SAMSKARAS AND THEIR REPROGRAMMING
From the book
“Saggio sulla maturazione spirituale - An essay on spiritual maturing” 

Andrea Pangos andreapangos@libero.it 

Translated by Dusan Đurović 

 

Samskaras are impressions formed in human beings as a result of what they perceive. Samskaras are not, as commonly claimed by some teachings, the fruits of so called and alleged previous lives, but instead they are exclusively the consequences of what a person had experienced from the moment of conception onwards. At the moment of conception, an embryo has no samskaras and its vibrations are perfectly harmonised with Consciousness. 

Samskaras condition man’s behaviour in as much as they reduce the possibility of one’s free choice, that is they  reduce the multiple choice that exists as a potential at one’s disposal. Thus samskaras turn one into a prisoner of one’s own behavioural mechanism, which in time grows in strength and eventually fossilising one’s life. The more a certain type of action, emotional or thought pattern conditioned by samskaras is being repeated, the more those samskaras are strengthened or even the new ones can be formed as a result, which can grow into the whole groups of samskaras. 

Samskaras are processes that unfold on two levels: 

a)   on the level of vibrations and energies, samskaras are vibrational-energetic structures. Samskaras are essentially vibrations, although they can also condense down into energetic structures that could be defined as samskaric energetic structures. 

b)   on the level of Consciousness, samskaras unfold in a form of processes on the relation Infinite Knowledge - Infinite Love - Infinite Power. These processes also depend on the activity of a vibrational-energetic element of samskaras, which in turn is conditioned by the above mentioned processes of Consciousness. On the level of Consciousness there are neither vibrations nor energies. Vibrations and energies are manifestations of the process of Consciousness. 

On the level of Consciousness, samskaras are the “neutral” information-processes, while on the level of vibrations and energies, or rather on the level of the mind, samskaras manifest as “active information”. In vast majority of cases, the vibrational-energetic part of samskaras is not harmonised with Consciousness. The unharmonised vibrational-energetic element of samskaras distorts one’s perception, where things seem “to be as they appear” and not “as they are”. “Eliminating” samskaras stimulates maturing of Consciousness, or rather eliminates certain obstacles for its maturing. I am using inverted comas when I write “elimination” of samskaras, because samskaras can not be eliminated in a literal sense of the word. On the level of Consciousness, information related to samskaras is Eternal and so it can be in no way eliminated or erased. 

On the level of vibrations and energies, “samskaric information” exists while person’s energies exist with their (person’s) own signature, and they continue to exist even after one’s energies “merge” with other, more mature energetic structures. This is why it is much better to use a term “transformation of samskaras” or even more accurate “reprogramming of samskaras”. 

Reprogramming of samskaras unfolds on two levels: 

a) by reprogramming samskaras on the level of Consciousness, it is the processes of individual Consciousness that are being reprogrammed within the framework of Infinite Consciousness, which brings about the synchronisation of a vibrational-energetic element of samskaras with Consciousness. By reprogramming the processes of Consciousness that “cause” samskaras, the “roots” of samskaras are being “eliminated”. It needs to be stressed that individual Consciousness is not separate from Infinite Consciousness, but that individual Consciousness is formed out of the processes within Infinite Consciousness. In fact, individual Consciousness is the same as Infinite Consciousness. 

b) by reprogramming the vibrational-energetic element of samskaras, that element is thus being synchronised with Consciousness. 

When a complete synchronisation of a particular samskara with Consciousness is achieved, the vibration of that samskara has practically transformed into the Vibration of Universal Love. For example, by reprogramming the samskaras attached to hatred, this hatred is transformed into Love, or rather the vibration of hate is thus transformed into the Vibration of Universal Love. Thus hearted “returns to that, which it originally has been”, and that is Love. One must not forget that all emotions, be they positive or negative, originate from the Vibration of Universal Love. The result of such a vibrational transformation of samskaras, is that things are no longer seen “as they appear”, but instead “as they are”. Besides, such a transformation offers an opportunity for realisation of the fact that things are not (in) Real(ity), that is - in Real(ity) there is no thing to be seen or felt, because only God (Reality) Is Real, while the manifestation (Consciousness, vibration, energy and matter) is an illusion, which in Real(ity) is not. Illusion exists only as illusion. 

