things, but he strives for very important things, and we cannot afford to ignore the significance of his search. At least initially, the addict hopes to experience something wonderful, something beyond the unsatisfactory, if not intolerable, everyday reality. There is nothing shameful in such an endeavor. Instead, it becomes the basis for true hope and true transformation.

EDUCATION OF THE SPIRIT

Man does not live by bread alone.

This well-known image appears in both the Old and New Testaments, and its meaning is quite clear. In fact, it means that our needs are not limited to satisfying only material needs. However, it is worth noting how categorical this statement is. Spiritual satisfaction is presented as a fundamental need of life, comparable to the need for food. Essentially, all other religions and spiritual traditions stand in the same positions: in order to live, we need “food for the soul.”

In my opinion, this is true in a completely literal sense. The state of our spiritual life is directly related to the functioning of our body, including metabolism, digestion, respiration and all other types of physiological activities. But we often neglect or underestimate our spiritual needs. Of course, there are some signs that such behavior is gradually being replaced by something else - people are once again becoming aware of spiritual values. Nevertheless, the materialistic orientation, under the influence of which we have been for so long, has entailed very serious consequences, closely related to the prevalence in modern society tendency to bad habits.

Since we are not fully aware of the need for spiritual achievement, it is not surprising that many people misunderstand the true needs of the human spirit. They discover a wide variety of overstimulating activities and an equal number of stress-relief techniques, replacing them with a state of "truly high class" - precisely the deep experience that Robert Johnson calls ecstasy.

This is unfortunate, because we need ecstasy. We need it as urgently as we need food, water and air. But in modern Western society this fundamental human need is not fully realized. Over the past thirty years, we have made significant progress in understanding how our physical environment has deteriorated and in overcoming these types of trends. But we have not yet been able to realize our spiritual needs as decisively. I see the problem of bad habits as a direct consequence of this fundamental oversight.

ACTION, MEMORY, DESIRE

Whenever I want to understand what miracle and happiness are, I mentally return to that bright and beautiful day when I went for a walk with a little three-year-old girl, my neighbor’s daughter.

Despite the fact that we walked around our cozy but unremarkable residential neighborhood only once, it took us almost an hour. It turned out that everything we saw and heard became a joyful discovery for us and a reason for enthusiastic discussion. Time and time again we stopped to look at the cars parked on the curb. My young friend happily chirped about their color, size, shape and even certainly wanted to touch each of them. She paid equally enthusiastic attention to the flowers growing in the flower beds and to the sounds of a fire engine coming to us from afar. When a plane flew over our heads, we immediately stopped and began to look at the sky until it, turning into a tiny speck of dust, melted into the distance. And, of course, we waved after him.

This walk around the block led me to some very important conclusions. Thus, it was obvious that in fact the source of pleasure for the girl was not at all what we encountered, in itself. Pictures, sounds, objects - all this was just a reason for her to express the feeling that was already present in her. This feeling did not come from something in outside world; on the contrary, it was projected onto the world from her heart and soul. In my opinion, happiness is exactly the word that best characterizes this state of self-generating pleasure.

Most people, at least adults, don't experience happiness while walking around the block, and for good reason. Children live in a world of pure contemplation. For them, visual images, sounds and objects exist to enjoy them, to play with them, and not at all to use them. But in the lives of adults, everything is subordinated to responsibilities. Walking on a sunny day, we perceive the world around us as an illegible mosaic of colors and patterns, while our consciousness is focused on this or that problem that we are dealing with. this moment We consider it the most acute. Whatever this kind of experience is called, it is anything but happiness.

But let’s imagine that such a preoccupied adult, walking, staring at the sidewalk, suddenly discovers something completely unusual in his field of vision. A hundred dollar bill! The effect will be almost magical! Problems that until now seemed so all-consuming, due to such luck, immediately - at least for a while - disappear somewhere. If this happened to you, a list of what you can do with this hundred dollar bill would immediately flash before your eyes. Perhaps you will not regard this incident as something that has transformed your life, but you will probably begin to think of it as something very good - and your state of consciousness will change dramatically. How will you feel? I'm sure this word immediately came to mind: joy.

DETERMINING YOUR MENTAL-BODY TYPE

Ayurveda is the world's oldest system of knowledge about human health, designed to prevent and cure diseases. It arose two and a half thousand years BC and existed many centuries before Hippocrates and other ancient Greek healers. In fact, it is very likely that the ancient Greeks were influenced by the ideas of Indian medicine brought to Europe from the East along busy trade routes. Today, as the limits of what can be achieved with a purely mechanistic view of the human body are seen, the powerful ideas of Ayurveda and other traditional systems of health care are being rediscovered. great value for the West.

Perhaps the most important idea in all of Ayurveda is the principle that it is possible to understand and tame a disease only by first getting to know the patient. This view, shared by healers of many traditions, is sometimes not supported by modern medical practice, which has too many patients and relies on widely available drugs, and therefore sometimes loses sight of the individual needs of the patient. In order to truly understand the condition of a person, it is necessary, along with his height, weight, blood pressure and other physiological parameters that usually guide modern medicine, to take into account his mental, emotional and even spiritual constitution.

Ayurveda teaches that it is very unwise to distinguish between the mind and the body, since these are two inseparable elements of the whole that is any human being. If we're talking about about addictions, the subtle connection between mind and body becomes especially important. The thought of action, the desire to carry it out - this is the real source of this problem. The idea of a strict separation between the emotional state and physical illness ultimately turns out to be completely useless in relation to addictive types of behavior.

Over the centuries of its existence, Ayurveda has developed extremely effective terminology for expressing the relationship between consciousness and body and has described the types of manifestation of these relationships in each individual person. According to Ayurveda, the Universe is created, shaped and organized by consciousness, manifesting itself through the five elements: Ether, Air, Fire, Water and Earth. In the human mental-physical system, these five elements are embodied in the form of three fundamental governing principles called doshas. It is thanks to the doshas that the energy and information of the Universe are present in the body and life of every person.

Each of the three doshas has a characteristic effect on human physiology:

AYURVEDIC QUESTIONNAIRE FOR DETERMINING MENTAL-BODY TYPE

This questionnaire consists of three sections. The first 20 questions relate to Vata dosha: read each sentence and mark (on a scale from 0 to 6) to what extent it applies to you:

0 - this does not apply to me;

3 - applies to me partially (or sometimes);

6 - applies to me almost completely (or almost always).

At the end of the section, write down the total score for your Vata. For example, if you marked 6 on the first question, 3 on the second and 2 on the third, then in total for the first three points you score 6+3+2=11 points. In the same way, answer all other questions in the section and get the full amount of points for your Vata. After that, move on to the next 20 questions in the Pitta section, and then the Kapha section.

HOW TO DETERMINE YOUR BODY TYPE

Now that you have received three total points, you can determine your body type. Although there are only three doshas, remember that Ayurveda distinguishes ten variations of their combinations and, accordingly, ten body types.

If one of the three amounts received is significantly higher than the others, then, therefore, you clearly belong to the corresponding body type.

THREE DOSHAS AND THEIR CHARACTERISTICS

According to Ayurveda, knowing your body type is the first and the most important step to true health. This is especially true with bad habits. Although all three doshas must be present in the body to maintain life, they are extremely rarely present in a given person in equal proportions. Therefore, it is extremely important to know which dosha - Vata, Pitta or Kapha - has the main influence on you. By figuring out your dominant Dota, you can recognize where you are most vulnerable to physical or emotional stress. You will also be able to determine which activities and lifestyle changes will best help you restore balance in your mind and body.

VATA

Like the prairie wind, Vata constantly moves, moves, changing direction. The Vata type is significantly more variable than Pitta or Kapha, and what its behavior will be the next day is much more difficult to predict. Vata people are characterized by sudden bursts of energy, both emotional and physical, which stop just as quickly. Whether walking, dining, deciding whether to go to bed, people of this type are consistent only in their inconsistency. This variability is also characteristic of their digestion, mood, emotions and their general health. Vata types, for example, are especially vulnerable to minor illnesses such as colds or flu.

Light, thin

Does everything quickly

Irregular appetite and digestion

PITTA

Pitta is like a hot, raging flame; its distinctive feature is pressure. This similarity to heat even shows up in the physical characteristics of Pitta people, who are often red-haired and red-faced. By nature, these people are ambitious, sometimes even obsessive, inclined to express themselves boldly and argue fiercely. Being in a state of balance, Pitta-type people are gentle and affectionate, their face radiates warmth; they are simply permeated with happiness. However, when stress, poor nutrition, or other destabilizing factors come into play, the aggressive, critical side of Pitta begins to assert itself.

Medium build

Acute hunger and thirst, powerful digestion

Tendency to anger and irritation in stressful situations

KAPHA

Kapha is the calmest and most stable dosha; it does not get out of balance as easily as Vata or Pitta. Kapha brings order and vitality to the body; this is reflected in the stocky build of many Kapha people. By nature, Kapha-type people are equanimous and optimistic. They are not easily angered. Before taking their own position on any issue, they prefer to take into account all possible points of view. When out of balance, Kapha-type people, however, are inhibited and indecisive. They benefit from diet and vigorous exercise, counteracting their natural tendency toward obesity. Despite these kinds of weaknesses, Ayurveda considers Kapha-type people to be very lucky: they are usually loving and considerate, and their innate physical resilience protects them from all kinds of diseases.

Strong, powerful physique; greater physical strength and endurance

Stable energy; slowness and grace in action

Calm, relaxed character; is in no hurry to get angry

PART TWO

Experience of addictions

ALCOHOLISM

ADVANTAGES OF ALCOHOL

In discussing the story of my young patient Ellen, I mentioned my belief that when dealing with addiction to a substance, it is important to be aware of both its harmful effects and the pleasure it provides. There are certainly many pleasant sensations associated with alcohol. There is even documented evidence of its health benefits. And at the same time, when “use” turns into “abuse,” the harm from alcohol significantly outweighs the benefits, which, of course, makes itself felt very soon.

Some may wonder how people came to drink alcohol in the first place? Historians believe that primitive man could have noticed how dramatically the behavior of animals that ate fermented fruits changed. Perhaps someone especially curious decided to find out what makes, say, a deer walk with a staggering gait. And from here, perhaps, it’s not far to the mastery, even art, that people have achieved in the production of alcoholic beverages.

For many thousands of years alcoholic drinks and the technique of their preparation are woven into the fabric of human civilization. Not long ago, a jug with traces of alcohol was found in Iran - this confirms that wine was produced in the Middle East more than seven thousand years ago. One historian noted that there are only two inventions that are common to all cultures: some kind of bread or pasta and “the discovery and use of the natural process of fermentation.” Wine, of course, is mentioned frequently in the Bible, with both positive and negative connotations.

The ancient Greek historian Herodotus reports that the rulers of the Persian Empire did not make a final decision on any of the important issues, without discussing it both sober and intoxicated. And in one of Plato’s most beautiful dialogues, “Symposium,” where issues of love are discussed, we witness a casual conversation between drinking companions; The Greek word symposium itself literally means “to drink together.” Drinking is also often mentioned (and celebrated) in Shakespeare and figures prominently in the work of countless other writers and artists - not to mention what it meant in their own lives.

Besides the historical significance of alcohol itself, drinking is at the heart of social institutions, which remain important to this day. TV show "Let's be healthy!" depicts a small tavern as a kind of paradise: a warm atmosphere, old friends meet, talk, find themselves in funny situations... Very rarely the action of the show is taken outside the boundaries of this tavern, and this would negate the whole idea of the program. A zucchini can become a refuge, a safe place where you can hide on occasion: this is the meaning of the title of Ernest Hemingway’s story about a Spanish cafe - “Where it’s clean, it’s light.”

DANGERS OF ALCOHOL

Alcoholic products can be considered drinks, but they can just as easily be considered drugs. Essentially, alcohol is a drug that is much more abused in the United States than any other. According to one remarkable study, alcohol accounts for 85% of all drug addiction cases in America. In addition, there is evidence that about 13.5% of the total US population are under the influence of alcohol addiction at one time or another in their lives.

The consequences of these sad statistics are extremely serious both for each individual and for society as a whole. Some forms of cancer, for example, are directly linked to binge drinking, and in esophageal cancer, alcohol is responsible for as much as 75% of deaths. There are also frequent cases where excessive alcohol consumption leads to liver cancer. The result of prolonged drunkenness can be the destruction of the pancreas, stomach, small intestine, not to mention the weakening of thinking ability. Indeed, a detailed list of the destruction caused by alcohol, as well as the bill for appropriate treatment, would take more than one page.

The dangers that alcohol poses are not limited to its biochemical effects. Despite significant progress achieved in recent years, the high degree of alcohol-related causes of car accidents remains widely known; About half of road deaths are still related to drunkenness. Alcohol is somehow involved in sixty percent of water related deaths. In addition, about 30 thousand people die annually in various types of alcohol-related accidents that are not related to mechanical vehicles. It is important to note that these figures do not only refer to victims who were heavily intoxicated. Ultimately, any alcohol consumption significantly increases the likelihood of suffering from an accident.

