In asking the question, “What is Yoga?” the first thought that comes to mind is another question; what is life? For like life itself yoga is not a subject or object outside oneself. It is not a class that one takes, it is not a position that one poses in, and it is not meditations or mantras. It is, of course, the clothes!

Just kidding… Yoga is an approach or quality that you do all things with. It is a mindfulness of humility, perseverance, love, tolerance, and balance while paying attention to the present (breath) and honoring all beings. It is living in the Goodness that goes beyond the duality of good and evil. Namely, doing Good without the promise of reward or fear of punishment. Balance is central; a balance that is expressed in the physical poses but ultimately goes beyond all form. Balancing male (construct, volition, and Truth), with female (intuition, acceptance, and Love). Practically speaking, it is balancing fire and softness, even ego with Sacrifice. “How do I become soft when I was instructed to do one more pose on that same thigh?” “How do I let go and strengthen at the same time?” This is what is revealed through the technology of yoga.

Taken off the mat – it is, for example, the practice of how to be soft and loving when I am trying to write this page and there are kids screaming all around. Each yogic experience on the mat can be a whole life of material. From realizing this transitory state of life that we live in (this pose too shall pass), to offering a moving, meditative prayer with body, heart, and Mind.

In the glossary of B.K.S. Iyengar’s “Light on Yoga” there is a revealing definition of the word “ahimsa”. It carefully notes that this word does not merely mean to be “non-violent” or “non killing” but explains that it is “love, embracing all creation”. So we can say that the true meaning of ahimsa is to be loving and all embracing of the goodness of all things. To be non-violent is to be conscious of all our actions, deeds, and thoughts. I say it in this order because this is the order in which we are most likely to become aware, from gross to sublime from not physically fighting someone, to not having a thought of the illusion of self separate from other. Violence is one of many types of suffering. The subtlety of violence can be found in the mundane of how we chew our food to forcing our body into positions during our asana practice.

From one perspective it can be said that Hinduism and Buddhism for that matter, are spiritual paths that say “yes” to everything. This does not mean to partake in so called evil but rather to embrace the whole, thereby transforming it to one perfect dance. Sometimes, part of that perfect dance may be sorrow. Using a practical method to achieve this transformation called Pratipaksha Bhavanam (interjecting the opposite feeling), the yogi is here to give happiness where there is sorrow, love where there is hate and ease where there is dis-ease. It is not enough to change our habits; it is not enough to change our thought. If one wants actual change in their experience and in the world one must penetrate feeling. The only real feeling is Love. Everything else is illusion based on a separate self that reaches out for that which it already is.  Just be nice!

“From the Kabbalists, to the Sufis, to Tibetan monks, and from the Aborigines, to shamans, to the Vedic holy men, the belief has always existed that the cosmos is a sea of vibration and that sound is the vessel that transports us to bathe in that ocean.  The ancient Sanskrit words ‘nada brahma’ translate as, ‘The world is sound’ or also as, ‘Sound is God.’ Kirtan is one way we experience sound as God.”  -LA Yoga Magazine

    In Genesis, Moses tried to explain that life was purely spiritual and that all creation or what we call physical phenomena is but the reflection or image of God or Consciousness. Creation is depicted as “Let there be” this, and “Let there be” that - never toiling, but rather, a beautiful flow of allowing the effect of Goodness to appear. Just like what the movies; “What the Bleep”, “The Secret” and quantum physics in general have been trying to explain lately. This is also at the heart of Buddhism. Then, Moses warns; “But a mist arose and watered the whole face of the earth.” In other words, there was a misunderstanding of this law of cause and effect, of divine creation, so Moses wrote the scenario of which we are currently under the influence. One of a personal, physical God which he now calls “Lord God” (like saying “Mr. God”). A personal ruler, much like a king, that took “adamah” or red clay (matter) and “formed a living soul” out of it (the birth of mistaking shadow for substance). This was Moses’ attempt to depict the illusion of what has been called the “Adam Dream” or “Fall of Man”.    

   One of the keystones to Judaism (therefore Christianity and the Muslim faith) is the monotheistic nature of God. The term “chosen ones” came from the fact that Moses knew that all so called physical phenomena is but the reflection of Consciousness… the One Consciousness. No separate God of wind, God of trees, etc. Brilliant discovery. The other huge finding was that since substance is Consciousness or God, then all things “made” from that Consciousness are its reflection and not to be confused with it’s substance. This is the same as the common saying; “don’t mistake the menu for the meal”. When one looks at a menu one knows that it is merely a representation of the actual substance. In this case the food. Unfortunately, the error goes much deeper than eating a cardboard menu, although you would eventually die if you made this a practice. The larger problem and the cause of all suffering today has also been called “worshiping the golden calf”, Idolatry and “praying to a graven image”. Confusing shadow for substance can be likened to looking in a mirror and trying to comb your hair in the reflection. At first thought this sounds ridiculous. Who would do this?  Yet, if we see the body as simply the shadow of God or our very own Consciousness we can see that we do this everyday by trying to change the outward situations while continuing to conduct our Consciousness (thinking and believing), in the same way.   

