-Dalai Lama
Leonardo Da Vinci's Vitruvian Man
Can't remember where I got this so I can't cite it...sorry!
Wednesday, May 22, 2019
Releasing and Cleansing Samskaras.
So you have a choice: do you want to try to change the world so it doesn't disturb your samskaras, or are you willing to go through this process of purification? ... Once you sit deeply enough inside to stop fighting the stored energy patterns, they'll come up constantly and pass right through you. ... your heart will become accustomed to the process of releasing and cleansing...Stay centered behind them and let go.
-Michal Singer , from the untethered soul, page 57
Learning about Shakti , Samskara, Blockages and Healing
I am well into my third reading/studying of the untethered soul, which is proving to be one of those life altering books for me. I somehow see keys to my healing in it.
Upon reading chapter five and six again, which speak to the idea of infinite energy and the heart as the center of that energy, I find myself in a profound "aha" moment. I feel compelled to know more about the heart chakra, the chakras in general and about Shakti...this infinite energy that is constantly flowing through us. I realize that I am so often closing up to it, blocking its flow so I do not live in that state of peaceful, joyful acceptance of life.
Why am I closing? I am closing, like many of us do, because of some trapped memories within me. These trapped memories or what Patanjali referred to as impressions or Samskaras...are trapped energy that block and prevent the energy of life from flowing through.
Shakti: the Natural Flow of Joy
Singer teaches in the simple and profound way he does that we are meant to be feeling good: joyful, enthusiastic, and loving. This current of energy is constantly flowing through us and it isn't dependent on the food we eat or the amount of caffeine we put into our bodies. It is deeper and much greater than the energies we use to power our bodies, vehicles and homes with. It is a constant never ending flow. Yet we don't always feel it because sometimes we close our minds and more importantly our hearts to it.
Experiencing Internal, Infinite Energy
The internal energy of Shakti (we can call it Chi, spirit energy, life energy etc) can be felt when something happens that excites us. Say we are feeling down in the dumps, unwell, exhausted, drained and we suddenly meet the person of our dreams, win the lottery or get a call that we got the job we just applied for. All of a sudden we feel excited, enthused and on top of the world. We experience a dramatic shift in that energy upward.
The energy burst didn't come with the person, the win or the job...we just suddenly opened up to life. We said yes to life and the Shakti then just surged through us. What a wonderful feeling, right? We want to keep that feeling all the time but the problem is many of us don't.
Why don't we always feel it if we are meant to?
Sometimes we open up to life and experience it the way it is meant to be for us but too often we also close off the valve that allows the Shakti to flow through. When it doesn't flow through it leads to a blockage of energy that prevents other things from flowing through. Instead of experiencing the light, joy and love of life...we may then end up feeling the darkness, the sadness and the dissatisfaction with life that a blocked energy center will cause. Yuck. Depression is often a result of blocked energy.
There are a few things happening here that lead us to close. The first is that we are mistakenly assuming that the things in the outside world are completely responsible for what is going on inside of us. They may trigger an opening or a closing but they aren't responsible. Our minds are the things that determine if we are open or closed to life and therefore open and closed to the flow.
What is going on in the mind that closes us?
What causes us to close is a clinging and/or a resistance to life experiences that become impressions, memories or Samskara. Instead of accepting and experiencing life in the natural way by observing with our senses, experiencing fleeting thoughts and feelings without judgment and then releasing them, the mind may decide to cling to or refuse to deal with certain experiences. These experiences become impressions. We do not allow them to flow through us. They then leave an impression on us and are stored somewhere in our hearts.
We may cling to memories of good times we do not want to release and resist the not so great memories that we do not want to have to deal with. Mental clinging and resistance are the plague builders in the vessels that Shakti flow through. They close us off.
A Desire to Resist Pain and Cling to the Comfortable
All energy is meant to flow through us. All life experiences are meant to flow through us naturally and easily, bringing joy, peace and love as they do, regardless of what is actually happening on the outside. The mind sometimes gets in the way of that flow. When life happens as it does, we may "perceive" pain in a given experience. Something in the mind that wants to keep it stable and protected resists the painful or uncomfortable experience. We exert energy into pushing it aside or in most cases down through repression and suppression.
Pain Gets Stored Away; It Doesn't go Away
The pain may go out of sight but it doesn't go away. It gets stored somewhere and that place is usually in the heart: the seat of our emotions. Our resistance to life in that moment then leads to a blockage of energy. We don't experience Shakti because it is prevented from flowing through us. All because we said" no" to life in a given moment. As long as we have those Samskaras stuck inside us, this energy can not flow in the way it was meant to.
So we have these painful memories within our heart and consciously we may not be aware of them. We stuffed them away out of sight. But what happens when something triggers that memory? Like a smell, an image, a verbal reminder? The energy that is stored away comes up suddenly and it wants to be experienced. It wants to be expressed. It wants to be released. But what does the mind do?
Triggered Samskara
Feeling the inklings of remembered discomfort, the mind stuffs down the impression again and at the same time pushes aside the moment life is giving us as a gift. We say no to the pain. We say no to that moment. We say no to life and we close. All energy then goes into resisting instead of accepting and allowing the flow to work its way through us. We are once again closing off the Shakti because we are closing our heart .
Too many of us refuse to experience the pain even if it is only trapped in a memory, a mental modification, a thought. We refuse to release and therefore shut out the potential for healing and the potential for the joy, light and love that is waiting for us.
We did this to us. Life didn't!
So what do we do with these trapped Samskaras, if we truly want to heal?
References
Sri Swami Satchidananda (2011) The Yoga sutras of Patanjali. Yogaville: Integral Yoga Publications
Michael Singer. (2007) the untethered soul . Oakland: New Harbinger
-Michal Singer , from the untethered soul, page 57
Learning about Shakti , Samskara, Blockages and Healing
I am well into my third reading/studying of the untethered soul, which is proving to be one of those life altering books for me. I somehow see keys to my healing in it.
Upon reading chapter five and six again, which speak to the idea of infinite energy and the heart as the center of that energy, I find myself in a profound "aha" moment. I feel compelled to know more about the heart chakra, the chakras in general and about Shakti...this infinite energy that is constantly flowing through us. I realize that I am so often closing up to it, blocking its flow so I do not live in that state of peaceful, joyful acceptance of life.
Why am I closing? I am closing, like many of us do, because of some trapped memories within me. These trapped memories or what Patanjali referred to as impressions or Samskaras...are trapped energy that block and prevent the energy of life from flowing through.
Shakti: the Natural Flow of Joy
Singer teaches in the simple and profound way he does that we are meant to be feeling good: joyful, enthusiastic, and loving. This current of energy is constantly flowing through us and it isn't dependent on the food we eat or the amount of caffeine we put into our bodies. It is deeper and much greater than the energies we use to power our bodies, vehicles and homes with. It is a constant never ending flow. Yet we don't always feel it because sometimes we close our minds and more importantly our hearts to it.
Experiencing Internal, Infinite Energy
The internal energy of Shakti (we can call it Chi, spirit energy, life energy etc) can be felt when something happens that excites us. Say we are feeling down in the dumps, unwell, exhausted, drained and we suddenly meet the person of our dreams, win the lottery or get a call that we got the job we just applied for. All of a sudden we feel excited, enthused and on top of the world. We experience a dramatic shift in that energy upward.
The energy burst didn't come with the person, the win or the job...we just suddenly opened up to life. We said yes to life and the Shakti then just surged through us. What a wonderful feeling, right? We want to keep that feeling all the time but the problem is many of us don't.
Why don't we always feel it if we are meant to?
Sometimes we open up to life and experience it the way it is meant to be for us but too often we also close off the valve that allows the Shakti to flow through. When it doesn't flow through it leads to a blockage of energy that prevents other things from flowing through. Instead of experiencing the light, joy and love of life...we may then end up feeling the darkness, the sadness and the dissatisfaction with life that a blocked energy center will cause. Yuck. Depression is often a result of blocked energy.
There are a few things happening here that lead us to close. The first is that we are mistakenly assuming that the things in the outside world are completely responsible for what is going on inside of us. They may trigger an opening or a closing but they aren't responsible. Our minds are the things that determine if we are open or closed to life and therefore open and closed to the flow.
What is going on in the mind that closes us?
What causes us to close is a clinging and/or a resistance to life experiences that become impressions, memories or Samskara. Instead of accepting and experiencing life in the natural way by observing with our senses, experiencing fleeting thoughts and feelings without judgment and then releasing them, the mind may decide to cling to or refuse to deal with certain experiences. These experiences become impressions. We do not allow them to flow through us. They then leave an impression on us and are stored somewhere in our hearts.
We may cling to memories of good times we do not want to release and resist the not so great memories that we do not want to have to deal with. Mental clinging and resistance are the plague builders in the vessels that Shakti flow through. They close us off.
A Desire to Resist Pain and Cling to the Comfortable
All energy is meant to flow through us. All life experiences are meant to flow through us naturally and easily, bringing joy, peace and love as they do, regardless of what is actually happening on the outside. The mind sometimes gets in the way of that flow. When life happens as it does, we may "perceive" pain in a given experience. Something in the mind that wants to keep it stable and protected resists the painful or uncomfortable experience. We exert energy into pushing it aside or in most cases down through repression and suppression.
Pain Gets Stored Away; It Doesn't go Away
The pain may go out of sight but it doesn't go away. It gets stored somewhere and that place is usually in the heart: the seat of our emotions. Our resistance to life in that moment then leads to a blockage of energy. We don't experience Shakti because it is prevented from flowing through us. All because we said" no" to life in a given moment. As long as we have those Samskaras stuck inside us, this energy can not flow in the way it was meant to.
So we have these painful memories within our heart and consciously we may not be aware of them. We stuffed them away out of sight. But what happens when something triggers that memory? Like a smell, an image, a verbal reminder? The energy that is stored away comes up suddenly and it wants to be experienced. It wants to be expressed. It wants to be released. But what does the mind do?
Triggered Samskara
Feeling the inklings of remembered discomfort, the mind stuffs down the impression again and at the same time pushes aside the moment life is giving us as a gift. We say no to the pain. We say no to that moment. We say no to life and we close. All energy then goes into resisting instead of accepting and allowing the flow to work its way through us. We are once again closing off the Shakti because we are closing our heart .
Too many of us refuse to experience the pain even if it is only trapped in a memory, a mental modification, a thought. We refuse to release and therefore shut out the potential for healing and the potential for the joy, light and love that is waiting for us.
We did this to us. Life didn't!
So what do we do with these trapped Samskaras, if we truly want to heal?
- Stop blaming Life. Accept that it isn't Life that is making you happy or unhappy. It is your mind. Own that and go to the mind to heal the heart.
- Accept each moment and allow it to pass through you.
- Be willing to go through the process of purification and healing from old remembered wounds. Like many of you, I have stored trauma that needs to be dealt with. My fear of dealing with that pain is blocking the flow of Life energy through me. It is actually hurting my heart. I am finally willing to "go through the process of purification". Are you there yet?
- Accept pain. Patanjali discusses the need to accept pain as part of the purification process in sutra 1; Book 2. If we accept pain or discomfort as a natural part of Life, without judging it, resisting it or clinging to comfort we will stay open to the natural flow of Life through us. We will not block the Shakti. Pain does not block us. Our resistance of it and our clinging to what we perceive as comfortable does. This stops us from accepting each moment for what it is...and makes us say "no" to it. When we say 'no' to one moment we say 'no' to life. We close our heart to it.