Reprogramming of samskaras also means their neutralisation, which is why by reprogramming samskaras the attachment to certain situations, certain ways of reacting, certain persons is lessened, as well as one’s dependence on certain persons or events... By reprogramming one’s own samskaras, one realises an ever greater “neutrality” in relation to various aspects of life. This by no means implies nor assumes that one becomes more passive or that such a person is “untouchable by life’s ebbs and tides”, but rather that such a person is increasingly more aware of the illusory nature of the world, meaning that they are more and more Discerning between Reality and illusion. Separation, alienation, complacency and passivity are always and exclusively the states of man’s unawakened mind. What can one possibly be separate from, when all is the unified one?! In relation to what or to whom could one be passive, when only One Is?! And indeed, by reprogramming samskaras, one’s attachment to the past (as memories), as well as to the future (as expectations and desires), also lessens. Since it is the unawakened mind that keeps feeding the illusion of space and time, or rather in a case of human beings it represents space and time, the neutralisation of samskaras stills the mind and brings about the cessation (in one’s perception) of the illusion of the passage of time and of the existence of space. This means that by neutralising samskaras, a “neutralisation” of individual perception of the illusion of space and time also takes place. This can lead to a state where one becomes an observer of time and space from the perspective “from the other side” of time and space. This is a way man can overcome an illusion of time and space. 

Many spiritual teachings give importance to samskaras, or rather to the mental impressions and their “elimination”. This eventually gave rise to the development of various techniques and specific codes of practise and behaviour, which instigate the “elimination” of samskaras. Usually these techniques are very strenuous, involving special exercises and often requiring a particular life style, which is for an “ordinary person” quite hard to apply. These are particularly hard for those who are “less aware” and whose behaviour is under a stronger influence of samskaras. One of limitations of most such techniques is that they act upon elimination of samskaras indirectly, i.e. through breathing techniques, renouncing, then the various meditation techniques that require almost complete absence of movement... There are also some techniques and theories, whose approach is based on neutralising samskaras through experiencing the situations that are opposite to the ones that have lead to the formation of the samskaras in question. Such techniques and theories are based on rather bold ideas and claims, and are often very incorrectly interpreted, which is hardly surprising given their quite “shaky” foundations. Each experience is nothing but exactly that - an experience. Any sort of unaware behaviour will certainly strengthen the existing samskaras and form some new ones. In essence, the only way to “eliminate” samskaras is to synchronise them with Consciousness. This process gets supported by Knowledge, Love and Power, or rather by Their awakening in an individual. In order to “eliminate” samskaras, it is not so important what one does, but rather what is one’s degree of awakening of one’s own individuality: a worrior who cuts off his enemy’s head with one fully conscious strike, creates less samskaras from someone who prays to God mechanically, out of sense of guilt and fear of God. Such an approach to prayer feeds a particular form of samskaras, i.e. samskaras connected to a false spirituality. Every prayer directed to God will certainly have positive effects, but when it is tainted with fear, sense of guilt, and sin, it also instigates the constitution of various negative energetic structures, such as: negative energetic fields, collective negative mental structures, negative abstract radiation, etc. This is why in some places of worship, along side of the positive, the negative energetic structures are also being formed. 

Techniques based on the power of visualisation are yet another effective way for creating further samskaras. As it is often stated, the aim of many such techniques is to create a different and better reality, while the term reality is being employed to refer to the illusory (unReal) world. In such a way, at least three situations arise that are damaging to maturing of Consciousness: 

a) instead of awakening the illusory nature of the world and so transcending the illusion itself, one continues to feed the illusion that the world is real, while in fact that same world is totally illusory. In such a way one embarks upon dreaming a slightly different kind of dream, as opposed to striving towards Awakening. By attributing a certain value of reality to what is unreal, one strengthens the samskaras, which themselves are unreal, that is they appear as real to a person with an unawakened mind, while to God they are - Nothing. To God even the Universe is Nothing (vibrations, energies, matter). Even Consciousness is Nothing to God (Consciousness being beyond the sensory perception and thus impossible to know with the senses), which as a Triune process is changeable and therefore unReal. 

