Jnana Yoga and "This Mind"

"This Mind"

So infinite and blissful was This Mind,

pure and expansive as the sky,

shrunk down into a tiny form,

cramped and compressed, It cried. 

In strange and new confinement

It lay at Mother's breast,

while memories of the place It left

denied It of Its rest.

Even the sweetest  memories will not last,

and as morning turned to day,

in this strange new world, 

what was known slowly slipped away.

Desperate and lost in unfamiliarity

like a leaf caught in the breeze,

This Ray of Mind now longed for solidity,

and a certain sense of ease.

So, focusing all Its power, 

now so shaky and confined,

It willed the tiny dimpled hand,

when eyes were blue and blind,

to reach up into the darkness

for something solid It could grasp.

 Landing on the warm flesh of other,

It drew in tiny breath and gasped,

"This will be mine," It declared,

as  clumsy fingers dug deeply into skin.

"In this dark and noisy world, 

through flesh, I will begin." 

"This is mine. I am this. I am me." 

the tiny lungs exclaimed,

and reaching here and reaching there

The Mind began to claim  

anything of this earthly world 

It could use in Its defense,

and any bit of outer knowing

that would help the world to make sense. 

Resting in this delusion

The Mind's vessel closed its eyes

and a fleeting hushing lullaby eased

the desperation in its cries. 

The weary Mind fell into dream sleep

where It staid for much too long

while faded memories of what It knew

became a haunting song.

The form expanded as the years went by

but The Mind did not find much relief.

What was left of what It once knew

was buried in strangling belief.

Its focus became so pinpoint,

so contracted was its beam,

seeing only the me and its drama

in this never ending dream.

Its addiction to the world and its elixirs

greatly grew and intensified,

until all the grasping and the clinging

did little to end this nasty lie.

There was no end to suffering, 

The Mind sadly realized,

there was no escaping reality,

there was no real place to hide.

So yawning, Mind opened up its eyes

and began to truly see,

"There is no sustenance to that which I cling,

there is no solidity to "me".  

The Mind fell back and listened, 

to that which lay beneath thought and word

"This is not what you are here for,"

the Song's lyrics could be heard.

"Who is dreaming? Who is singing?"

the mind answered back in query. 

"Of this world and all its pain and pleasures

I am so bloody weary.

Let me remember what I knew before 

I took to lowly form, 

and narrowed this light I am seeing through

to shine on passing storm.

If I am the light, then who are You?

From where does this light  come?

Show me where the light begins and 

the  place of Source I come from."

The answer has yet to come to This Mind

that is slowly awakening,

but there is less holding on to flesh and form

as the world continues shaking.

No longer infant or child, Mind is expanding 

beyond Its earthly form,

and slowly, with gentle grace and ease, 

It is falling  back to Home.

© Dale-Lyn, May, 2024

This is what came out of me after listening to today's podcast on Jnana Yoga ( referred to as Gyana Yoga in the podcast). Such an imperfect poem in so many ways...Remaining ego, in "me",  says, "Are you crazy? Don't post that!!! It isn't good enough. You are supposed to only show parts of yourself that are a certain way that maintains this sense of self you created so the world likes you and is therefore willing to support you and protect you.   You are not supposed to express yourself in such an imperfect way. Man! When will you learn? Yet, this is what came out so it is here for others to scrutinize, judge, criticize, condemn, or possibly even get something from.  Other opinion is and always was beyond me...I was only supposed to put it down. All good.

All is well in my world!

Michael Singer/ Temple of the Universe (May 19, 2024) Gyana Yoga-Learning to Use Mind for Liberation.  https://tou.org/talks/