- Relax. We need to relax the body and the mind so healing can take place. Yoga (Hatha) can help relax the body and open up the energy channels. Meditation can relax the mind and allow us "to sit deeply enough inside to stop fighting the stored energy patterns".
- Allow the heart to release and cleanse. Once we stop fighting them, the Samskaras will rise to the surface of our awareness. It is only there where they can be released once and for all and the channels for energy flow can be cleansed.
- Stay Centered. Stay in your true seat and watch as these impressions pass through you. Let go.
- Don't Close. Once we are purified we can refuse to close again.
References
Sri Swami Satchidananda (2011) The Yoga sutras of Patanjali. Yogaville: Integral Yoga Publications
Michael Singer. (2007) the untethered soul . Oakland: New Harbinger
Tuesday, May 21, 2019
Questions about You
You are behind everything, just watching. That is your true home. Take everything else away and you're still here, aware that everything is gone. But take the center of awareness away, and there is nothing.
Michael Singer, from the untethered soul, page 29
I am going to play Socrates, for a minute, and ask you some questions. Actually, I want you to ask yourself these questions.
Where are you?
If I asked you that question at a party, you would probably give me a geographical answer and tell me where you are on the map or more specifically where you are at this moment in time. If you asked me that question right now, I would be inclined to answer: "I am sitting on a computer chair in my office, in front of the computer." Is that where we really are?
That is not the answer I am looking for. In fact, I am not looking for any answer at all. I just want you to ponder the question like I have been pondering. I am being very rhetorical. :)
Where the heck are you?
Are you in this world? Some would say you may be in this world, but you are not of this world. What does that mean? And some would say you are not in this world, this world is in you. That 'this world' is just an internal perception and interpretation based on what your five senses pull into you. Do you believe that?
Where are you?
Are you in the external dance of form going on all around you or in some geographically mapped out spot on the globe? Are you trapped in between distinct border lines be they geographical, cultural or societal?
Are you on earth? Are you confined in a body weighed down by gravity , on a rotating planet in some galaxy in this infinite universe?
Are you in those thoughts that are constantly going on in your mind? Are you in those emotions that knock you down and pull you up?
Are you in the opinion of other people? Are you in the story you created about yourself?
Can you be found outside or inside? And what is inside and outside? Inside what? The body? The mind? The heart?
When are you?
That sounds like a strange question, I know but think about it. Are you now? Are you an "I am"...or are you an "I was" or "I will be?"
Are you a composite of your past, history. When someone asks you about yourself, do you begin to tell them about all the things that led up to the moment they are asking the questions. "I was born in Cleveland and moved to Canada in 1982 after I graduated from university. I began working at the peat moss plant and staid there for five years before accepting a starring role in a film I accidently got discovered for. It was a flop so I then moved to Seattle where I met and married my husband. So here I am" Are you all about the past.
Maybe you are in the future. Maybe the you you want to be is who you focus on. "I am not where I want to be yet but when I finish my degree, or publish that book, or meet the right person I will be."
Have you ever answered that question with "I am now." Probably not and if you did you probably never got invited back to that party, but think about the possibility behind that answer.
What are you?
Are you defining yourself by what you do when I ask that question? Are you a nurse, doctor, teacher, carpenter or plumber? Are you defining yourself by your hobbies that you actively pursue..."I am a runner. I am a writer. I am an artist." Again if you define yourself by what you do, what are you when you can no longer do? Do you cease to be? Are you a human being or a human doing?
Have you ever answered a question about yourself as "I am a spirit having a human experience"...how weird does that feel? How right does that feel?
Why are you?
That's a pretty deep one but we would probably assume, if asked that question, that the person would want to know why we were there at that moment doing what we were doing. "Oh I was invited by so and so, you?" We may ask ourselves why am I the way I am? Why am I always making people upset? Why is my life such a mess? Why me? " Even these internally directed questions are not what I am asking.
"Why are you?" Leave it at that.
How are you?
Are you well? Unwell? Happy or sad? Peaceful or stressed?
How you are now at this moment, is it something that is constant and unchanging? Or is it a quality of experience that will fluctuate for you that will come and go?
Are you this defined quality of experience? Are you how you perceive and think about the world, others, self? Are you how you perceive, think, feel or behave in general? Are you based on a "how"? Can you be?
The thing is, we cannot answer any of those questions until we know who we are.
Who are you?
When you answer this last question, please don't give your name, your age, your body colour, shape or size. (Well don't give me anything really...lol...suppose to be a rhetorical question, remember?) Don't give me your occupational role, your familial role or the role you play in society. Definitely don't give me an opinionated version of yourself based on what others told you are or what you have come to believe you are in terms of judgement. Don't tell me you are a "nice person" or a "flawed" person. Don't tell me you are good or bad, ugly or pretty, successful or struggling, healthy or unwell.. These things, I know, are not who you are.
Who are you beyond all these things?
If you went to the court house right now and changed your name or your address...would "you" still be the same person you were before you made that change? If you dropped ten pounds or got so much sun exposure your once white skin turned brown...are you still the same person? Are you different person than the one who looked in the mirror when you were ten years old? Are you the same person who was registering for the courses that would take you to your chosen profession so many years ago? Are you the same person who was feeling good before that other person said that terrible thing to you that made you doubt yourself and feel bad? Are "you" changing like the things around you are?
Do you come and go through life like that?
Or could you be something that never changes and that was always there even though the things around you changed, came and went? Are you a different "being" every moment or is there a continual flow of your being from one "perceived" moment to the next?
Can you be confined to a specific time, place, label, role or image? Can you be in the past and future? Can you be limited by what you can do or how you feel?
Could you be more than your thoughts, feelings and the things going on around you? If you stopped thinking, if you stopped feeling and the flower in front of you that you were admiring suddenly fell over so you couldn't see it any more...do you stop being?
Is it possible...that you are something deeper than what those party questioners would expect you to answer as you mingle around the room? Is it possible that who you really are is beyond place, time, labels or activities? Beyond thought, feeling and perception?
Could you be nameless, timeless, changeless...always present, always watching, always there?
Hmmm! Just offering some questions to ask yourself. You may not be able to answer right away nor are you expected to...but how life changing those answers will be when they do come.
It all begins with asking about "you".
All is well in my world.
Michael Singer ( 2007) the untethered soul. New Harbinger
Monday, May 20, 2019
The Tao ...again
The Tao is hidden and has no name; but is the Tao which is skillful at imparting(to all things what they need) and making them complete.
-Lao Tzu Tao Te Ching as transalted by James Legge
Chapter 34
The Great Tao is everywhere: on the right (masculine, powerful side) and on the left ( feminine, gentle side).
All things depend on it and all things obey it.
It does not take credit for all it creates and it creates everything. It clothes everything (protects it, nurtures it, keeps it warm) but it does not "Lord" over it. By not naming Itself as the source of everything it remains humble.
All things go back to the source/root and disappear without knowing it was The Tao that prevailed over it all.
The sage can do the same. By not making himself "Great" he accomplishes great things.
Chapter 35
To him who can represent the Tao, the world will be fixed. People will flock to him without threat of harm to find safety, peace and rest. There may be an attraction in the outside world that makes someone stop for a time but its not like finding teh Tao. And though the Tao spoken, using thoughts and concepts, is seemingly dull, It's use is inexhaustible.
Chapter 36
Before we breathe in, we breathe out; before we can weaken others, we must strengthen them; before we can knock others down, we must pull them up; before we can take from another, we must give. This is called " Hiding the light of procedure."
A look at opposing sides to strength: The soft overcomes the hard and the weak overcome the strong
Chapter 37
The Tao does nothing but there is nothing it does not do.
If princes and kings could maintain the Tao they could change everything. If the change becomes an object of desire...we must express this desire without naming it. Simplicity without a name is free of all external world goals. Without desire or craving all things will turn out right.
Chapter 38
Those who did not seek to possess the attributes(very nature) of the Tao did not seek to show they did and therefore they possessed it in full measure. Those who possessed the attributes in a lower degree and attempted to cling to it, did not possess it all. Those who possessed it in a higher degree did nothing purposefully and had no need to do. Those who possessed the Tao attributes in a lower degree were always doing and had a never ending need to do.
Those who had the highest degree of benevolence ( doing good) were always seeking to carry it out when they didn't have to. Those who had the highest degree of righteousness were always seeking to carry it out and they didn't have to.
Those who possessed the propriety: need to follow and adhere to rules and conformity were always seeking to show it and when others did not follow too they would bare arms against them.
So when the Tao (the Great way) was lost that is when its attributes appeared...when its attributes disappeared, benevolence ( need to do good) appeared; when benevolence was lost...righteousness appeared ( a need to be right or do right) and when righteousness disappeared, ...morality, conformity or propriety appeared .
So now propriety is a very weakened form of faith and it is where disorder begins. Swift apprehension is only a flower of the Tao and is where stupidity begins. A Great Man then will stick to what is solid and reject what is flimsy...will choose the fruit over the flower.
Chapter 39
Old things that got the One Tao include: heaven, earth, Spirit, Valleys, Creatures and princes and Kings.
Purity makes Heaven pure. Without firmness and surety, earth would bend and break. Spirit without power will fail. Valleys without water will be parched. Creatures without life will pass away. Princes and Kings without morality will decay.
That is why dignity finds its roots in humility and loftiness finds its root in stability. By maintaining humility in how they refer to themselves princes and kings see the roots of their dignity. They chose to appear ordinary rather than special.
Chapter 40
The contrasting forces strengthen each other and are what the Tao proceeds through. Weakness marks the course of Tao's mighty deeds. All things under heaven sprang from the Tao's existence and Its being named. That existence sprang from It as non existent and nameless ...the non-manifested realm.
Chapter 41
Scholars of high class when they hear about the Tao earnestly carry it into practice. Scholars of middle class get it then lose it. Scholars of lowest class laugh at it. It is important however that they do because if it was not laughed at it would not be fit to be the Tao.
There is so many contrasting ways to see the Tao. When it is at its brightest it may seem to lack light. When one seems to be progressing in it, they are seen as going backwards. It's even path may actually appear quite rugged. Its highest peak comes from the lowest valley. It's greatest beauty may actually offend the eyes. And the person who has most may actually be the one who lost the most. What appears to be firm virtue may be of low morality. What seems to be solid may be very changeable. Its largest square may have no corners and not appear like a square at all. The fastest vessel may be the slowest made. The sound maybe loud but it doesn't utter a word. It may seem like a great image when it is nothing more than a shadow made by shade.
The Tao is hidden, nameless and unseen yet it is the basis for everything. It gives to all that which is needed and makes all complete.
Half way through and I need some time to ponder on these chapters.
All is well.
James Legge ( 1895) Loa Tzu's Tao Te Ching. https://www.sacred-texts.com/tao/taote.htm
-Lao Tzu Tao Te Ching as transalted by James Legge
Chapter 34
The Great Tao is everywhere: on the right (masculine, powerful side) and on the left ( feminine, gentle side).
All things depend on it and all things obey it.
It does not take credit for all it creates and it creates everything. It clothes everything (protects it, nurtures it, keeps it warm) but it does not "Lord" over it. By not naming Itself as the source of everything it remains humble.
All things go back to the source/root and disappear without knowing it was The Tao that prevailed over it all.