The problems caused by addiction to alcohol are very significant in a less sinister area. Thus, drunkenness often causes insomnia. Drunkenness can be associated with obesity and a type of aversion to food that is common among bitter drunks, who sometimes eat nothing, getting calories only from alcohol. A hangover can also be quite unpleasant, the biochemical mechanism of which, despite the abundance folk remedies from this scourge has not yet been fully studied.

Again, this is just a glimpse into the abyss of misfortune that one who overindulges in alcohol brings upon himself. However, we would do well to understand more carefully what the word “excessively” means here and what the differences are between the need for alcohol and truly addictive behavior.

ALCOHOL NEED AND ADDICTION TO ALCOHOL

As a physician familiar with Ayurveda, I do not particularly like the idea that there is a clear line between the physical and mental, emotional and spiritual components of human nature. Since every thought, every feeling is physically manifested in our body in one way or another, it is clear that consciousness and body are actually a single whole. Nevertheless, it would be useful to make some distinction between the need for alcohol and the addiction to alcohol by separating experiences that are perceived as emotional from those that give rise to very specific physical sensations. In addition, the term “addiction to alcohol,” in contrast to “alcohol need,” presupposes the presence in the life of a drinker of pronounced negative elements, such as: troubles at work, legal and financial difficulties, family problems. The need for alcohol is a more vague concept, meaning a situation where the use of alcohol in one way or another interferes with human freedom to enjoy life, no matter how insignificant such interference may seem.

I was once traveling with a friend of mine who, like millions of people around the world, was in the habit of drinking wine with his meals. When, by chance, we found ourselves in a restaurant that did not have a liquor license, I realized that my friend was not just enjoying wine with dinner - rather, he was incapable of enjoying dinner without wine. When he realized that this restaurant would not serve wine, such genuine suffering was written on his face that there was no question of staying here to dine. “I just can’t eat without wine,” he apologized in a low voice as we went in search of another restaurant. He experienced an inexorable, unchanging need for alcohol at certain hours.

If there was no alcohol during a meal, my friend felt extremely uncomfortable and felt the need to somehow improve this situation. Unlike complete alcoholics, he, however, did not become physically unhealthy without alcohol; Such absence did not have a noticeable impact on the external circumstances of his life. But despite the fact that alcohol played a relatively small and specific role for him, in my understanding this was already an alcoholic need.

Unlike alcohol need, addiction to alcohol, that is, complete alcoholism, can be defined more specifically using a limited number of well-known symptoms and characteristics.

Priorities.

FROM NEED TO ADDITTION

It is not surprising that the need for alcohol often develops into a full-blown alcohol addiction. This process was described in detail in a series of lectures given at Yale University by researcher E.M. Jellinek. The results he presented were obtained by processing questionnaires filled out by more than two thousand alcoholics, and served as the basis for constructing a “model of the disease of alcoholism,” which provided a very effective approach to solving this problem. Thanks to his research, Jellinek was able to identify specific and predictable stages of the “alcoholic’s disease,” sometimes lasting for months or even years. From this perspective, alcoholism can be viewed as a chronic system-wide degenerative health disorder, similar to diseases such as syphilis and multiple sclerosis. Recognizing that some drinkers never progress beyond the “habit” stage, similar to what we have called the need for alcohol, Jellinek concludes that alcohol dependence goes through four short stages in its development.

ADDICTION TO DRUGS

The dream of some substance that would transform reality is deeply rooted in the human imagination. Vedic literature repeatedly mentions a mystical liquid called soma - the nectar of the gods, which grants immortality to anyone who tastes it. Ambrosia has the same power in Greek mythology. In the Old Testament Book of Exodus, the Israelites were starving in the desert, but God sent them manna that fell from heaven like snow and tasted better than any food imaginable.

Certain biblical passages help us understand what addiction is—particularly drug addiction. Drug addiction takes hold of people whose life is like wandering in the desert and is deprived of all pleasures and spiritual food. When something comes along that promises to take these people into a completely different reality, many of them agree to it simply because, in their opinion, nothing else promises them anything like it. But as we have seen with alcohol, this is the irony of addiction - what begins as a search for pleasure soon turns into a long-term struggle to avoid suffering.

In the case of advanced drug addiction, the torment caused by stopping taking the drug far exceeds the pleasure from the resulting euphoria - and even that, when the body gets used to the drug, becomes practically unattainable. It soon turns out that the person takes drugs only to avoid this torment. What seemed like the gates of heaven ultimately leads only to another desert.

The idea of addictions as futile but understandable quests contradicts some aspects of the theory that underlies many treatment programs, which considers addictive behavior to be a disease. This theory emphasizes a genetic predisposition to an “addictive behavior infection” that affects its victim in exactly the same way as any other contagious disease. Some proponents of such views argue that a single use of the drug causes irreversible chemical changes in the human brain, thereby generating an inescapable desire for new portions of the potion. Taking a drug in this case is likened to the bite of a mosquito carrying malaria or yellow fever - once this happens, the further course of action is predetermined.

However, there are very obvious differences between the development of drug addiction and the development of an infectious disease. No conscious participation is required from the victim of a mosquito bite for the disease to develop. The drug addict needs to perform a whole series of more or less purposeful actions, and at each stage there is an opportunity for him to “exit,” at least physically. After all, he must find a supplier, money to pay, and often also make a whole series of preparations for using the drug. The drug addict also has to decide whether to engage in activities that are strictly limited by society, both legally and morally, and therefore may entail severe punishment. All of these steps require choices. I prefer to think that this choice is always conscious, because this means that at each of the mentioned stages it may turn out to be different.

KEY MOMENTS OF DRUG ADDICTION

From the point of view of Ayurveda, the lack of happiness in a person’s life is the most important reason and at the same time the most important consequence of his addiction. At the same time, there are also a number of very definite signs of addiction to drug use that manifest themselves in the daily life of a drug addict. They are worth paying attention to both for diagnostic purposes and because they can tell a lot about the psychological state of such a person.

The list of substances that can, in principle, cause addiction is very extensive. Various substances also differ significantly in their biological, psychological and social characteristics. Powdered cocaine, for example, is generally considered a medium to high category drug. In its effect on the body, it differs from its related but cheaper crack, which is popular mainly among less wealthy people. Amphetamines are more commonly used by long-haul drivers and university students, while opiates, particularly heroin, are used to some extent by virtually all segments of the population. However, despite the differences between drugs and the people who use them, there are certain key elements that characterize addiction itself. Therefore, instead of considering each drug or their pharmacological group separately, we will focus on general points characteristic of addictive behavior in general.

As with alcohol, the use of drugs to alter states of consciousness or to “relax” has been a part of all human cultures for many thousands of years. Analysis of the texts of clay tablets made almost seven thousand years ago in the Sumerian kingdom allows us to connect the meaning of one of the hieroglyphs with opium. The context shows that this word also had the meaning of fun and joy. There is also evidence that the lake inhabitants of Switzerland, whose culture began around two and a half thousand years BC, ate poppy seeds, which are natural sources of opium and its derivatives. By saying that drugs have been used since ancient times, I do not, however, intend to justify their use.

The desire of human society to limit or prohibit certain behaviors is no less ancient than the desire to use drugs or alcohol. We find one of the first evidence of this in the biblical story of Adam and Eve, who violated God’s prohibition and ate the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge. Thus, we cannot justify drug use on the basis that it is completely “natural” for a person, because it is just as natural for him to consider some actions to be good and others to be evil. Sometimes, however, these labels were applied completely arbitrarily, and what was considered good in one century turned into evil in another. Therefore, to talk about drug use intelligently and objectively, we will need to take into account not only changing social and historical circumstances, but also medical and psychological factors.

Thus, coffee in modern Western society is not considered an illegal drug, despite the fact that strong coffee can cause both physical and emotional disorders. When coffee first arrived in Europe in the 17th century, it immediately became extremely popular. Civil authorities tried to limit, or even ban, its use, but this turned out to be beyond their power. Across the continent, coffee shops have become favorite gathering places. Voltaire and other figures of the Enlightenment were coffee lovers, and the French novelist Balzac literally died due to his addiction to this drink, which was so strong that at the end of his life he drank coffee as thick as soup.

PIRATION CRITERIA ACCORDING TO DSR-IV

Whether it's an addiction to gambling, heroin, refined sugar, or cocaine, the experience is akin to a roller coaster ride—brief periods of satisfaction embedded in a larger context of agonizing anticipation of desire fulfillment. However, in the case when the subject of addiction is among the prohibited, the situation turns out to be more psychologically complex. Involvement in illegal activities inevitably erects a serious barrier between such a person and people alien to this activity. From the point of view of someone addicted to illegal drugs, all the people with whom he comes into contact are divided into friends and strangers - into those who can help him get the drug and those who can turn him in to the police. Every person is either a friend or an enemy - and most people turn out to be enemies, simply due to the illegal nature of the activity of the addict.

Addiction to an illegal substance becomes a defining part of the addict's life. It is through this prism that he views his existence. This is neither a biochemical property of addiction nor a feature of the substances that caused it. In hospitals, it is not uncommon for patients to become addicted to morphine or other painkillers used in treatment, but these people do not develop the “me against the world” mentality of illegal drug addicts, for whom the antisocial and mysterious aspects of addiction are a fundamental part of the experience. As one researcher writes on this subject, “For those who have never experienced an addiction to [illegal] drugs, it is difficult to understand the importance that addicts attach to their drug of choice... It is not uncommon for cocaine addicts to admit that if they had to choose, they will choose cocaine over friends, lovers and even their family.”

“I can abstain, but I cannot practice moderation,” declared 18th-century scientist Samuel Johnson. Considering drunkenness immoral, he transferred his choice to tea - and he happened to drink sixty cups a day. However, few of the “addictive personalities” are distinguished by Johnson’s insight in terms of their inability to self-control. No one starts using drugs with the conscious intention of becoming an addict, and many who “experiment” with illegal drugs never become addicted. But usually an addict tends to overestimate his ability to self-control and underestimate the strength of his attachment. Until the fact of addiction is undeniable, a person using drugs will most often define an addict as “someone who uses drugs more than I do.”

DRUGS AND DOSHES

A drug habit begins as a transaction where immediate, short-term gratification is achieved at the cost of the risk of serious and long-term physical, emotional and legal problems. Impatient anticipation - of sensations, excitement, recognition from others like oneself - is a characteristic element of human behavior in the early stages of drug use. As one gets used to it, such impatience often acquires a violent character, although subsequently it can turn into a dull apathetic addiction. From an Ayurvedic perspective, impatience associated with drug use indicates unbalanced Vata. Remember that Vata comes from the air element, and like the wind, this dosha often changes direction and strength, as if it is unable to calm down or be satisfied. To denote a calm and clear state of consciousness, Ayurveda uses the Sanskrit word sattva, meaning purity.

Drugs have an artificial effect on mental activity, external influence. Depending on the type of drug, the result of this influence can be either a dulling or a temporary aggravation of feelings. However, the end effect is always a disturbance of mental balance and the characteristic manifestations of unbalanced Vata manifestations of restlessness and unpredictability. Vata is also a very dry dosha, and the diuretic effects of many drugs can dehydrate the body. The resulting constipation and kidney problems are already common to people with unbalanced Vata.

Amphetamines and other stimulants, when entering the human body, strongly and instantly irritate Vata. However, even sedatives and opiates, despite their short-term effects, can lead to the same result. In any case, Vata disorders underlie the variety of symptoms that accompany abstinence from addictive drugs and must be addressed through Vata-balancing techniques (introduced in Part Three of this book).

ADDITION TO SMOKING

HISTORY AND ATTRACTIVENESS OF TOBACCO

Like alcohol, tobacco has had a ritual function throughout its history. The ceremony of smoking the “peace pipe”, which was common among some Indian tribes, is well known. It was probably in this context that early European explorers such as Sir Walter Raleigh encountered tobacco. It is Raleigh who is usually given credit for bringing tobacco to England in the 17th century, although this is, generally speaking, historically unreliable. Smoking has been known in Europe since the first expeditions of Columbus in New World, undertaken a century before Raleigh. It is known that one of the members of Columbus's crew was imprisoned "for the good of his soul" when, upon returning to Spain, he lit a cigar. By the time of his release, smoking had gained popularity throughout Europe.

It is interesting to note that from the very beginning, smoking caused an ambiguous attitude and even protest from secular authorities and religious institutions. In Germany, soon after its introduction, smoking became punishable by death. In Russia, a smoker could be sentenced to emasculation, and in America, as early as 1909, ten states had laws against cigarettes. However, the popularity of smoking among the majority of the population has always been high. Even the most severe government measures could not prevent the spread of tobacco smoking; the impossibility of a complete official ban quickly became obvious. Unlike today, doctors were less anti-smoking than guardians of public morality; European doctors saw tobacco not so much as a vice but as a powerful medicine. But no matter how the officialdom viewed it, where the tobacco ended up, it was impossible to stop smoking.

