PEACE LOVE YOGA: To The Edge

Burnt To Ash

"All Inquiry is meant for one purpose; to take you experientially into the unknown as efficiently as possible. Once you get there, simply be still because inquiry has delivered you to its destination. The rest is up to Grace. Do not hold onto any knowledge that comes your way. Even the greatest revelations much not be clung to, or you will end up with a head full of memories and a heart empty of substance. The truth is ever new, existing only in the now. The highest truth is beyond knowledge and experience. It is beyond time and space, and beyond beingness, consciousness, and oneness. Just remember that all direct path techniques are meant simply to undermine, to cut away, the one who is performing them. No matter what spiritual path you've walked or what teachings you've followed, they must lead you back to no path and no teaching. A true teaching is like a blazing fire that consumes the itself. The teaching must not only consume you, but consume itself as well. All must be burned to ash, and then the ash must be burned. The, and only then, is the Ultimate realized. True Enlightenment destroys enlightenment. As long as you can refer back to yourself and say, 'I'm enlightened', you not. Enlightenment is authentic only when there is no one left to be enlightened. Even to say 'I am nobody', is one too many. There's a point when you intuitively realize that to be Free you have to give up your attachment to Freedom. You have to quit asking yourself: Is it still there? Am I okay? You have to decide to never look over your shoulder again to see if you're free or if others know you're free. You just have to let yourself burn there - no matter what. This isn't something I can help you with. I can tell you what you need to do, but you have to do it. In the beginning, teachers can help a lot. But the deeper you go, all they can do is point, and clarify, and tell you what you need to do. Only you can take this step. Nobody can push you in to this place."

- Adyashanti

No Expectations

A spirit that lives in this world

and does not wear the shirt of love,

such an existence is a deep disgrace.

Be foolishly in love,

because love is all there is.

There is no way into presence

except through a love exchange.

If someone asks, But what is love?

answer, Dissolving the will.

True freedom comes to those

who have escaped the questions

of freewill and fate.

Love is an emperor.

The two worlds play across him.

He barely notices their tumbling game.

Love and lover live in eternity.

Other desires are substitutes

for that way of being.

How long do you lay embracing a corpse?

Love rather the soul, which cannot be held.

Anything born in spring dies in the fall,

but love is not seasonal.

With wine pressed from grapes,

expect a hangover.

But this love path has no expectations.

You are uneasy riding the body?

Dismount. Travel lighter.

Wings will be given.

Be clear like a mirror

reflecting nothing.

Be clean of pictures and the worry

that comes with images.

Gaze into what is not ashamed

or afraid of any truth.

Contain all human faces in your own

without any judgement of them.

Be pure emptiness.

What is inside that? you ask.

Silence is all I can say.

Lovers have some secrets

that they keep.

(Rumi)

13.1.08

"To give one's heart is to give all." ~Gandhi

Going to the edge is a place to discover and become familiar with. When going to the edge we get a nice little push into the areas of the unknown. We get the opportunity to grow, expand, and discover places within ourselves that have been untapped and are waiting to be brought out. In our yoga practice we get that chance...and quite frankly, I find it a blessing. Even though some days I feel as if I can barely lift my arms over my head.

The edge is that funny place between between discomfort and pain. And, I'm not one of those yogis that necessarily believe you should work through the pain...but working with discomfort...now that's another story!

All the asanas we do everyday are a training ground for the postures in our lives. When we find ourselves in sticky situations in daily existence...how can we find a sense of equanimity and balance? Will we choose fear or love? Will we choose the ego or our higher self? That's the edge I'm talking about...and it fascinates me.

I have fun playing with it. For instance in the last several months when practicing kapotasana I've been staying in it for 10 breaths instead of 5...and when I straighten the arms I'll do 8 breaths. And, believe me, I'm not doing this to prove something...but, honestly I never liked the posture. I didn't like being in it...I couldn't wait to get out of it...that is what would go through my mind every time I would do it. So, one day, for fun I was like, you know what...I'm gonna learn to love it, and enjoy it...and just sit in this discomfort a bit longer and see what it brings. And, well, it had an interesting affect on me. For one, my breath totally changed. Secondly, I felt a subtle shift in my body as my awareness deepened and relaxed in the posture. I continue to do this now...and its been a good lesson...getting out of my comfort zone...but staying out of the pain zone and not forcing. It has to be about allowing...releasing...surrendering.

So...like everything else. Once we've played with one edge its time to play with another. That's how we grow.

I geek out on stuff like this. I love hearing about people who have reached their ultimate edge and what they did with it...how they persevered...how they kept on. Its interesting. It keeps me inspired...and when I wanna start complaining...I look to others who exude strength and perseverance to keep me going.

Peace.

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PEACE LOVE YOGA

R. Sharath Jois

Burnt To Ash

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To The Edge

13.1.08

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