All evil vanishes from Life for he who keeps the sun in his heart.
Ram Dass Mantra
How does one keep the sun in their heart after so many days of rain? With a committed practice of working on one's self.
I can do nothing for you, but work on myself. You can do nothing for me, but work on yourself. Ram Dass
I woke up not so committed to my Sadhana (daily spiritual practice). I felt the urge of resistance when the alarm went off at 530, telling myself, "It is okay. You were not feeling well all weekend, there was so much chaos on top of that, and you had a busy day with the grandkids yesterday. It's raining and gloomy. Forget the practice. You are not in an ashram or monastery for goodness sake...you don't have to practice as if you were! Stay in bed. Rest! " And I pressed the snooze button and rolled over.
I didn't, however, fall to sleep right away. The mind became active with some less than happy thought. Remembering some advice I got once about waking up on the wrong side of the bed, "Go back to sleep and wake up on the right side," I closed my eyes and tried harder. The thoughts got louder and I watched them from a distance as they got louder. Then the quiet voice of reason within me simply encouraged me to get up out of bed. So I did. I came out here with those less than positive thoughts and the emotions they induce, with the heavy rain beating on the window pain..."again"... and I sat with what is as I practiced.
It was a lovely practice so far. Not over...because I go from meditating, to listening or reading wise words from highly evolved beings, to a mini hatha and a kriya practice, and then on to a day of mindfulness and Karma yoga ( being aware that everything I "do" provides some type of wholesome service). This writing I do now is a part of my karma yoga and therefore an important part of my sadhana. My sadhana is not over. In fact, it won't be until I drift off to sleep tonight.
It was easier to stay committed to the practice when I was the only one awake. Not so easy now. People around me love their screens and electronics and they like the volume. I have a terribly hard time relaxing into what is when I hear the TV on or some video playing at high volume. Such electronic use just seems to "crash" into my morning, creating a nasty sensory experience for me to deal with. It is like nails down the chalkboard, affecting me viscerally as well as mentally and emotionally. I find myself instantaneously tightening up in the height of aversion. I am angry at the person for turning the TV on, or blasting their volume up. How dare they interrupt my sadhana?! I deny them the right for their morning routine because I tell myself my practice is higher; I am trying to rise above mind stuff...while they are trying to slip below it with their numbing activities. I step on the spirituality high horse and prance around the house with my "Do you mind? Could you turn that down?" or "I told you before, I cannot have the electronics blasting when I am practicing in the morning." I react!
Hmm! This reaction to the electronics as well as the less than happy thoughts and feelings I had when I woke up...as well as the resistance to the practice are not interruptions to my sadhana. They are all parts of my practice too. I can learn and grow from all of it. I am beginning to embrace all these things as I observe them unfolding around me and in me. All I have to do is keep the sun in my heart...remembering that I am here to serve others not control their morning routines, that I am here to learn and grow so I must thank them for showing me I have a ways to go, and I am here to shine the light of the sun ( that is within all of us) outward to help light up the world. It isn't about "me".
Hmmm!
Aditya Hridayam punyam sarv shatru bena shenam...Mantra above
All is well!
Ram Dass/ Be Here and Now Network (2017) Ram Dass Here and Now-Episode 6- The Four Noble Truths. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64vQVBwaxJc
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