A turning point in the history of tobacco came when cigarette rolling machines were invented in the 19th century. Before this, tobacco was chewed, snorted, or smoked in pipes and cigars; the cumbersome nature of these methods limited the volume of its consumption. But even the first seaming machines could already produce more than one hundred thousand cigarettes daily. In addition, cigarettes made in this way were cheaper and easier to transport. They also burned faster than other types of tobacco products, leading to increased smoking. It should be noted that the history of tobacco and cocaine consumption patterns appears to be similar. Among the general population, powdered cocaine was largely replaced by crack, which was distinguished by its lower cost per serving, shorter-term effect and “convenience” of use. Even this short review reveals an important aspect of tobacco's appeal. From the very beginning it was a simple way of trampling the boundaries of official morality, a kind of risky activity borrowed from the “wild Indians.” By 1920, smoking in the United States was considered a sign of sophistication, just as, at the same time, visiting places where alcohol was sold illegally gave people a reason to turn up their noses at the authorities. There is no doubt that for some groups, particularly adolescents, this aspect continues to be an important part of the appeal of tobacco. However, smoking was also a form of camaraderie, a demonstration of maturity, spirit and personal identity - such thoughts must have occurred to anyone who has ever seen a film starring Humphrey Bogart or Bette Davis. Only in recent decades has there really been a change in attitudes towards tobacco among the general population. But even these recent changes in the United States have mostly affected very specific groups.

ADDITION TO TOBACCO

No matter how doctors of the past treated tobacco, today almost all doctors strictly warn their patients about the dangers of smoking. And although representatives of the tobacco industry continue to dispute this to this day, no one doubts the addictive nature of smoking.

Tobacco smoke contains about four thousand different chemical compounds - including carbon monoxide, ammonia, hydrocyanic acid and formaldehyde - but it is generally known that the source of the main psychotropic effects of smoking is nicotine. Researchers disagree about the potency of nicotine compared to substances such as cocaine or amphetamines, but there is no doubt that it has the strongest addictive potential. Of those who have ever tried cocaine, between three and twenty percent eventually become drug addicts, while of those who “experiment” with smoking, between a third and half become heavy smokers. According to research, the likelihood that smoking will become an integral part of the life of a teenager who smokes only four cigarettes a day is 94%.

There are many approaches to getting rid of tobacco and nicotine addiction. Almost all of them are effective for some smokers and absolutely ineffective for everyone else. This suggests that the secret lies not so much in the approach to treatment, but in the mind and soul of the smoker - and I came to this conclusion based on my own experience.

I started smoking when I was seventeen years old. As the years passed, I made more than one attempt to quit, but none of them lasted long. I despised my smoking habit and was angry at myself for giving in to it. Many times, I furiously threw away the five cigarettes remaining in the pack, promising myself to quit the bad habit. But after an hour or so, I secretly opened a new packet each time. I noticed that the vicious cycle of self-blame and guilt was somehow the mechanism that fueled my habit, but this discovery had no effect on my smoking habit. I simply worked this chain over and over again. In the language of Ayurveda, my desire to quit smoking was each time overcome by the memory of smoking and the desire to smoke again, generated by this memory.

Then one evening I went to the ballet. Sitting in a dark hall and admiring the graceful dancers, I heard my own hoarse and wheezing breathing. This contrast made a huge impression on me. Brilliant athletes fluttered across the stage in front of me, and I struggled just to breathe.

WEANING FROM SMOKING: AYURVEDIC APPROACH

The widespread popularity of smoking in the world clearly indicates that this addiction is not limited to any certain group of people. As the Ayurvedic approach allows us to see, people of various mental and physical types can become addicted to smoking for one reason or another.

Vata people are most likely to use tobacco as a way to discharge excess energy. Twisting a cigarette in your fingers provides an outlet for nervousness and anxiety, characteristic manifestations of unbalanced Vata. Vata types may be more likely than Pitta and Kapha types to quit smoking, but only because they are generally more willing to change. Although they may find it easier to quit, they are more likely to start smoking again. Few middle-aged Vata smokers have not thrown away their cigarettes at least three or four times.

In Pitta-type people, smoking expresses the desire for strength and self-affirmation characteristic of this dosha. Pitta-type people rarely allow themselves to be controlled, therefore, no matter how negative a reputation they create for smoking, it is unlikely to have any effect on them. In essence, “playing with fire” itself - both literally and figuratively - is very attractive to people of Pitta character. They also have scheduled and ritualized behavior and are likely to have a strong desire for a cigarette at certain times, especially after meals.

For Kapha-dominant individuals, smoking is most often a consequence of their sedate and contemplative lifestyle. Many Kapha men are especially attracted to cigars. Sitting in a comfortable chair with a huge cigar is more in the taste of Kapha than Vata or Pitta. Like Pitta people, Kaphas can stubbornly brush aside advice to quit smoking.

I am confident that the four-step smoking cessation technique described below will be useful to every person, regardless of his mental-physical type. However, as with alcohol, success here depends on the spiritually grounded confidence that you really want to replace smoking in your life with a different kind of pleasure - satisfaction of a higher order. Before you try to quit, find out what smoking did for you and what it cost you. Get to the point of sincere intention, and then use the method below as a practical guide to turning that intention into action.

ADDITION TO FOOD

It is known that during the years he spent at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton (New Jersey), Albert Einstein was completely absorbed in his scientific thoughts. In his book about the history of this institute, “Who took Einstein’s place?” Edward Regis tells about an incident that happened to the great physicist when he was one day walking near his house. He met his junior colleague from the institute, they talked for a few minutes and were about to go their separate ways. However, Einstein hesitated:

I’m sorry, but I have one last question for you,” he said. - When we stopped to talk, was I walking towards my house or away from it?

Many would probably be surprised by such a question, but those who worked with Einstein were accustomed to such things.

“You were walking away from your house,” answered the young professor. - I remember exactly.

“Great,” Einstein replied with a smile. - This means that I have already eaten my lunch.

FOOD AND ADDICTIVE BEHAVIOR

Newborn babies cry. They don't understand why exactly they are crying - they just feel that something is wrong. But the mother of a newborn knows that the child is hungry, and this matter is quite fixable. When the baby's lips close around the nipple and milk begins to flow, something that was wrong begins to be perceived as something good. Where there was suffering, pleasure appears. Again, the child does not understand how this happens. He just knows that food makes the world a better place - and it's unlikely anyone will ever forget that connection.

Nature has arranged it in such a way that the discomfort caused by hunger is eliminated with the help of food. What about discomfort caused by stressful work, loneliness or irritation? What about the emotional suffering caused by being extremely overweight - can this be relieved through food? Of course, if we are talking about short-term relief, the answer will be in the affirmative. In the same way, all these problems can be drowned out for a moment by drinking or injecting heroin. But all such half-measures are in reality a retreat into a state of childhood dependence, an attempt to relive the feeling that a small child experiences when, in some miraculous way, he begins to feel better. Unfortunately, this is one of those areas where we have “no turning back.” The lesson here when it comes to food addictions is this: If you're an adult, don't try to cope with your problems the way you did as a child.

If you don't like your job, talk to your boss. If you are unhappy with your loved ones, do not hide your feelings. If you are really hungry, then no matter how overweight you are, by all means eat. But if you're not hungry, don't eat.

If you are not hungry, don't eat! I want to emphasize this point because it is the key to overcoming food addictions. When talking about alcohol, drugs and tobacco, I tried to draw your attention to both the dangers that these substances pose and the pleasures they provide. But is there really a need to talk a lot about the pleasure that food brings? Of course, there are people like Albert Einstein, whose minds are filled with completely different thoughts, but for most of us, food is a powerful source of well-being. It’s only when food becomes the main source of well-being for a person, or at least the only source of pleasure, that he cannot avoid problems.

As with any type of addictive behavior, the main difficulty in overcoming a food addiction is finding a positive, truly enjoyable substitute for the addiction. It's not just about simply eating less, it's about doing something joyful instead. In the third part of this book you will find some recommendations regarding diet, as well as a number of considerations that will help you find new sources of joy in your life. You will get a lot of opportunities to try them, because you will free up all that time that you devoted to eating without being hungry. Remember: if you are not hungry, don't eat!

ADDITION TO FOOD AND DOSHA

Vata, Pitta and Kapha differ from each other in their manifestation in the area of nutrition. But, as with other addictions, more or less prolonged addiction to food usually leads to Vata imbalance. Keep this in mind when reading the descriptions below. Even if, based on the results of your answers to the questionnaire, you are a Kapha or Pitta type, please note Special attention for information about the eating habits of Vata people. In Part Three of this book you will find dietary guidelines specifically designed to pacify Vata.

Irregularity is a hallmark of the eating habits of Vata people, especially when this dosha is out of balance. Sometimes such people decide to follow a very strict diet; they may even suddenly become interested nutritional value various products, possible harm from pesticides and other impurities. However, just as suddenly, they may acutely want something completely inconsistent with this - ice cream, cakes, red meat, chocolate bars - and it can be quite difficult for Vata people with unbalanced doshas to resist such temptations. Such a swing from one extreme to another is somewhat similar to the behavior of a drunken alcoholic and gives rise to the feeling that the life of such a person is not under his control. Paradoxically, it happens that Vata people have the habit of eating something all the time. As in the case of heavy smokers, lighting one cigarette after another, this simply indicates general nervousness.

As in all other areas of life, a characteristic feature of Pitta in matters of food is the need for organization and predictability. Most Pitta people prefer to eat three times a day at the same time. At the same time, the composition of the menu is much less important for them than its consistency. The philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein, whose ideas represent an extreme expression of the views of Pitta types, once remarked: “I don’t care what I eat as long as I eat the same thing every day.” Most Pitta people may not go this far, but they do tend to get upset if they have to change their eating habits - or any other course of action in their lives. When such changes occur (which, of course, are inevitable), the irritation, usually very shallowly hidden in Pitta personalities, is ready to spill out. Many Pitta people with food addictions use this addiction to vent their rage - they literally “swallow their irritation.” Without realizing it, Pitta individuals with unbalanced doshas may well view their habitual overeating as an act of rebellion, some kind of challenge to the injustice of this world.

HEALTHY EATING: AN ALTERNATIVE TO FOOD ADDITION

In the West, foods are classified according to their fat content and calorie content. In recent years, we have also begun to distinguish between so-called natural products and those that are heavily processed and contain various additives. But despite the fact that we use these words when deciding what to eat, most people are unlikely to really understand their meaning. As a rule, people act according to the principle “less is more”; in other words, the lower the calorie and fat content, the better. Given the needs of the individual, this may not always be the case. If, for example, you need to quickly and for a long time stock up on energy, you need high-calorie foods. Ayurveda uses a food classification system that has been tested by centuries of experience. There are no numbers, no grams or calories per ounce. Ayurvedic categories are based on how certain foods taste when we put them in our mouths. According to this carefully developed system, Ayurveda distinguishes six categories of taste. By becoming familiar with the six basic tastes and following the important Ayurvedic principle of including all of these tastes in every meal, you can avoid much of what causes food cravings. In addition, food will bring you more pleasure.

These six tastes are: sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter and astringent. Four of them, of course, are familiar to you, but the sharp and astringent ones may seem like something new. Here are some simple examples of all six flavors:

sugar, honey, rice, flour products, bread, milk, cream;

cheese, yogurt, lemons, plums and other sour fruits;

all salted foods;

BOUNDARIES OF BEHAVIORISM

Being so prevalent in our society, eating disorders have become the subject of intense attention from both the scientific and business communities. Huge profits await anyone who can offer a quick and easy way to curb overeating, and there are cases of great success in this area - at least in terms of immediate success. However, I would like to re-emphasize the importance of sincere intention and spiritual awareness for any lasting solution to addictive behavior of any kind.

I want to tell a story that I think perfectly illustrates the limits of a purely mechanical approach to food addiction. It is given by Andrew Weil and Winifred Rosen in their wonderful book From Chocolate to Morphine.

The young woman had an irresistible craving for chocolate for a number of years. At all costs, she needed to eat chocolate several times a day, and her whole life was literally subordinated to this desire. If she woke up in the middle of the night and found that there was no chocolate in the house, she would not hesitate to get into the car and find a 24-hour supermarket to satisfy her need.

This went on for several years, and she went to a clinic that dealt with eating disorders. The treatment was not at all what she might have expected, but nevertheless very effective. The clinic required her to attend ten sessions. She was asked to sit in front of a large mirror, and then she was given a portion of chocolates and a device was attached to her wrist that continuously delivered weak, completely painless electrical shocks.

For thirty minutes, she had to watch herself eat chocolates in the mirror - but she was told not to swallow them, but to spit them out on a paper plate. At first, this procedure seemed absurd to her. The first seven sessions did not bring any results. The young woman's craving for chocolate was as strong as ever, and only the payment in advance made her continue to visit the clinic. But after the eighth session, she noticed that her interest in chocolate had weakened, and by the end of the tenth session, her addiction, no matter how incredible it may seem, had completely disappeared. Several years have passed and it has not recovered. Alas, after some time she became addicted to cakes!

