Finding inspiration and perspective when we need it

I have been wanting to share this excerpt from Reverend Jaganath Carerra's Inside the Yoga Sutras.  I read it in class a couple weeks ago and find it so helpful in doing the work of practicing Ahimsa (non-violence/compassion) and Satya (truth).  It is during these times of difficulty following a trauma like Tropical Storm Irene that we can find support in our inspirational readings whether they be the Yoga Sutras, the Dharma of the Buddha as written by Thich Nhat Hanh, the Bible, or others including secular authors.  Whatever speaks to you and helps give you perspective and comfort. 

"Truthfulness measured against nonviolence.  Ahimsa is the first yama Sri Patanjali lists and so is the touchstone for determining behavior.  Even truthful words, if they cause harm to another, should not be spoken.  However, before giving up our course of action, we could consider if there is a more auspicious moment for doing what is needed, or a more appropriate approach.  In any case, it is always advisable to do some soul-searching to determine if the desire to act is motivated by an interest in the welfare of others or by a need to vent our frustrations or punish someone with whom we have problems.  Motives that are tainted by selfishness obstruct the experience of the Self by maintaining or strengthening the influence of ignorance over the mind.

 How can we tell if we are doing harm or just causing temporary discomfort?  First, we need to discriminate between the two.  Discomfort indicates the struggle of the individual to adapt and adjust.  To do harm is to destroy or inhibit proper functioning.

We know that there are times (such as when teachers discipline misbehaving students) when words can cause pain but the intent ultimately brings benefit.  The opposite is also true.  There are times when people use sweet words (as in con games) in order to deceive others.  Their behavior may feel good at first but will cause harm later.

We may not experience the consequences of our actions until much later.  If we do not know the nature of the tree, we need to wait until it bears fruit.  In order to perfect truthfulness, yogis need patience to observe the ultimate outcome of acts, clarity to make the proper assessment of their outcome, and accurate recall not to forget the lessons of experience.  Fortunately, patience, clarity, and good memory are also products of the Yoga practices."  --page 132

Our practice of Ahimsa and Satya is so important as we repair any damage and do whatever clean up is needed from the recent storm.  We are faced with discerning whether discomfort, maybe extreme, or harm has been done to us and notice if we can find our resources to adapt, adjust, and grow given this opportunity.  All along honoring our truth to take care and pace ourselves as we need to, remembering compassion for self and others in our daily interactions since stress is high and we may struggle to remain skillful with our speech and actions. 

Connecting with our sangha (our supportive community) is so important in these times.  It has been an honor to share the practice in class both before the storm as we tried to settle our minds and prepare for what was to come as well as after the storm, coming together as a community for support and to check in with one another.  I felt blessed to have the opportunity to join my sangha for meditation tea ceremony on Monday evening and left with this wonderful quote of Thich Nhat Hanh shared by my dharma sister, Jan:  "We are not better than the the other, we are not less than the other, we are not even equal to the other.  We are the other."  We can gain perspective from such a sentiment and be inspired to send our thoughts and prayers to others in this time.  We may like to chant Ra Ma Da Sa Sa Say So Hung, a powerful healing mantra, to send those wishes to all beings and the earth and atmostphere that we may live in harmony with each other.

I will close with one of my favorite poems by Danna Faulds from her book Go In and In:

Let It Go

Let go of the ways you thought life

would unfold; the holding of plans

or dreams or expectations - Let it

all go.  Save your strength to swim 

with the tide.  The choice to fight

what is here before you now will

only result in struggle, fear, and

desperate attempts to flee from the

very energy you long for.  Let go.

Let it all go and flow with the grace 

that washes through your days whether

you receive it gently or with all your

quills raised to defend against invaders.

Take this on faith: the mind may never

find the explanations that it seeks, but

you will move forward nonetheless.

Let go, and the wave's crest will carry

you to unknown shores, beyond your 

wildest dreams or destinations.  Let it

all go and find the place of rest and

peace, and certain transformation.

