Circling
Frenzy
without
can only
steal me
Stillness
within
can only
give me
everything
Profession
I’d like to talk to you
about a lucrative career opportunity!
It offers fulfillment through good work
and can provide the raise you’ve been waiting for.
It requires no experience, but is quite life changing.
It’s impossible to be overlooked for promotion,
you are your own boss, and everyday feels like a vacation.
The meetings are spectacular.
It’s a new and different endeavor with each breath.
It’s exactly what you’ve dreamed of, been searching for,
and the answer to the questions that keep you up at night.
First off, you’re hired!
Just keep doing what you’re doing –
but fight hard to hold it all in a place of pure love.
Let negativity go and hold each moment
in a bright clear light.
You may not notice anything at first.
But, give it a year of sincere effort
and you will have the wealth of life you knew you deserved.
This work will reward you with perfect happiness.
If you make this career change for entirely selfish reasons –
it doesn’t really matter.
The benefits are universal and undeniable.
Love and let love be our future.
Do it for you!
Do it for me!
Let’s watch our children flourish
in the indigo of our perpetual prosperity,
an ever-glowing example of a lovely life’s work
that endures and continues to elevate.
Mind, Please be My Friend…
The last few weeks have been fairly hectic: I am planning a meditation intensive retreat, I am taking some continuing education classes, my work schedule is changing, the children have a bunch of activities, and I am a little over-extended. So working on a blog post has been demoted on my list of obligations.
But, despite all the busyness, my mind-state has been fairly steady, or ekagra. I attribute this to regularity in my practice.
In the Yoga Tradition, the mind is viewed as an instrument through which we receive information about the sensory world (manas), where we store memories and formulate opinions (chitta), it is where our sense of individuality arises (ahamkara), and where our conscience resides (buddhi)–but, not our consciousness.
The four aforementioned aspects of the mind are collectively called the antahkarana–or the inner instrument. The word “instrument” is so profound. Yoga science expounds the concept that the mind is not who we are; but, a tool, which can be sharpened, to glean a clearer understanding of who we are and what needs to be done to Realize our True Nature.
According to Yoga science, our minds becomes colored by our experiences— think of it as a dusty layer on a window. Therefore, they do not allow the truth to diffuse through. We are colored by perceptions of race, social status, gender, etc. Reflect for a moment on a baby who lacks all of these associations.
Through meditation we wipe off the layers of dust and eventually the clear mind allows the truth to shine through.
But, the mind is only capable of becoming crystalline…
What is the light that shines through the crystalline mind?
Eventually, the mind, like all good tools must be set down. Would you walk around in the house you built clutching the hammer?
Over time, with dedication, consistency, and faith, the mind is set down and total awareness of the Self will shine through.
Until then, tell your mind “thank-you” for all that it does. Do not be angry with your mind for thinking any more than you would be angry with your hand for grasping or your ear for hearing. Ask your mind to be your friend, so that you can dust the lens, and see the world as it truly is.
As always, click the links!
Djinn
He would not strike his brother,
but the bar behind him meant nothing.
Clenched and thrust towards hot breath.
White knuckles break wood as they whistle past head,
splintering like a spider’s web.
Termites emerge from deep within,
jaws fit for red oak choke on blood splattered,
soaking to the core of this easterly wind
where soldiers settle debts with swords
and women listen to their men.
The fates, that night allowed him to avoid
an evening ending with a funeral bell’s ring.
The beautiful moon shining through the void
gave him a peace fit to ponder for years on end
but also a profound sadness in
knowing with this grave dishonor,
his brother would never come home again.
The bugs swarm and burrow deep
with the good brother’s blood on their teeth.
Crawling, manipulating energies,
animated by what was once.
A wood entombed Djinn
harnessing not the peace,
but the fury of the same fateful wind.
Possessing the disgraced, bequeathing purpose,
unholy strength in blood filled eyes.
A broken man, the perfect vessel for this demon’s rise,
finding vigor in angry desire,
consuming the family name in gorging fire
uncaged by misplaced rage, the flames.
Fanned by all that’s transpired.
Worming into the double helix of what’s yet to come,
gripping the blood yet to flow
until it’s undone and he does descend
with the souls of them all to exact his revenge.
This poem is meant to illustrate the voracious, all consuming disease of addiction.
Prosaic
Today is just a day
Like clockwork, it circles around
It’s everything and everyone
So much is lost
that much more is found
It’s every word uttered in 24 hours
it’s all of us on our way
it’s the sun shining on our feet
it’s smiles and big fun
it’s everyone we greet
it’s refreshing showers and dirty faces
It’s walking and long runs
it’s grimaces and paces
it’s those who weep
it’s working for a living
it’s time to sow what you reap
Be mindful of what you’re giving
Let love be all you feel and say
Forgive us all our misgivings
wake up, and make the most of today
Opening My Eyes
One day while walking along the Ganges, my teacher was told, specifically, by his Guru , “Witness Everything“. He knew that Swami Rama did not incline towards repeating himself; so, he grunted to acknowledge that he heard the instruction. But, the sound also signified he needed to digest this morsel a bit longer.