OTHER SOURCES OF PREDITION

So far we have dealt with substance-related addictions and have seen how they have been a part of human history almost from the very beginning. Modern society, however, is an environment in which entirely new categories of addictive behavior have emerged. In this chapter we will briefly look at three examples of such “modern” biases. Although they are not associated with substance abuse and do not pose an immediate threat to life, these behavior patterns have all the characteristic features of classic addiction. Recognizing them and resisting them, however, can be almost more difficult. Addiction to work, promiscuity, or television does not imply any illegal activity. Such behavior patterns are addictive in the sense that they can take over a disproportionately large part of a person's life - or even all of it.

PASSION FOR WORK

Everyone knows the word workaholic, but this term seems to me not entirely accurate. He suggests an analogy between addictions to work and alcohol, but these are undoubtedly completely different things.

Thus, we can say about a person who drinks too much that he “does not control himself.” An alcoholic is unable to control his drinking behavior. As addiction to alcohol progresses, this inability to self-control begins to manifest itself quite visibly: trembling hands, poor coordination, difficulty falling asleep or waking up, indicating that the person's physical, mental and emotional control systems are not working properly. For some alcoholics, the lack of self-control may even represent some kind of subconscious goal or strategy - for example, in psychoanalysis, alcoholism is viewed as an attempt to cope with unmet needs that have their roots in early childhood. Losing control over himself, the alcoholic returns to a state in which other people are forced to take care of him. They may agree or disagree to do this, but an alcoholic who cannot control himself asks them for help in solving basic life problems, or even insists on helping him.

A workaholic behaves completely differently. While alcoholism is often an almost childish way of getting closer to people, constant work is a way of moving away from them. This is a departure into that area of life where self-control is required from a person and skill is highly revered. The behavior of an alcoholic may be based on childhood fantasies, while a workaholic imagines himself as an absolutely adult.

The main fantasy that gives rise to addiction to work almost always stems from the person’s feeling that all other areas of life lie beyond his influence. More concrete example This may be due to the fact that a workaholic is often not ready to cope with the ups and downs of family relationships: his “don’t touch me, I’m working” looks like a completely worthy and even admirable way of leaving them. “Mow the lawn,” “pay the bills,” “bathe the dog,” and “don’t forget about our anniversary” put together pale in comparison to “I’m working! It is very important!".

Several years ago I had a patient - a girl who required long-term treatment and several major surgical operations. In the end, everything ended well, but each time the girl had to spend several weeks in the hospital, where the only entertainment was walking along the corridor and visiting the playroom there. Despite the fact that the girl's family lived in small town, located not so close to the hospital, her mother was with her every day, and her father came every weekend.

ADDITION TO SEX

Sex has been so reviled and persecuted throughout Western history that criticism of someone's sexual behavior must be approached with great caution. There are, however, people whose preoccupation with sex is so great that it undoubtedly creates difficulties in their lives. We can talk about this as an addiction to sex, remembering, however, the dangerous tendency that exists among people to sharply condemn any sexual behavior that differs from their own. On the other hand, we cannot escape the importance of discussing issues related to human sexual behavior, nor the fact that the latter is a favorite target of moralists.

Sexuality is an extremely interesting and complex subject. Given that we can devote only a small portion of the length of this book to sexual addiction, we will focus here on only two ways of human existence that seem to result in such behavior. The first of them is characterized by an overexcited emotional and physical state with a desperate search for a way to discharge it. The second is almost the opposite of the first: a dull existence with an irresistible need for some kind of thrill.

The human nervous system is not capable of experiencing pain and orgasm at the same time. Since there is no pain, both emotional and physical, at the moment of orgasm, this means that the more orgasms a person has, the less pain he will have. I mention this because I have noticed that many who are addicted to sex are constantly in suffering. Often, especially among men, this suffering is physical. Apparently this is why men who have serious health problems very often experience an addiction to sex. Thus, the great poet Lord Byron suffered from clubfoot and suffered from severe pain throughout his short life. And according to current ideas, Byron could well be called sexually preoccupied.

Sex can relieve physical and emotional pain not only at the moment of orgasm, but also at all stages of search and seduction. Quite often, a sexually preoccupied person experiences the desire and need to be liked, but being deprived of this, he sees for himself an alternative in being loved, at least in the physical sense. For people who have found sex to relieve pain, it brings something like peace. The body of such people is constantly overstimulated - in Ayurvedic terms, their Vata is significantly out of balance - and they need sex more to extinguish their inner fire than to rekindle it.

Sexual addiction of the second type arises due to a lack of acuity, the highest manifestation of which is depression. A person sometimes needs to find some way out of his meaningless existence, and sex creates the impression of such a way out. One of my friends was able to end his addiction to sex when he realized this. One of those spiritual transformations happened to him, which, in my opinion, leave practically no chance for a person to continue addictive behavior. This friend of mine inherited a large sum of money, so he could afford to devote all his time to hunting for women. He preferred intrigues that required extraordinary ingenuity, energetic pursuit and intercontinental travel. One day, in search of a certain woman, he searched the islands of the Greek archipelago on a yacht, and then an astonishing insight dawned on him. He wasn't looking for a woman—he was looking for the intensity, the cunning planning, the purpose that women had given his life. Deprived of sex and all that it entails, this person would indeed not be able to find a worthy occupation for himself.

ADDITION TO TV

Television was invented in the 20s of our century, and within ten years the production technology for this means of communication was completely developed. Sixty years ago television was capable of essentially everything that it is capable of today, but its widespread use was prevented by World War II. Becoming generally available in the late 40s and early 50s, television immediately gained enormous popularity. And as soon as televisions began to appear in homes, significant changes began to occur in the lives of millions of people. These changes have continued at an accelerated pace right up to the present day.

Today, millions of Americans spend up to eight hours watching television every day. But can we say that this activity meets the criteria for addictive behavior? Most signs indicate that this is the case. We found, for example, that the presence of withdrawal symptoms is one of the defining characteristics of addiction, and television does cause such symptoms. A study was conducted in which randomly selected families were paid several hundred dollars a month not to watch television. However, in many cases the study had to be terminated prematurely due to the fact that these people were unable to bear such deprivation. The study found that, as with heroin, withdrawal symptoms among heavy TV watchers are most severe after five to seven days. These symptoms include feelings of aggression, anxiety, depression and difficulty using free time. Those who managed to live without looking at a screen for a week later gradually got used to their new way of life.

Another characteristic feature of addictive behavior is the associated feeling of guilt, which in some sense fuels the addiction rather than suppresses it. A study of the ways people spend their free time showed that of these ways, only watching TV causes feelings of guilt. Other activities became more enjoyable the more time I spent on them. TV, instead of pleasure, only generated a feeling of guilt.

There are many other parallels between binge TV watching and other addictions. Like smoking, it is prevalent mainly among the poor. Like heroin and other drugs, it offers a person an imaginary world, which over time can turn into a different reality for the viewer. And like all addictions, it comes from a lack of genuine pleasure, joy and achievement in other areas of life.

Why do people watch TV for many hours a day? Studies conducted among avid television viewers have identified four main motivations: the desire to escape the boredom of everyday life; the desire to have something to talk about with other people; the pleasure of watching people and events on the screen and the opportunity to compare what you see with your own experience; the desire to keep abreast of news and events happening in the world. With the possible exception of the last one, all these reasons to watch TV clearly indicate the loneliness and deprivation of an avid TV viewer in real life. When there is true beauty and real adventure in a person's life, he does not need to dramatize it by comparing himself to characters in comedies or soap operas. But if there is nothing in his life except boredom, the fictional adventures of stereotyped characters can be a completely worthy alternative.

Deepak Chopra

How to overcome bad habits

The spiritual path to solving a problem

PART ONE

WHAT ARE BAD HABITS

LOST IN SEARCH

Fear of the past, fear of the future, fear of taking advantage of the present moment to find true happiness - how many fears dot the path of a person prone to bad habits! An integral part of many methods of getting rid of such habits is also fear. However, for most people, a fear-based approach is not a means of achieving long-term success. So my intention here is to offer a completely different perspective on bad habits and addictions—what they are and the people who succumb to them.

By calling the addict a seeker, I want to go even further. In my opinion, a person who has never experienced cravings for addictions is one who has not taken the first timid step towards knowing the true meaning of the Spirit. Addiction may not be something to be proud of, but it represents a desire for higher-level experiences. And although it is impossible to reach such a level with the help of pills and various kinds of obsession, such an attempt itself testifies to the presence of something truly spiritual in a person.

According to Ayurveda, the traditional Indian teaching on human health, each of us carries within us a memory of perfection. This memory is imprinted in every cell of our body. It cannot be erased, but it can be drowned out by poisons and various types of pollution. When considering the issue of addictions, our real task is not to describe the destructive effects of addictive behavior, but to awaken the consciousness of perfection that we always maintain. As a schoolboy I read the poem Paradise Lost, which is undoubtedly one of the greatest works written in the English language. But I also realized that the paradise that is within us can never be lost in the full sense of the word. We may stop noticing it, but it is always achievable for us.

It has often occurred to me that music is the art form that can most effectively bring us into contact with our inner perfection. Of course, it can be approached from the standpoint of reason and even perceived as a certain branch of mathematics, but music, in addition, takes us to a level that is in some way deeper than our conscious thought processes. This can be experienced by listening to music, and even more fully by playing it. Every time I attend a concert, I am amazed at the obvious impact that music has on the performer. What he experiences can be called ecstasy. The musician, completely absorbed in his performance, moves into another reality and experiences completely unaccountable happiness and joy. This is a breathtaking, amazing sight. Such experiences, of course, can be worthy goals for aspiration in your own life.

In this regard, I am reminded of a biography I once read of Charlie Parker, a talented musician who shone in the jazz world of New York in the 40s and early 50s. The best of his saxophone improvisations were not just stunningly fast and intricate - they had a logical coherence and unity. The young musicians who idolized Parker were ready to do anything to play like him, but his musical abilities seemed almost supernatural. What was the secret of his playing, his ability to enter that space that is not accessible to everyone, where he, without a doubt, was during the performance?

It so happened that Charlie Parker was not only a great musician, but also a heroin addict. And although his best solos were played when he was not addicted to drugs, it became fashionable among a whole generation of jazz musicians to use heroin in imitation of their idol. Their impulse is quite understandable and even admirable: they wanted to immerse themselves in that supernatural experience in which another person was experiencing before their eyes. However, for many talented people this had disastrous consequences. Heroin not only did not lead them to main goal life - to become outstanding musicians, but it also turned out to be disastrous for them. They wanted to find a shortcut to heaven, but they clearly took the wrong path. When it comes to addictions, this is the most important point, whether we are talking about drugs, food, alcohol, smoking, gambling, television soap operas or the thousands of other temptations that are present in our lives every day. Addiction begins when the right thing is sought in the wrong place. As Jung's follower, psychologist Robert Johnson, showed in his magnificent book Ecstasy, addiction is nothing more than a completely degenerate substitute for the true experience of happiness.

EDUCATION OF THE SPIRIT

Man does not live by bread alone.

How to overcome bad habits.

The spiritual path to solving a problem

http://www.universalinternetlibrary.ru/

“Deepak Chopra. How to overcome bad habits. Spiritual path to solving a problem": Sofia; Kyiv; 2003

ISBN 5‑9550‑0149‑2

annotation

This book will be of great benefit to both millions of people who are trying to get rid of bad habits themselves, and millions of their relatives and friends who are trying to help these people solve their problems.

Dr. Deepak Chopra offers a completely unexpected look at bad habits, what they are, and the people who succumb to them. Despite the fact that bad habits bring us both physical and emotional suffering, this book is about pleasure and prosperity, love and hope, health and happiness.

In essence, a person suffering from bad habits is a seeker of happiness, but he looks for it in the wrong place and wanders, perhaps for many years, in roundabout ways.

Deepak Chopra

How to overcome bad habits

The spiritual path to solving a problem

PART ONE

WHAT ARE BAD HABITS

LOST IN SEARCH

In other words, being aware of the variety of difficulties that arise in our society due to the bad habits of millions and millions of people, I still proceed to implement my plans with optimism and zeal. The reason for this is quite simple: despite the fact that we have to talk here about the deepest physical and emotional suffering, this book is about health and happiness, pleasure and prosperity, love and hope.

Fear of the past, fear of the future, fear of taking advantage of the present moment to find true happiness - how many fears dot the path of a person prone to bad habits! An integral part of many methods of getting rid of such habits is also fear. However, for most people, a fear-based approach is not a means of achieving long-term success. So my intention here is to offer a completely different perspective on bad habits and addictions—what they are and the people who succumb to them.

According to Ayurveda, the traditional Indian teaching on human health, each of us carries within us a memory of perfection. This memory is imprinted in every cell of our body. It cannot be erased, but it can be drowned out by poisons and various types of pollution. In considering the issue of addictions, our real task is not to describe the destructive effects of addictive behavior, 1 but to awaken the consciousness of perfection that we always maintain. As a schoolboy I read the poem Paradise Lost, which is undoubtedly one of the greatest works written in the English language. But I also realized that the paradise that is within us can never be lost in the full sense of the word. We may stop noticing it, but it is always achievable for us.