The sage can do the same. By not making himself "Great" he accomplishes great things.
Chapter 35
To him who can represent the Tao, the world will be fixed. People will flock to him without threat of harm to find safety, peace and rest. There may be an attraction in the outside world that makes someone stop for a time but its not like finding teh Tao. And though the Tao spoken, using thoughts and concepts, is seemingly dull, It's use is inexhaustible.
Chapter 36
Before we breathe in, we breathe out; before we can weaken others, we must strengthen them; before we can knock others down, we must pull them up; before we can take from another, we must give. This is called " Hiding the light of procedure."
A look at opposing sides to strength: The soft overcomes the hard and the weak overcome the strong
Chapter 37
The Tao does nothing but there is nothing it does not do.
If princes and kings could maintain the Tao they could change everything. If the change becomes an object of desire...we must express this desire without naming it. Simplicity without a name is free of all external world goals. Without desire or craving all things will turn out right.
Chapter 38
Those who did not seek to possess the attributes(very nature) of the Tao did not seek to show they did and therefore they possessed it in full measure. Those who possessed the attributes in a lower degree and attempted to cling to it, did not possess it all. Those who possessed it in a higher degree did nothing purposefully and had no need to do. Those who possessed the Tao attributes in a lower degree were always doing and had a never ending need to do.
Those who had the highest degree of benevolence ( doing good) were always seeking to carry it out when they didn't have to. Those who had the highest degree of righteousness were always seeking to carry it out and they didn't have to.
Those who possessed the propriety: need to follow and adhere to rules and conformity were always seeking to show it and when others did not follow too they would bare arms against them.
So when the Tao (the Great way) was lost that is when its attributes appeared...when its attributes disappeared, benevolence ( need to do good) appeared; when benevolence was lost...righteousness appeared ( a need to be right or do right) and when righteousness disappeared, ...morality, conformity or propriety appeared .
So now propriety is a very weakened form of faith and it is where disorder begins. Swift apprehension is only a flower of the Tao and is where stupidity begins. A Great Man then will stick to what is solid and reject what is flimsy...will choose the fruit over the flower.
Chapter 39
Old things that got the One Tao include: heaven, earth, Spirit, Valleys, Creatures and princes and Kings.
Purity makes Heaven pure. Without firmness and surety, earth would bend and break. Spirit without power will fail. Valleys without water will be parched. Creatures without life will pass away. Princes and Kings without morality will decay.
That is why dignity finds its roots in humility and loftiness finds its root in stability. By maintaining humility in how they refer to themselves princes and kings see the roots of their dignity. They chose to appear ordinary rather than special.
Chapter 40
The contrasting forces strengthen each other and are what the Tao proceeds through. Weakness marks the course of Tao's mighty deeds. All things under heaven sprang from the Tao's existence and Its being named. That existence sprang from It as non existent and nameless ...the non-manifested realm.
Chapter 41
Scholars of high class when they hear about the Tao earnestly carry it into practice. Scholars of middle class get it then lose it. Scholars of lowest class laugh at it. It is important however that they do because if it was not laughed at it would not be fit to be the Tao.
There is so many contrasting ways to see the Tao. When it is at its brightest it may seem to lack light. When one seems to be progressing in it, they are seen as going backwards. It's even path may actually appear quite rugged. Its highest peak comes from the lowest valley. It's greatest beauty may actually offend the eyes. And the person who has most may actually be the one who lost the most. What appears to be firm virtue may be of low morality. What seems to be solid may be very changeable. Its largest square may have no corners and not appear like a square at all. The fastest vessel may be the slowest made. The sound maybe loud but it doesn't utter a word. It may seem like a great image when it is nothing more than a shadow made by shade.
The Tao is hidden, nameless and unseen yet it is the basis for everything. It gives to all that which is needed and makes all complete.
Half way through and I need some time to ponder on these chapters.
All is well.
James Legge ( 1895) Loa Tzu's Tao Te Ching. https://www.sacred-texts.com/tao/taote.htm
The Timeless Observer: Watching Addiction
Eventually, you begin to realize that the outside world and the flow of inner emotions come and go. But you, the only one who experiences these things, remain consciously aware of whatever passes before you.
Michael Singer, the untethered soul, pg 26
I am thinking...when really my goal is to transcend thinking. The timeless observer in me...is watching me and the world around me, move about through 'mental concepts'. I am aware.
An Uncomfortable Mind
My mind is uncomfortable with some of those perceptions, judgments, emotions and thoughts that are made as a result of what I am seeing and sensing. My ( the 'little me's) natural inclination is to do something about it, to right the perceived wrong...to act/react whether it be rationalize, dramatize, run, hide, numb or put great effort into fixing what is perceived broken...all because I feel uncomfortable in my mind. It gets mentally messy until some form of pseudo balance is restored.
The whole while, I am aware, that the timeless observer is sitting back, quietly watching life unfold in front of me and observing, without judgment, the little me's response/reaction to it. It has no problem with any of it. It just watches so peacefully detached. Sigh.
Crazy lady...what the front door are you talking about?
My Observation of Addiction
The outside world, emotions and thoughts are passing through again. I am observing what appears to be the re-emergence of dangerous addictive behaviour in another who I was hoping finally "got it!" This individual came this close to death twice and I saw that as an opportunity for him to see clearly and make better choices. I sadly realize that that what I saw in my "fairly clear" Self was not what he saw in his unconscious one.
I am not surprised...I mean, I do understand addiction and understand this young man's addiction in particular ( to a very limited degree). Truth is, he never made the conscious decision to quit...life just threw some pretty drastic circumstances at him in hope that he would.
Inability to Pay Attention in the Classroom
Life may have provided a wonderful lesson from its greatest teacher (death) but the student, unfortunately, was not ready to listen. He didn't "get it." He was too busy complaining about everything the "enforced" learning environment provided from how loud and in the face the teacher was to how uncomfortable the seats were ...to "hear". He was antsy and fidgety like a hyperactive kid and couldn't sit still and be in the "here and now". The addiction was more powerful, the restlessness too intense, and he was too unconscious to even realize that what he was given was a gift. So instead of being gratefully present with his mind and books wide open to recovery...he acted up and kept waiting for the bell to ring so he could go back to where he was before. The bell may not have rung but he is sneaking out and away from the learning anyway.
My heart breaks to see him give up on such wonderful learning and to see such a wonderful opportunity for Life offered by Life wasted. Addiction certainly makes people pathologically unconscious and that is so sad.
Observing with mind and Self
I observe this outwardly experience, both with my mind and with the Self. My mind shouts, "Do something! Fix this. Control him and his behaviour in anyway you can. Step up. Talk to people. Get him in somewhere. Force him to go to meetings, to tow the line and make better choices . Fight this. Own it to some degree. Or at least make others think that you are doing something!!! Make this "your" problem."
The Self whispers, "It is what it is. This is not yours. It is all his. Stay loving. Be compassionate. Express yourself honestly without any intention to manipulate, control or hurt. Control only what you have power over...your mind and your life. Set healthy limits. And then....Step back and allow Life to unfold. It knows what it is doing. This is not a battle for your ego. This is his...between him and Life."
I choose to listen to Self. As soon as I make that choice I feel peace, a letting go of that which I never had....power over him or his addiction.
The Reality of Addiction
There was a time in my life where I thought I could get addicts to stop using, that I could control, fix and sustain their recovery with my actions. I remember getting so upset with others when they talked about surrendering to addiction or when they told me that the loved ones problem wasn't mine and I had to step back! I didn't get that until now.
When I get cocky like that, I remember this axiom I heard once that stuck with me, "Help is the sunny side of control." I was not helping in those past situations. I was controlling from a state of grandiosity. I was owning what was never mine to own. I was giving ego something to work on and fix. I was not listening to my true Self. I know better now. Or at least I hope I do.
I am not responsible for another's addiction. "I didn't break it and I can't fix it."
So I lovingly let go. I go from understanding this with my limited mind and to accepting it with an open heart.
Observing even these most difficult challenges from the perspective of "the real you" is healing. It creates a totally different experience when the timeless observer is in charge.
All is well.
References
Singer, Michael ( 2007) the untethered soul. Oakland: New Harbinger
Michael Singer, the untethered soul, pg 26
I am thinking...when really my goal is to transcend thinking. The timeless observer in me...is watching me and the world around me, move about through 'mental concepts'. I am aware.
An Uncomfortable Mind
My mind is uncomfortable with some of those perceptions, judgments, emotions and thoughts that are made as a result of what I am seeing and sensing. My ( the 'little me's) natural inclination is to do something about it, to right the perceived wrong...to act/react whether it be rationalize, dramatize, run, hide, numb or put great effort into fixing what is perceived broken...all because I feel uncomfortable in my mind. It gets mentally messy until some form of pseudo balance is restored.
The whole while, I am aware, that the timeless observer is sitting back, quietly watching life unfold in front of me and observing, without judgment, the little me's response/reaction to it. It has no problem with any of it. It just watches so peacefully detached. Sigh.
Crazy lady...what the front door are you talking about?
My Observation of Addiction
The outside world, emotions and thoughts are passing through again. I am observing what appears to be the re-emergence of dangerous addictive behaviour in another who I was hoping finally "got it!" This individual came this close to death twice and I saw that as an opportunity for him to see clearly and make better choices. I sadly realize that that what I saw in my "fairly clear" Self was not what he saw in his unconscious one.
I am not surprised...I mean, I do understand addiction and understand this young man's addiction in particular ( to a very limited degree). Truth is, he never made the conscious decision to quit...life just threw some pretty drastic circumstances at him in hope that he would.
Inability to Pay Attention in the Classroom
Life may have provided a wonderful lesson from its greatest teacher (death) but the student, unfortunately, was not ready to listen. He didn't "get it." He was too busy complaining about everything the "enforced" learning environment provided from how loud and in the face the teacher was to how uncomfortable the seats were ...to "hear". He was antsy and fidgety like a hyperactive kid and couldn't sit still and be in the "here and now". The addiction was more powerful, the restlessness too intense, and he was too unconscious to even realize that what he was given was a gift. So instead of being gratefully present with his mind and books wide open to recovery...he acted up and kept waiting for the bell to ring so he could go back to where he was before. The bell may not have rung but he is sneaking out and away from the learning anyway.
My heart breaks to see him give up on such wonderful learning and to see such a wonderful opportunity for Life offered by Life wasted. Addiction certainly makes people pathologically unconscious and that is so sad.
Observing with mind and Self
I observe this outwardly experience, both with my mind and with the Self. My mind shouts, "Do something! Fix this. Control him and his behaviour in anyway you can. Step up. Talk to people. Get him in somewhere. Force him to go to meetings, to tow the line and make better choices . Fight this. Own it to some degree. Or at least make others think that you are doing something!!! Make this "your" problem."
The Self whispers, "It is what it is. This is not yours. It is all his. Stay loving. Be compassionate. Express yourself honestly without any intention to manipulate, control or hurt. Control only what you have power over...your mind and your life. Set healthy limits. And then....Step back and allow Life to unfold. It knows what it is doing. This is not a battle for your ego. This is his...between him and Life."
I choose to listen to Self. As soon as I make that choice I feel peace, a letting go of that which I never had....power over him or his addiction.
The Reality of Addiction
There was a time in my life where I thought I could get addicts to stop using, that I could control, fix and sustain their recovery with my actions. I remember getting so upset with others when they talked about surrendering to addiction or when they told me that the loved ones problem wasn't mine and I had to step back! I didn't get that until now.
