Qualities of Consciousness

What substance is dense yet soft, dull, heavy, and oily? These are some of the qualities that are commonly attributed to cheese. Note: If your mind went to your belly or your thighs, perhaps you have been eating too much cheese!

Possibly the most foundational concept of Ayurveda is Guna, or quality. Quality is ubiquitous within Ayurveda. Everything possesses quality. Every substance, emotion, season, habit, personality, disease, and remedy are colored through their qualities.

Visualize a human form. Now imagine that form with a “hot” temper or “cold” attitude. What do you see when you think of someone who is “slimy”? How about “smooth?” Perhaps there is a friend you love because they always seem to be “light” even when circumstances feel “heavy.” On the other hand, you might know someone who always makes the room feel “heavy” even when circumstances are otherwise “light.” Would you describe your partner as more “stable” and predictable, or “changeable” and spontaneous? How about yourself?

With each of these mentioned qualities, one can imagine not only a physical form but also the way that a person who exhibits these qualities would behave. This is because Guna represents the potential energy of every substance and is the precursor to their actions. All herbs and medicines exhibit their biomedical actions based on the qualities they possess (with exception of prabhava or unique action). For example, if someone has a dry cough, ingesting some hydrophilic licorice root would promote lubrication and may ease their irritated respiratory system. On the other hand, a thick productive cough would call for a sharp herb such as pippali or ginger root to cut through the mucous.

Dr. Vasant Lad describes Guna as the functional aspect of consciousness and says that qualities are the way that consciousness manifests into matter. Therefore, different qualities lend themselves to different states of consciousness. On the other hand, pure choice-less passive awareness, or what yoga refers to as Samadhi, is without any quality. It simply is. This state is without quality because in this state there exists no duality. Everything is one and lacks distinction and boundary. Or, in the words of Dr. Lad, “I am the world, and the world is me.”

That being said, it’s reasonable to assume that if you’re reading this then you don’t yet dwell in the eternal bliss of Samadhi, and therefore are still subject to the endless permutations of our qualified world of Gunas.

Appreciating that we are bound to the laws of qualities, that quality exists in everything, and everything we experience, be it “good” or “bad” is a result of our interpretations of qualities and their associated actions and characteristics, it behooves us to dig a little deeper into this topic. Luckily, Ayurveda can provide us with a simple framework to begin our study.

This framework consists of 20 base qualities. These 20 qualities are actually ten pairs of opposites. These opposites exist on a continuum. For example, one pair is “hot” and “cold.” While both a jalapeno and a ghost pepper qualify as “hot,” we also know that a ghost pepper exhibits a far more extreme version of “hot” than a jalapeno. Similarly, both ice water and liquid nitrogen fit into the “cold” category, yet liquid nitrogen possesses significantly more cold quality than ice water. Because of this continuum, the two qualities of “hot” and “cold” really represent a plethora of different adjectives that represent states of temperature. Furthermore, by presenting each quality next to its opposite, the founders of Ayurveda conveniently give us the remedy or balancing quality in the event that any one expresses in excess. This is based on the principle that like increases like, and opposites balance.

The twenty base qualities, the continuum they represent, and their associated actions:

• Hot vs. Cold: representing the continuum of temperature

• Heat causes dilatation and softening, cold causes constriction, astringing, restraining

• Light vs. Heavy: representing the continuum of weight

• Light is reducing and anti-gravitational, heavy is building and grounding

• Sharp vs. Slow/Dull: representing continuum of ability to penetrate

• Sharp is penetrating and cleansing, dull is pacifying and appeasing

• Dry vs. Oily:

representing the continuum of emollience

• Dry is dehydrating and causes separation, oily is lubricating

• Rough vs. Smooth: representing the continuum of texture

• Rough is scraping and causes friction, smooth is coating, healing and soothing

• Dense vs. Liquid: representing the continuum of viscosity

• Dense is calming and satisfying, Liquid is liquefying, dissolving, churning

• Soft vs. Hard: representing the continuum of malleability

• Soft is loosening and weakening, Hard is solidifying, tightening, establishing

• Stable vs. Mobile: representing the continuum of motility

• Stable is holding and stabilizing, Mobile is exciting, stimulating

• Subtle vs. Gross: representing the continuum of solidification

• Subtle is permeable and pervasive, gross is solidifying, stiffening, compacting

• Clear vs. Cloudy/Sticky: representing the continuum of turbidity and adhesiveness

• Clear is clarifying and perceptive, cloudy is thickening and adhesive

This list is so important that Dr. Lad would tell our class that even if he called us in the middle of the night, we should be able to ramble off all 20 qualities. As one’s relationship with Ayurveda deepens, this truth is repeatedly reinforced. At the heart of every disease are imbalanced qualities. One chooses appropriate herbs and remedies based on their qualities. Each dosha possesses a unique set of qualities. Food and the environment expresses certain qualities. Even the five elements, Ether, Air, Fire, Water, and Earth—the most basic building blocks of the material world— are characterized by qualities.

While most people don’t need to utilize qualities in the same manner and intensity of an Ayurvedic Practitioner, Guna inevitably plays a role in each of our lives, and the ability to consciously interact with qualities adds to our personal autonomy. While learning the Gunas does require some basic memorization, they are also beautifully intuitive. Being intuitive, we naturally utilize the science of qualities on a day-to-day basis, even if we are not consciously aware of it. For example, when going to sleep, we often cover ourselves with a “heavy” blanket. While a heavy blanket helps keep one warm, the weight also provides grounding and supports the process of slipping into deep sleep. Similarly, one may experience sleepiness after consuming a “heavy” meal. If so, this individual could “lighten” their stomach’s load with a digestive walk. Or, if someone has an anxious and “mobile” mind, they can often benefit from the “stable” hug of a friend. And to balance dry skin one often applies lotions, oils, and salves, which works through adding oily quality. So, when in doubt, stop thinking and allow yourself to simply feel.

Like all things, Gunas are best learned from the experiential level. When perceiving qualities, it is important to observe without bias or preconceived notions. This level of direct perception is a form of meditation because through meditation one observes reality for what it truly is, without imposing labels or conclusions. When one observes from this level, understanding and compassion inevitably begin to blossom because through realizing truth one experiences abounding love and appreciation. As Dr. Lad says, “All things are beautiful, because everything is an expression of consciousness.” Therefore, I encourage you to observe the world through the lens of the Gunas, embark on this sacred meditation, and empower yourself through consciousness of quality.