The second Yama: Satya (Truth)

Here is an affirmation to focus on Patanjali's second yama from the eight limbs of yoga: 

"I live in truth.  I speak the truth to myself and to others (when appropriate).  When offering my truth in the form of feedback I am sensitive to the feelings of others; I speak in the spirit of love.  I also take responsibility for my actions.  I do not blame anyone for my experience; I honestly see my own part in every situation."

When practicing the second Yama, we need to remember the first:  Ahimsa (non-violence/compassion).  If we speak our truth in a way that is mean, we are not making our best efforts on the path.  So we need to find a way for Satya and Ahimsa to coexist.  Let us be reminded of the affirmation for Ahimsa:

"My thoughts and actions are focused on loving awareness.  I nurture and cherish myself and others.  I am aware that the mind sometimes entertains thoughts of fear, anger, or selfishness but I do not get caught in these thoughts or act upon them.  I accept without judgement any uncomfortable mental states.  I release them and return to gently, non-violent expression of my energy."

When we want to speak, we can consider the following sentiments before we do:

"Is it true?  Is it kind?  Is it necessary?"   -- Sufi saying

"Most people will not remember what you said or what you did.  But they will remember how you made them feel."   -- Maya Angelou

"If in doubt whether to observe Ahimsa or Satya, always go with Ahimsa."   --Swami Vivekananda

A Powerful Healing Mantra

Ra  Ma  Da  Sa  Sa  Say  So  Hung

"The sun, the moon, the earth, infinity.  Totality of experience, I am Thou."

Our chant for this month reminds us of the buddhist concept of interbeing.  Thich Nhat Hanh writes beautifully about this in his book, Peace is Every Step.  Could you exist without the sun, the moon, the earth?  What do you feel inside when you contemplate the awesomeness of the sun? the light of the moon? the support of the earth?  Do you know that you contain those qualities of the elements in nature?  Within us, we have the power and self-effulgence of the sun; we have the light and cooling quality of the moon, we have the regenerative power of the earth and the ability to transform difficulty (garbage) into wisdom and beauty (flowers).

As we contemplate the second yama, Satya - truth, we remember these universal truths to help us navigate our difficulties and to enjoy moments of delight.  We take the time to notice what is true for us in the body, with the breath, and in the mind.  We take care of our body with yoga, healthy food, water, and rest.  We take time to breathe fully, deeply, slowly, to help care for the body by oxygenating the blood and regularly releasing all the carbon dioxide in our lungs.  As we care for our body and breath, we are preparing the way for our mind to become calm and clear.  In those moments when the mind is clear and calm, we can see what is true in our "wisdom body" - our intuition - vijnamaya kosha.  This is where we tune in to find our truths, get clarity about our path in this life, and open up to the possibility for them to manifest.  When we align these layers of body, breath, mind, and wisdom, we easily feel the quality of interbeing, the sense of expansiveness and connection to all that is, the bliss body - anandamaya kosha.

Remember we are not alone.  Our sangha is all around us:  our yoga class, our family, our pets; the sun, the moon, the earth; the trees, the flowers, the birds; the rain, the snow, the wind; the streams, the lakes, the oceans.  Wow!  There is so much awesomeness around and within you!  Let us remember and take it all in.

Ra  Ma  Da  Sa  Sa  Say  So  Hung

"The sun, the moon, the earth, infinity.  Totality of experience, I am Thou."

Love Meditation*

The following is from Thich Nhat Hanh's Plum Village Chanting and Recitation Book.

May I be peaceful, happy, and light in body and spirit.
May I be safe and free from injury.
May I be free from anger, afflictions, fear, and anxiety.

May I learn to look at myself with the eyes of understanding and love.
May I be able to recognize and touch the seeds of joy and happiness in myself.
May I learn to identify and see the sources of anger, craving, and delusion in myself.

May I know how to nourish the seeds of joy in myself every day.
May I be able to live fresh, solid, and free.
May I be free from attachment and aversion, but not be indifferent.