It so happened that Charlie Parker was not only a great musician, but also a heroin addict. And although his best solos were played when he was not addicted to drugs, it became fashionable among a whole generation of jazz musicians to use heroin in imitation of their idol. Their impulse is quite understandable and even admirable: they wanted to immerse themselves in that supernatural experience in which another person was experiencing before their eyes. However, for many talented people this had disastrous consequences. Heroin not only did not lead them to the main goal of life - to become outstanding musicians, but also turned out to be destructive for them. They wanted to find a shortcut to heaven, but they clearly took the wrong path. When it comes to addictions, this is the most important point, whether we are talking about drugs, food, alcohol, smoking, gambling, television soap operas or the thousands of other temptations that are present in our lives every day. Addiction begins when the right thing is sought in the wrong place. As Jung's follower, psychologist Robert Johnson, showed in his magnificent book Ecstasy, addiction is nothing more than a completely degenerate substitute for the true experience of happiness.

EDUCATION OF THE SPIRIT

Man does not live by bread alone.

In every culture, in every era of human history, people have felt the need for an ecstatic experience - for pleasure of one kind or another, going beyond the framework of everyday reality. Various cultures have tried to satisfy this need in many different ways, and some of these ways have been much more spiritually oriented than others.

In the 19th century, the Russian writer Fyodor Dostoevsky argued that a person can feel satisfied only by receiving three types of experiences from society - miracles, sacraments and spiritual guidance, and that these experiences are much more important to him than the satisfaction of material needs. A person with an addiction seems to believe that through it he can obtain miracles and mysteries, and the lack of spiritual guidance makes this view even more seductive. Instead of considering addicts simply weak people, and even criminals, I prefer to see in them those who, destructive for themselves, but still in a completely understandable way respond to the spiritual vacuum hiding behind our material abundance.

We all feel the effects of this spiritual vacuum. Depending on who we are and the circumstances in which we find ourselves, we respond to it in one of many ways. However, in our society, the human response to aspirations that are spiritual in their essence very often takes material forms.

I remember a friend of mine who, while still a very young man, achieved impressive success in business. In his early forties, he had enough money in his hands to do or have literally anything he wanted. And he really wanted something, but he wasn’t sure what exactly. Anyway, he bought a summer house by the lake. To get to this house, he bought an expensive jeep, and so that when he got there he had something to do, he bought a boat. In addition, he acquired a state-of-the-art cell phone so that he could monitor the progress of his business from a jeep or boat.

In short, a common story that has happened many times to financially successful individuals. Having acquired a house, a car, a boat and a telephone, my friend was in no way closer to true self-realization than he was before. The result was only that he fell into an even more depressed state of mind, and the long-term consequences of this are still observed. For example, the boat turned out to be a very convenient place for quite copious libations.

My friend is a wealthy man and, by and large, a strong personality. That's probably why his obsession with acquisitions didn't do him much harm. But for a person with less financial resources or, say, for a more vulnerable person, this could have quite detrimental consequences in the form of unpredictable emotional addictions. Alcohol, drugs, and sexual recklessness are essentially material responses to needs that are not fundamentally physical. But if a person has no idea where, other than the sphere of simple sensuality, he should look for true pleasure, it is not surprising that he does not find it.

In his 1939 book The Lost World of the Exposition, computer scientist David Gelenter uses the New York World's Fair as a starting point for his analysis of contemporary society. The conclusions he drew seem to me quite clear and convincing. Near the end of the Great Depression and just before the outbreak of World War II, the World's Fair painted a picture of the future that captured the imagination of most people at the time. A little more, this picture said, and everyone will have their own car. Moreover, everyone will have a garage where they can keep this car. Housing, electric refrigerators and even televisions will become available to everyone.

According to Gelenter, this seemingly incredible prospect energized American society during the war and the period of rising prosperity that followed. Gradually, what seemed an unattainable ideal turned into a real way of life for many people. But as we achieved more and more success in satisfying our material needs, the number of things we had to strive for naturally decreased. Since things were what we hoped for and worked for, with each new material goal we were left with fewer hopes and fewer goals.

Today, the dream that inspired us half a century ago has come true. And if this reality did not bring happiness to many Americans, is it because the dream was based on what we needed then! Now that many of us have received everything in full, we need something qualitatively different. We need something more.

For millions of people who have not yet achieved the financial and material success we associate with today, the situation is even more complicated. Addiction behavior is undoubtedly more common among the poor than among the affluent, and its consequences for people with limited social and personal resources are much more detrimental.

By telling people who feel left behind in their material well-being that they need to become aware of their spiritual needs, I am touching on some very difficult issues. For example, I may be asked whether this reminds me of those addressed to small child admonitions that being an adult is not as wonderful as it might seem? Kids will still want to experience it for themselves! And yet I am sure that the awareness and development of the Spirit is necessary for everyone, regardless of his current position in society, since such awareness is the only true and permanent alternative to addictions.

On the pages of this book, I tried to show that spiritual improvement is available to every person, no matter what his personal history or material security. Of course, your individual circumstances will inevitably influence your choice of path to spiritual perfection. However, one of the greatest benefits of Ayurveda is its flexibility and ability to meet the unique needs of each individual.

I hope that the subtitle of this book adequately emphasizes the strength of my feelings towards bad habits. I talk about the spiritual path to solving the problem because I am sure that this is the true answer. In the third chapter I will explain in more detail why I am sure of this; in the coming chapters we will look at how you can apply the spiritual path in your daily life.

ACTION, MEMORY, DESIRE

Whenever I want to understand what miracle and happiness are, I mentally return to that bright and beautiful day when I went for a walk with a little three-year-old girl, my neighbor’s daughter.

This walk around the block led me to some very important conclusions. Thus, it was obvious that in fact the source of pleasure for the girl was not at all what we encountered, in itself. Pictures, sounds, objects - all this was just a reason for her to express the feeling that was already present in her. This feeling did not come from something located in the external world; on the contrary, it was projected onto the world from her heart and soul. In my opinion, happiness is precisely the word that best characterizes such a state of self-generating pleasure.

Most people, at least adults, don't experience happiness while walking around the block, and for good reason. Children live in a world of pure contemplation. For them, visual images, sounds and objects exist to enjoy them, to play with them, and not at all to use them. But in the lives of adults, everything is subordinated to responsibilities. Walking on a sunny day, we perceive the world around us as an illegible mosaic of colors and patterns, while our consciousness is focused on one or another problem that we currently consider the most pressing. Whatever this kind of experience is called, it is anything but happiness.

But let’s imagine that such a preoccupied adult, walking, staring at the sidewalk, suddenly discovers something completely unusual in his field of vision. A hundred dollar bill! The effect will be almost magical! Problems that until now seemed so all-consuming, due to such luck, immediately - at least for a while - disappear somewhere. If this happened to you, a list of what you can do with this hundred dollar bill would immediately flash before your eyes. Perhaps you will not regard this incident as something that has transformed your life, but you will probably begin to think of it as something very good - and the state of your consciousness will change dramatically. How will you feel? I'm sure this word immediately came to mind: joy.

If you find one hundred dollars, you will be happy. Money is an external reason, and the feeling of joy is an internal response to it. Happiness can be described as a feeling of joy for no reason. Happiness is inherently present internal state, which determines our perception of the world. Happiness is a cause, while joy is an effect.

I don't mean to say that we adults should always try to behave as if we were little children, but we need to remember the happy state of being that was once ours. It is always achievable, although it is often confused with a completely different state, which I called a feeling of joy. Joy is what we seek, what we strive for, perhaps even what we fight for. Joy is something that we are trying to find or, rather, buy. Happiness is what we are.

People strive to avoid pain and obtain pleasure, and they take pleasure in any form available to them. If a person has lost touch with his internal sources of happiness, if the joy that comes to him from external sources is the only happiness he knows, then he is looking for just such an experience. Depending on the circumstances, this search can be very valuable and fruitful. But, unfortunately, it can also result in addiction in one of its many guises.

Let's replace the finding of the hundred dollar bill in our story with some other possibilities that open up. Suppose a young man living in a world of suffering and cruelty finds a substance that can instantly transport him, even if only for a short time, to a completely different life. Suppose another young man, whose career progress has stalled and his family is experiencing financial difficulties, is relieved by having sent his wife to bed and drinks a bottle of beer - and after drinking half a dozen he feels even better.

Someone else will find a similar solution in something else from the endless variety of addictive substances and addictive types of behavior. Whatever the experience, if it gives pleasure, naturally you always want to repeat it. Such repetition, at least at first, is a matter of choice. But when a person is truly seized by an addiction, it turns into a need and even a necessity.

Ayurveda very clearly defines such psychological and physiological mechanisms. When we perform an action, say, pick up a pencil or cross a river rapids in a rubber boat, we internally establish its place in the spectrum of our experience. At one end of this spectrum is unbearable suffering, and at the other is supreme pleasure. Having completed, the action continues to exist in our consciousness - as well as in our body - in the form of a memory, to which one or another degree of suffering or pleasure is attributed. If the level of "suffering" is high enough, we will do everything in our power to avoid repeating this action. If an action brings us great pleasure, we will be just as desperate to do it again.

The Sanskrit word karma means action. It can refer both to physical activity and to one or another mental process, say, to thinking or feeling. Every action contains within itself the seeds of recollection, called sanskara in Sanskrit, and the seeds of desire, called vasana. Essentially, the difference between the two is that one is backward-facing and the other is forward-facing. If the memory of an action is pleasant, it gives rise to the desire to perform a new action that gives at least the same pleasure. A new action can either simply repeat what was done previously, or represent an attempt to obtain even greater pleasure.

The essence of this paradigm was recognized as true even in philosophical traditions very far from Indian. The French writer Honore de Balzac noticed that in the lives of some especially emotional people - he spoke about gamblers and lovers - there is often a certain extremely acute experience that begins to weigh heavily on all their subsequent actions, giving rise to a desire to reproduce the excitement once experienced. Perhaps without even realizing it, Balzac provided an excellent description of addictive behavior, since gambling and sex are among the most widely known addictions.

Ayurveda especially emphasizes that after we perform an action, it is forever imprinted on us, along with the equally irremovable elements of memory and desire. No matter what we do, say or even think, the triad “action - memory - desire” turns out to be encoded in our cells, and this code simply cannot be erased. This has major implications for the approach to bad habits proposed in this book. We will not strive to “get rid” of the memories and desires behind the addictive behavior. Instead, we will focus on creating new, highly positive feelings that will overpower the destructive urges of the addiction and render those urges powerless.

Perhaps it is best to illustrate this with the example of one of the patients who came to our correctional center several years ago. I believe this case demonstrates the effectiveness of a positive approach to addiction, tailored to the individual's needs. My patient was a seventeen-year-old girl; Let's call her Ellen.

From the first glance at Ellen, it became clear to me that she had serious health problems. It was subsequently discovered that they stemmed from drug use and other kinds of self-destructive behavior that had dominated her life since the age of fourteen. Simply put, Ellen became addicted to heroin, which led her to become involved in other dangerous and destructive activities such as theft and prostitution.

At first I decided not to bring up the topic of her passions in conversation with Ellen. She was already fed up with these conversations. In fact, almost every minute of her life was connected in one way or another with them, either in the form of her participation in it, or in the form of therapeutic intervention. And so far, all attempts at such intervention have been largely unsuccessful.

“Let’s not discuss your current problems for now,” I suggested to Ellen at one of our first meetings. - Let's talk about what you were doing before they showed up. Was there anything you particularly enjoyed doing when you were a little girl? What were you really striving for then? What interested you most?

Ellen thought, as if trying to remember a certain date from the course. ancient history, and not the events of your own life just two or three years ago.

Well,” she said, “I really enjoyed riding horses.” But I can’t even imagine how I would get on a horse now. I don’t even know if I could drive through without falling. Then I was a completely different person.

One glance at Ellen was enough to understand where she got such moods from. She looked restless, tired and malnourished. A thick wall of mental, physical and emotional ill-health isolated her from the outside world and even from her own true needs and feelings. Therefore, the first goal of her treatment was to eliminate this barrier.

I suggested Ellen undergo a five-level Ayurvedic cleansing procedure called Panchakarma. After a short discussion, Ellen agreed - and, like everyone who has undergone Panchakarma, she felt completely “reborn”. Ayurveda views the mind and body as components of a single whole. When Ellen's body was cleansed at the most basic, cellular level, her emotions and spirit were similarly cleansed and restored. There is nothing mysterious or miraculous about Panchakarma, but the effect was truly amazing. The chemical and emotional barriers that hid Ellen's true self began to crumble.

Ellen then took a few days off from these cleanses, and I decided it was time to address her addictions more directly. We actually went for a horseback ride, despite her earlier misgivings. And, as I expected, Ellen loved it. From the point of view of Ayurveda, this was extremely important, since horse riding awakened a specific chain of “action - memory - desire” that once played a positive role in Ellen’s life. I was convinced that this chain would have its beneficial effect again.

