Nourishing the Self

The Bhagavad Gita (the Gita) is a pre-religious, philosophical, and spiritual text from the Indian subcontinent. There is no consensus on dating this ancient text, but tradition puts it at about 3,000 BCE. Western academia puts it somewhere between 200 BCE and 500 BCE. The Gita defines the concept of yoga, or the “union” of individual consciousness with universal consciousness, and the many different paths one may take in order to experience it. In the West, yoga is primarily known as an athletic, stretching practice, but the Gita makes clear that the practice of yoga can be applied to basically any activity, thereby imbuing it with the spiritual. The Gita makes two fundamental claims: one, that consciousness is fundamental (meaning that consciousness is not an epiphenomenon of the brain but that it produces our physical reality, including the brain itself) and two, that each of us has a pristine, immutable Self at the core of our being. The implications of these revelations are explored in a long conversation between Krishna and Arjuna, who represent different figures simultaneously throughout the text: therapist and patient, parts and Self, God and human. The reciprocity between the Gita and Internal Family Systems (IFS) is apparent in their fundamental ideas and goals. The Gita suggests that in order to achieve the highest goal of Self-realization, one must deal with the variety of potentially destructive traits or emotions that plague us all one way or another: greed, anxiety, depression, anger, etc. Yet one may pursue any or all the paths of yoga with sincerity and still be left with a variety of the aforementioned challenges. The Gita proposes sheer willpower as a means for ridding oneself of unwanted emotions. IFS, on the other hand, informs us that willpower is insufficient, even dangerous, lest we fall into the trap of spiritual bypassing and accomplish nothing. IFS is not a philosophy or ontology, and lacks a larger frame-work of meaning, which Schwartz himself, in No Bad Parts points out (perhaps necessarily but unsatisfactorily, for obvious Western socio-cultural reasons): “IFS has morphed over time…to becoming a kind of spiritual practice, although you don’t have to define yourself as spiritual to practice it.” (Richard Schwartz, No Bad Parts, Sounds True, 2021, p.16) But IFS does point to the spiritual by challenging us to dialogue, much like Krishna and Arjuna do. — What exactly imbues the Self with its Self-energy and power to heal? This is where the Gita informs IFS. The Gita urges readers to foster a connection to the Divine/Supreme/Source-Consciousness/Self, both within us and without. Krishna represents this embodiment in the text. The section of the Gita which discusses bhakti (or devotional practices) positions this state as the ultimate sanctification and expression of true love: “…while the practices of bhakti are initially performed out of a desire to avoid suffering… they eventually develop into unmotivated, spontaneous, and ecstatic love for God… And it is because of this ultimate result that the Bhagavata Purana follows the Gita in unambiguously assuring that bhakti is superior to other yogas… This is both because it is an easier path and more joyfully performed…” (Edwin F. Bryant, Bhakti Yoga: Tales and Teachings from the Bhāgavata Puranā, North Point Press, 2017, p. 42) Schwartz acknowledges that worship is useful, and points this out in No Bad Parts, although he clarifies that it’s more than “inspiring acts of altruism.” According to the Gita, the Self also has needs, despite (or because of?) its healing properties that can serve us in order to live more connected, curious, and compassionate lives. It, too, seeks to connect with its source and essence. How can this need be truly nourished if our Self is covered by parts? It can’t. Combine the Bhagavad Gita with IFS to experience a more robust and efficient spiritual path; and support IFS with the Bhagavad Gita for greater structure, meaning, and purpose in your therapy. — The Gita presents bhakti as the highest path, the path of selflessness and devotion. But this path can be easily, even unnoticeably co-opted and used to bypass difficult emotions or to ignore parts. The intermediary process of IFS (which goes far beyond willpower) can help heal these parts and gradually unburden them. After this inner work, after having faced what was bypassed, bhakti yoga can become a real, authentic practice, and the true principle of what selflessness actually is can begin to unfold and ever-deepen. Worship is a mysterious concept to many people. It doesn’t help that many spiritual and/or religious traditions do not sufficiently elaborate on the practical utility of worship or how it relates to healing the psyche. A first glance, god can be seen as a metaphysical Amazon Prime: make requests, and await fullfilment! The Gita, however, explains the power of worship with Krishna’s insight: “…that Arjuna can transcend the gunas through steadfast love. If he has devotion and has gone beyond the three gunas, then he will be fit to know Brahman.” (Eknath Easwaran, The Bhagavad Gita, Nilgiri Press, 1985, p. 288) For the purposes of this article, gunas can be understood as potentially destructive traits or emotions or as desires motivated by a protector part. The Gita makes an even subtler distinction between worshipping an all-pervading energy (Brahman) and a personal form (Krishna), presenting the latter as more accessible and more effective: “…when God is loved in personal aspect, the way is vastly easier. According to the Hindu scriptures, God can be loved as a merciful father, a divine mother, a wise friend, a passionate beloved, or even as a mischievous child.” (Easwaran, The Bhagavad Gita, p. 288) — This clarifies that worship essentially asks for nothing other than a loving connection. One practice of worship promulgated by the Gita is chanting the names of God. When we are Self-led and not spiritually bypassing, chanting is true spiritual nourishment: loving devotion to its source. The Sanskrit word “Om,” for example, is said to be a transcendental form of God; about repeating it, Krishna says: “I am the sum of all knowledge, the purifier, the syllable Om…” (Easwaran, The Bhagavad Gita, 9:17) By engaging in this practice, according to the Gita, we are nourishing the Self and allowing it to fullfil its purpose: connecting with the Supreme. None of this is possible if we are spiritually bypassing, or denying ourselves by force of will, or acting out of fear. Worship is effective when one’s system is consciously moving toward becoming Self-led. IFS gives a practitioner of the Gita new, vibrant, and effective tools to help reach this goal. Reciprocally, the Gita offers a practitioner of IFS worlds of possibility that can help heal parts, offer structure, and deepen purpose. This sacred text is a source of nectar for the Self and can nourish for an entire lifetime.