   So, the “mist that watered the whole face of the earth” can be seen as a misunderstanding or illusion of that which we see, touch, taste, smell and hear. In Hindu philosophy this is called maya. The result of this being the world in which we live today, where each great spiritual work has practically been destroyed by the lack of understanding metaphor. We have some Jews saying that Jesus is not the messiah because when the messiah comes he will free them from all of their enemies, Christians saying that Jesus is the only messiah that has ever existed and it is he, as a personality, that must rule your heart and Muslims saying that Islamic Jihad means something other than the internal struggle that we must fight against our own ego.   

   “Messiah” means messenger. What is important is the message. Jesus’ message, for instance, was love and understanding. This is what is important. This is substance. Someone once said that it’s as if Jesus said “Hey everyone, go this way!” and as he pointed with his thumb, instead of anyone going the direction he was pointing, they all started sucking it. We can thank and even love the grace of the messenger but isn’t it the message for which we are grateful? We seem to be stuck on the literal, worshipping the graven image, possessing God, Itself. This has led the world to torture, murder and countless wars.   

   Contained in the word “Islam” is “slam”, this comes from “salaam”. One of the meanings of ”salaam” is “surrender”. This, of course, is another way of saying “Thy will be done”. In a common example it is the relationship between a surfer and a wave. There is nothing the surfer can do but humbly learn how to be a part of the wave. Any ego or attempted dominance and the surfer is crushed. Great metaphor. When this word is taken literally it can be twisted to mean “make everyone surrender”.   

   What is it about us humans that want to have the corner on truth? Running around, chasing shadows with each claiming that their illusion is the only real one. We have fanatic Muslims making everyone else surrender or die, Christians claiming that everyone will burn for eternity if they don’t accept Jesus personally (even if you’re a monk in the Himalayas that has never heard of him but practice his message everyday) and we have everyone else worshiping, killing and dying for the ultimate of all golden calves…  their Holy Land. The “Holy Land” is metaphor for a state of Pure Consciousness. It is not a place or object (graven image). I maintain that worshipping the graven image, form or content is the source of all suffering. These misunderstandings are destroying all that we love, leaving legacies of war for our children to inherit (the ultimate in child abuse) including destroying the earth itself! Please come home.   

   The decoding of Jesus’ “Father, Son and Holy Ghost” is an attempt to explain the science or secret of life. These are not three persons.  They are aspects of Consciousness.  A simple way to explain this in a short essay is to liken it to camera projection; “The Father” is the light source, “The Son” is the mechanical workings of the projector and ”The Holy Ghost” is the image that is on screen. This is the three in one process of Consciousness known as The Holy Trinity. In the analogy of the projector, the image can only be the reflection of the light source. Love in our heart is our light source. Love in our heart causes the fruition of Love in our experience. The Trimurti in Hinduism is a similar example. This understanding, of course, will “set you free” and this will change your enemies to loved ones. This is the message from all the messiahs. Please stop eating cardboard menus!   

   In Hinduism we say Shiva is the “Lord of destruction”. This can be seen as a rationalization for war or violence. After all, the Gods do it. For me, I am happy to see Shiva as that aspect of the One Consciousness that is impermanence or deconstruction. This approach has been so transformational to me. The fact is that in 100 years or so there will be no one left on this earth that is here today. There will be an entirely new cast of characters. The moment we have phenomena, we have decay. Whether it is a human body, a leaf turning brown or a cloud going by. The Tibetan sand mandalas that take days to make and are destroyed with one swipe of the arm is an example that shows this impermanent nature of things so beautifully. So, when we sing “Om Namah Shivaya” we recognize and give reverence to this aspect of Consciousness. There is no idolatry here. No violence. No possession. This realization reminds us of the reason to be familiar with sitting still - to identify and dwell within that which will not deconstruct, that which is indestructible. This is Stillness.   

   The world is on fire! It is in part because of our lack of understanding each indigenous religion that has been graciously given to us by the enlightened prophets and poets that shared their insight and tried to explain it as poetry. Poetry tries to say with words, that which can not be said in words. So, in a sense, poetry points to something greater than itself, something beyond the story that is on the page. If we “read between the lines” we will first see white paper but in that blankness and stillness there will be the message. The message is the same every time…

love one another!

Love,
the author

The Buddha left his family and ate living beings.

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Aldous Huxley ingested LSD on his death bed.

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The Dalai Lama eats meat.

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George Burns smoked until he was 99 and didn’t have a trace of cancer.

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(more…)

    It is always enlightening to see many examples of the same thing. The “story of life” is repeated over and over from cultures and ages that have never connected with each other. Yet, the same story is told. To understand the thread that links these examples together is to become face to face with the actual truth. May the metaphor be with you!

