Jnana: Spiritual Knowledge, Role in Sattvavajaya Chikitsa

by Dr Raghuram Y.S. MD (Ay) & Dr Manasa S, B.A.M.S

Jnana or Prajna, according to Master Charaka is one of the most important tools of Sattvavajaya Chikitsa or Ayurveda Psychotherapy. Jnana means spiritual knowledge or understanding. As a part of Sattvavajaya Chikitsa, Jnana tool is used to instill the spiritual knowledge and knowledge of ‘self’ so as to create awareness about self and self-worth. It is a spiritual approach towards healing the ailing mind. It is also used as a preventive tool.

Definition of Jnana

Jnana is defined as ‘Adyatma Jnanam’. Atyatma or atma are the terms related to spirituality. Adyatma Jnana means spiritual knowledge, spiritual understanding or knowledge about self.

Knowledge and implementation of Jnana as therapy in psychiatric diseases also involves introspection. Introspection is a powerful tool in realizing the value of self which will change the sequence of a man’s life graph once he or she starts looking inwards. It is a kind of personal diary written at the level of consciousness, accepting the realities pertaining to self and embracing them – a documentation of acceptance and confessions inside our deep self. This can either be done by volunteering or by being guided by experts / psychotherapists. In due course of time, Jnana practice will become a gamechanger in the life of the person ailing from mental disorders. The way he or she would look at themselves, at the world and people around them and his or her connectivity with the creation will be different from what they were before being introduced to this priceless knowledge.

Aim and goal of Jnana Therapy

The aim and goal of Jnana therapy will be to introduce the person to his inner self i.e. atman – the personal soul and realize his or her true identity. It is also to make the person feel that he is a microscopic part of macrocosm, a minutest part of a bigger self – the paramatma component. This realization is very important for mental and spiritual awareness if the person is healthy and on a path of spiritual journey or mental and spiritual healing in those suffering from chronic mental ailments. It is therapeutic and preventive therapy.

Other meanings of Jnana

The term Jnana has different meanings. They are,

–        Wisdom
–        Intelligence
–        Thought process
–        Knowledge
–        Conscience
–        Awareness
–        Consciousness
–        Cognition

When used as a therapy, Jnana would aim at improving these entities and dimensions related to the mind. Mainly, the word Jnana refers to spiritual therapy.

Guided Jnana Therapy: Insight oriented treatment approach

It is very important that the patient volunteers into Jnana therapy for impact results but initially he or she should be guided by expert Ayurveda psychologists.

In this therapy, the patient is supported so that he or she develops an insight about themselves. They are made to evaluate and monitor self. This will help them to understand the root source of their problem. They should be encouraged to reveal what they explore and discover in the process of the therapy. This helps the person to adapt to stressful conditions and also to achieve emotional maturity. Therefore, Jnana therapy is also known as ‘insight driven / oriented therapy’.

Importance of Satya Buddhi in the development of Adyatma Jnana

Adyatma Jnana is a knowledge which makes one realize that Brahma or absolute Atma is the only truth and nothing else. It is the most essential part of Jnana therapy. Master Charaka emphasizes that Satya Buddhi – Samyak Jnana or true knowledge as the source and route map, tool for attaining the Adyatma Jnana or Atma Jnana.

Satya Buddhi
↓
Adyatma Jnana / Atma Jnana
↓
Decreases egoism or ahamkara
↓
Decreases and destroys Upadha (inclination towards desires and wishes) which is the main root cause for all kinds of Dukha – miseries.
↓
Person starts total disinclination and complete avoidance of Upadha as he or she realizes that it is the root of all their problems, miseries and diseases.
↓
Person gets relieved from all the diseases and gets relieved of rajas and tamas.
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Will become a Jnani i.e. a learned and realized one, just like an Apta (Aptas also get relieved of their rajas and tamas through their Jnana and Tapas).

Role of Manas and Indriyas in obtaining Jnana

For cognition or comprehensive knowledge to be obtained, the indriyartha i.e. object of sense, indriya i.e. sense organ, manas i.e. mind, buddhi i.e. intellect and atma i.e. soul – all of these should be in a linear equation and well-coordinated at the same time. If even any one of them is absent or out of the equation, cognition in its right sense is not possible. As already said, satya budhi is essential for proper jnana.

If there is improper coordination between the sense organs and sense objects – either deficit, excess or perverted or when the mind is deviated or diseased, the knowledge obtained will not be in its true sense. This may also occur due to deflection or deviation of dhi, Dhriti and smriti components. When this occurs, the person will consciously commit mistakes and sins and from thereon keeps getting trapped or stays trapped in the web of miseries and guilt.

Therefore, the person immaterial of being healthy or diseased, should be educated about Jnana and the interference of asatmya indriyartha samyoga and prajnaparadha as obstacles in the process of procuring jnana in the right sense. This knowledge will help the person to prevent or get cured from mental disorders.