When we returned from our walk, I asked Ellen how she was feeling. I wanted her to experience them again as she described to me the sensations she had just received. Ellen was surprised and delighted that she found such pleasure in an activity that she thought had become out of her reach. Then I invited her to go into my office for a while and discuss something there.

We sat down on the sofa, and I felt that Ellen was preparing to listen to some kind of stern lecture. I saw that, out of the habit she had developed in our first meetings, she silently went into deep defense. But instead of saying anything myself, I suggested that Ellen speak.

“I would like you to tell me everything that happens to you when you inject yourself with drugs,” I said. - Everything, from start to finish. Please describe exactly how you do it and how you feel as a result.

Do you want to hear about what it's like to rise and then fall? - she asked.

No, because this is only the end result. Start from the beginning. Tell me what the syringe looks like, how it feels when you hold it in your hand. Tell me what the needle looks like and how it feels when you stick it into your arm. If there is any pleasure in all this, describe it to me, and if there is pain, fear, sadness, tell me about that too. Tell me what you smell when you take the drug, what the sound is like when you press the plunger of the syringe. Perhaps you feel some special taste or your mouth becomes unusually dry? Try to use your imagination to get me through all this.

I had several reasons for making this request to Ellen, but most importantly, it was an exercise in awareness. In Ayurveda, awareness is tantamount to mastering the entirety of information about the current moment. This means focusing on all your sensations and fully experiencing everything that your body is telling you during the course of a particular activity. Injecting herself with the drug, Ellen was not used to being aware. For her, it was something brought to the point of automatism, and the fog that enveloped Ellen when the drug began to take effect further hid from her the actual mechanics of this process. Such a description was a huge emotional and mental strain for her, but I wanted her to be accurate in every detail. Ellen finished her story, and I felt that her experience was now more transparent, more real, and more conscious to her than it was when she was actually filling the syringe over and over again and sticking the needle into her arm.

Well, now that you have told me in detail about the injection of drugs, I would like you to also describe your experiences when we rode horseback today. Again, remember all your thoughts, all your feelings. How did you feel when you saw the horse for the first time today? What did it feel like when you put your foot in the stirrup? How did the saddle leather feel? What was the sound of hooves hitting the grass? How did you feel at different stages of the walk? Take me through it all from beginning to end.

This second description was much easier for Ellen than the first, and not only because we were talking about very recent events. This was explained by the fact that she completely survived the horseback ride. Her mind and body were freed from the numbness that had weighed on her for the past three years. Everything related to horse riding was alive and joyful for this girl; so was her story.

“Now you must choose between these two experiences of yours,” I said to Ellen, “and since you have just walked through them clearly and consciously for me, I know that you can accept an informed decision. Of course, I'm tempted to lecture you on the difference between heroin and horse riding, but I'll resist the temptation because I don't think it would do any good. All I will say is that the sights, sounds, sensations, thoughts and feelings that you experienced this afternoon will not be available to you - literally impossible for you - if you choose drugs.

I'm happy to say that Ellen decided to quit drugs and found the strength to stay true to that decision. I know that the approach I took with her was fraught with some risks, but I also know that it was successful for that very reason. I didn't ask Ellen to give up the pleasure she felt taking heroin. On the contrary, I insisted that in our conversation she focus clearly on these sensations. But at the same time, I asked her to remember the suffering associated with taking drugs. Riding a horse brought only joy. It was an activity she had enjoyed even before she got into trouble, and the awakened memory of this stronger pleasure was able to eclipse the comparatively weaker pleasure of the drug.

Once the addict has access to satisfaction greater than that provided by the addictive behavior, the path to freedom from addiction naturally opens up for him or her. Once awakened, the memory of inner perfection gives rise to a desire that is stronger than this dependence.

The approach to addiction that worked for Ellen might be called a “pleasure-based” approach, or perhaps “pleasure-focused mindfulness.” But it is best to think of it simply as spiritual. I am confident that this approach can work for a great many people, although there may be times when some additional steps will need to be included in the procedure. Ellen, despite everything that happened to her, had an experience of happiness from which she could build. But what if, when I asked her if anything gave her true pleasure before she started taking drugs, Ellen only responded with a helpless look?

There are a great many people who have not had positive experiences in their lives like those that Ellen was able to use as a source of her healing. Or these moments are so covered in darkness that they can no longer be revived with the help of a few pleasant sunny days. But in order to give up the sensations associated with addictive behavior, a person needs to know true pleasure. And the first step to knowing happiness is simply knowing yourself. One of the greatest merits of Ayurveda is that by dividing people into mental-physical categories, it adapts to the absolute uniqueness of each individual, allowing him to realize his individual needs and qualities in a highly practical manner.

In the next chapter, you will be able to determine your own mental-body type using this Ayurvedic system, and then learn how this knowledge allows a person to achieve mental, physical and spiritual well-being - in a word, happiness.

DETERMINING YOUR MENTAL-BODY TYPE

Ayurveda is the world's oldest system of knowledge about human health, designed to prevent and cure diseases. It arose two and a half thousand years BC and existed many centuries before Hippocrates and other ancient Greek healers. In fact, it is very likely that the ancient Greeks were influenced by the ideas of Indian medicine brought to Europe from the East along busy trade routes. Today, as the limits of what can be achieved with a purely mechanistic view of the human body are seen, the powerful ideas of Ayurveda and other traditional health systems are once again of great importance to the West.

Ayurveda teaches that it is very unwise to distinguish between the mind and the body, since these are two inseparable elements of the whole that is any human being. When it comes to addictions, the subtle connection between mind and body becomes especially important. The thought of action, the desire to carry it out - this is the real source of this problem. The idea of a strict separation between the emotional state and physical illness ultimately turns out to be completely useless in relation to addictive types of behavior.

Each of the three doshas has a characteristic effect on human physiology:

Vata dosha is the origin of movement: it controls blood circulation, the passage of food through the gastrointestinal tract, and even the movement of ideas and sensations in our thoughts. Vata comes from the elements ether and air; like the wind, it is unpredictable and constantly in motion.

Pitta dosha is associated with the element of fire, and when talking about it, people often resort to metaphors of heat. Pitta is responsible for converting food into energy during digestion, as well as the metabolism of air and water.

Kapha dosha is the structuring principle of the mental-physical system. It comes from the elements of earth and water and is considered the “heaviest” of the doshas. Kapha is responsible for the formation of muscles, bones, tendons and all cellular tissues of the body, that is, the physiological structure at the lowest level.

Ayurveda teaches that a person’s mental-physical system is determined by the ratio of Vata, Pitta and Kapha in his body - a measure of how much their current ratio deviates from the “ideal” state of dosha balance established at the beginning of life. If Vata was your dominant dosha at birth, Ayurveda will classify you as a Vata type because it is the characteristics of Vata that will be most evident in your mental and physical structure.

Likewise, if you are initially dominated by Pitta or Kapha, this means that they will be the most influential in your constitution. Over the course of life, however, stress or illness can cause the doshas to become imbalanced and one of the minor elements becomes dominant. It may also happen that it is the dominant dosha that upsets the balance. For example, an unbalanced Vata type may have an excess of Vata in the same way as Pitta or Kapha.

Of course, all three doshas must be present in the body, in every cell of it. Since their balance constantly shifts throughout life, accurately determining your body type and any imbalances can be quite difficult. It is best if this is done by a doctor who is well acquainted with Ayurveda. However, for the purposes of this book, you will be able to determine your dominant dosha yourself using the questionnaire below. This information will be very useful for you to recognize your passions, needs and weaknesses caused by them. Please fill out the form and only then proceed to further reading.

AYURVEDIC QUESTIONNAIRE FOR DETERMINING MENTAL-BODY TYPE

This questionnaire consists of three sections. The first 20 questions relate to Vata dosha: read each sentence and mark (on a scale from 0 to 6) to what extent it is true in your case:

0 - this does not apply to me;

3 - applies to me partially (or sometimes);

6 - applies to me almost completely (or almost always).

When you complete this activity, you receive three separate points. By comparing them, you will determine your body type.

You will have no difficulty assessing your obvious physical parameters. As for mental and behavioral characteristics, here the assessment will be more subjective; in order to bring it closer to the truth, you should take into account your feelings and actions, if not for your entire life, then at least for the last few years.

1. I do everything very quickly - no 0‑1, partially 2‑3‑4, almost always 5‑6;

2. I remember poorly and have difficulty remembering later - no 0‑1, partially 2‑3‑4, almost always 5‑6;

3. By nature I am a cheerful, cheerful enthusiast - no 0‑1, partially 2‑3‑4, almost always 5‑6;

4. I have a fragile physique, it’s not easy for me to gain weight - no 0‑1, partially 2‑3‑4, almost always 5‑6;

5. I always learn new things very quickly - no 0‑1, partially 2‑3‑4, almost always 5‑6;

6. I usually have a light and fast gait - none 0‑1, partially 2‑3‑4, almost always 5‑6;

7. I have difficulties when I have to make a decision - no 0‑1, partially 2‑3‑4, almost always 5‑6;

8. I easily experience constipation and gases in the intestines - none 0‑1, partially 2‑3‑4, almost always 5‑6;

9. My feet and palms are often cold - none 0‑1, partially 2‑3‑4, almost always 5‑6;

10. I often experience anxiety and restlessness - none 0‑1, partially 2‑3‑4, almost always 5‑6;

11. I can’t stand cold weather, like most people - none 0‑1, partially 2‑3‑4, almost always 5‑6;

12. I speak quickly, and my friends consider me talkative - none 0‑1, partially 2‑3‑4, almost always 5‑6;

13. My mood changes easily, I am emotional by nature - no 0‑1, partially 2‑3‑4, almost always 5‑6;

14. It is often difficult for me to fall asleep, and my night sleep is not strong - none 0‑1, partially 2‑3‑4, almost always 5‑6;

15. I have clear, especially in winter, very dry skin - none 0‑1, partially 2‑3‑4, almost always 5‑6;

16. My mind is very active, sometimes restless, but full of imagination - no 0‑1, partially 2‑3‑4, almost always 5‑6;

17. My movements are fast and active; my energy usually manifests itself in bursts - no 0‑1, partially 2‑3‑4, almost always 5‑6;

18. I get excited easily - no 0‑1, partially 2‑3‑4, almost always 5‑6;

19. I am prone to erratic sleep and eating patterns - no 0‑1, partially 2‑3‑4, almost always 5‑6;

20. I learn easily, but quickly forget - no 0‑1, partially 2‑3‑4, almost always 5‑6.

Sum of points according to Vata:

1. I consider myself a skillful and intelligent person - no 0‑1, partially 2‑3‑4, almost always 5‑6;

2. In any business I strive for maximum accuracy and order - no 0‑1, partially 2‑3‑4, almost always 5‑6;

3. I have a decisive, strong mind and assertive behavior - no 0‑1, partially 2‑3‑4, almost always 5‑6;

4. In hot weather I feel discomfort and get tired more than most people - none 0‑1, partially 2‑3‑4, almost always 5‑6;

5. I sweat easily - none 0‑1, partially 2‑3‑4, almost always 5‑6;

6. I get angry or irritated very easily, although I don’t always show it - no 0‑1, partially 2‑3‑4, almost always 5‑6;

7. I experience discomfort when the next meal is delayed or canceled - no 0‑1, partially 2‑3‑4, almost always 5‑6;

8. My hair has at least one of the following properties: it turns gray or falls out early; thin, soft, straight; light, red or sand-colored - none 0‑1, partially 2‑3‑4, almost always 5‑6;

9. I have a good appetite, I can eat a lot if I want - no 0‑1, partially 2‑3‑4, almost always 5‑6;

10. Many people consider me stubborn - no 0‑1, partially 2‑3‑4, almost always 5‑6;

11. My bowels work very regularly: I am more likely to have diarrhea than constipation - none 0‑1, partially 2‑3‑4, almost always 5‑6;

12. I am impatient - no 0‑1, partially 2‑3‑4, almost always 5‑6;

13. I am careful in detail to perfection - no 0‑1, partially 2‑3‑4, almost always 5‑6;

14. I get angry easily, but soon move away and forget the incident - no 0‑1, partially 2‑3‑4, almost always 5‑6;

15. I love cold food, especially ice cream and drinks with ice - none 0‑1, partially 2‑3‑4, almost always 5‑6;

16. Indoors I often find it too hot than too cold - none 0‑1, partially 2‑3‑4, almost always 5‑6;

17. I can’t stand hot and spicy food - none 0‑1, partially 2‑3‑4, almost always 5‑6;

18. I should be more tolerant of disagreement - no 0-1, partially 2-3-4, almost always 5-6;

19. I love when I get challenges, and if I want something, I very decisively achieve it - no 0-1, partially 2-3-4, almost always 5-6;

20. I tend to be critical not only of others, but also of myself - no 0‑1, partially 2‑3‑4, almost always 5‑6.

Sum of Pitta points:

1. It is natural for me to do everything slowly and calmly - no 0‑1, partially 2‑3‑4, almost always 5‑6;

2. I gain weight more easily than most people and lose excess weight more slowly - none 0‑1, partially 2‑3‑4, almost always 5‑6;

3. I usually have a calm and peaceful mood, and I am not easily disturbed - no 0‑1, partially 2‑3‑4, almost always 5‑6;

4. I can skip a meal without experiencing much discomfort - none 0‑1, partially 2‑3‑4, almost always 5‑6;

5. I suffer from a tendency to excessive secretion of sputum and mucus, to congestive asthma and sinusitis - none 0‑1, partially 2‑3‑4, almost always 5‑6;

6. I need at least eight hours of sleep to feel comfortable the whole next day - none 0‑1, partially 2‑3‑4, almost always 5‑6;

7. I have a very deep deep sleep- no 0‑1, partially 2‑3‑4, almost always 5‑6;

8. I am calm by nature, and it is difficult to anger me - no 0‑1, partially 2‑3‑4, almost always 5‑6;

9. I don’t learn as quickly as other people, but I remember well and for a long time - no 0‑1, partially 2‑3‑4, almost always 5‑6;

10. I have a tendency towards being overweight, towards rapid obesity - none 0‑1, partially 2‑3‑4, almost always 5‑6;

11. Cold damp weather is unpleasant to me - none 0‑1, partially 2‑3‑4, almost always 5‑6;

12. I have coarse, dark, wavy (or curly) hair - none 0‑1, some 2‑3‑4, almost always 5‑6;

13. I have smooth, elastic skin and a pale complexion - none 0‑1, partially 2‑3‑4, almost always 5‑6;

14. I have a massive, strong physique - no 0‑1, partially 2‑3‑4, almost always 5‑6;

15. My characteristic traits: sincerity, goodwill, tenderness, tendency to forgive - none 0‑1, partially 2‑3‑4, almost always 5‑6;

16. I have slow digestion, so I feel heaviness after eating - none 0‑1, partially 2‑3‑4, almost always 5‑6;

17. I am distinguished by high vitality, endurance and a stable level of energy - no 0‑1, partially 2‑3‑4, almost always 5‑6;

18. My gait is usually leisurely, measured - no 0‑1, partially 2‑3‑4, almost always 5‑6;

19. I have a tendency to sleep too much; in the morning it takes me a long time to get out of bed and do not immediately get into a working state - no 0-1, partially 2-3-4, almost always 5-6;

20. I eat and generally do everything leisurely and thoroughly - no 0‑1, partially 2‑3‑4, almost always 5‑6.

Kapha Score:

Overall result: Vata -... Pitta -... Kapha -...

HOW TO DETERMINE YOUR BODY TYPE

If one of the three amounts received is significantly higher than the others, then, therefore, you clearly belong to the corresponding body type.

Monodorous body types:

cotton wool

Pitta

Kapha

You certainly have a monodonic body type if one of the sums of points exceeds any other twice (for example: Vata - 90, Pitta - 45, Kapha - 35) or even more so if the excess is even more significant. In the monodosha type, the characteristics of one of the doshas dominate. The second highest dosha also characterizes your natural inclinations, but to a much lesser extent.

If no single dosha is dominant, you are a bidosha body type.

Diamous body types:

Vata-Pitta or Pitta-Vata

Pitta-Kapha or Kapha-Pitta

Kapha-Vata or Vata-Kapha

If you are a bidolic body type, then you are dominated by the characteristics of the two main doshas; one of them may predominate, but the other also plays an important role.

To this double type belongs to the majority of people (example: Vata - 80, Pitga - 90, Kapha - 20; this result means belonging to the Pitta-Vata type).

If all three scores are approximately the same, you are obviously a tridosha body type.

Tridosha body type:

Vata-Pitta-Kapha

The latter type, however, is very rare. Check your answers again; It is advisable to involve one of your friends in this check. Finally, read the descriptions of each dosha carefully again to determine the more noticeable characteristics of your body type.

THREE DOSHAS AND THEIR CHARACTERISTICS

According to Ayurveda, knowing your body type is the first and most important step to true health. This is especially true with bad habits. Although all three doshas must be present in the body to maintain life, they are extremely rarely present in a given person in equal proportions. Therefore, it is extremely important to know which dosha - Vata, Pitta or Kapha - has the main influence on you. By figuring out your dominant Dota, you can recognize where you are most vulnerable to physical or emotional stress. You will also be able to determine which activities and lifestyle changes will best help you restore balance in your mind and body.

VATA

Characteristics of Vata type

Light, thin

Does everything quickly

Irregular appetite and digestion

Light, inconsistent sleep, tendency to insomnia

Enthusiasm, liveliness, imagination

Excitability, rapid mood swings

Quickly grasps information and quickly forgets it

Tendency to worry

Tendency to constipation

Fatigue, tendency to overexertion

Mental and physical energy comes in bursts

Very typical for Vata type:

May feel hungry at any time of the day or night

Loves excitement and constant change

Goes to bed at a different time every night, skips meals, and generally changes habits frequently

Good digestion one day and bad the next

Vivid and unrestrained outbursts of emotions that do not last long and are quickly forgotten

Fast walk

PITTA

Characteristics of Pitta type

Medium build

Acute hunger and thirst, powerful digestion

Tendency to anger and irritation in stressful situations

White or pink skin, often freckled

Avoids the sun, does not like hot weather

Enterprising character, loves challenges

Keen intellect

Precise, expressive speech

Doesn't like skipping meals

Blonde, brown, red (or reddish) hair

People of Pitta type are especially characterized by:

Experiencing excruciating hunger if lunch is half an hour late

Live by the clock, resent the waste of time

Waking up in the middle of the night from heat and thirst

Take control of the situation or feel the need to do so

Experience that others consider him too demanding, sarcastic, or uncompromising

Determined gait

KAPHA

Kapha is the calmest and most stable dosha; it does not get out of balance as easily as Vata or Pitta. Kapha brings order and vitality to the body; this is reflected in the stocky build of many Kapha people. By nature, Kapha-type people are equanimous and optimistic. They are not easily angered. Before taking their own position on any issue, they prefer to take into account all possible points of view. When out of balance, Kapha-type people, however, are inhibited and indecisive. They benefit from diet and vigorous exercise, counteracting their natural tendency toward obesity. Despite these kinds of weaknesses, Ayurveda considers Kapha-type people to be very happy: they are usually loving and considerate, and their innate physical resilience protects them from all kinds of diseases.

Characteristics of Kapha type

Strong, powerful physique; greater physical strength and endurance

Stable energy; slowness and grace in action

Calm, relaxed character; is in no hurry to get angry

Cool, smooth, thick, pale and often oily skin

Slowly learns new things, but has a good tenacious memory

Deep long sleep

Tendency to obesity

Slow digestion, moderate appetite

Tendency to possessiveness and complacency

People of Kapha type are especially characterized by:

Think about a problem for a long time before making a decision

Long to wake up, long to lie in bed, drink coffee first thing in the morning

Appreciate the status quo and maintain it by pleasing others

Respect the feelings of other people (if you have genuine sympathy for them)

Find emotional comfort in food

Moist eyes, graceful movements, smooth gait - even if you are overweight

In Part 2, we will talk about some particularly common bad habits, focusing on their connection to the doshas. Since unbalanced Vata is responsible for impulsive actions and nervous instability, calming this dosha is of particular importance in overcoming bad habits. Unbalanced Pitta underlies the exaggerated sense of self-control characteristic of some addicts, including the “I can quit as soon as I want” or “I can drink as much as I want without it doing me any harm” type of confidence. On the other hand, Kapha-type people are often actually able to tolerate exposure to harmful substances longer than others. Combined with their natural tendency toward inertia and slowness, this sometimes causes Kapha people to resist treatment.

I strongly recommend that you read all the chapters of the second part, even if you personally do not have any bad habits. Exposure to a view of addictive behavior that differs from your own can be very helpful in broadening your horizons. It will also help you understand the feelings of non-addicted people - friends, family, co-workers - who have to deal with this complex psychological phenomenon, even though it may be completely foreign to their own life experience.

In the third part we will talk about specific strategies for eliminating Vata imbalance, which lies at the root of any bad habit. Ayurvedic methods will allow you to completely restore balance in your body. You will be able to gain the experience of true happiness, thanks to which there will simply be no room left in your life for any addictive behavior.

Although this book can be of great benefit to the reader, please keep in mind that it is in no way a substitute for professional medical attention when dealing with serious health issues. Bad habits are caused by a combination of personal, social and environmental factors. While I encourage you to take responsibility for your own health, I also want you to be aware that there may be influences beyond your control and even unknown to you. In any case, before starting a new diet or exercise program, including those described in part three, please consult your doctor. This is especially important if, due to ingrained bad habits, your current state of health is weakened.

In essence, a person suffering from bad habits is a seeker of happiness, but he looks for it in the wrong place and wanders, perhaps for many years, in roundabout ways.

Deepak Chopra: “How to overcome bad habits. The spiritual path to solving a problem"

Deepak Chopra
How to overcome bad habits. The spiritual path to solving a problem

“Deepak Chopra. How to overcome bad habits. Spiritual path to solving a problem": Sofia; Kyiv; 2003

ISBN 5-9550-0149-2 Abstract This book will greatly benefit both the millions of people who are trying to get rid of bad habits themselves, and the millions of their family and friends who are trying to help these people solve their problems. Dr. Deepak Chopra offers a completely unexpected perspective on bad habits, on what they are, and on the people who succumb to them. Despite the fact that bad habits bring us both physical and emotional suffering, this book is about pleasure and prosperity, love and hope, health and happiness. In essence, a person suffering from bad habits is a seeker of happiness, but he is looking for it in the wrong place, where necessary, and wanders - perhaps for many years - in roundabout ways. True happiness is a return to the deep harmony of body, mind and spirit - the harmony that was characteristic of you at birth and can be found again. Having restored it, a person will no longer feel the need for stimulants, depressants and everything that needs to be bought, hidden, injected, inhaled, turned on and off. You didn’t need any of this as a child, when a sunny day and the love of loved ones was enough to fill you with happiness. This openness to love, this ability to connect with the world around you is still with you, and you can easily and painlessly revive it. Deepak ChopraHow to overcome bad habits The spiritual path to solving the problem PART ONEWHAT ARE BAD HABITS LOST IN SEARCH Among the most serious problems of our society concerning human health, bad habits and their consequences occupy, in my deep conviction, not the last place. Cardiovascular diseases, respiratory diseases, many forms of cancer, AIDS - these are just some of the ailments that are directly or indirectly caused by bad habits. This little book is therefore an attempt at a very condensed treatment of an extremely large and complex problem. At first glance, this may seem like a difficult task. Perhaps someone will consider the attempt to understand, in a couple of hundred pages, the most complex issues related to addictions, some self-confidence. And yet I am sure that even such a small book will be of great benefit both to millions of people who are trying to get rid of bad habits themselves, and to millions of their relatives and friends who are trying to help these people. In other words, being aware of how diverse difficulties arising in our society due to the bad habits of millions and millions of people, I still begin to implement my plan with optimism and zeal. The reason for this is quite simple: despite the fact that we have to talk here about the deepest physical and emotional suffering, this book is about health and happiness, pleasure and prosperity, love and hope. I understand that such a positive attitude in itself is somewhat unusual. Too often, our efforts to solve bad habits are poisoned by anger, intolerance and despair. Sometimes it sounds overt, as in phrases like “the war on drugs” or horror stories about how addictions ruined someone’s career and ruined someone’s life. In other cases, this negative orientation is not so immediate: consider, for example, the dreary environment of many “centers”, where patients are asked to cope with their problems themselves and where a circle of plastic chairs awaits them in a room with linoleum flooring and fluorescent lighting. Fear of the past. , fear of the future, fear of taking advantage of the present moment to find true happiness - how many fears can the path of a person prone to bad habits be strewn with! An integral part of many methods of getting rid of such habits is also fear. However, for most people, a fear-based approach is not a means of achieving long-term success. Therefore, I intend to offer here a completely different view of bad habits and addictions - what they are, and the people who succumb to them. I see the addicted person as a seeker who, alas, has lost his way. This is a person seeking pleasure, and perhaps even some kind of transcendental experience - and I want to emphasize that such a search is worthy of every encouragement. Such a person is looking for the wrong things, but he strives for very important things, and we cannot afford to ignore the significance of his search. At least initially, the addict hopes to experience something wonderful, something beyond the unsatisfactory, if not intolerable, everyday reality. There is nothing shameful in such an endeavor. On the contrary, it becomes the basis for true hope and true transformation. By calling the addict a seeker, I want to go even further. In my opinion, a person who has never experienced cravings for addictions is one who has not taken the first timid step towards knowing the true meaning of the Spirit. Addiction may not be something to be proud of, but it represents a desire for higher-level experiences. And although it is impossible to achieve such a level with the help of pills and various kinds of obsession, such an attempt itself testifies to the presence of something truly spiritual in a person. According to Ayurveda, the traditional Indian teaching about human health, each of us retains within ourselves the memory of perfection. This memory is imprinted in every cell of our body. It cannot be erased, but it can be drowned out by poisons and various types of pollution. When considering the issue of addictions, our real task is not to describe the destructive effects of addictive behavior 1. Addictive behavior - in psychology: caused by an addiction (usually harmful).