"We begin practicing this love meditation focusing on ourselves.  Until we are able to love and take care of ourselves, we cannot be of much help to others.  Next, we can practice towards others (substituting he/she or they), first with someone we love, next with someone we like, then with someone neutral to us, and finally toward someone who has made us suffer."

 * Adapted from the Visuddhi Magga.  For other practices to nourish love, see Thich Nhat Hanh, Teachings on Love (Berkeley: Parallax Press, 1997).

Metta Meditation

May I be happy.

May I be healthy.

May I live my live with ease.

May I be at peace.

May you be happy.

May you be healthy.

May you live your live with ease.

May you be at peace.

This was my offering of metta mediation for this week's classes.  Metta can be translated as loving kindness or compassion.  I share this Buddhist practice to deepen our study of Ahimsa (non-violence/compassion) from the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. There are many versions of the metta meditation.  I consider our chant, Lokah Samastha Sukhino Bhavantu, to be one of them.  I have shared other versions in the past and will share them here eventually.  Perhaps you might feel inspired to create your own.

We learn, in the Buddhist tradition, to begin the metta meditation with ourselves so that we cultivate our own inner peace and freedom since only then can we be a light to others.  The next step is to offer the wishes to our beloveds, then to those who are neutral to us, and finally those who have caused us harm.  It may feel quite easy to send the wishes to your loved ones.  Your heart will sing and dance as you send them this love.  For those neutral to you, you might like to think of others in the world who are just like you, trying to find happiness in their daily lives.  You can send the wishes to the service people you come in contact with throughout your day:  the gas pump attendant, grocery store clerk, bank teller, person driving in the car ahead of you or sitting on the train next to you.

Sending the wishes to those who have caused us harm may be more difficult.  However, it can be a very helpful and liberating practice.  We can start with the mildest harm if we aren't ready to face the more difficult ones.  We approach this by understanding that people often cause harm to others when they are fearful or hurting as an unskillful way of expressing themselves (ourselves).  We do this practice knowing that we have also caused harm to others.  And, we hope they will forgive us for our shortcomings.  That we will forgive ourselves for our own shortcomings.  We send these wishes to those who cause harm and terror in the world in hopes that they will find freedom from their suffering and stop hurting others.

Thich Nhat Hanh writes a beautiful poem for us to see our interbeing with all, to soften our hearts with compassion for all.  We are reminded, "There, but for the grace of god, go I."  We can be thankful for our resources, our teachers, our life circumstances that provide us with the tools we need to transform our suffering, to make good choices, and live a good life.  We also become thankful for the difficult experiences we have lived through that teach us to appreciate how amazing all the wonders of life truly are since we have seen the other side.  May we keep reminding each other with loving kindness.

Please Call Me By My True Names  by Thich Nhat Hanh

Don't say that I will depart tomorrow--
even today I am still arriving.

Look deeply: every second I am arriving
to be a bud on a Spring  branch,
to be a tiny bird, with still-fragile wings,
learning to sing in my new nest,
to be a caterpillar in the heart of a flower,
to be a jewel hiding itself in a stone.

I still arrive, in order to laugh and to cry,
to fear and to hope.
The rhythm of my heart is the birth and death
of all this is alive.

I am the mayfly metamorphosing
on the surface of the river.
And I am the bird
that swoops down to swallow the mayfly.

I am a frog swimming happily
in the clear water of a pond.
And I am the grass-snake
that silently feeds itself on the frog.

I am the child in Uganda, all skin and bones,
my legs as thin as bamboo sticks.
And I am the arms merchant,
selling deadly weapons to Uganda.

I am the twelve-year-old girl,
refugee on a small boat,
who throws herself into the ocean
after being raped by a sea pirate.
And I am the pirate,
my heart not yet capable
of seeing and loving.

I am a member of the politburo,
with plenty of power in my hands.
And I am the man who has to pay
his "debt of blood" to my people
dying slowly in a forced-labor camp.

