“The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.”
~ Confucius
Good morning friends. Well today’s sunrise certainly was more about the mountain of clouds than the sun itself. Those clouds weren’t budging!
And today’s topic is about the mountain of mental and physical stuff that we’ve accumulated, that we at some point will need to dismantle in order to progress forward spiritually. As Confucius says, the best way to go about this is stone by stone. And we can only do this with self-discipline and persistence.
The 8th Jewel of Yoga is the observance of Tapas. In Yoga Sutras 1.12-1.14 and 2.43, Patanjoli would write:
Both practice and non-reaction are required to still the mind and patterns of consciousness. Practice is the sustained effort to rest in stillness. The practice becomes firmly rooted when it is cultivated skillfully and consciously for a long time.
Tapas then, is the intense disciplined practice which burns up impurities, so that the body and it’s senses can become supremely refined.
The Principle of Tapas was one I chose to study and present during my teacher training. I wasn’t sure I understood what it meant, and it is a bit complicated. I’ll give it my best shot at explaining ….
Debra writes: “Tapas literally means “heat,” and can be translated as catharsis, austerities, self-discipline, spiritual effort, change, tolerance, or transformation. Tapas has the sense of “cooking” ourselves in the fire of discipline to transform ourselves into something else. It is our determined effort to become someone of character and strength.”
Just as Napoleon Hill would list persistence as a necessary requirement for success, this same sort of self-discipline is required to make spiritual progress. It does take effort for me to make it up to photograph the sunrise and practice meditation. Yet, once I get there, I must drop the “effort”.
I recall quite well how jumpy my practice had become when I returned from my trip this past fall. It takes discipline to sit, when the mind is whirling about, making us anxious. It takes discipline to keep our mouths shut when someone upsets us. It takes discipline to push our plates away, and not order dessert, when we’ve had enough. Or to say no to that next glass of wine.
“Tapas is the day to day choice to burn non-supportive habits of the body and mind, choosing to forsake momentary pleasures for future rewards.”
Debra provides an example of the extreme austerities of Tapas as practiced by some spiritual renunciates in India. In the dead of winter they will sit for three hours in the cold dressed only in a loincloth. They rig a container so that it will drip cold water on their heads and run down their almost naked bodies for the entire three hours. They do this practice for forty-five days in a row. In the heat of summer, they build five small fires around themselves and one in a container on their head. Then they sit for three hours in the blazing heat. They build these fires daily and sit for three hours for forty-five days.
Why do these Yogis go through all of this?? It makes me think of the contestants on Survivor. Almost every year, it seems that they have to endure some type of horrible weather. Long nights where they are forced to sit, soaking wet in driving rain, for a couple of days on end. Some contestants are ill prepared for it and will almost give up. Some just mentally cave-in. Others somehow make the best of it and persevere onward.
Or how about when Spencer injured his hand? It took mental effort to keep his hand in the bowl of ice water until it finally went numb. He had to force himself to forsake momentary pain for future reward.
These Indian Yogis bring these extremely uncomfortable physical situations onto themselves so that they my develop a firm, unmovable center that is not rocked or disturbed by any extremes the external world may bring. They practice staying still no matter what thoughts or fears are running through their own minds.
It is often times of hopeless desperation that shape and mold us into someone of depth. Our debris gets burned away and we are left more humbled and strengthened by the mystery of what is beyond our grasp of control or of understanding. It is these darkest times of pain, loss, and confusion that weave something profound in us.
Spiritual teacher Ram Das speaks eloquently to this jewel of Tapas. When he experienced a debilitating stroke, something he never expected to happen to him, he found a new opportunity for himself and for others as he began to wrestle with the possibilities and effects of aging.
He chose to speak of his experience as “being stroked” by God, rather than as having had a stroke. And he termed the phrase “fierce grace” to speak of his experience of being burned by the fire of divine love.
Each moment is an opportunity to make a clear choice of right action. Quite often the choices that prepare us for the fire are options that vote against immediate satisfaction and pleasure. When we listen to our inner voice and surrender to staying present to the unknown, the unpleasant, and often to the grief and pain, we are preparing ourselves to benefit from and be blessed by Tapas.
Spend some time today thinking about a difficult time that ended up being life changing. How you had the courage to endure, and see yourself through the storm to the other side. What did you learn by it?
Also, try staying “one minute more” in whatever unpleasantness presents itself to you today. Can you stand the heat of unpleasantness? Can you let the heat begin to burn away your judgments, opinions, and expectations?
Start with one small stone to move the mountain.
Namaste and have a truly blessed Friday ❤
If you enjoyed this post, you can find the beginning of this series,
Exploring the Yamas and Niyamas: The Yogic Code of Ethics, here:
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