When I get cocky like that, I remember this axiom I heard once that stuck with me, "Help is the sunny side of control." I was not helping in those past situations. I was controlling from a state of grandiosity. I was owning what was never mine to own. I was giving ego something to work on and fix. I was not listening to my true Self. I know better now. Or at least I hope I do.
I am not responsible for another's addiction. "I didn't break it and I can't fix it."
So I lovingly let go. I go from understanding this with my limited mind and to accepting it with an open heart.
Observing even these most difficult challenges from the perspective of "the real you" is healing. It creates a totally different experience when the timeless observer is in charge.
All is well.
References
Singer, Michael ( 2007) the untethered soul. Oakland: New Harbinger
Saturday, May 18, 2019
The Practice
I hope that you engage in practice with a good heart and from that motivation contribute something good to western society. That is my prayer and wish.
-Dalai Lama
What is this practice anyway? The practice we are all to undertake for the betterment of the Self, the human experience and the world?
The practice we partake is a spiritual one...one where we come in realignment with the true Self and God. Yoga practice constitutes three things, according to Patanjali: accepting pain as help for purification, study of spiritual books and surrender to the supreme Being.
Hmm! are you focusing on those things in your practice?
The Real Practice
Many of us think of a spiritual practice as based around prayer and meditation. These things are indeed important but what is even more important is learning to practice out there in the ever changing, unpredictable physical world without falling into ego reaction and unconsciousness. We need to learn to work our way through the mental 'discomfort' that the mind perceives.
Accepting Pain as Purification
I am learning to accept pain as part of the purification process though I am not sure what purification means to others. To me it simply means a letting go of attachments to ideas and things I used to define" me" and to hide "Me". It is the practice of self- discipline or mind control. Things out there will seemingly cause pain, "discomfort," and as we spoke about yesterday, the natural inclination is to run and hide from such discomfort. We react. If we want to purify the mind of its mental modifications, however, we need to learn to accept discomfort and pain and work our way through it. So every experience of discomfort that comes to us either by circumstance or other people is actually an opportunity to learn, to grow and to evolve. Instead of running from such experiences, we need to welcome them into our daily practice.
Facing Uncomfortable Challenges
Michael Singer, in the untethered soul, teaches that we do this by learning to Be here with every experience be it painful or not. We witness, observe and watch from the deeper Self the reactions and tendencies of the little self. Instead of slipping into unconscious reaction and egoic melodrama ...we learn to realize that Who we really are is not effected at all by what is happening out there. This is being centered and clear. This is being here and it is an eternal, never-ending practice necessary if we want to gain this self-discipline and mind control so we can transcend.
The practice of facing that which isn't comfortable can be uncomfortable, facing challenges is challenging,g but it is better than the alternative in the long run. We suffer much more pain when we allow the mind to run out of control.
Self-Discipline: Taking the Wheel or the Reins
Singer uses the example of driving a car when we do not know how to drive, to describe the experience of not being in control of our mind as we go through life. I love this description offered by Satchidananda:
-Dalai Lama
What is this practice anyway? The practice we are all to undertake for the betterment of the Self, the human experience and the world?
The practice we partake is a spiritual one...one where we come in realignment with the true Self and God. Yoga practice constitutes three things, according to Patanjali: accepting pain as help for purification, study of spiritual books and surrender to the supreme Being.
Hmm! are you focusing on those things in your practice?
The Real Practice
Many of us think of a spiritual practice as based around prayer and meditation. These things are indeed important but what is even more important is learning to practice out there in the ever changing, unpredictable physical world without falling into ego reaction and unconsciousness. We need to learn to work our way through the mental 'discomfort' that the mind perceives.
Accepting Pain as Purification
I am learning to accept pain as part of the purification process though I am not sure what purification means to others. To me it simply means a letting go of attachments to ideas and things I used to define" me" and to hide "Me". It is the practice of self- discipline or mind control. Things out there will seemingly cause pain, "discomfort," and as we spoke about yesterday, the natural inclination is to run and hide from such discomfort. We react. If we want to purify the mind of its mental modifications, however, we need to learn to accept discomfort and pain and work our way through it. So every experience of discomfort that comes to us either by circumstance or other people is actually an opportunity to learn, to grow and to evolve. Instead of running from such experiences, we need to welcome them into our daily practice.
Facing Uncomfortable Challenges
Michael Singer, in the untethered soul, teaches that we do this by learning to Be here with every experience be it painful or not. We witness, observe and watch from the deeper Self the reactions and tendencies of the little self. Instead of slipping into unconscious reaction and egoic melodrama ...we learn to realize that Who we really are is not effected at all by what is happening out there. This is being centered and clear. This is being here and it is an eternal, never-ending practice necessary if we want to gain this self-discipline and mind control so we can transcend.
The practice of facing that which isn't comfortable can be uncomfortable, facing challenges is challenging,g but it is better than the alternative in the long run. We suffer much more pain when we allow the mind to run out of control.
Self-Discipline: Taking the Wheel or the Reins
Singer uses the example of driving a car when we do not know how to drive, to describe the experience of not being in control of our mind as we go through life. I love this description offered by Satchidananda:
Normally the mind is like a wild horse tied to a chariot. Imagine the body is the chariot; the intelligence is the charioteer; the mind is the reins;. and the horses are the senses. The self, or true you, is a passenger. If the horses are allowed to gallop without reins and charioteer, the journey will not be safe for the passenger. Although control of the senses and organs often bring pain in the beginning, it eventually ends in happiness. ( page 75)
The best way to master the mind is through awareness. By being aware of what is triggering it, how we are reacting and behaving because of it ...we learn to see the difference between the little "me's' reaction and the Greater Self's unflinching response. We realize that the more we respond to Life in a clear centered way, the more peace we experience, the more connected to the Ultimate we know we are. It is then an important part of spiritual practice.
Study
Studying scripture
The next Tapa to help keep us successful in our practice is study. As we learned from above, a big part of that is studying our own individual minds. The other part is studying scripture or the guiding words of masters. Now the chosen 'scriptures' read will be different for all of us. If you are purely Christian in your approach to spirituality, you will of course, focus on the Bible. If you are devotedly Muslim, you will study the Koran. If you are Buddhist, you may study the Buddhist sutras, Hindu...the Gita, the Vedanta's, the Upanishads etc. If you are like me, convinced that there is one underlying truth in all scripture you will dig into all of it. Anything that elevates the mind and reminds you of your true Self should be studied. (Satchidananda, pg 77) The more we read, the more we expand our minds so we are eventually prepped to understand that which can not be understood by the mind.
Remember it is only a pointing finger
Tolle, in the Power of Now reminds us that though study of scripture can aid us in our spiritual development, it can't be our spiritual development. The words read are just fingers pointing us in the direction we need to go to fully understand Self and therefore God. We will never truly know who we Really are and who God is with thoughts, names, labels or concepts. God cannot be understood by books alone. (Satchidananda, 77) and The self cannot be known by theory alone (Satchidnanda, pg 78).
Unlike modern psychology, which proposes that understanding everything involves the mind, Yoga offers s different approach to understanding. It teaches that we cannot truly understand what is truly important with the mind. We must transcend it. Einstein said the same thing : The human mind, no matter how highly trained, cannot grasp the universe. (Goodreads)
Satchidanada suggests that we limit our reading and our quoting from scripture (oops!) and simply put into practice what we learn. Gain an understanding of the theory and move on to the practicum. I have always liked the theory in my learning. It was safer for me. I realize I need more practical experience.
Surrender to God
Mine binds; Thine liberates
Our spiritual practice is never just for the little me. As the Dalai Lama quotes above, our practice is meant to be done with a compassionate heart that wants to provide a good service to all. When we surrender to God, we let go of any selfishness, any desire for ego gains and any struggle to understand with the mind. We also dedicate all our practice to God which also means to each other. We remove the "me" ness from it and we serve.
Everything we do, then, in this practice is ultimately for God. We let go and surrender to God's will. "I am Thine. All is Thine. Thy will be done." (page 79) That is ultimately what frees us.
How cool is that?
All is well in my world.
References
Sri Swami Satchidananda ( 2011) The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. Yogaville: Integral Yoga Publications
Singer, Michael (2007) the untethered soul. New Harbinger Publications
Singer, Michael (2007) the untethered soul. New Harbinger Publications
Tolle, Eckhart. (2004) The Power of Now. Novato: New World Publications
Friday, May 17, 2019
Humane Detachment
As you become more detached from the world, rather than denying your humanity, you become more humane.
Dalai Lama (from my calendar page for May 17th.)
Dalai Lama (from my calendar page for May 17th.)
Moving to the next grade
So there are two ways you can live your life. You can devote your life to staying in your comfort zone, or you can work on your freedom.
Michael Singer from the untethered soul
Seeking the Comfortable
Are you running towards what is comfortable and away from what is not? Most of us do this, don't we? It is probably the human thing to do...a result of our basic survival instincts, but is it the best thing we could be doing for our spiritual evolution? What are we really doing when we retreat back into the comfort zones of our inner development?
I found myself over the last few days retreating back into the yoga comfort zone I had already built. Feeling a little physically unsettled, it seemed easier for me to retreat back to learning I already mastered instead of venturing out into the 'scary' unknown. The already learned is comfortable isn't it? The other stuff isn't so comfortable. So I was reading through old yoga questions I had answered in my course, breezing through texts I have read many time and even reviewing sequences that I have down pat. What's wrong with that? Nothing is wrong with that as long as I am just reviewing as a refresher so I can move onward to new challenges....and not hiding in there.
Hiding in the Comfort Zone of What has already Been Mastered
To be honest, I think I was hiding in the comfortable so I wouldn't have to face the uncomfortable. Hours of my day were spent reviewing what I already mastered and patting myself on the back for it instead of stepping with trembling legs into the areas I have yet to master.
Singer, in the untethered soul, compares this retreat into the comfortable as going back to grade five math after it was already successfully completed only because it will be easier. It will be easier and more comfortable and we will be seen as the smartest kids there because we already learned that stuff. But we can't stay in grade five math for the rest of our lives can we? In order to develop our math skills, we need to go to grade six where new lessons, new challenges will be provided.
We can't stay where we already have gained mastery in life either. We must move on if we want to grow. New learning, new challenges, new experiences, however, can feel unsettling to a mind that just wants peace. And the mind wanting to restore whatever it can in terms of mental balance and homeostasis will often lead us back to the comfortable rather than forward into the unknown. The mind has a tendency to retreat and retract when it becomes uncomfortable like when a need for new learning is required. There is a need for new learning in not only my yoga practice but my life. There is so much more inner development to master.
Always a Need to Learn More, grow More and Evolve More
In terms of my practice, however, I need to take yoga a step beyond what I already know. I am half afraid to because I do not know how much more my body will let me do. still I can't stay stuck here if I want to continue to grow as a yoga student and teacher. I need, in simpler terms, to develop new sequences and class material. In deeper terms, I need to master other areas of my body, life and mind. I need to stop running from new challenges and experiences and start running toward them.
Hmmm! My mind doesn't like that. It is already putting up defenses and saying "No, come back here where it is safe and just lay back into what you already know. You do not have to go out there when we can keep you safe in here."
I am reminded of this quote: A ship in a harbour is safe, but that is not what ships were built for. John A. Shedd
We are meant to grow, learn, evolve not hide in old learning.