b) illusion of false power is formed. False, since such a form of manipulating the illusion is false. It is false because it obstructs the maturing of Consciousness. A title of true form of manipulating illusion can be given to any form of manipulation that stimulates maturing of Consciousness, i.e. the realisation of Self. The false manipulating of illusion can be none other than a false and completely illusory power. That leads away from the True Power, i.e. the Power of Infinite Love. It is certain that by creating the illusion of false power, the samskaras which relate to one’s idea of oneself as well as of one’s own power are being formed and/or strengthened. Each idea one has of oneself and of OneSelf, strengthens a delusion that one is separate from God, i.e. from One’s Self. 

c) by directing one’s mental contents towards reaching a certain goal or towards gratification of some desire, all that one actually attains is a hollow running around in circles, like the cat chasing its own tail, or in other words, one uses the mind (which itself is an illusion) in order to delude one’s own individuality. Such behaviour only serves to strengthen samskaras connected to a particular goal or desire, which in turn blocks the process of maturing of Consciousness. 

It is natural and normal that one strives towards bettering of one’s life. The problem lies in the fact that for those whose mind is not awakened, that bettering is often equated with satisfying the desires. True bettering of life can only be realised by putting life in the function of that, which life essentially is: an instrument for self-recognition, that is - for individualisation of Consciousness. 

As for the visualisation techniques that are based on visualising one’s “personal teacher”, they can be positive in the beginning, but over time they too become an obstacle for maturing. Amongst other things, such a technique becomes an obstacle because its continual application leads towards one’s dependence on the teacher (dependence often so subtle, it is hard for one to even notice it), thus feeding the related samskaras. All this has a negative effect on karma as the process of individualisation of Consciousness. More precisely, it creates and strengthens certain elements, amongst which are also samskaras, which obstruct a free unfoldment (manifestation) of the process of individualisation of Consciousness (individual karma). This happens also because the very visualising of the teacher's image can contribute towards one loosing one's own path and starting to follow another's. In this way one becomes a follower, or rather the one that trails, follows. By following another one certainly can not Reach one’s Self. Looking for a teacher outside oneSelf presents a particular form of hallucination and indicates one’s ignorance of oneSelf as God within whom all (does not) happen, including all the teachers: ancient, current and those yet to be, as well as all teachings ancient, modern and those yet to be. The only true teacher is God, which each human being in Real(ity) Is. Each person has their own path, and when two people happen to be treading the same path, then at least one of them is on the wrong road. The true student is he/she who is to him/herself simultaneously both - the teacher and the student. The one who is following someone, can in no way be called a student, since then he/she is but a follower. 

What in an individual creates an illusion of being separated from God and that there is something other than God, is one’s own unawakened individuality. Through awakening one’s own individuality this illusion also lessens. For Realising the Self, i.e. God, it is necessary to awaken and transcend one’s own individuality (to realise it as a mere illusion). It is necessary to transform one’s individuality from an element that causes a delusion of separateness and distance from God, into an element that enables the Realisation of Self as God. The path of each human being towards their Self (God) is in each and every case the person’s awakened individuality, that is the path is that life, which is a manifestation of awakened individuality. This also means that, in fact, under no circumstances can one be on someone else’s path because this would mean being someone else’s individuality, and this is impossible. Each one’s individuality is one’s greatest treasure, because it is an instrument for Discriminating Reality from illusion and for Realising the Self. Individuality is an illusion, but it is at the same time a necessary instrument for transcending the illusion. That is why individuality must not be denied, but rather made conscious (an individuality that awakens itself). Individuality can only be transcended through realising Reality - God, and not through negating the individuality and illusion. Negation of individuality creates in one many conflicts and traps one inside the game of “all is an illusion”, which leads into a state that could be called a special form of spiritual madness. A good way to enter the spiritual madness is repeating to oneself and others the concepts, such as: I am Self, only God Is Real, etc, without having really Realised this.