“Witness Everything”, what a specific, yet, elusive instruction. As my teacher paradoxically says, “it is simple; but, not easy.”
Often, during the opening of an asana (yoga posture) class, when we begin to focus on the breath, I remind my students we take about 20,000 breaths a day–but, most of them come and go unconsciously. Yet, it is the most essential of all our bodily functions. If we were forcibly made to stop breathing, for even a few seconds, we would suddenly become very grateful for our lifeline!
Why on earth would we want to cultivate this state of detached observation? Witnessing is the essence of mindfulness–the practice of paying attention to and seeing clearly what is happening in our lives.
If we always act from the perspective of the self, life happens to us–it is very personal and selfish. The person that cuts us off is doing that to us personally. The traffic is affecting us personally. When we begin to witness we are able to “see” the person cutting us off is actually thinking about themselves. Maybe they were rushing to an emergency! We begin to see all of the people stuck in traffic–we may even develop compassion for so many frustrated individuals.
But, on a deeper level, when, in our meditation practice, we bear witness to our thoughts (remember, this is done with non-attachment or non-judgment), we begin to notice the patterns, trends, and colors of our thoughts. We begin, without necessarily having to analyze the source of our tendencies, to have more space from the fluctuations in our mind-field. We begin to see the mind as it is, an infinitely creative tool that is a blessing and a necessity to navigate this earth-plane–instead of seeing the mind as a source of our frustration.
Wake up, or do whatever you will…
Discipline
Discipline is ready to love you.
It is a cool, uplifting wind
enlightening this life’s path,
putting one foot mindfully
before the other,
giving faith in each step.
This intricate dance, practiced
will one day be as tight as the drum
producing the rhythm
compelling your advancing feet.
This song of the divine
is only possible
with hard work and cultivation.
This watered and tended
garden gifts us
an abundance of nourishing food.
Since we are what we eat,
our discipline leaves us
bright-eyed and bushy-tailed
at our little corner markets,
offering freely from
baskets of leftovers
even after we’ve had
more than enough.
Embrace the discipline!
Roll up your sleeves and endeavor
to meet the very best you.
With dedication we can feed the world.
The Practice is Perfect
The spiritual path is not a straight line. It is circuitous and meandering. We will all, continuously, lose and regain our “way”. The act of starting again, and again, is the path. Always have faith that you can and will do this. Then begin, again.
Do you have a Philosophy or Direct Experience?
Direct experience is the only “Real” experience.
Peppering the Day with Mindfulness
I try to avoid reminiscing–not reflecting–on the past. Reminiscing means that I there is a longing, a desire for what cannot be, a nostalgia (the root word of which is pain). During reflection, I deliberately consider a past experience, asses if I chose the best course of action, and affirm to continue or discontinue what I was doing.
It is not a lack of sentimentality, rather, I believe (and have been taught), to fully experience one’s life, you have to be awake in the moment–right now.
The highest consciousness is expressing as all of us–right now. During the state of samadhi we are able to realize this consciousness manifesting as us. However, it is not something we can do yesterday, it is a level we awaken to in the present.
My teacher eloquently expressed, you are already in samadhi right now; however, that samadhi is on this human incarnation.
The yoga sutras prescribe five efforts and commitments aspirants should cultivate to assist them in remaining fully, nondually, in the present moment: shraddha (faith), virya (positive energy), smriti (mindfulness or remembering), samadhi (seeking sustained meditation), and prajna (pursuing the highest wisdom).
Smriti is not an obsessive needling, it is a gentle determination to perform one’s actions in a way that holds to attention on the highest goal–assuming that is your goal. Smriti does not pertain to only renunciate, a layperson can practice smriti through their everyday actions. One classic way is offering all actions to where they came from–the highest source.
The Unity Offering Prayer encompasses this concept (there are many variations available):
“Divine Love as me,
blesses and multiplies.
All that I have, all that I give,
all that I receive”.
When we are in our everyday life, there is a perceived duality. Our locus of operation and the Other. Simply, consistently, “seeing” our actions as service to the Highest is a way to remind us of Our True Nature. If we really believe that there is only One, all actions come from the One. Therefore, offer cleaning the car, mowing the lawn, preparing a meal as seva–selfless service.
P.S. As usual, click the links–the one on the five efforts has an exquisite meditation practice on it!
From the Gross to the Subtle 