But the awakening of the consciousness of perfection that we always maintain. As a schoolboy I read the poem Paradise Lost, which is undoubtedly one of the greatest works written in the English language. But I also realized that the paradise that is within us can never be lost in the full sense of the word. We may stop noticing it, but it is always within our reach. It has often occurred to me that music is the art form that can most effectively bring us into contact with our inner perfection. Of course, it can be approached from the standpoint of reason and even perceived as a certain branch of mathematics, but music, in addition, takes us to a level that is in some way deeper than our conscious thought processes. This can be experienced by listening to music, and even more fully by playing it. Every time I attend a concert, I am amazed at the obvious impact that music has on the performer. What he experiences can be called ecstasy. The musician, completely absorbed in his performance, moves into another reality and experiences completely unaccountable happiness and joy. This is a breathtaking, amazing sight. Such an experience, of course, can become a worthy goal for aspirations in your own life. In this regard, I am reminded of a biography I once read of Charlie Parker, a talented musician who shone in the jazz world of New York in the 40s and early 50s. The best of his saxophone improvisations were not just stunningly fast and intricate - they had a logical coherence and unity. The young musicians who idolized Parker were ready to do anything to play like him, but his musical abilities seemed almost supernatural. What was the secret of his playing, his ability to enter that space, not accessible to everyone, where he, without a doubt, was during the performance? It so happened that Charlie Parker was not only a great musician, but also a heroin addict. And although his best solos were played when he was not addicted to drugs, it became fashionable among a whole generation of jazz musicians to use heroin in imitation of their idol. Their impulse is quite understandable and even admirable: they wanted to immerse themselves in that supernatural experience in which another person was experiencing before their eyes. However, for many talented people this had disastrous consequences. Heroin not only did not lead them to the main goal of life - to become outstanding musicians, but also turned out to be destructive for them. They wanted to find a shortcut to heaven, but they clearly took the wrong path. When it comes to addictions, this is the most important point, whether we are talking about drugs, food, alcohol, smoking, gambling, television soap operas or the thousands of other temptations that are present in our lives every day. Addiction begins when the right thing is sought in the wrong place. As Jung's follower, psychologist Robert Johnson, showed in his magnificent book Ecstasy, addiction is nothing more than a completely degenerate substitute for the true experience of happiness. EDUCATION OF THE SPIRIT Man does not live by bread alone. This well-known image appears in both the Old and New Testaments, and its meaning is quite clear. In fact, it means that our needs are not limited to satisfying only material needs. However, it is worth noting how categorical this statement is. Spiritual satisfaction is presented as a fundamental need of life, comparable to the need for food. Essentially, all other religions and spiritual traditions stand in the same position: in order to live, we need “food for the soul.” In my opinion, this is true in a completely literal sense. The state of our spiritual life is directly related to the functioning of our body, including metabolism, digestion, respiration and all other types of physiological activities. But we often neglect or underestimate our spiritual needs. Of course, there are some signs that such behavior is gradually being replaced by something else - people are once again becoming aware of spiritual values. Nevertheless, the materialistic orientation, under the influence of which we have been for so long, has entailed very serious consequences, closely related to the prevalence of addiction in modern society. Since we are not fully aware of the need for spiritual achievements, it is not surprising that that many people misunderstand the true needs of the human spirit. They discover a great variety of overstimulating activities and an equal number of stress-relieving methods, replacing them with a state of “really high class” - precisely the deep experience that Robert Johnson calls ecstasy. This is unfortunate, because we need ecstasy. We need it as urgently as we need food, water and air. But in modern Western society this fundamental human need is not fully realized. Over the past thirty years, we have made significant progress in understanding how our physical environment has deteriorated and in overcoming these types of trends. But we have not yet been able to realize our spiritual needs as decisively. I see the problem of bad habits as a direct consequence of this fundamental oversight. In every culture, in every era of human history, people have felt the need for an ecstatic experience - for pleasure of one kind or another, going beyond the framework of everyday reality. Various cultures have tried to satisfy this need in many different ways, and some of these methods turned out to be much more spiritually oriented than others. In the 19th century, Russian writer Fyodor Dostoevsky argued that a person can only feel fulfilled by receiving three types of experiences from society - miracles , sacraments and spiritual guidance, and that these experiences are much more important to him than the satisfaction of material needs. A person with an addiction seems to believe that through it he can obtain miracles and mysteries, and the lack of spiritual guidance makes this view even more seductive. Instead of viewing addicts as simply weak people, or even criminals, I prefer to see them as those who are destructive to themselves, but still understandably respond to the spiritual vacuum hidden behind our material abundance. We all feel the consequences This spiritual vacuum, Depending on who we are and the circumstances in which we find ourselves, we respond to it in one of many ways. However, in our society, the human response to essentially spiritual aspirations often takes on material forms. I remember a friend of mine who, while still a very young man, achieved impressive success in business. In his early forties, he had enough money in his hands to do or have literally anything he wanted. And he really wanted something, but he wasn't sure what exactly. Anyway, he bought a summer house by the lake. To get to this house, he bought an expensive jeep, and so that when he got there he had something to do, he bought a boat. In addition, he acquired a state-of-the-art cell phone so that he could monitor the progress of his business from a jeep or boat. In short, a common story that has happened many times to financially successful individuals. Having acquired a house, a car, a boat and a telephone, my friend was in no way closer to true self-realization than he was before. The result was only that he fell into an even more depressed state of mind, and the long-term consequences of this are still observed. So, for example, the boat turned out to be a very convenient place for quite copious libations. My friend is a wealthy man and, by and large, a strong personality. That's probably why his obsession with acquisitions didn't do him much harm. But for a person with less financial resources or, say, for a more vulnerable person, this could have quite detrimental consequences in the form of unpredictable emotional addictions. Alcohol, drugs, and sexual recklessness are essentially material responses to needs that are not fundamentally physical. But if a person has no idea where, other than the realm of mere sensuality, he should look for true pleasure, it is not surprising that he does not find it. In his book The Lost World of the Exhibition, published in 1939, computer specialist David Gelenter uses as a starting point to analyze the then society of the New York World's Fair. The conclusions he drew seem to me quite clear and convincing. Near the end of the Great Depression and just before the outbreak of World War II, the World's Fair painted a picture of the future that captured the imagination of most people at the time. A little more, this picture said, and everyone will have their own car. Moreover, everyone will have a garage where they can keep this car. Housing, electric refrigerators, and even televisions would become available to everyone. According to Gelenter, this seemingly incredible prospect energized American society during the war and the period of rising prosperity that followed. Gradually, what seemed an unattainable ideal turned into a real way of life for many people. But as we achieved more and more success in satisfying our material needs, the number of things we had to strive for naturally decreased. Since things were what we hoped for and worked for, with each new material goal we achieved, we were left with fewer hopes and fewer goals. Today, the dream that inspired us half a century ago has become a reality. And if this reality did not bring happiness to many Americans, is it because the dream was based on what we needed then! Now that many of us have received everything in full, we need something qualitatively different. We need something more. For the millions of people who have not yet achieved the financial and material success we associate with today, the situation is even more complex. Addiction is undoubtedly more common among the poor than among the affluent, and its consequences for people with limited social and personal resources are much more detrimental. Telling people who feel left behind in material wealth that they need to become aware of their spiritual needs, I touch on some very difficult issues. I might be asked, for example, whether this is reminiscent of admonitions addressed to a small child that being an adult is not as wonderful as it might seem? Kids will still want to experience it for themselves! And yet I am confident that the awareness and development of the Spirit is necessary for everyone, regardless of his current position in society, since such awareness is the only true and permanent alternative to addictions. On the pages of this book, I tried to show that spiritual improvement is available to every person, whatever his personal history or material security. Of course, your individual circumstances will inevitably influence your choice of path to spiritual perfection. However, one of the greatest strengths of Ayurveda is its flexibility and ability to meet the unique needs of each individual. I hope that the subtitle of this book adequately emphasizes the strength of my feelings about bad habits. I talk about the spiritual path to solving the problem because I am sure that this is the true answer. In the third chapter I will explain in more detail why I am sure of this; in the coming chapters we will look at how you can apply the spiritual path in your daily life. ACTION, MEMORY, DESIRE Whenever I want to understand what miracle and happiness are, I mentally return to that bright and beautiful day when I went for a walk with a little three-year-old girl, my neighbor’s daughter. Despite the fact that we walked around our cozy but unremarkable residential neighborhood only once, it took us almost an hour. It turned out that everything we saw and heard became a joyful discovery for us and a reason for enthusiastic discussion. Time and time again we stopped to look at the cars parked on the curb. My young friend happily chirped about their color, size, shape and even certainly wanted to touch each of them. She paid equally enthusiastic attention to the flowers growing in the flower beds and to the sounds of a fire engine coming to us from afar. When a plane flew over our heads, we immediately stopped and began to look at the sky until it, turning into a tiny speck of dust, melted into the distance. And, of course, we waved after him. This walk around the block led me to some very important conclusions. Thus, it was obvious that in fact the source of pleasure for the girl was not at all what we encountered, in itself. Pictures, sounds, objects - all this was just a reason for her to express the feeling that was already present in her. This feeling did not come from something located in the external world; on the contrary, it was projected onto the world from her heart and soul. In my opinion, happiness is the word that best characterizes this state of spontaneous pleasure. Most people, at least adults, do not experience happiness while walking around the block, and for obvious reasons. Children live in a world of pure contemplation. For them, visual images, sounds and objects exist to enjoy them, to play with them, and not at all to use them. But in the lives of adults, everything is subordinated to responsibilities. Walking on a sunny day, we perceive the world around us as an illegible mosaic of colors and patterns, while our consciousness is focused on one or another problem that we currently consider the most pressing. Whatever this kind of experience is called, it is anything but happiness. But let’s imagine that such a preoccupied adult, walking, staring at the sidewalk, suddenly discovers something completely unusual in his field of vision. A hundred dollar bill! The effect will be almost magical! Problems that until now seemed so all-consuming, due to such luck, immediately - at least for a while - disappear somewhere. If this happened to you, a list of what you can do with this hundred dollar bill would immediately flash before your eyes. Perhaps you will not regard this incident as something that has transformed your life, but you will probably begin to think of it as something very good - and your state of consciousness will change dramatically. How will you feel? I'm sure this word immediately came to mind: joy. Finding a hundred dollars will make you happy. Money is an external reason, and the feeling of joy is an internal response to it. Happiness can be described as a feeling of joy for no reason. Happiness is an initially present internal state that determines our perception of the world. Happiness is a cause, while joy is an effect. I do not mean that we adults should always try to behave as if we were little children, but we need to remember the happy state of being that was once ours. It is always achievable, although it is often confused with a completely different state, which I called a feeling of joy. Joy is what we seek, what we strive for, perhaps even what we fight for. Joy is something that we try to find or rather buy. Happiness is what we are. People strive to avoid suffering and gain pleasure, and they take pleasure in any of the forms available to them. If a person has lost touch with his internal sources of happiness, if the joy that comes to him from external sources is the only happiness he knows, then he is looking for just such an experience. Depending on the circumstances, this search can be very valuable and fruitful. But, unfortunately, it can also result in addiction in one of its many guises. Let's replace finding the hundred dollar bill with some other possibilities in our story. Suppose a young man living in a world of suffering and cruelty finds a substance that can instantly transport him, even if only for a short time, to a completely different life. Suppose another young man, whose promotion has stalled and his family is in financial difficulties, finds relief by having a bottle of beer after sending his wife to bed - and after drinking half a dozen he feels even better. Someone else will find a similar way out in something else from the endless variety of addictive substances and addictive behaviors. Whatever the experience, if it gives pleasure, naturally you always want to repeat it. Such repetition, at least at first, is a matter of choice. But when a person is truly seized by an addiction, it turns into a need and even a necessity. Ayurveda very clearly defines such psychological and physiological mechanisms. When we perform an action, say, pick up a pencil or cross a river rapids in a rubber boat, we internally establish its place in the spectrum of our experience. At one end of this spectrum is unbearable suffering, and at the other is supreme pleasure. Having completed, the action continues to exist in our consciousness - as well as in our body - in the form of a memory, to which one or another degree of suffering or pleasure is attributed. If the level of "suffering" is high enough, we will do everything in our power to avoid repeating this action. If an action brings us great pleasure, we will be just as desperate to do it again. The Sanskrit word karma means action. It can refer both to physical activity and to one or another mental process, say, to thinking or feeling. Every action contains within itself the seeds of recollection, called sanskara in Sanskrit, and the seeds of desire, called vasana. Essentially, the difference between the two is that one is backward-facing and the other is forward-facing. If the memory of an action is pleasant, it gives rise to the desire to perform a new action that gives at least the same pleasure. A new action can either simply repeat what was done previously, or represent an attempt to obtain even greater pleasure.