All is well in my world.
Michael singer (2007 ) the untethered soul. New Harbinger Publications
Michael Singer from the untethered soul
Seeking the Comfortable
Are you running towards what is comfortable and away from what is not? Most of us do this, don't we? It is probably the human thing to do...a result of our basic survival instincts, but is it the best thing we could be doing for our spiritual evolution? What are we really doing when we retreat back into the comfort zones of our inner development?
I found myself over the last few days retreating back into the yoga comfort zone I had already built. Feeling a little physically unsettled, it seemed easier for me to retreat back to learning I already mastered instead of venturing out into the 'scary' unknown. The already learned is comfortable isn't it? The other stuff isn't so comfortable. So I was reading through old yoga questions I had answered in my course, breezing through texts I have read many time and even reviewing sequences that I have down pat. What's wrong with that? Nothing is wrong with that as long as I am just reviewing as a refresher so I can move onward to new challenges....and not hiding in there.
Hiding in the Comfort Zone of What has already Been Mastered
To be honest, I think I was hiding in the comfortable so I wouldn't have to face the uncomfortable. Hours of my day were spent reviewing what I already mastered and patting myself on the back for it instead of stepping with trembling legs into the areas I have yet to master.
Singer, in the untethered soul, compares this retreat into the comfortable as going back to grade five math after it was already successfully completed only because it will be easier. It will be easier and more comfortable and we will be seen as the smartest kids there because we already learned that stuff. But we can't stay in grade five math for the rest of our lives can we? In order to develop our math skills, we need to go to grade six where new lessons, new challenges will be provided.
We can't stay where we already have gained mastery in life either. We must move on if we want to grow. New learning, new challenges, new experiences, however, can feel unsettling to a mind that just wants peace. And the mind wanting to restore whatever it can in terms of mental balance and homeostasis will often lead us back to the comfortable rather than forward into the unknown. The mind has a tendency to retreat and retract when it becomes uncomfortable like when a need for new learning is required. There is a need for new learning in not only my yoga practice but my life. There is so much more inner development to master.
Always a Need to Learn More, grow More and Evolve More
In terms of my practice, however, I need to take yoga a step beyond what I already know. I am half afraid to because I do not know how much more my body will let me do. still I can't stay stuck here if I want to continue to grow as a yoga student and teacher. I need, in simpler terms, to develop new sequences and class material. In deeper terms, I need to master other areas of my body, life and mind. I need to stop running from new challenges and experiences and start running toward them.
Hmmm! My mind doesn't like that. It is already putting up defenses and saying "No, come back here where it is safe and just lay back into what you already know. You do not have to go out there when we can keep you safe in here."
I am reminded of this quote: A ship in a harbour is safe, but that is not what ships were built for. John A. Shedd
We are meant to grow, learn, evolve not hide in old learning.
All is well in my world.
Michael singer (2007 ) the untethered soul. New Harbinger Publications
Thursday, May 16, 2019
Padartha and Naming the Ultimate
The name and form of a thing are inseparable.
-Sri swami Satchidananda
There is a Sanskrit word that beautifully describes what we spoke about many times in naming things. Padarthra (with an accent missing)can be broken down to mean the thing and its meaning.
Though what is truly valuable to understand is nameless, Satchidananda does speak about the naming of things like God just so we can conceptualize and understand with the mind. Naming, however, does not express the full experience or nature of a something.
But in the normal sense, a name may mean something but it cannot convey the exact nature of that thing.
The name "chair" can remind you of a chair but you can't sit on it.
So we can name God but we do not know or experience God by naming.
We name in a way that will take us out of our separate ideologies and help bring us to a deeper understanding and connection with God. Patanajali suggested using the "Om" as the universal name. It represents the hum of all life. It is also the sound found in Amen . So if we do choose to name God so we can someday better know God, according to Yoga teaching, .... we use "om."
But God's name should not only denote the fullness of God and itself represent God, it should also bring God to you.
Om is like a hum...the hum of Life. It is the thing that is already vibrating in you.
It is actually A-U-M followed by a dissolving of sound into silence (anahata), according to the Mandukya Upanishads (again...no accents :( ).
A, as it begins the alphabet and every sound in the universe is represented by the bottom curve on the left. When we begin reciting the mantra it is the sound that comes from the throat...the same sound we make when a doctor ( or nurse) checks our throat. It represents the "awakened" state of consciousness.
U is made as the sound comes forward between the tongue and palate. "oo". It is represented in the symbol by the middle curve on the right that may look an elephant's trunk (Ganesha) . It represents the dream state of consciousness.
M is the sound that is made when we close our lips. It is represented by the top curve on the left and symbolizes our state of deep sleep/unconsciousness.
This AUM is japa or repetition.
After the M' dissolves there is still vibration but it is an unspoken vibration or ajapa.
On the top of the symbol, the dash like character represents maya or illusion...all the physical world we absorb and perceive through our senses. Above that we have a dot which represents the "Ultimate"...God in the fullest sense, that has the power to create everything.
The repetition of the sound "om" which is the beginning of all sound, the representation of all life also has the power to open us up to true union. Maybe that is why this is also the symbol for yoga.
That is why anyone who really wants to see God face to face will ultimately see God as OM. That is why it transcends all geographical, political or theological limitations. It doesn't belong to one country or one religion; it belongs to the entire universe.
All is well
https://www.onetribeapparel.com/blogs/pai/what-does-the-om-symbol-mean
Sri Swami Satchidananda ( 2011) The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. Yogaville: Integral Yoga publications....Sutra 27, Book One
-Sri swami Satchidananda
There is a Sanskrit word that beautifully describes what we spoke about many times in naming things. Padarthra (with an accent missing)can be broken down to mean the thing and its meaning.
Though what is truly valuable to understand is nameless, Satchidananda does speak about the naming of things like God just so we can conceptualize and understand with the mind. Naming, however, does not express the full experience or nature of a something.
But in the normal sense, a name may mean something but it cannot convey the exact nature of that thing.
The name "chair" can remind you of a chair but you can't sit on it.
So we can name God but we do not know or experience God by naming.
We name in a way that will take us out of our separate ideologies and help bring us to a deeper understanding and connection with God. Patanajali suggested using the "Om" as the universal name. It represents the hum of all life. It is also the sound found in Amen . So if we do choose to name God so we can someday better know God, according to Yoga teaching, .... we use "om."
But God's name should not only denote the fullness of God and itself represent God, it should also bring God to you.
Let's look at it a little deeper by using the symbol and the sound in our naming.
Om is like a hum...the hum of Life. It is the thing that is already vibrating in you.
It is actually A-U-M followed by a dissolving of sound into silence (anahata), according to the Mandukya Upanishads (again...no accents :( ).
A, as it begins the alphabet and every sound in the universe is represented by the bottom curve on the left. When we begin reciting the mantra it is the sound that comes from the throat...the same sound we make when a doctor ( or nurse) checks our throat. It represents the "awakened" state of consciousness.
U is made as the sound comes forward between the tongue and palate. "oo". It is represented in the symbol by the middle curve on the right that may look an elephant's trunk (Ganesha) . It represents the dream state of consciousness.
M is the sound that is made when we close our lips. It is represented by the top curve on the left and symbolizes our state of deep sleep/unconsciousness.
This AUM is japa or repetition.
After the M' dissolves there is still vibration but it is an unspoken vibration or ajapa.
On the top of the symbol, the dash like character represents maya or illusion...all the physical world we absorb and perceive through our senses. Above that we have a dot which represents the "Ultimate"...God in the fullest sense, that has the power to create everything.
The repetition of the sound "om" which is the beginning of all sound, the representation of all life also has the power to open us up to true union. Maybe that is why this is also the symbol for yoga.
That is why anyone who really wants to see God face to face will ultimately see God as OM. That is why it transcends all geographical, political or theological limitations. It doesn't belong to one country or one religion; it belongs to the entire universe.
All is well
https://www.onetribeapparel.com/blogs/pai/what-does-the-om-symbol-mean
Sri Swami Satchidananda ( 2011) The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. Yogaville: Integral Yoga publications....Sutra 27, Book One
Wednesday, May 15, 2019
He who Knows Himself is Intelligent
Chapter/Verse 33
He who knows other men is discerning; he who knows himself is intelligent. He who overcomes others is strong; he who overcomes himself is mighty. He who is satisfied with his lot is rich; he who goes on acting with energy has a(firm)will.
He who does not fail in the requirements of his position, continues long; he who dies and yet does not perish, has longevity.
-LaoTzu; Tao Te Ching, as translated by J. Legge
I am breezing through the Yoga Sutras again as a bit of a refresher and was impressed how the description of Yoga that Patanjali provides through Satchidananda applies to this chapter of the Tao Te Ching. Sri Swami Satchidananda was committed to teaching the connection and Oneness between all faith traditions. "One truth, many paths", was his motto. What is that connection? "Man, know thyself."
Knowing the Self
Yoga is all about knowing yourself again. It is about reconnecting to the true Self beneath this idea we have of Self composed by the mind and ego. Yoga, as does many practises: eastern or western, teaches that if we learn to control the mind, rather than continue to allow it to control us, we will naturally fall into the true self. The nature of that true Self is peace. The practice of yoga involves learning to work with the mind to reunite with that state of peace. Patanjali's famous description of yoga practice exemplifies this: "If you can control the rising of mind into ripples, you will experience yoga.
Yoga, like the teachings of the Tao, is not about controlling, fixing, manipulating demanding of the outside world. It is not about knowing others or overcoming others or things out there. It is not about fighting, struggling or just getting by. It is not about wanting, desiring or preferring. Nor is it about just doing our life job satisfactorily and being merely satisfied with life. Spirituality, in whatever form it takes, is not about outside world focus at all.
Inward, not outward
We focus inward, not outward if we truly want peace. (I must stress here that in and out are just mental concepts and there really is no in or no out). We do not fall into our natural state of peace when we focus on worldly things. That is mind stuff that actually distracts us from knowing Self and the peace that knowing provides. If we truly want to return to our natural state of Being...we go inward. We only can get there ( if there was truly a there) by getting beyond all the mind stuff that prevents us from seeing Self, truth, God. We work with the mind. The mind is the source of our peace-less states, our egoic neurosis, our 'suffering' and the mind is the solution. We learn to witness it, understand it a bit and then eventually transcend it.
Peace, the natural state of being
According to Patanjali we are normally in a peaceful state. Peace is our natural state of Being. The mind, however, is not comfortable with that state . It wants more. It looks out onto the external world of form and it begins to desire and prefer certain things, people and experiences as well as certain thoughts, images and emotions. Want is created and then the effort to chase after, get and cling to what is wanted is spent. Once we get what we went after, mind is satisfied for a bit. It quiets down. It stops chattering away. It is only when the mind is still that we experience that peace, that sense of satisfaction.
It is not so much that the mind got what it wanted...that we feel satisfied...it is that we stopped thinking for a bit, the mind-stuff was restrained, we controlled the rising of the mind into ripples and fell into our natural state of Self. We reunited and connected with that Self ( which was always there anyway ) and this is Yoga. So yoga then is pretty simple ...it simply means being who we are.
Mental modifications
But the mind has other ideas for us. It keeps telling us that we are 'satisfied' because of what we get from the outer world, not because of any connection to Self. The mental modifications keep pulling us away from this Self, this natural state of peace by filling or heads with more preferences to desire, more dislikes to avoid and more wants to chase after. So we may feel "good" when we get the thing we chased after or got rid of the thing we didn't want...but it won't last. The mind will just go onto the next want, the next preference taking us away from peace, again and again.
