The 5 Paths of Liberation

Liberation from the bondage / entrapment of the non ending cycle of life (birth & death) is clear to us not only through experience, but through observation.

Here it is in ascending order of suffering as per understanding of the elements and Bhagavat Gita of Sanatana dharma:

A) sattavic (goodness) practice / Mahayana (internal / right hand Path of Return - balance via earth & air)

1) simplicity & non physicality / 🌍 modeling for earth dominant characters / "surrender your intellect to Me" / Raja Yoga (king union) by destroying pleasure instinct / usually highly alkaline diet / regarded as 2nd highest / the Path of ِAusterity

2) ritual (prostration & chants with passion & concentration) / 💦 modeling for water dominant characters / "always remember Me" / Bhakti Yoga (devotion union) by cracking at survival instinct / usually alkaline diet / regarded as 4th highest (easiest) / the Path of Devotion

B) rajasic (badness) practice / Vajrayana (external / left hand Path of Return - balance via water & fire)

3) sacrifice / "renounce the fruits of your actions" / 🔥 modeling for fire dominant characters / Karma Yoga (action union) by destroying survival instinct / usually very acidic diet / regarded as 1st highest (hardest) / the Path of Action

4) knowledge especially through intellect (logic, introspection, & philosophy), and related duty (if any) / 🌬️ modeling for air dominant characters / "dedicate all your actions to Me" / Jnana Yoga (intellect union) by cracking at pleasure instinct / Air dominant / usually acidic diet / regarded as 3rd highest / the Path of Knowledge

C) tamasic (darkness) practice / Hinayana (downwards Path of Life)

5) selfishly from lower desires: fear of pain (survival instinct) / right lower masculine pingala meridian or desire for pleasure (pleasure instinct) / left feminine lower ida meridian motivated conduct / ignorance based action / usually stale & dead life diet / the Path of Suffering

Here it is yet again, but in descending order of effectiveness as per astrology:

To sum up: the more you want to live, the more you must pay the price (suffer) for it. That is not wrong, because more surrender (in this case endurance) is needed. This is why Hinayana is yet another Path. Different strokes for different folks; different rivers one massive Ocean; different bottles one fine wine, different paths one single mountain Summit.

Mahayana gradually descends to Hinayana throughout those paths, but they are all still worldly (the Lord is unknown & unknowable). All are meditative because they all involve (or should involve) surrender (renunciation or endurance of thoughts & senses). All aid in purification because the senses, thoughts, & limbs are given up or dedicated as instruments of param atma / Supreme Soul, which Yoga (Union) is designed to achieve.

#3 is closest to warrior dharma (using any art) as it involves the desired effect of combatting selfishness. However, more desire driven action (not for the Lord) is Hinayana.

The reason sri Krishna gave #3 as last resort (although it is less suffering than the last being #4) is because though it is most effective, it is the hardest thing to sacrifice your own survival instinct. Also, naturally one should do their duty (preferably as per their character therefore interest therefore proficiency) to help others and earn in return to continue their worship, but the problem arises when one uses their duty not for worship, but rather for selfish survival instinct or selfish pleasure instinct, but that is void of benefit exchange, and pleasure cannot be without pain, respectively.

It is in that case that the aspirant should leave his yearning for earning to be decided by Nature. It is most effective (yet maybe most painful) because it is duty and effortless (unintended) meditation simultaneously. It is not limited to giving, but especially giving back (acknowledgement). Either way, he who wants what he has gets what he needs, and you reap what you sow / what goes around comes around / what goes up must come down (give love you get it back) aside from closing distance to God, which gives the ability to manifest (element 8), aided by the blessings of those who receive. Also, selling something requires strategy (we call it marketing), which takes away from the profession itself, so whatever sold may end up causing suffering, which causes karmic deficit (suffering as a mortal individual) and negative karma (painful effect).

#3 & #4 includes charity, but better not aid in suffering. #3 is in fact less suffering than #4 because expectation (even of a smile) leads to suffering, and Nature is naturally rich with abundance and can take care of all; its elements are everywhere even in humans. If humans are discontent or unhappy then they will naturally cause suffering (if there are needs or desires) by not reciprocating, and if they are greedy then they will themselves suffer through guilt otherwise desire (especially sensual, therefore probable guilt anyway) and counterparts such as anger anyway. Either way, taking without giving is stealing. 

Sanatana dharma does not say that you can look the world in just one way. Even within it there are same principles with various religions (e.g. Shaivism, Shaktism, etc.) and strains each with their own unique & different words, symbolisms, emphasis, structures, and classifications (even within the same strain). Vedas don't see the world as how Tantras does. 

Choose a path and try to see how yogies saw. Practice well preferably according to your element for enlightenment, and the opposing one for life, otherwise you won't be able to perceive what our avatars meant, for knowledge (faith / belief / theory) is objective (same for all) but Truth is subjective (personal; determined by perception as per the level of our consciousness).

Know the elements:
- Earth 🌎 (simple & solitary) is Raja Yoga: modeling by solitude, quiet, and mirroring soil especially bare foot
- Water 💦 (easy going and sociable) is Bhakti Yoga: modeling through emotional devotional non repetitive self resonating bows, chants (scroll down for examples) and mirroring by fresh water
- Fire 🔥 (passionate and active) is Karma Yoga: mostly physical pain by modeling through sacrifice by doing free service, physical endurance may include taking risk with progression, enduring (mis)fortunes / karma (which is hardest therefore should NOT be caused), and mirroring by surrounding self with sun and natural candles
- Air 🌬️ (philosophical and introspective) is Jnana Yoga: mostly mental pain via modeling by introspection & preferably any holy scripture & (optionally) teaching and/or selling to use money for worship ONLY and mirroring by surrounding self with fresh air

For life (and enlightenment) one must balance according to their element, therefore water 💦 with fire 🔥 & earth 🌍 with air 🌬️

For enlightenment (especially to aid in getting on the Path of Return) one can choose the Path according to their dominant element: earth 🌎 therefore Raja Yoga, water 💦 therefore Bhakti Yoga, fire 🔥 therefore Karma Yoga, air 🌬️ therefore Jnana Yoga. 

If you die sattavic (right hand path) then will be reborn human with good circumstances, if rajasic (left hand path) then will be reborn as human with bad circumstances, if tamasic (down path) then will be reborn as a lower life form (animal to plant in accordance to water / pleasure and earth / survival instinct dominance respectively) or even in a lower dimension (you can tell if non of the elements work), and if fully liberated then won't reincarnate, otherwise end up in a higher realm in which case will be harder to be liberated due to lack of physicality.

Therefore, the least suffering thing to do is follow the Right Hand Path until full liberation and realization of Oneness 🙏🏼

This World is our Egg 🥚; time to Hatch 🐣

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Special credits to Mowrad Rownak Flowrendo, Paths of Meaning, Arjuna Avatar, Holy Bhagavat Gita, Anoop Haridassan acharya, and Subasri bahan.

Bhakti Yoga devotional chants (do it cause you love the Ultimate Unkown Unknowable as your best friend & everlasting companion, and with emotion, say whatever words resonate like):

- Allahu Akbar (God is Greatest)

- I am your subservient servant oh Lord of the heavens and all that lies beneath

- oh Lord you are most merciful most kind and gracious deliver me from wordliness

- oh Lord i bow to thee and beg for mercy and forgiveness

- oh Lord I am your most humble slave, yours to command