Even positive thinking, although certainly better than negative one, represents an obstacle for maturing of Consciousness. Positive and negative alike are both in the domain of the mind that needs to be transcended through awareness, and certainly not through feeding it with its own contents. Positive thinking creates and strengthens the samskaras related to a so called positive thought, which in turn limits the maturing of Consciousness. Visualisation and positive thinking will certainly yield many results, but always and in every case in a form of slavery to an unawakened mind. The sum total of all achievements of this world is always, and most certainly nothing, in relation to the Final Realisation, i.e. in relation to achieving the Maturing of Consciousness. To think positive, without awakening the mind, means to be a prisoner of one’s own and other’s delusions in a somewhat different, if perhaps more pleasant and even more interesting way (at least when seen by someone whose mind is also unawakened), and yet still only a prisoner. Even a prison of gigantic proportions, which allows free movement to its prisoners within its walls, and has all the luxurious commodities and services of a five star hotel at their disposal, is still only a prison. The true field of human activity reaches into infinity, and certainly not some tiny box of unawakened mind, characterised by numerous samskaras. Positive thinking can serve a good purpose as a starting step, but only if one does not remain for too long in that dream, attached to positive thinking. It would be advisable to make that next step as soon as possible, which is - awakening the mind. 

There are also the techniques with which one “eliminates” samskaras by observing one’s behaviour. The problem in these cases is that when these samskaras become “active”, meaning that an acquired behaviour mechanism also becomes active, so that self-observation “goes on one’s own account”. Another limitation of this so called technique of observing oneself is that many, through observing their bodies and behaviour, confuse such observation with observing the Self, or in other words they imagine themselves to be that body, mind and the resulting behaviour. It would be good if they understood that in fact all they are observing is just another one of the multitude of manifestations that are unfolding in Them as God. Of course, the Self as God, is impossible to observe, but can only be Realised. In Reality, God can not even be Realised, since the inherent components to realising something are - the one who realises and that, which is being realised. And God Is only One. Therefore one can only Be God, or rather it is impossible for one to actually Be anything else but God. One is thus left with a possibility for using the free choice wrongly and so imagining to be someone and something. By strengthening one’s identification with one’s physical body, with the mind and with Consciousness, the “false self” also grows, which all together takes one further away from Discriminating the Reality from an illusion. Certainly even the very act of distancing from something is in itself illusory. In fact, everything is illusory except God, who Is Real. 

Identification with the body, the mind but also with Consciousness obstructs the Realisation of Self as God as well as the realisation of Infinite Knowledge, Infinite Love, Infinite Power, time and space as One’s own manifestations. Man who is convinced that he is that body, imagines himself being in time and space, which creates an illusion of conception, birth, life and death, while in fact the time and space are within Him. 

In any case, even such observation of the body and mental currents serves a good purpose, but still it is necessary to “reject” the very notion of observing (witnessing). Only when the observer, the observed and the observing become one, or rather when one realises that this is always so, one can realise the Self. When Universe, Knowledge, Love and Power disappear and all that remains is the pure Realisation of Self as God, only then one Knows the Self. The one who Knows the Self, Sole-ly Knows that God Is and that Consciousness is not. 

The quality of observing the body and behaviour depends also on the awareness of the observer. Observer observes himself in order to “gain” the awareness, but if he or she is not sufficiently aware, he/she will not succeed in observing him/herself (that is their body and behaviour) “correctly”. So it is quite unlikely that they will “gain” that necessary awareness by the way of insufficiently awakened observation. This situation somewhat resembles that of someone attempting to enter their car, but unluckily had left the key in the car which now is locked. How to enter this car if there is no key duplicate? In the case of “eliminating” samskaras, the car window or a door can be opened with the “Key of Creation”, that is with the prayer directed to God. One such prayer that has shown to be very effective in reprogramming samskaras is: I pray to God to reprogram my samskaras. With this prayer one directly affects the samskaras, using the mind to initiate the processes at the level of Infinite Consciousness, by whose help the samskaras are being reprogrammed. This “eliminates the roots” of samskaras and their vibrational-energetic element is thus being synchronised with Consciousness. The prayer is an excellent way for using the mind to deceive the mind itself. Thanks to a prayer: I pray to God to reprogram my samskaras, the samskaras become “weaker”, which enables an easier change of behavioural habits into those that are in accord with one’s spiritual maturing in daily life. In this way one directly and positively influences the transformation of the manifestation of karma into an ever growing maturing process. 

Reprogramming of samskaras can be: 

a) general 

b) specific 

a) General reprogramming of samskaras is done through the following prayers: I pray to God to reprogram my samskaras; I pray to God to reprogram the karmic causes of my samskaras. 