Transcending the Mind
The trick is getting beyond the thinking mind. It is not an easy process, Patanjali warns. we cannot get rid of all thinking just like that. We learn to simply witness the mind, understand it a bit without believing everything it tells us, and we learn to work with it to help it select the thoughts and feelings and actions that will benefit the greater Self, rather than the little self. Then we will gradually get beyond it. So instead of focusing out there let's focus on in here. Instead of trying to know and overcome others...let's work on knowing and overcoming Self. Let's practice controlling the mind into ripples.
All is well in my world.
Tuesday, May 14, 2019
Freedom from Suffering
Suffering comes from confusing Self with a socially induced hallucination.
-Deepak Chopra
Life Goal
I have set 'peace' as my life goal. Of course, to me peace is transcendence, truth, connection with Self, God. It is the ultimate experience of living. I am not looking for the perfect Life free of hardship, not looking for a high or 'a buzz, not looking for 'perfect health' ...and I am not even looking for 'happiness' as we tend to define it . I just want to be free of suffering.
Freedom from suffering
Freedom from suffering, doesn't mean that I expect to never to have physical or emotional pain again, to never have circumstances show up in my life that are challenging or even traumatic again. To me, being free of suffering means being able to respond to Life and all it offers peacefully instead of reacting from a fear based ego. It means no longer thinking and feeling like I have to struggle, fight, chase after, resist, numb or retreat from Life just to get by. It means being able to surrender to Life and all it offers in the moment.
The freedom I want is internal. I want to be released from the chains and shackles I have snapped on myself. It is freedom of the egoic mind's control over me, that I long for. That, I believe is peace, is transcendence...is this elusive enlightenment the spiritual masters have been speaking about for centuries. I want to wake up and realize, I am free.
Not there yet
I am not "there" yet. I know this isn't about getting anywhere but "here" but I still think in terms of "arriving" somewhere because I am not as evolved as I hope to be. I still think in terms of duality. I still "think" too much. :) It is my thinking that still acts as a veil or wall to my "being here" and therefore mentally "getting there".
Because of that, I still "suffer". Physically I feel 'unwell'. Mentally and emotionally I feel down. Life circumstances offered me are still challenging to deal with. Ironically, the less I think and the less I look to the outside for satisfaction and fulfillment...the more physically, emotionally and mentally down I feel. I also seem to have quite challenging things that need to be dealt with at a time when energy levels are low. Everything exhausts me. I wonder if this is part of the waking up process, a sign that I am indeed letting go of the illusionary 'hope for something out there' that sustained me for so long. When things got tough I would always escape from the moment, slip into my mind with all its distracting and numbing thinking and 'wait' for things to get better in the next moment. Now, it is like going without a drug that I was physically and psychologically addicted to. I am craving, jonesing, slipping and it is all part of the recovery process.
Recovery
I am recovering. I am progressing. I am evolving and I am waking up. There is, however, still a great deal of mental conditioning in front of who I am. My error maybe in assuming that I need to work my way through those heavy layers, to "dig", and "shovel' and "pick" at it all. My mind still has the power to convince me(this me I still think I am at times) that what is in front of me is dense...is form ...is real. Even though the Self, hidden beneath all that rubble, calls out to me that it isn't real at all, I still slip back into believing it is.
Slipping through the Barrier
I know the only barrier between who I really am and who I have been socially conditioned to believe I am is what my mind has created. And "I", whoever "I" is, am responsible for that mind. Yet, I still find myself on this side of the rubble, instead of beneath it/behind it where I so want to be. I am understanding it all conceptually so beautifully but am not truly knowing it in terms of 'experiencing' it. I am not fully conscious. I still have yet to completely open up the door between who I think I am and who I truly am because I am caught up in the thinking.
Only consciousness can know consciousness, only consciousness can understand consciousness and only consciousness can experience consciousness. (Deepak Chopra)
I want to be able to fall naturally into Self. Sigh! I will.
It is all good.
-Deepak Chopra
Life Goal
I have set 'peace' as my life goal. Of course, to me peace is transcendence, truth, connection with Self, God. It is the ultimate experience of living. I am not looking for the perfect Life free of hardship, not looking for a high or 'a buzz, not looking for 'perfect health' ...and I am not even looking for 'happiness' as we tend to define it . I just want to be free of suffering.
Freedom from suffering
Freedom from suffering, doesn't mean that I expect to never to have physical or emotional pain again, to never have circumstances show up in my life that are challenging or even traumatic again. To me, being free of suffering means being able to respond to Life and all it offers peacefully instead of reacting from a fear based ego. It means no longer thinking and feeling like I have to struggle, fight, chase after, resist, numb or retreat from Life just to get by. It means being able to surrender to Life and all it offers in the moment.
The freedom I want is internal. I want to be released from the chains and shackles I have snapped on myself. It is freedom of the egoic mind's control over me, that I long for. That, I believe is peace, is transcendence...is this elusive enlightenment the spiritual masters have been speaking about for centuries. I want to wake up and realize, I am free.
Not there yet
I am not "there" yet. I know this isn't about getting anywhere but "here" but I still think in terms of "arriving" somewhere because I am not as evolved as I hope to be. I still think in terms of duality. I still "think" too much. :) It is my thinking that still acts as a veil or wall to my "being here" and therefore mentally "getting there".
Because of that, I still "suffer". Physically I feel 'unwell'. Mentally and emotionally I feel down. Life circumstances offered me are still challenging to deal with. Ironically, the less I think and the less I look to the outside for satisfaction and fulfillment...the more physically, emotionally and mentally down I feel. I also seem to have quite challenging things that need to be dealt with at a time when energy levels are low. Everything exhausts me. I wonder if this is part of the waking up process, a sign that I am indeed letting go of the illusionary 'hope for something out there' that sustained me for so long. When things got tough I would always escape from the moment, slip into my mind with all its distracting and numbing thinking and 'wait' for things to get better in the next moment. Now, it is like going without a drug that I was physically and psychologically addicted to. I am craving, jonesing, slipping and it is all part of the recovery process.
Recovery
I am recovering. I am progressing. I am evolving and I am waking up. There is, however, still a great deal of mental conditioning in front of who I am. My error maybe in assuming that I need to work my way through those heavy layers, to "dig", and "shovel' and "pick" at it all. My mind still has the power to convince me(this me I still think I am at times) that what is in front of me is dense...is form ...is real. Even though the Self, hidden beneath all that rubble, calls out to me that it isn't real at all, I still slip back into believing it is.
Slipping through the Barrier
I know the only barrier between who I really am and who I have been socially conditioned to believe I am is what my mind has created. And "I", whoever "I" is, am responsible for that mind. Yet, I still find myself on this side of the rubble, instead of beneath it/behind it where I so want to be. I am understanding it all conceptually so beautifully but am not truly knowing it in terms of 'experiencing' it. I am not fully conscious. I still have yet to completely open up the door between who I think I am and who I truly am because I am caught up in the thinking.
Only consciousness can know consciousness, only consciousness can understand consciousness and only consciousness can experience consciousness. (Deepak Chopra)
I want to be able to fall naturally into Self. Sigh! I will.
It is all good.
Monday, May 13, 2019
Who is asking, "Who am I"?
We seem to be sitting still
but we are actually moving,
and the fantasies of phenomenon
are actually sliding through us,
like ideas through curtains.
-Rumi from The Well
I have been thinking a lot about who we really are and what stops us from knowing that. I was thinking about the importance of not closing the curtain over that Self with our thinking. I happened across a video today of a Healing summit hosted by three of my favorite teachers in the whole world: Deepak Chopra, Wayne Dyer and Eckhart Tolle. (Why are they my favorite teachers? Because I 'feel" what they have or had to say. Oh but atlas there is no room for preferences in life, is there?)
The question that was the subject matter for the lecture was, "Who is asking, who am I?" The theme was about becoming aware of awareness so that we can have complete alignment with the present moment and therefore experience Life fully. It was about transcending thought which provides a veil or a curtain over that background of the spaciousness, the presence, and the truth that is us.
The real you is the timeless observer in the midst of time bound observation. -Deepak Chopra.
Expectations
Chopra and Tolle both explain that the so called 'problems' we may have with Life are usually the result of our expectations that the things out there: circumstances, objects, people should make us happy. Maybe we need to strive, work hard, fix, control, manipulate and wait in order to get things the way they should be in order for that to happen but eventually our inner fulfillment is a consequence of what is happening out there. At least that is what we are conditioned to believe.
Finding love, joy, completeness, however, is an inner game not an outer one. What we fail to realize is that we are already joyful, complete and Love. The only thing that stops us from knowing that is our thinking. We need to find a way to transcend thought, which doesn't mean we leave all thought behind. It only means we learn to use thought instead of having thought use us.
Verbs not nouns.
One way of transcending is realizing that "the things" out there are actually verbs not nouns. You are a verb, circumstances are verbs, the universe is a verb.
Say what?
Everything we identify with in this physical world, is a process, impermanent and in constant flux. The body is constantly changing, circumstances are constantly unfolding and disappearing, the mind and the idea of 'me' is never the same from one moment to the next and the universe is a process of evolution not a static thing. The things around us will not make us "happy". The universe we experience and everything in it, is just a process of fluctuating sensing, picturing, feeling and thinking.
The only way to find true joy is to realize who we are amongst the flux.
What is eternal and unchanging is that permanent, unchanging "being" that is aware of all of this, that is aware of awareness. We often call it "the observer" but it is neither the observer or the observed, the object or the subject. It was never born, nor will it die. It was the starting point for joy and it will be the ending point. Therefore, it cannot be found out there. Finding it, doesn't mean going on a physical or mental search for it out there or in the future. The journey to knowing this is actually a "journey without distance."
All we need to do is find the space in between thoughts and we have opened up to it. It exists right here, right now where it always was. The only reason we don't know that, is because we allow the thinking mind to distract us, and pull us away into the impermanent flux of physical world crap. We don't necessarily have to stop thinking, we just need to be aware we are thinking so we do not get lost in it. We don't have to go anywhere, do anything to find who we are...we just need to know we are already here. We don't need to fight or struggle against the distracting physical world either. At some point we will simply realize we do not need to be distracted. All there is is now and we are that now.
Who am I that is asking who am I?
Ask who am I that is asking, who am I in silence and stillness and we will connect to that living realization. We will transcend the curtain and the thought traffic for the spacious, unchanging stillness that is us. That is where we will experience the joy, love and completeness we have erroneously looked outward for until now.
Who am I,
standing in the midst
of this thought-traffic?
-Rumi, The Well
All is well.
References
Deepak Chopra, Wayne Dyer and Eckhart Tolle. Who is I? Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UiBy1yEhxwQ
Rumi (n.d.) The Well. Retrieved fromhttp://rumidays.blogspot.com/2010/04/well.html
Friday, May 10, 2019
Equanimity is the Cure
The Great Way is not difficult for those who have no preferences. When love and hate are both absent everything becomes clear and undisguised. Make the smallest distinction, however, and heaven and earth are set infinitely apart...
If you wish to see the truth hold no opinion for or against. The struggle of what one likes and what one dislikes is the disease of the mind.
