Question: Some of the concepts in Tattvabodha seem a bit technical and difficult to comprehend. How should we deal with this difficulty?
Answer: We can focus on first developing the sādhanacatuștaya or four-fold qualifications mentioned in Tattvabodha. Developing these qualifications makes our mind more subtle and makes it easier to grasp these concepts.
Question: How can we practice dispassion in daily life when we have responsibilities to fulfill, including career and family?
Answer: In Tattvabodha, dispassion is defined as: ihasvargabhogeṣu icchārāhityam, or the absence of the desire for the fruits of one’s actions in this world, and in heaven. The nuance here is that we should be dispassionate towards the fruits of our actions, but not be dispassionate towards performance of action itself. Actions should be performed appropriately as the situation demands, with our complete attention and focus.
Question: Does the study of Vedānta help us if we are householders? Rather than study it now, shouldn’t we study it when we retire?
Answer: When we move from our householder stage to our retirement stage, we should use the additional time we have at our disposal to contemplate on scriptures and texts. But the actual study of these texts is preferably conducted earlier in life when our faculties are at their sharpest.
Question: Is there a practical benefit of the four fold qualification?
Answer: With continued practice of the four fold qualification, our minds become calmer and less reactionary to external events. Things that used to bother us a lot become less important and easier to deal with.
Question: How do we make practicing the four fold qualification into a daily habit?
Answer: An easy way to lay the foundation for the four fold qualification is to develop saguṇa bhakti. For example, a simple daily practice of nāma japa automatically purifies our mind, and helps us develop dispassion and discrimination as our bhakti matures.