Dhi, Dhriti and Smriti – the components of Jnana

The components of Jnana – knowledge / cognition include –

–        dhi (intellect),
–        dhrti (courage, controlling power) and
–        smrti (memory)

Promotion of Jnana or knowledge / cognition is a big part of Sattvavajaya Chikitsa. Sattvavajaya Chikitsa as a whole, also includes various methods and techniques of improving the cognition and its components i.e. dhi etc (mentioned above).

When cognition is promoted, it helps in knowing and understanding what is correct and what is wrong. It helps one to avoid erroneous ways of thinking about something and understanding them in a wrong way. This helps one to properly understand the life philosophy and to know self and self-worth through introspection. One can learn the life phenomenon and its spirituality. This would make us better selves and to get rid of negative thoughts and symptoms of mind disorder. The mind and its attributes will be put into a state of balance and we would enjoy mental health.

Jnana therapy is both preventive and curative in terms of its benefits. If the person is already healthy, it will help in achieving balance of trigunas of mind i.e. sattva, raja and tama and help in keeping them in a state of serene balance and would enrich the mental health. On the other hand, if the person is ailing from some mental disorder, it would help in negating the negativities, fine-tone the mind, create awareness and sharpen the cognition towards self-realization and introspection and heal the ailing mind in the process. It will also balance the dhi, Dhriti and smriti components which are very much essential for a mental balance and comprehensive mental and spiritual health.

Jnana therapy is also an important and essential component in treating many mental and psychosomatic disorders.

Techniques to promote and graduate cognition

Auto-correction – All of us get negative thoughts as much as we get the positive thoughts. It is quite natural to get many negative thoughts. Many times, they are spontaneous and automatic. We don’t plan those negative thoughts, they just come over and naturally pose hindrance in the process of cognition. We need to diagnose, recognize and correct these negative thoughts. People developing negative thoughts need to be trained about this. This can be effectively done by reattribution therapy.

Reattribution techniques or therapy – Some people are victims of ‘self-blame’. They are obsessive of blaming themselves for anything happening with them or due to them. He or she thinks, believes strongly or perceives that they are themselves the causes for all their problems and problem events. Obviously, they are stuck in the web of guilt. Reattribution technique tests the automatic thoughts and assumptions by considering alternative causes of events. In short, this technique will help the clients ‘reattribute’ their negative thoughts to alternative causes of negative events. The person will realize that a negative event or events can be caused by oceans of causes and they are always not responsible for these events. This will help them unplug themselves from the web of ‘self-blame’ and guilt and recover from constant mental wavering.

Spiritual understanding – People should be made to understand the spiritual perspective of life. The importance of life and its purpose shall be elaborated through various methods so that they start valuing ‘self’. This will help them to value life and others included therein. This will also give them a perspective of ‘atma – self’ and to realize that they are a microscopic part of a macrocosm, a bigger self – paramatma.

Demolishing irrational belief – Many people suffering from cognitive disorders or with mental disorders will have maladaptive assumptions or thinking. It refers to a belief or beliefs that are false and rationally unsupported. These beliefs should be identified, tested and discarded.

Decentring – It is a part of cognitive therapy. It is a process which includes making one step outside his or her mental events leading to an objective non-judging stance towards self. Herein the person will be able to step outside of his or her immediate experience which will eventually change the very nature of experience. It includes inducing an ability to observe thoughts or feelings as temporary events in the mind rather than true events or the ability to objectively see the thoughts and feelings from the perspective of a third person and not self. This will help in considering them as events rather than truths about self.

These techniques may include many assignments and tasks / activities including –

–        scheduling of activities
–        homework assignments
–        behavioural rehearsal
–        graded task assignment
–        role play
–        teaching problem solving skills etc

Other methods of enhancing cognition

Patients should be made to discriminate between good and bad and also to make right decisions in various situations or life circumstances. This includes educating people about the right and contextual meaning and importance of dharma, Artha and kama and righteous ways of achieving them. The knowledge of the same would become ‘self-help’ techniques.

They should be taught about the concept and true meaning of health and disease, about the line which differentiates them. They should also be educated about the value of health which will enable them to lead a good and meaningful life. Patient’s family too should be provided with positive guidance so that they can provide the best possible support and help to him or her. They should be trained to understand his or her health and methods of coping up with the same and also to be calm, courteous and compassionate with the patient immaterial of the situation.

Relation with other therapies of Sattvavajaya Chikitsa

The other therapies included under Sattvavajaya Chikitsa are – Vijnana – scriptural knowledge, Dhairya – instilling courage, Smriti – re-toning the memory process and Samadhi – meditation. Jnana can be considered and implemented as a part and parcel of spiritual training and psychotherapy either alone or in combination with one or more of the other mentioned therapies. When these therapies are combined in a skilful way, healing of mind will be comprehensive.