-Jianzhi Sengcan from Xinxin Ming
There is not much I can say to that. Perfectly put. Preference is a disease of the mind that prevents us from naturally falling into Self; equanimity is the cure.
All is well
If you wish to see the truth hold no opinion for or against. The struggle of what one likes and what one dislikes is the disease of the mind.
-Jianzhi Sengcan from Xinxin Ming
There is not much I can say to that. Perfectly put. Preference is a disease of the mind that prevents us from naturally falling into Self; equanimity is the cure.
All is well
Thursday, May 9, 2019
Yoga, a Practice of Not Closing
If you can control the rising of the mind into ripples, you will experience yoga.
Patanjali (from The yoga sutras of Patanjali, Satchidanada, page 3)
If one really wants to understand Yoga in a very applicable and non threatening way, one just needs to pick up a book by Michael Singer entitled The Untethered Soul or listen to him speak. He puts the whole universal teaching of the Sutras into a very easy to understand format that can be so easily applied to everyday life.
Put simply Yoga is about knowing what you really want and then seeking it in a daily practice.
Knowing what you really want
In a video entitled What do you really want?, Singer teaches that yoga is all about making the distinction between what we 'think' we want and what we 'really' want. Unlike other teachings out there now, yoga is not about manifesting abundance or attracting the 'things' we assume will make us happy from the world around us; nor is it about getting rid of all the things that are not so pleasant in our lives that we assume are making us unhappy. It isn't about chasing, controlling, getting, fixing or avoiding people, places, things or circumstances. It really isn't about the world around us at all. It is about what is inside.
What we really, really want from life is something that can only be found inside, something that is already there, has always been there and will always be there.
It is not that soul mate, or that perfect house in the perfect neighborhood you really want. It is not the Porsche or that great 6 figure salary job either. Of course, for most of us, those are the types of things we would list if we were asked to compile a list of things we would like to 'manifest' in our worlds. If I asked you right now, what do you want from life, you would likely give me one of those external things right?
What if I told you, you could have anything on your 'want to manifest' list but that it would not make you happy? In fact, you will be depressed, unfulfilled, and more miserable than you are now when you get any of those things. Would you still want it then?
No. Because you do not want to be miserable, do you? What you really, really want is to be happy, to be at peace, to be joyous and fulfilled. You assume these things on your list will take you there.
Not Wanting
Our wanting also comes with a lot of not wanting. Many of us may actually have on our manifesting lists things like: "I want to be free of debt." "I want my pain to go away." "I want an end to this loneliness." etc. Debt, pain and loneliness are obviously things that belong in a "not wanting" list, right?
What if, however, I could guarantee you that these three things will make you remarkably happy in a little while. What if I promised you that if you accepted a lack of money, partner and physical pain into your life you will suddenly feel joy and peace and love and happiness; that you will wake up each morning to look out at the world before you and be so thrilled with everything about it ? Would you still want to avoid them then ? Or would they become things you would excitedly ask for?
What the heck am I getting at?
The point is what you really, really want is not the external thing, the circumstance or the person. It is not the removal of the so called 'unwanted' or unpleasant from your life, either. It is the condition you mistakenly attach to it. What you really want is the peace, joy, freedom, excitement and fulfillment you erroneously assume these things will bring you . What you really want is something you already have that cannot be found "out there". What you really want is inside you where it has always been. Seeking fulfillment, wholeness, joy and love in outside 'stuff' is an indirect, challenging and often unsuccessful approach to getting what you really want.
Say what, crazy lady?
What yoga offers is a union with your inner world where peace abounds. It connects you to your true Self that is happy, joyful, peaceful, whole, well and enthusiastic already. What you really want is in you now. Yoga keeps your Life open to that flow. Yoga can show you that you already are, you already have what you want.
The mind, however, with all its 'mental modifications' gets in the way of yoga. It allows its streams of thought and conditions, established beliefs and emotional reactions to 'block' this open flow of well being that is in all of us. It is not the world or the circumstances, out there that is making our lives less than what they are intended to be...it is our minds. And we are totally responsible for whether our hearts and minds are open or closed; whether or not we are open and closed to Life.
If you are not feeling joy and bliss and love and peace all the time...then you are closing up to what Life has to offer with your thinking, believing, reacting etc. You are closing and responsible for that closing. Anytime you find yourself complaining about the way things are or aren't; anytime you find yourself chasing or wanting more; anytime you are fighting and struggling against what is in the given moment; anytime you find yourself in a heated argument with another or suddenly judging or disproving of another ...you are closing. You are blocking the flow with your mind.
So What do we do?
We practice yoga. I don't care if you call it yoga or doing the hula...the point is you partake in a spiritual practice that involves seeking this truth from within rather than chasing outwardly for what you think you want. Know the difference between what you 'think' you want and what you 'really' want.
Choose to take the direct route to happiness. Go to the mind, not the outside world, to fix the so called 'problems' with your life. Clean up the mess the mind has made, remove all plaque and scar tissue from the vessels that spiritually feed you so you are completely open to the flow. Singer stresses that we do not focus on staying open in our yoga practice, we focus on 'not closing."
Don't Close: a true yoga practice
The question isn't how do I stay open to life, according to Singer. The question is, how do I stop closing? Here are some steps that might help:
All is well in my world.
References
Sri Swami Satchidananda. (2011) The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. Integral Yoga Publications
Michael Singer (2007) the untethered soul. New Harbinger Publications.
Michael Singer (October, 2018) What do you really want? New Harbinger. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73-2PggJJW0
Patanjali (from The yoga sutras of Patanjali, Satchidanada, page 3)
If one really wants to understand Yoga in a very applicable and non threatening way, one just needs to pick up a book by Michael Singer entitled The Untethered Soul or listen to him speak. He puts the whole universal teaching of the Sutras into a very easy to understand format that can be so easily applied to everyday life.
Put simply Yoga is about knowing what you really want and then seeking it in a daily practice.
Knowing what you really want
In a video entitled What do you really want?, Singer teaches that yoga is all about making the distinction between what we 'think' we want and what we 'really' want. Unlike other teachings out there now, yoga is not about manifesting abundance or attracting the 'things' we assume will make us happy from the world around us; nor is it about getting rid of all the things that are not so pleasant in our lives that we assume are making us unhappy. It isn't about chasing, controlling, getting, fixing or avoiding people, places, things or circumstances. It really isn't about the world around us at all. It is about what is inside.
What we really, really want from life is something that can only be found inside, something that is already there, has always been there and will always be there.
It is not that soul mate, or that perfect house in the perfect neighborhood you really want. It is not the Porsche or that great 6 figure salary job either. Of course, for most of us, those are the types of things we would list if we were asked to compile a list of things we would like to 'manifest' in our worlds. If I asked you right now, what do you want from life, you would likely give me one of those external things right?
What if I told you, you could have anything on your 'want to manifest' list but that it would not make you happy? In fact, you will be depressed, unfulfilled, and more miserable than you are now when you get any of those things. Would you still want it then?
No. Because you do not want to be miserable, do you? What you really, really want is to be happy, to be at peace, to be joyous and fulfilled. You assume these things on your list will take you there.
Not Wanting
Our wanting also comes with a lot of not wanting. Many of us may actually have on our manifesting lists things like: "I want to be free of debt." "I want my pain to go away." "I want an end to this loneliness." etc. Debt, pain and loneliness are obviously things that belong in a "not wanting" list, right?
What if, however, I could guarantee you that these three things will make you remarkably happy in a little while. What if I promised you that if you accepted a lack of money, partner and physical pain into your life you will suddenly feel joy and peace and love and happiness; that you will wake up each morning to look out at the world before you and be so thrilled with everything about it ? Would you still want to avoid them then ? Or would they become things you would excitedly ask for?
What the heck am I getting at?
The point is what you really, really want is not the external thing, the circumstance or the person. It is not the removal of the so called 'unwanted' or unpleasant from your life, either. It is the condition you mistakenly attach to it. What you really want is the peace, joy, freedom, excitement and fulfillment you erroneously assume these things will bring you . What you really want is something you already have that cannot be found "out there". What you really want is inside you where it has always been. Seeking fulfillment, wholeness, joy and love in outside 'stuff' is an indirect, challenging and often unsuccessful approach to getting what you really want.
Say what, crazy lady?
What yoga offers is a union with your inner world where peace abounds. It connects you to your true Self that is happy, joyful, peaceful, whole, well and enthusiastic already. What you really want is in you now. Yoga keeps your Life open to that flow. Yoga can show you that you already are, you already have what you want.
The mind, however, with all its 'mental modifications' gets in the way of yoga. It allows its streams of thought and conditions, established beliefs and emotional reactions to 'block' this open flow of well being that is in all of us. It is not the world or the circumstances, out there that is making our lives less than what they are intended to be...it is our minds. And we are totally responsible for whether our hearts and minds are open or closed; whether or not we are open and closed to Life.
If you are not feeling joy and bliss and love and peace all the time...then you are closing up to what Life has to offer with your thinking, believing, reacting etc. You are closing and responsible for that closing. Anytime you find yourself complaining about the way things are or aren't; anytime you find yourself chasing or wanting more; anytime you are fighting and struggling against what is in the given moment; anytime you find yourself in a heated argument with another or suddenly judging or disproving of another ...you are closing. You are blocking the flow with your mind.
So What do we do?
We practice yoga. I don't care if you call it yoga or doing the hula...the point is you partake in a spiritual practice that involves seeking this truth from within rather than chasing outwardly for what you think you want. Know the difference between what you 'think' you want and what you 'really' want.
Choose to take the direct route to happiness. Go to the mind, not the outside world, to fix the so called 'problems' with your life. Clean up the mess the mind has made, remove all plaque and scar tissue from the vessels that spiritually feed you so you are completely open to the flow. Singer stresses that we do not focus on staying open in our yoga practice, we focus on 'not closing."
Don't Close: a true yoga practice
The question isn't how do I stay open to life, according to Singer. The question is, how do I stop closing? Here are some steps that might help:
- Know the difference between what we "really want" and what we think we want. Once we make that distinction we will become aware of our closing tendency.
- Make a commitment to practice. Our practice will be to "Don't Close." It will be a practice of yoga or whatever else you want to call it that involves turning our attention inward rather than outward.Without practice, nothing can be achieved. (Satchidananda, page 3)
- Observe the little self in action. We need to be vigilant and aware in our practice. Most of us walk around unconscious or semi-conscious, so lost in our monkey minds, believing all they tell us that we do not see how we are shutting down from this wonderful flow of life within us. We need to recognize when we are closing. What things in the outside world makes us cringe, back away, react, want to numb or avoid? What and who are we complaining about? When do we get angry, irritated or annoyed? Watch yourself as you travel around in this physical world. Catch yourself closing.
- Take responsibility for your own mind and what it does. Know that every time you choose the need to be right over the need to be kind, you are choosing to close. Every time you complain about how things are, you are choosing to close. Every time you decide to focus on a shortcoming in a loved one's personality or behaviour rather than to stay enveloped in the experience of love, you are choosing to close. Every time you snap at someone else or at life for being the way it is, you are choosing to close. Every time you get lost in mind stuff rather than presence, you are choosing to close. Every time you struggle against, resist or avoid something in Life, you are choosing to close. You are doing all this to yourself. Own that.
- Repeat to Self: I am not going to let the outside world [or my mind] close me. Singer suggests we repeat that mantra to ourselves when we make a conscious decision to stay open or when we recognize we are beginning to close. We need to be committed to the practice of not closing.