For reprogramming of specific samskaras, the following prayer can be used: I pray to God to reprogram my samskaras related to (state a certain event, a certain mechanism of behaviour, a person, an illness...). 

Here are few examples of specific prayers for reprogramming samskaras: 

I pray to God to reprogram my samskaras related to my relationship with my parents. 

I pray to God to reprogram my samskaras related to my relationship with my husband (wife). 

I pray to God to reprogram my samskaras related to stress. (It is even possible, if known, to state the motive for and apparent cause of stress and/or the period relevant to that stress.) 

I pray to God to reprogram my samskaras related to my fears. (It is possible to state a specific type of fear.) 

I pray to God to reprogram my samskaras related to my attachment to (state a person, event or object...). 

I pray to God to reprogram my samskaras related to negative emotions I am feeling towards (state a person’s name). 

I pray to God to reprogram the samskaras that cause my depression. 

I pray to God to reprogram the samskaras that cause this cold (or some other discomfort or ailment). 

I pray to God to reprogram my samskaras that cause my drug addiction. 

b) A specific prayer that relates to a certain element-problem, is much more effective in resolving the given problem than the general one. This is why it is good to alternate a general prayer: I pray to God to reprogram my samskaras and the specific prayers: I pray to God to reprogram  my samskaras related to...

 Two, out of many advantages of reprogramming samskaras through the prayer addressed to God are: 

1) this technique directly affects the samskaras and in this way eases the changes in one’s behaviour. That is much simpler than changing the behaviour first in order for this to affect the samskaras at some later stage. 

2) samskaras can also be reprogrammed “along the way”. For example: while washing the dishes, waiting for a bus, walking, running, swimming... It is sufficient to shut the eyes for a few seconds, send a prayer and open eyes. This approach brings closer as well as it integrates the processes of maturing of Consciousness with the processes of every day life. Indeed, in the beginning the prayer will be more effective if one chooses a quiet place to meditate in, with eyes shut, but through one’s spiritual maturing, the prayer’s effectiveness is less and less dependant on the position of the body, or whether the eyes are shut or open, nor whether the brain waves are being lowered or not and same also goes for the ambience in which one finds oneself, etc. 

What is important to know is that over the first few days or weeks following the initial prayers for reprogramming samskaras, one can experience some very strong reactions. For example, when reprogramming samskaras relating to arguments between partners, in the course of the next several days or longer, the persons concerned may “feel an increased need to argue”. This happens as a result of the vibrations and energetic structures, which are connected to anger, rage, tension, fears and hatred that had accumulated over the years of arguing, being harmonised with Consciousness. In this way a person acquires a realisation regarding the said negative emotions. In somewhat simpler terms, a good portion of anger that has “accumulated” over many years “surfaces” over a short period, which can lead to stronger reactions. In these cases it is very important not to suppress the rage and other negative reactions - emotions. It is also important not to react with an argument, because this even more strengthens and disharmonises an already existing samskaras as well as creates the new ones. The best thing to do, although quite difficult in practise, especially in the beginning, is for one to attempt to observe the process of negative reaction, but without analysing it (as this would only serve to feed the mind’s currents). The following prayers can be very useful for observing without reacting:  I pray to God to eliminate my negative reactions or better still: I pray to God to be aware. It is also useful to ask oneself: who is it that’s feeling nervous? Who is it that wants to argue?... and so on, without searching for a verbal answer, but rather attempting to “find out” who it is really who questions: who is nervous, and even more precisely who is it that imagines to be nervous?! 

After a certain period of sending the prayers (I pray to God to reprogram my samskaras), the prayer becomes a program that is constantly active in that human being. In this way the reprogramming of samskaras carries on more and more, “automatically” in a manner of speaking, simultaneously “the creation of new samskaras reduces” as well as their “strength”. 

It is hard to give an already framed definition as to how long one needs to be meditating in order to eliminate a one particular samskara, or even a whole group of them. The “success rate” in eliminating the samskaras will depend on many factors, such as: 

1) the “strength” of the samskaras in question; 

2) how deeply is a certain way of behaviour rooted and conditioned by circumstances, i.e. how much is behaviour, as well as the samskaras or one samskara, fed by the circumstances; 

3) the level of maturity of one’s Consciousness, since the more aware the person, the easier it is for them to transform their behaviour and their samskaras; 

4) depends on one’s ability to reprogram samskaras, which in turn depends on one’s spiritual maturity, how much time one allocates to reprogramming of samskaras and to reprogramming in general (i.e. reprogramming the karma), etc. The ability to reprogram samskaras can be developed with a prayer: I pray to God to mature my ability to reprogram samskaras. 