HINDU TRIMURTI                        CHRISTIAN TRINITY

BRAHMA – Creation                         FATHER – Creation

VISHNU – Preservation                    SON – Offspring of creation “The Way”

SHIVA – Destruction                        HOLY GHOST - Manifestation
Phenomena                                     End of creation process
That which deconstructs                    Whole image

MOTION PICTURE CAMERA    INDIVIDUAL CONSCIOUSNESS

SOURCE – Light                        CAUSE – Substance

ACTIVITY – Mechanics               THOUGHT – Knowing (Male)

PROJECTION – Image                EXPERIENCE – Feeling (Female)

* One must be careful mixing metaphors, remembering that these are approximations and tools for unlocking innate understanding that cannot be talked or written about.  Our journey is the matrimony of these two Elements in each of us.  Obviously, men feel and women know.  For men (Yang), the light shape of Yin and Yang, everything is spelled out and explained, in its Technicality, Analyzing and Truth.  For women (Yin), the dark shape of Yin and Yang, it is Feeling, Intuition, and Love that take the front seat. Note: Preservation (Hindu) is the Shepard and middle position, as is Jesus (Christian) is the Shepard and middle position.  Also note that although female is at the end of the creative process, all life begins there as well (womb).  This underscores the fluidity and ultimate oneness of this Three in One process.

    In our daily lives we can always be reminded of the deeper meaning of this quote from the Bible; “But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,” Matthew 6:3, meaning, that although we know that to do good is to receive good (the two hands), we must work independently of this knowledge. If we think that by doing this or that good deed we will benefit from it we ruin the heart motive, i.e., the love of good for good’s sake (also, you’re not being in the moment because you’re anticipating a future reward). In this same way, if we set out to dissolve the ego we are doomed. For one, it’s already a subtle, egotistical, aggression against self (”I’d be great if I killed this ego.”). Who we are, is so mixed up with who we are not, that we needn’t start picking apart what to keep and what to discard. Some energy we have is what makes us “crazy” but some of that same energy or personality is what makes us amazing drummers or motocross racers, etc. Again, the only way around this seeming quagmire is to meditate for the sheer love and interest of meditating, not to become better and not to try to dissolve the ego. To be inquisitive. No commentary. Just observe. By doing this, one begins to identify oneself with the observer instead of the observed. Celebrated, Tibetan author, Sogyal Rimpoche, calls it “Sky-like Mind” as opposed to the clouds (parade of characters, comedy/drama). That which sits behind and is never stained or marked by the temporal clouds that come and go. With this clear intention - the inconsistencies, cherished human beliefs, fears, etc., fall by themselves without the ego saying “I’m never doing that again!” or “I’m gonna beat this thing!” They both sound a bit violent and egotistical, do they not?
    The common analogy of your mind being like a shaken jar of water filled with sediment is a great one but there’s one more point that can be seen from it; the jar that is shaken represents the mind full of distractions (cloudy). If we let it sit still (meditate/focus to the exclusion of thoughts) the sediment (or grasping distraction) settles to the bottom leaving a perfectly clear jar of water (empty mind). Now here comes the left hand, right hand stuff that we’re not supposed to think about; once your thoughts are all settled and you have a thought of anxiety, fear, etc., it’s like seeing a single particle floating in the center of this clear jar of water. You can identify it and you can also see the thread that leads to its source. You’re not searching for a needle in a hay stack of a million voices all trying to speak at once. Your mind is not full of chatter. When you see the origin of these things, it’s hard to cherish them and take them so seriously and therefore they dissolve by themselves.
We as a species are standing at the threshold of Conscious Consciousness (Consciousness becoming conscious of Itself), the ability to deduce from within out. This is the state that allows our enlightening conversation, discovery of meditation, the sciences, music, and the potentiality of full enlightenment or what is often called Self Realization, but I will add that this is also the destroyer. With the ability to deduce from a supposition comes the ability to say “What if?”, which also is the ability to be anxious, fearful, (“What if they don’t like me?”) regretful, vain and basically the ability to tether way out in dreamlike free association requiring the need for meditation or focusing on something you’re doing now, like breathing. If the past is over and the future has not yet come and we are spending most of our lives in these two concepts, then we’re not here at all!
    Dogs don’t understand mirrors. Nor do dogs understand vanity. Why is this? Because they don’t understand the concept of stepping outside of themselves and looking back. To do this requires deductive reasoning or reasoning from within-out and the animal level has only unfolded to inductive reasoning or reasoning from without-in. With the virtue of deductive reasoning comes the comment. This word is very revealing; communicating with your own mentality, com-mentality or even co-mentality, i.e., stepping outside of one’s self and looking back and commenting on it (sort of a ‘co-brain’). Again, it is the cause of the mess that has become the so called “human condition” but at the same time, it is the wonder and glory of this elevated state of life that we are so lucky to be a part of.