Faith, Food and Sacrifice

Self-Inquiry—Determining Your Unique Blend of the 3 Gunas:

We have all 3 Guna-Types (temperaments, inner forces) blended within us in varying proportions...

(1) To determine your unique blend see the statements below for:

#3 "Faith" – parts: a, b, and c

#5 "Food" – parts: a, b, and c

#7 "Sacrifice" – parts: a, b, and c

For each of these topics, divide 100 percentage points amongst Sattva Guna, Raja Guna, or Tamo Guna, based on how much you are of each quality. (To review the Guna qualities see Worksheet #46 “The Whole Map!”)

(2) Of all the teachings below, circle the one phrase or statement

that is imperative to you now.

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In the Bhagavad Gita Krishna says:

“The types and efficacy of your faith, the food you consume, and your practice of ‘sacrifice’ all play important roles in your spiritual attainment.

___ 1) Faith—people’s faith (what they worship and accept as true) is the sum total of the beliefs they hold in their hearts.

___ 2) One’s faith corresponds to one’s nature, and one’s nature is the equivalent of one’s faith. You are what you believe, and you believe based on what you are.

___ 3) Every individual is born with one of three kinds of faith: sattvic, rajasic, or tamasic.

(a) _____% Sattvic tempered people worship the gods in heaven.

(b) _____% Rajasic people worship power and wealth.

(c) _____% Tamasic people worship spirits of the dead and hurtful

deities.

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___ 4) Food—the food you eat bears on your spiritual growth, a fact that few recognize. The subtle elements in food significantly influence your mind, and therefore shape your mental attitudes. You are what you eat, and you eat according to what you are.

___ 5) Sooner or later serious spiritual aspirants have to face up the issue of which type of food they eat:

(a) _____% Sattvic people eat mild, soothing, nourishing food that

strengthens the body and brings pure thoughts and cheerfulness.

(b) _____% Rajasic people consume spicy, hot, bitter, salty food,

Like the people who eat it, it produces pain and grief, and hinders spiritual growth.

(c) _____% Tamasic people devour overcooked, stale, tasteless,

impure, and dead food, which returns these qualities in kind to the eater.

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___6) Sacrifice—spiritual sacrifice (sacrifice in the positive sense, as a loving offering in the spirit of giving) also helps determine your spiritual attainment.

___ 7) Spiritual sacrifice is also of three types…

(a) _____% Sattvic when offered up with no desire in it and no

expectations of reward or attachment to the fruits

(b) _____% Rajasic when performed for self-glorification and the

benefits it brings

(c) _____% Tamasic when empty of faith and devoid of solemnity,

without earnestness or rituals, and when it is harmful to self or others.”

– Krishna

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