FIVE WAYS OF RELEASE FROM SANSKARAS

To cease creating new sanskaras by putting an end to those unconscious activities that form them. If the formation of sanskaras is compared to the winding of a string round a stick, this step amounts to the stopping of the further winding of the string.

The wearing out of old sanskaras. If sanskaras are withheld from expressing themselves in action and experience, they are gradually worn out.

The unwinding of past sanskaras. This process consists in annulling past sanskaras by mentally reversing the process which leads to their formation.

The dispersion and exhaustion of some sanskaras. If the psychic energy which is locked up in sanskaras is sublimated and diverted to other channels, they get dispersed and disappear.

The wiping out of sanskaras. This consists in completely annihilating sanskaras. In the analogy of the string, this is comparable, to the cutting of the string. The wiping out of sanskaras can be effected only by the grace of a Perfect Master.