- Accept. Learn to accept, honour and appreciate the experiences unfolding in front of you. (Singer; ) Instead of struggling against life which equates to closing, we need to be open and receptive to all Life offers us. By not closing, we will stay open.
All is well in my world.
References
Sri Swami Satchidananda. (2011) The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. Integral Yoga Publications
Michael Singer (2007) the untethered soul. New Harbinger Publications.
Michael Singer (October, 2018) What do you really want? New Harbinger. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73-2PggJJW0
Wednesday, May 8, 2019
The Light Within
There is always a light within us that is free from all sorrow and grief, no matter how much we may be experiencing suffering.
-Patanjali (https://www.azquotes.com/author/91621-Patanjali)
Quote by Patanjali, translated by someone; Pic by last evening's post rain sky, translated by my camera. :)
-Patanjali (https://www.azquotes.com/author/91621-Patanjali)
Quote by Patanjali, translated by someone; Pic by last evening's post rain sky, translated by my camera. :)
Wise words from Patanjali
When you are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary project, all thoughts break their bonds; your mind transcends limitation; your consciousness expands in every direction; and you find yourself in a great, new and wonderful world.
-Patanjali
I was thinking about this wise master this morning for all kinds of reasons. Heard him mentioned in an old Wayne Dyer video. I also had a conversation last evening with my daughter about my approach to teaching yoga which is partially based on my studying in depth The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali.
I cannot verify the following. I took them from AZ quotes. https://www.azquotes.com/author/91621-Patanjali None of the listed quotes refer to the translation of the sutras they were taken form and we all know how different translations of ancient scripture or text can be from one translator to another. So bear with me and try to dwell on the meaning of each piece of wisdom instead of trying to authenticate the source. :)
Let's look at the opening quote.
Inspiration
Wayne Dyer loved this quote and recited it often. It touches a chord in me as well. Inspiration has a way of carrying us away from our mental prisons and limitations. It expands our consciousness making us see ourselves for who we really are and the world for what it really is. Everything is suddenly completely 'awesome'.
What is inspiration?
According to Patanjali, it is what happens when we get lost in something that has true meaning for us deep down and 'spiritually'. Being inspired is being "in" "spirit". We could discover a great purpose for our lives or undertake a project that we are passionate about. We know we are deeply 'inspired' when all our doubts about our abilities, all our obstacles, our effort and our sense of time slips away.
As I mentioned, I have been writing my sister's story and it has been taking me a fair amount of time. I was getting these 'blocks' and found myself avoiding coming to the page. I certainly wasn't doing the 2000 word a day limit I like to complete when I write. It became an emotional process rather than an inspired one, in which I am as a person deeply invested. A few weeks ago I reached out to my sister, who is also a writer, and asked her to read it. I thought if I had someone as invested in me in this story it would help me to decide if I should walk away from it or not. As soon as she agreed to read it, I made a conscious decision to give her the best version of the story I could and to give her at least half of it. So I went back to the novel with an intention of revising, editing and completing at least 40,000 words.
An amazing thing happened. I became inspired. The 'personal' and 'mental' limitations I have been putting on myself slipped away and I began to write, not for ego, but for spirit and the words are just coming out. I am connecting to the story at a deeper level and I am feeling it. I write about 2000 words a day and time just slips away. Getting that word count is my purpose now. Nothing else seems to matter quite as much. I am passionate about it. This I believe is what Patanjali was speaking to. When spirit guides us rather than ego...we can get past our self imposed obstacles and do amazing things.
How cool is that?
A mind freed of all disturbance is yoga.
-Patanjali
This is why I want to teach yoga. My goal is to help people calm their unsettled minds and relax into their bodies, their worlds, their lives. I am certified to teach Hatha yoga which focuses on the asanas and on breath. Though, I am far from qualified to teach Raja yoga (the Yoga of the mind) I am going to make peace of mind my teaching goal rather than a great, fit and tone body for each of my students. Physically, I am not able to do yoga myself the way I used to. I am able, however, to do gentle postures and relaxation techniques. I can slip in some subtle and non aggressive teaching in there as well. I will call my teaching practice "Serenity yoga" and my description will be "a gentle yoga practice for peace of mind." I don't profess to be able to free all minds of all disturbances but for at least an hour, so many times a week, I can offer a serene environment and instruction that will help in that area.
It is all good.
There are so many quotes I wanted to discuss but my daughter is anxious for me to make breakfast. I will get back to you.
All is well.
-Patanjali
I was thinking about this wise master this morning for all kinds of reasons. Heard him mentioned in an old Wayne Dyer video. I also had a conversation last evening with my daughter about my approach to teaching yoga which is partially based on my studying in depth The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali.
I cannot verify the following. I took them from AZ quotes. https://www.azquotes.com/author/91621-Patanjali None of the listed quotes refer to the translation of the sutras they were taken form and we all know how different translations of ancient scripture or text can be from one translator to another. So bear with me and try to dwell on the meaning of each piece of wisdom instead of trying to authenticate the source. :)
Let's look at the opening quote.
Inspiration
Wayne Dyer loved this quote and recited it often. It touches a chord in me as well. Inspiration has a way of carrying us away from our mental prisons and limitations. It expands our consciousness making us see ourselves for who we really are and the world for what it really is. Everything is suddenly completely 'awesome'.
What is inspiration?
According to Patanjali, it is what happens when we get lost in something that has true meaning for us deep down and 'spiritually'. Being inspired is being "in" "spirit". We could discover a great purpose for our lives or undertake a project that we are passionate about. We know we are deeply 'inspired' when all our doubts about our abilities, all our obstacles, our effort and our sense of time slips away.
As I mentioned, I have been writing my sister's story and it has been taking me a fair amount of time. I was getting these 'blocks' and found myself avoiding coming to the page. I certainly wasn't doing the 2000 word a day limit I like to complete when I write. It became an emotional process rather than an inspired one, in which I am as a person deeply invested. A few weeks ago I reached out to my sister, who is also a writer, and asked her to read it. I thought if I had someone as invested in me in this story it would help me to decide if I should walk away from it or not. As soon as she agreed to read it, I made a conscious decision to give her the best version of the story I could and to give her at least half of it. So I went back to the novel with an intention of revising, editing and completing at least 40,000 words.
An amazing thing happened. I became inspired. The 'personal' and 'mental' limitations I have been putting on myself slipped away and I began to write, not for ego, but for spirit and the words are just coming out. I am connecting to the story at a deeper level and I am feeling it. I write about 2000 words a day and time just slips away. Getting that word count is my purpose now. Nothing else seems to matter quite as much. I am passionate about it. This I believe is what Patanjali was speaking to. When spirit guides us rather than ego...we can get past our self imposed obstacles and do amazing things.
How cool is that?
A mind freed of all disturbance is yoga.
-Patanjali
This is why I want to teach yoga. My goal is to help people calm their unsettled minds and relax into their bodies, their worlds, their lives. I am certified to teach Hatha yoga which focuses on the asanas and on breath. Though, I am far from qualified to teach Raja yoga (the Yoga of the mind) I am going to make peace of mind my teaching goal rather than a great, fit and tone body for each of my students. Physically, I am not able to do yoga myself the way I used to. I am able, however, to do gentle postures and relaxation techniques. I can slip in some subtle and non aggressive teaching in there as well. I will call my teaching practice "Serenity yoga" and my description will be "a gentle yoga practice for peace of mind." I don't profess to be able to free all minds of all disturbances but for at least an hour, so many times a week, I can offer a serene environment and instruction that will help in that area.
It is all good.
There are so many quotes I wanted to discuss but my daughter is anxious for me to make breakfast. I will get back to you.
All is well.
Tuesday, May 7, 2019
The Music of Spring
Bees now buzzing, brightly sing,
with the chirping birds they bring,
Nature's pleasing music near,
sounds of spring found full of cheer.
-from a poem by Dwayne Leon Rankin, found on http://www.voicesnet.com/displayonepoem.aspx?poemid=170487
What I love most about a spring morning is the music. I sit outside with my tea and I close my eyes. I just listen to life vibrating all around me. I hear the melody of a misfit choir of birds: robins, chickadees, sparrows, ducks, geese, flickers, morning doves and crows. I hear the chatter of angry squirrels and the warnings of dogs barking in the distance. I hear the buzz of flying insects and the breeze through branches still waiting to bud and blossom. There is a comforting hum of traffic and machinery way in the distance. It is such a beautiful sound of Life.
I just close my eyes and I listen. I try not to name the sounds I am hearing like I just did here. I just try to hear them, feel them, be with them and I, like the world around me, wake up and become alive. It is a nice way to meditate in the morning.
All is well in my world.
Monday, May 6, 2019
Waiting? Snap out of it!
Give up waiting as a state of mind. When you catch yourself slipping into waiting, snap out of it. Come into the present moment. Just be and enjoy being.
-Eckhart Tolle
Ironically, that was my quote of the day after I wrote that last entry on waiting. Go figure.
I understand where Tolle is coming from. Many of us are in a perpetual state of waiting. We wait for something 'better' to come along in the future or in some cases, something ominous. We wait for this present moment to be over. "Things will be better when I get this, that person shows up, this thing happens or that thing goes away." Or if we are on a neurotic binge: "I need to prepare for when this , that or the other thing happens. I need to find a way to control it, fix it, run from it etc."
He wasn't actually referring to the waiting in a waiting room...which can, by the way, be a very mindful present moment experience as it was for us the other day. He was speaking about the mental waiting most of us do when we live in our minds and project into the future. Waiting can be an attempt to escape the present moment. Escaping the present moment takes us away from Life in this moment...the only Life there actually is. You know that all there is is now, right? The past is just a wake left behind us and the future is just a mental projection that never 'is'. All that is...is now.
So we need to put away our need to cling to the past and project into the future. We need to snap out of our habit of waiting, come into the present moment and enjoy being.
All is well in my world.
Friday, May 3, 2019
Waiting Peacefully
Peace is not just about waiting for something.....it is about how you wait, or your attitude while waiting.
- Joyce Myer
Another great place to practice peaceful mindfulness is in a waiting room as you wait for someone to return from major surgery. We are sitting here waiting and resigned to the fact that is all we can do. We have no power in changing the outcome of that situation going on in there. No matter how much we worry or pace nothing will change. We even took the surgeon's advice and went back to the motel for a bit. I was able to put my hyper charged energy to good use by writing another 2000+ words on my novel. Not knowing when the surgery will be over.....told it will be anywhere from 4-7 hours....we spent the first four hours away. Now the waiting begins ...and that is okay. I feel peaceful and calm, accepting things as they are. It helps that we trust the surgical team in there and we trust Life. It is all good.
All is well in my world.
- Joyce Myer
Another great place to practice peaceful mindfulness is in a waiting room as you wait for someone to return from major surgery. We are sitting here waiting and resigned to the fact that is all we can do. We have no power in changing the outcome of that situation going on in there. No matter how much we worry or pace nothing will change. We even took the surgeon's advice and went back to the motel for a bit. I was able to put my hyper charged energy to good use by writing another 2000+ words on my novel. Not knowing when the surgery will be over.....told it will be anywhere from 4-7 hours....we spent the first four hours away. Now the waiting begins ...and that is okay. I feel peaceful and calm, accepting things as they are. It helps that we trust the surgical team in there and we trust Life. It is all good.
All is well in my world.
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