The Power of Unity

I love the following story. If we followed this example there would be much healing in the world. The best part is we don't have to wait. We can start today. I think even recent news guides us that one just never knows what pain is held inside someone.

There is an old story of a farmer who was proud of the fruits produced in his orchard. There was one diseased tree that never produced  anything of value but merely took up space in the orchard. He tried everything, but couldn't get rid of that tree. He tried cutting it down, but it would grow again from a shoot. He tried poisoning it, but it never quite died. Then one day, following someone's advice, he planted many healthy trees around it. They were vigorous and healthy trees that suited the environment well. Soon it was difficult to see where that diseased tree was amongst them. Gradually those beneficial healthy trees took over the entire space and when the farmer looked for his old adversary, that diseased tree couldn't be found; it had become healthy and on its branches were growing crops of beautiful fruits.  

(B.K.S. Iyengar, from Core of the Yoga Sutras)

The Gold

KPJAYI - Mysore, India 

“You are perfect, whole and complete right this very instant. You are the whole itself, Being itself, watching a show in which you are the entire canvas, you are the entire cast - you are literally looking at your Self in everything. 

We are seeking something that is already present, already the case. It’s as if we held a diamond in our hand while we dig for pennies. Gold itself, taking itself as a mere chain, seeks to find out the truth of this elusive essence called Gold. By what means can Gold find Gold? It can only BE what it already IS - there is no reaching itself through any method. 

There is an expression - you can’t see the forest for the trees. You’re focused on each tree and missing the forest, which is already the case. Each tree IS forest, in expression. Each tree is a manifestation of forest - the collection of trees we call “forest”. Each thing IS the whole in expression - but we’ve given each “thing” an independence of existence. We say it came into existence - we think of “things” this way - this very concept is the obstacle - this way of thinking of reality. 

(Randall Friend)

Friday Quote: Pema Chödrön

Mysore, India

“There is a story of a woman running away from tigers. She runs and runs and the tigers are getting closer and closer. When she comes to the edge of a cliff, she sees some vines there, so she climbs down and holds on to the vines. Looking down, she sees that there are tigers below her as well. She then notices that a mouse is gnawing away at the vine to which she is clinging. She also sees a beautiful little bunch of strawberries close to her, growing out of a clump of grass. She looks up and she looks down. She looks at the mouse. Then she just takes a strawberry, puts it in her mouth, and enjoys it thoroughly. Tigers above, tigers below. This is actually the predicament that we are always in, in terms of our birth and death. Each moment is just what it is. It might be the only moment of our life; it might be the only strawberry we’ll ever eat. We could get depressed about it, or we could finally appreciate it and delight in the preciousness of every single moment of our life.” 

(Pema Chödrön, The Wisdom of No Escape)

Love Liberates

Maya Angelou

"Perhaps travel cannot prevent bigotry, but by demonstrating that all peoples cry, laugh, eat, worry, and die, it can introduce the idea that if we try and understand each other, we may even become friends."  

(Maya Angelou)

Today this planet lost one of its greats, Maya Angelou. A woman of beauty, grace and wisdom. A woman of faith and knowing. I never had the opportunity to meet Maya but there is a part of me that feels as if I had. Her warmth and strength of character had a way of emanating beyond time and space. There is no doubt she has left her mark on this world and has made us better people for it. Thank you, Maya Angelou. You are my hero in so many ways. Thank you. 

Friday Quote: This Stranger

“Perhaps the deepest reason why we are afraid of death is because we do not know who we are. We believe in a personal, unique, and separate identity — but if we dare to examine it, we find that this identity depends entirely on an endless collection of things to prop it up: our name, our ‘biography,’ our partners, family, home, job, friends, credit cards… It is on their fragile and transient support that we rely for our security. So when they are all taken away, will we have any idea of who we really are? 

Without our familiar props, we are faced with just ourselves, a person we do not know, an unnerving stranger with whom we have been living all the time but we never really wanted to meet. Isn’t that why we have tried to fill every moment of time with noise and activity, however boring or trivial, to ensure that we are never left in silence with this stranger on our own? 

