It tried to leave me,
but can the liver leave its heart behind?
it looked in the mirror,
used its two eyes to see me,
what looked back was a good man,
with a smile so kind
Made peace with it all
and am so happy to be me
embracing the lovely
That is my being combined.
Writing the story thoughtfully
of man and god, intertwined
The line is slung with bait to attract all manners of men
Trying to hook those that are swimming along aimlessly or too fast
So if you see it and feel so compelled take a bite of zen
And join me in the fringes, blissing with the outcasts
Sometimes you learn a technique, teaching, or explanation that cannot be trumped. I was on Facebook reading a fellow teachers notes and they reminded me of Swami Jnaneshvara’s succinct cumulative definition of Yoga. Since it is not something that can be intellectualized, this definition is comprised of a few ways to gain a mote of “comprehension” of something that is purely experiential. I have added links to every one of the Sanskrit terms. Learning these relationships is a great asset in the development of a Yoga Meditation practice. Thank you, Swami J, for your compilation. (The full text from which this definition is drawn can be found here)
Traditionally, Yoga (Sanskrit: union) has referred to the realization through direct experience of the preexisting union between the microcosm of individuality and the macrocosm of universality, Atman and Brahman, Jivatman and Paramatman, and Shiva and Shakti, or the realization of Purusha standing alone as separate from Prakriti.
Yoga is the union of the
– Microcosm of individuality and the
– Macrocosm of universality
Yoga is the union of
– Prana vayu (the upward flowing prana) and
– Apana vayu (the downward flowing prana)
Yoga is the union of
– Atman (Center of consciousness, Self; Vedanta) and
– Brahman (Absolute reality; Vedanta)
Yoga is the union of
– Jivatman (Soul as consciousness plus traits; Vedanta) and
– Paramatman: (Self/soul as only consciousness; Vedanta)
Yoga is the union of
– Shiva (Static, latent, unchanging, masculine; Tantra) and
– Shakti (Active, manifesting, changing, feminine; Tantra)
Yoga is the dis-union of
– Purusha (Untainted consciousness; Sankyha-Yoga) and
– Prakriti (Primordial, unmanifest matter; Sankyha-Yoga)
Some use the old adage others are hampered by a blockage
still more complain of the contest’s early stoppage.
It used to be about all types of suffrage
or the top quality of your package
but thankfully that unique carnage
has given way to a growing spiritual assemblage.
The great advantage of our marriage to each other
and our growing courage
is releasing us from bondage, giving us strength as the right arm
or should I say appendage
of a collective that is our right and our secret heritage.
This is not the hopeless wreckage.
It is the total package
waiting for you and I to manage our miscarriage
and unpack our baggage.
What waits for us? Only limitless advantage
and the demise of outrage as we celebrate a brand new image,
and the obsolescence of preface as we engage in this great and complex voyage
that will lead us to love and ultimately safe passage into the new frontier of a
perfect AGE
This powerful arm leads to an even stronger hand
that holds you fast as this majesty expands.
There is nothing that this embrace can’t outlast,
There is nothing we can’t withstand.
Finding peace
even in the shadow we cast.
A renewed belief
in a world we can understand.
A sigh of relief
and fellowship unsurpassed–
restores faith throughout the land.
Sorrow is a vivid sculpture that takes shape,
Revealing itself on your sweet face.
Joy, in this very same case, is a fresh coat of paint,
Renewing the soul of a saint.
That is the crush of love flattening it all out for you.
The absolutely giant heart that falls from above
coming down hard, evening out the landscape.
The universal solvent melting mountains into streams.
A thing of awe,
a transformative energy so powerful, so raw it sends all of the unevenness up like the elevator it is.
The maker’s sweet kiss,
from sacred tulips.
Before our eyes,
delivering a simple beauty of foliage and fauna.
That gifts us with pervasive peace and let’s land become sky.
May these boundaries remain imaginary and imperceptible,
so my eyes and spirit can rest within you.
Taking refuge in the amazing that is everyday ordinary, beautiful plentiful.
agitation
grimaces
brow furrows, anguishes, regrets
tedious stresses
apple cart tippers
abrupt lane changers
micro managers
screamers
beaters, leavers, haters
thieves, litterers
do-nothings
and hoard-it-alls
I will most surely meet you today
and when I do
I will embrace you
with patience, kind words, and
the unconditional love that I have failed to give you thus far
and when I have perfected my practice
there will only be
tingles
smiles
sweet nostalgia
exciting changes
baskets of fruit
wide open roads
partnerships
singers, lovers, givers,
and need nothings
because we have it all….
From the Gross to the Subtle 