My joy is like Spring, so warm
it makes flowers bloom all over the Earth.
My pain is like a river of tears,
so vast it fills the four oceans.

Please call me by my true names,
so I can hear all my cries and laughter at once,
so I can see that my joy and pain are one.

Please call me by my true names,
so I can wake up
and the door of my heart
could be left open,
the door of compassion.

(from the book Call Me By My True Names: The Collected Poems of Thich Nhat Hanh)

More on freedom

Estuary  by Danna Faulds

There is peace here, where the river

widens to meet the sea.  The rapids

are past; the boulders and the rocky

places at last give way to a broad

and sweeping current, flowing

slowly into vastness.  The river

moves silently, tastes the salty tide

that marks its demise, and slips

without a backward glance, into

the ocean's infinite embrace.

This Saturday, I asked the class, what freedom means to them and on what levels they ponder and work towards freedom.  We had a beautiful dharma talk highlighted by the wisdom of the sharing in class.  "Freedom from oppression, being lucky, having choices, and freedom from incarceration of emotions" were some of the replies.  We can consider our freedoms and the sources of our oppression on so many levels.  Ultimately, the broader layers including business, government, and international affairs, don't work unless we find inner freedom as individuals and the peace that comes from reconciling our own mistakes and finding a way to compassion for all beings -- including ourselves and the most hurtful people in our lives. 

Pantanjali gives us a prescription to this freedom in the Yoga Sutras with his eight limbs of yoga.  The first two limbs - the Yamas and Niyamas - are applicable in a practical way for our daily lives.  Recently, we have been focusing on the first limb, the Yamas, translated as restraints or masteries, of which there are five.  The first is Ahimsa, translated as non-violence or compassion.  In a very direct way, it is clear how to master non-violence.  Do not physically harm another being.  However, as we look more deeply, which beings do we include?  Do we include animals?  Do we go deeper to consider the harm caused not just by our physical actions but by our words and even deeper our unspoken thoughts?  Do we include non-harm and compassion to ourselves?  Do we even notice the ways in which we keep ourselves "incarcerated by our emotions" and by the stories we repeat in our minds about how life has treated us or how we have "performed" in this life? 

Do we include compassion toward even the most hurtful people in our lives?  Do you think those who cause the greatest harm in the world or even to you personally know inner freedom from suffering?  If they did, do you think they would commit the horrible actions that bring so much suffering to others? (See Thich Nhat Hanh's poem: Please Call Me By My True Names).  Can we see the potential we have, and the actual times we have caused suffering to others or in ourselves, and work towards lessening the harm in the world? Can we find a way to forgive ourselves and the other, to flow beyond "the rocky places" to the "ocean's infinite embrace?"

There is peace here, where the river

widens to meet the sea.  The rapids

are past; the boulders and the rocky

places at last give way to a broad

and sweeping current, flowing

slowly into vastness.  The river

moves silently, tastes the salty tide

that marks its demise, and slips

without a backward glance, into

the ocean's infinite embrace.

Estuary  by Danna Faulds
from her book Go In and In

An invitation to a morning of music, movement, and meditation

Join us at Highland Yoga Studio in Butler, NJ on Sunday, August 14th, at 9:30am to participate in Dances of Universal Peace, sanskrit chanting, singing songs of mindfulness in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh, and periods of silent meditation to soak in all the goodness. We will bask in the light of our community, receive the vibrations of our voices and energy, and open to the potential for healing and transformation for ourselves and others by sending the wishes and good vibes out for all beings. www.highlandyoga.com Use your class card or pay the drop in rate to attend. A portion of these proceeds will be donated to the Sufi Ruhaniat International, the organization which continues the work of Hazrat Inayat Kahn and Samuel Lewis to support the ongoing practice of the Dances of Universal Peace and other peace works. http://www.dancesofunivers​alpeace.org/home.shtm http://www.ruhaniat.org/in​dex.php?option=com_content​&view=article&id=84%3Adanc​es-of-universal-peace&cati​d=42%3Aheadline-content