Without our familiar props, we are faced with just ourselves, a person we do not know, an unnerving stranger with whom we have been living all the time but we never really wanted to meet. Isn’t that why we have tried to fill every moment of time with noise and activity, however boring or trivial, to ensure that we are never left in silence with this stranger on our own?” 

(Sogyal Rinpoche)

Nobody

“You fear no one because you’re perfectly content to be nobody. You don’t give a damn about success or failure. They mean nothing. Honor, disgrace, they mean nothing! If you make a fool of yourself, that means nothing either. Isn’t that a wonderful state to be in! Some people arrive at this goal painstakingly, step by step, through months and weeks of selfawareness. But I’ll promise you this: I have not known a single person who gave time to being aware who didn’t see a difference in a matter of weeks. The quality of their life changes, so they don’t have to take it on faith anymore. They see it; they’re different. They react differently. In fact, they react less and act more. You see things you’ve never seen before. You’re much more energetic, much more alive. People think that if they had no cravings, they’d be like deadwood. But in fact they’d lose their tension. Get rid of your fear of failure, your tensions about succeeding, you will be yourself. Relaxed. You wouldn’t be driving with your brakes on. That’s what would happen.”

(ADM)

ACIM

"Humility will never ask that you remain content with littleness. But it does require that you be not content with less than greatness that comes not of you."  (ACIM)

"Deep within you is everything that is perfect, ready to radiate through you and out into the world." (ACIM)

A number of years back I started study on A Course in Miracles. It's been on and off to say the least, and with that being said, I'm always amazed by the power and truth within this amazing work. The first time I picked it up was early in my college years and it felt rather dense and heavy for me at the time. However, the fact I was intrigued never faded. As I pick it up again it will be interesting to see what it will awaken within me if at all. There is no doubt something will be stirred. It just has that way of bypassing the unnecessary and going right into the core of the matter. 

Open As The Sky

"Colors blind the eye. Sounds deafen the ear. Flavors numb the taste. Desires wither the heart. The Master observes the world but trusts his inner vision. He allows things to come and go. His heart is as open as the sky." 

(Tao Te Ching, Translation by Stephan Mitchell)

Harmlessness

All beings tremble before violence. 
All fear death.
All love life. 

See yourself in others.
Then whom can you hurt? 
What harm can you do? 

He who seeks happiness 
By hurting those who seek happiness
Will never find happiness. 

For your brother is like you. 
He wants to be happy. 
Never harm him
And when you leave this life
You will find happiness. 

- from the DHRAMMAPADA
translated by Thomas Byrom

Your More Beautiful Than You Think

Simply beautiful. Once we take our expectations, doubts, and insecurities out of the equation we then see who we are beyond the limitation of the mind's eye. 

Friday Quote: Attention

“Attention is the first teacher of truth and consequently absolutely necessary. Attention rouses the soul to study itself and its longings, to learn their true character and repulse those that are unholy. Attention is the guardian angel of the intellect, always counseling it thus: be attentive. Attention awakens the soul, rouses it from sleep… Attention examines every thought, every desire, every memory. Thoughts, desires, and memories are engendered by various causes, and often appear masked and with splendid garb, in order to deceive the inattentive intellect and enter into the soul and dominate it. Only attention can reveal their hidden form. Often their dissimulation is so perfect that the discernment of their true nature is very difficult and requires the greatest attention. One must remember the saving words of the Lord: ‘Be wakeful and pray that ye enter not into temptation.’ He who is wakeful does not enter into temptation, because he is vigilant and attentive.” 

- Saint Nectarios of Aegina 

Nonviolent Communication, Marshall Rosenberg

I find this topic fascinating. Maybe you do too. 

Diffinitive Moments

That Atman alone, that state of simplest form of awareness alone, is worthy of seeing, hearing, contemplating, and realizing.  - Upanishads

It's interesting, I've made a number of trips to Mysore, thankfully, and each time I come I feel extremely grateful. It isn't always easy to make the trip, but it always ends up being worth it. At the same time, I'm reminded on what is important in terms of coming here.

