Drinking Vasana

Swami Chinmayananda

oi-Staff

Wednesday, October 14, 2009, 11:00

At a satsang at a Chinmaya Spiritual Camp, a person said to Swamiji : "I have a problem. I'm an alcoholic. I come to these camps and enjoy them very much. I understand what you're saying, but when I get home, I start drinking again. While I'm here, I have no problem-only when I return home again. What do I do, Swamiji?"

Swamiji answered, "Drinking is only a vasana, the same as an anger vasana or an overeating vasana. If you decide that you are tired of this vasana and you want to get rid of it, all you have to do is decide: ' I don't want it anymore. 'Then, with full awareness, watch how the vasna functions, and you will get rid of it. Try this :

"Before the vasana pulls you to enter the drinking booth (pub), say to yourself, I have a drinking vas ana, and I'm ashamed of it. I want to get rid of it. But if the vasana is still too strong, you cross the street, open the door, sit down on the bar stool, and meet your drinking companions. With every step, whatever you do - opening the door, walking up to the counter, sitting down on the stool, greeting your friends - you do in full awareness. As you order the first drink, say to yourself, 'This is the drinking vasana doing this'. Then you swallow the burning liquid consciously, with full awareness that this is the drinking vasana at work.

After that, you may not remember anything else, but next morning as you wake up with as splitting headache, you remember again, 'This is the drinking vasana that's done this to me'. And you suffer the hangover in full consciousness that the drinking vasana caused it.

"You go through this exercise again and again, because if the vasana is strong; it will not leave you easily. But one day you will find that you may cross the street, enter the bar, meet your friends, and walk out without buying a drink. Then, sometime later, you cross the street, walk through the door, look at the whole bar scene in full consciousness knowing now that you have a choice to get sucked in or walk away, never to enter the drinking booth again. It is your choice. If you go through these experiences with full awareness, one day you will be free."

About the author

Swami Chinmayananda

Swami Chinmayananda the great master's lectures were an outpour of wisdom. He introduced the Geetha Gnana Yagna. He wrote a lot of books on spirituality, commentaries to Vedantic texts, children books etc. He then started spreading His teachings globally.....