“As soon as you honor the present moment, all unhappiness and struggle dissolve, and life begins to flow with joy and ease. When you act out the present-moment awareness, whatever you do becomes imbued with a sense of quality, care, and love – even the most simple action.”
~ Eckhart Tolle
After having spent an entire day, curled up in the couch recuperating, I was highly present this morning. The rest did me good, and I thank Spencer for staying home to take care of me. Stretching awake, and sitting outside in the cool morning breeze today felt extra special. After a day of being totally out of balance physically, it’s amazing how good coming back into balance feels.
This week, we’ll move from discussing the restraints suggested by yogic philosophy, to the observances. It’s like moving from the “thou shalt nots” to the “thou shall”.
Debra Adele writes: “The Yamas, or restraints, invite us into an adult relationship with the world, where we can see past our own needs into the collective good. In that sense, we can think of them as social disciplines, guiding us into harmony, peace, and right relationship with the world. The Yamas pull us back from needing so much that is external, and point us towards the unique expression of our own life. It is here that we feel the excitement and joy of living. As we turn now to the disciplines of the Niyamas, we move our attention from an adult relationship with the world to an adult relationship with ourselves; and from a social focus to an internal focus.”
Both the philosophy of yoga and Buddism invite us to look inwards, to re-discover our luminous self. This self can only be experienced when the ego-ic mind becomes totally still. We catch glimpes of it, when watching a beautiful sunrise, seeing a new born baby, watching whales, seeing someone we love after a break … Things that bring us fully into the present moment, where all time seems to stop. And we feel pure joy.
The philosophies teach that if we practice enough, this way of being can become permanent. We will learn how to live only in the eternal now. Eckhart Tolle writes of his own awakening in his book “The Power of Now.” At the time, I was really confused by the book (and maybe I’ll re-read that book next). But here is my understanding many years and many books later ….
In yoga, we come to understand the yamas and niyamas. We work to become better people for ourselves and for the world around us. As we create less harm, we naturally become happier, have less to worry and agonize over. As we then come onto our mats, working in the 3rd, 4th and 5th limb of yoga, we are invited to quiet the body and quiet the mind. We work with asana poses, meditation and focus on the breath. Here too, we will catch brief glimpes of our luminous self, our soul that is one with Spirit, a place where all time stops. This is samadhi, or the final limb of yoga. Then we come back to earth, and work to start all over again, unless we have been able to fully awaken, like the Buddha, and remain in this state for our remaining time on earth.
The 1st Niyama, or Saucha, invites us to clean up our act. As we recall the Yamas, Saucha helps us to clean up our outward relations with the world. We strive to simplify our lives, and to maintain our simple belongings and surroundings in a neat and orderly fashion. This causes the egoic mind less strife. We work to clean up our speech. Clean up our diet. Maybe go vegan. As we realize our inter-relationship to all beings on this planet, we do not wish to see harm, or partake in it.
In Buddhist philosophy, ethics are stated simply as right speech, right action and right livelihood. Hopefully at some point, doing good in the world becomes less of an “effort” and becomes a natural way of being. But to start, trust me when I say, it will take mindful effort! And for most of us, the evolution (unlike an Eckhart Tolle) will be a slow one. Even Buddha went down many a wrong path, listening to many yogis and spiritual masters, before finding his own balance and path to enlightenment.
“The jewel of Saucha, or purity, carries a two-fold meaning. First, Saucha invites us to clean up our act, to purify our bodies, our thoughts, and our words. As we purify ourselves physically and mentally, we become less cluttered and heavy. Purification brings about a brightness and clarity to our essence. As we purify ourselves from the heaviness and clutter of toxins, distractions, and scatteredness, we gain clarity to meet each moment with integrity and freshness. We become more pure in our relationship with each moment.”
“To practice the guideline of purity is to engage in cleansing processes, both physical and mental, that prepare us for these kinds of experiences all the time. Cleansing strengthens the body and insulates the mind, preparing us for the awakening of the energy within us. Cleansing prepares
us for the greatness of our spirit. Cleansing lightens us to experience more of the divine mystery.”
While Patanjoli’s yoga is a linear 8 step method, Buddha’s method is an 8 pronged circle or wheel. It’s a prism. As we catch glimpes of the luminous self, we become drawn to it like a moth to the light.
With this, I write, and invite you to share in the practice. It will change your life, and those around you, for the better. I hope my own practice is beginning to show <3
Watch today how much time you spend not being present. How we drift off during conversations. How we can’t remember the name of someone we’ve just met because we were busy thinking about something else. How we are thinking about tomorrow’s to-do list as we chop our veggies for dinner. How we drift off to somewhere, as we are driving our car or watching tv. Bring yourself present. Each and every time you do this, you are moving towards the light.
Namaste.
If you enjoyed this post, you can find the beginning of this series,
Exploring the Yamas and Niyamas: The Yogic Code of Ethics, here:
Permalink: http://www.reflectionsonsunrise.com/2014/03/07/finding-more-meaningful-restraints-for-lent/