Reminiscent of preparing to make my first trip I was offered worthy guidance from a senior teacher, who will remain nameless. He told me don't get caught up in how many times you go or for how long, or for how many years, because often people use that as a marker to mean they have reached something higher and all that doesn't matter. What matters is right now. That doesn't takeaway from the experiences; the good times, the bad times, the pain and the breakthroughs. And with all that, it still goes back to the point we sit in in each moment in our practice.

Each time I come to Mysore it brings a different energy. I am always fascinated by this. A new layer. Something new to contemplate or develop. As I lean into discomfort on and off the mat new freedom is found. It's in these definitive moments that hold a world of value. Believe me, I don't always step into discomfort with grace. I have experienced aggravation, and unimaginable lows and I've learned it never really serves me to sweep these feelings under the rug no matter how uncomfortable they are. This is the fuel transformation is made of. All of it serves a purpose in the greater scheme of things. 

Over the years with more conscious practice under my belt I realize the importance of not taking the whole process too seriously, and at the same time, I feel more inspired and devoted as ever. It has been a big step for me to laugh at my follies and internal weaknesses to then be able to pick up the pieces more joyfully, versus judging where I think I need to be in the moment. What does it mean to be a yogi or to tread this path? I often ask myself. Within my limited understanding, in my heart I feel it means being true to whatever arises, banishing the fear and judgement that may present itself from me and others. The search for validation on any level has always been paralyzing. 

If I stay true to my heart space, even when the mind revolts, at least I've taken a leap worth jumping for. 

Maturity Doesn't Always Come with Age

“The willingness to forgive is a sign of spiritual and emotional maturity. It is one of the great virtues to which we all should aspire. Imagine a world filled with individuals willing both to apologize and to accept an apology. Is there any problem that could not be solved among people who possessed the humility and largeness of spirit and soul to do either -- or both -- when needed?” ― Gordon B. Hinckley

Maturity doesn't always come with age. Age is just a number of how many years we have been on the planet and doesn't signify the quality and maturity of the soul. At least this has been my experience. What I find interesting is some of the most inspiring people I have met lately have been those much younger than me. I've been amazed at the insight and quality many young people bring to the table and luckily many have crossed my path. It's funny because it doesn't make me feel insecure, but it enlivens and reminds me that it's time to continue to broaden my scope. That's the beauty of some of the youth coming up today because they are revelling in possibility and connection. They get it and aren't nearly as afraid and fearful. Honestly it's a breath of fresh air and I welcome it and will continue to encourage them even as I steadily do my own internal work.

With the New Year, I'm reminded that the time lived doesn't matter. It is how we use the time we are given that matter. Yeah, I can practice Yoga everyday but it is in the application of practice in my life that carries the most weight. Years racked up are meaningless if I haven't made the definitive choices to allow transformation to happen.

Youth is definitely an energy. And in the same light, some of the most youthful people I know are much older than me. Curiosity and the willingness to learn keep this energy in motion and are not only the markers of the youthful but the wise.

Like it or not, we are coming into an age where labels, status symbols, and hierarchies are becoming obsolete. Associations are not the only thing that gets us anywhere. It is in the heart of our intentions and the truth we carry within ourselves that will be the fuel to drive us forward and upward.

True. 

Cultivating Peace

"Contemporary science tells us we are designed for peace and that our health and longevity depend on it. In fact, our survival as a species requires that we end our investments in war and direct our attention toward solving our many looming challenges. The worldviews that have promoted excessive competition, environmental degradation, increased social inequity, religious bigotry, and perhaps widespread systemic collapse are clearly not adequate to the optimal evolution of our species." 

 - James O'Dea, Cultivating Peace

Peace is the REAL game changer. 

I love this. In this day and age we are inundated with images of what is going wrong. However, we then miss all that is going right. The people who have made it their life's work to bring people together, building bridges instead of destroying them, creating networks, exemplifying their gentle powerful humanity, are the unsung heros of our day. I look to those for inspiration. No, unfortunately they don't make the news. Where media outlets thrive on exploitation, we must not forget this is only a small fragment of reality. The hour may feel dark, but let's not forget, all is not lost, and in the end, it is us we must look to for salvation. It is in our heartfelt connection with each other pacifying our prejudices within ourselves and finding the truth behind the veil, that will heal the wounds of our time. 