The effectiveness in reprogramming samskaras increases if combined with reprogramming of karma, which itself is in fact the essential reprogramming. The reprogramming of samskaras will, in turn, increase the efficiency of reprogramming the karma. 

If we were to give some form of framed practise guideline, we could say that it is recommended to practise a general reprogramming of samskaras 5-10 minutes per day, plus another 5-10 minutes of the daily reprogramming of specific samskaras. 

Reprogramming of samskaras can also be done intensely, for several hours per day, several days in a row, or even continually for several consecutive weeks. This initiates the deeper and faster processes of transformation, but this can also provoke quite a strong reactions and rather radical changes. For these reasons, we would only recommend an intense reprogramming of samskaras to those who are ready to “take such a risk”. 

Reprogramming of samskaras is particularly effective if done in one of the Power Places, such as: the museums of Vatican (the Sistine Chapel in particular), the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem, the Pyramids in Giza, the Palace of the Winds in Jaipur, the Sun Pyramid and the Moon Pyramid in Mexico City, the Forbidden City in Beijing, etc. In such places the prayer could read as follows: 

I pray to God to reprogram my... 

I pray to the Mature Consciousnesses of this Power Place to reprogram my.... 

I pray to God - Mature Consciousnesses to reprogram my... 

Reprogramming the samskaras also stimulates the processes of disidentification with Consciousness. Identification with Consciousness represents a very subtle form of attachment to illusion and to the idea about oneself. One of the reasons only a few who “practise spirituality” ever mature, and even smaller number of people, or rather Consciousnesses, actually achieves the full Maturity, is the notion that in order to practise spirituality, it is enough to be dreaming a certain kind of dream: to be applying oneself to a certain meditation technique, to be listening to the stories about the universal love and enlightenment, to be swayed by religious dogmas... In order to mature it is necessary to eliminate an illusion that one’s own individuality (i.e. the processes on relation Consciousness - mind - physical body) is real and to realise it as a mere illusion. To be practising spirituality without awakening the individuality means to be deluding oneself in a particular way, through dreaming a dream about practising spirituality, while in order to Mature one must dream a dream that leads to Awakening (assuming that there is someone who could and should awake in the first place) and then to Awaken. A man who identifies with individual Consciousness is a slave of the illusion that he must mature, which in Real(ity) is not so. This is mainly for two reasons: 1) because individual Consciousness equals Infinite Consciousness and as such is already Mature. Identifying with individual Consciousness is an obstacle to Realising OneSelf, because it represents one’s disbelief in actually being God, and also it creates an added stress from the sense of need to mature (I have to mature, I have to behave in a certain way in order to mature, I was not very good in maturing today...) and the attachment to the concept of maturing. In Real(ity) all (apparent) maturing takes place in That which man in Real(ity) already Is - God. This realisation leads one towards overcoming an illusion about the spiritual path and spiritual maturing. Then the maturing, which in Real(ity) does not exist, begins to unfold with much greater quality. 2) Infinite Consciousness is Infinite illusion, meaning that it is not Real, but rather it is only an illusory phenomenon that happens to take place “in” God. The one who identifies with Consciousness, be it an individual or Infinite (as these are one and the same), identifies oneself with an illusion, and even imagines that Knowledge, Love and Power are also Real. But They too in Real(ity) are illusions, or to put it more accurately: the Primary illusions. In order for Consciousness to exist there must be something it can be Conscious of. Since in Real(ity) nothing exists (except God), there is no one to be conscious of no thing, and therefore there is no Infinite Consciousness. One can not be Conscious of God, one can only be God. God is “above” Consciousness. Only God Is Real. Each human being is in Real(ity) God. That’s why there is no one who must or who could mature and there is no maturing. The idea about maturing is only a result of identification with the body, mind as well as with Consciousness. In Real(ity) everyone is more than Mature, because in Real(ity) everyone is God.

Andrea Pangos
III/2004