How then? 

There is so much that can be done, but first it has to begin within us. There is much work to be done within myself. I know this. Shedding the layers of discontentment, working through my own junk, is an important step to make. However, it can't always be about my own process and pain. Whenever, I live in service it puts a multitude into perspective. It heals. When and how can I add value to a situation instead of taking? Important questions. 

Delving into the above book has ignited and energized me on another level. This is not fluff. It asks hard questions and brings striking realizations to the table. It isn't necessarily about being against something but rather being for the values and attributes of peace. It's a practice. Simply naming yourself as an ambassador of peace isn't enough. It isn't about avoiding conflict but rather being comfortable in the mist of it, finding common ground, and ultimately the cord that connects us all.

Do I recommend this book? YES. O'Dea pushes us to be the change we seek. 

A Broken Body Isn't A Broken Spirit

Take the time to watch this video. Absolutely moving. Absolutely inspiring. 

Unraveling

“Enlightenment is a destructive process. It has nothing to do with becoming better or being happier. Enlightenment is the crumbling away of untruth. It’s seeing through the facade of pretense. It’s the complete eradication of everything we imagined to be true.” 

— Adyashanti


When I came in contact with the above quote it really struck home in a time when I needed it. I guess that is how it happens. There's a question maybe we can't quite formulate, and an answer comes, or at the very least, a new perspective. I welcome the challenge of viewing something in a new way. Discovering a new opening or outlook pushes my ingrained thought patterns or stuck points of view. 

When teaching, I don't illustrate the path of yoga as rainbows and yellow brick roads. Often the path becomes quite murky when we start to unravel. In truth, that is what it is all about, a shedding, because our purity is within and nowhere else. Sure, we are inundated with images that it comes from out there somewhere, externally. One of the many reasons consumerism is at the level it is. It's not all bad, no, there are necessities and also why not enjoy. However, in the same breath, when entering on to the path of yoga, or other spiritual practice, sometimes things feel like they are getting worse before they get better, in the end, an exposing feeling may not feel the most comfortable, but just might be what you need. This has been my experience. 

I remember going through a period where the tears fell like an unending stream. No, it wasn't pretty on the outside, I felt fragile, I felt shattered, I felt fragmented. Through the process I felt lost in an environment where being on purpose was an expectation. I allowed myself comfort in face of uncertainty when a mentor at the time told me, "it's okay to not know in this moment, this means you are open. It's okay not to know where to turn next, it will only broaden your mind to possibility." 

At the root, authenticity comes to mind. I want to taste what is real even if that taste is sour. Throw away the pretense. It's the down and dirty, grounding, touching my nose to the earth that really teaches me something. I've observed it in those on the realized path. What brings me to my knees softens my heart.

Fixed Ideas

"Fixed ideas are like a wisp of cloud or smoke, but nonetheless people find themselves blocked or captured by these. You would laugh if you saw someone tripped by a cloud, or if someone claimed that they were imprisoned by the air. But, in fact, people are endlessly being trapped by things no more substantial than air or clouds. They make a wall with their mind, and then it imprisons them. Inherently, there is no wall or anything to trip over. These things are mirages they've created from the thoughts they gave rise to. Do not insist upon your own fixed ideas. Your persistence is your own narrow mind. If your mind is broad, it can easily embrace the entire world. However, if your mind is narrow, even a needle cannot enter. You have to keep letting go of your stubbornness, and always be deeply respectful of all life and things. This is returning to and relying upon the Buddha-Dharma. This is also how to become a free person. Always be humble. Be humble. The fragrance of your broad and generous mind will warm others' hearts."

-Zen Master Daehaeng

The Most Astounding Fact

When I think small and limited it never serves me; it never feels right. I think it is important to remember who we are and where we come from, and it still resides in the essence of humility as well as balance. Have a beautiful weekend!