|
Will Doran Yoga
Newsletter - October, 2007 ________________ <<< ☼ >>> ________________
Dear friends, Greetings and best wishes in this season of change and moving into introspection. This month’s newsletter addresses our experience of freedom. In a world that seems so our of our control we ultimately have more power than we believe. Understanding this power creates our personal freedom and ability to live spontaneously. I hope these words contribute to you personal mastery and joy of life. In this issue: Yoga Philosophy: Svātantrya, Freedom and Empowerment Applied Yoga: Sadhana, Bringing It All Home Through Your Life Practice Notices:
____________________________________ Yoga Philosophy: Svātantrya, Freedom and Empowerment
Why do we even consider making the effort to develop a spiritual practice? Why bother? Well, before we attempt to answer the question let’s just look around and notice the consequences of a life not rooted in the knowledge of our spiritual nature. What does a life look like that is based on instant self gratification - frequently at the expense of others - competing for limited resources, fearful of having those resources taken away by someone with more money, power, better looks, etc.? Well, that about sums up our wounded modern culture that all-too-painfully seems to be based on the false premise of survival of the fittest in a world of limited resources. Something went wrong along the way, and as Darwinian scholar David Lloyd, interviewed on the radio show New Dimensions, with Michael Thoms (http://www.newdimensions.org) points out, Darwin was sold short on his more advanced theories of how a species survives and the convenient catch phrase of "survival of the fittest" embraced by the powerful of his time was only used in reference to humanity’s survival tactics up to one hundred thousand years ago. The powers-that-be in nineteenth century Great Britain and America were looking for something to justify their imperialistic conquests and totally missed/obscured the message that humanity only survived because of its cooperative and love-based social structure. Over a hundred years of power mongering has revealed to us what a culture based on greed looks like, instead of a nurturing one based on interdependence and the mutual benefit of all. The answer to the question above then is a life and culture based on spiritual practice creates a harmonious environment that compassionately looks after the needs of its members. When the needs of the many, as well as the individual, are met with equanimity and an eye to the greater good of society freedom flourishes. Freedom being one of the intrinsic qualities of the Divine, when it is nurtured as a natural expression of our being then the spiritual health of the individual and society as a whole flourishes. We can deduct that this spiritual awareness and the interconnectedness of all beings is ultimately a requirement for our survival. The paradigm has to shift if we are going to break free from the mess our power-mongering political and economic "leaders" have created for us. We got to where we are as the result of a conscious plan to create a society willing to fight for "scarce resources" and a trumped up sense of nationalism. So how do we get out of this mess? Certainly it would be great to replace all the unenlightened blockheads that wield power over us. I simply don’t see that happening from the top down so the change must come from the other direction. If we the individuals truly want freedom we must find it from the deepest source within, the very nature of our being that reflects the loving essence of Spirit itself. We were created to be different from what we are today. We have been lead astray by an elite and astute powerbase that seeks its own aggrandizement and continued control through our manipulation. They disdain spirituality for it builds independent thought and personal freedom, all detrimental to the maintenance of a manipulative power harvesting our resources and God-given rights of peace, harmony, and brotherhood. So the solution rests with our individual efforts to live as fully integrated beings expressing our spiritual sensitivities as we wisely take care of the business of being human in an inter-dependent world. Tantric yoga places an emphasis on the concept of Svātantrya, the transcendent and absolutely free will of the Supreme Creator. Because we are an expression of the divine forces of the Creator we too are designed to embody that absolute freedom. We are not meant to be confined by social fears and a small-minded view of being human that obscures our magnificence. We are created to shine and reflect the luminescence of the Supreme force that lovingly created us. Our purpose is to return to oneness, the consciousness that knows ourselves to be inseparable from the welfare of others and the knowledge that we are creator-beings forming our reality through our thoughts, words and deeds. Our humble human existence is an opportunity to release the fear of scarcity that threatens our survival, the most basic of animalistic behavior, and shine forth as transcendent and empowered free beings expressing the highest level of love and joy possible. Our practice then is to know ourselves, to know that it is already part of our being to be free and empowered. We have to own it and practice it and make it our cultural imperative as aware conscious beings. Our survival depends upon it. Our inner peace requires it. ____________________________________ Applied Yoga: Sadhana, Bringing It All Home Through Your Life Practice The Journey Starts Here Don’t go off sightseeing. The real journey is right here. The great excursion starts From exactly where you are. You are the world. You have everything you need. You are the secret. You are the wide opened.
Don’t look for the remedy for your troubles Outside yourself. You are the medicine. You are the cure for your own sorrow. - Rumi Who we are is a product of the mental imprints we create. Yet, many of us choose to accept that what we experience is the result of the outside forces that steer us toward self-imposed limitations, fears, greed and ego gratification. However, if we are brave enough to recognize our intrinsic freedom to direct our thoughts we can create a distinctly different reality that is full of freedom, spontaneity and unlimited potentiality, these are the highest aspects of the Divine. To experience the intrinsic freedom of the Absolute for ourselves we must learn the skill of recognizing the "emptiness" and hidden potential in all things and then consciously apply it on a daily basis. The emptiness I mention refers to the fact that nothing is inherently good or bad by itself. It can be perceived one way or the other but ultimately it reflects what is inside our mind. Because others can perceive the same thing altogether differently it does not have an intrinsic truth to it other than what we place upon it. For example, the most unpleasant person probably has someone like a parent or a spouse who thinks they are wonderful. The reality of our interaction with that person then depends upon what comes from within our self and the mental imprints we place upon the relationship. The mental seeds we plant through our thoughts and actions have great potential for creating any variety of outcome. They color and determine our perception of events and lead to our specific experience of reality. The awareness of our mental imprints and the effects they have on creating our reality leads to conscious creativity and the degree of personal freedom we experience. Our power to create freedom comes from cultivating an awareness of the consequences of how we think, speak and act. Each has an affect on the world around us and our personal life. This holds true for the individual as well as the larger community as a whole. Our freedom from suffering comes from how we place mental constraints on what shows up and how we direct our responses to our perception. As an example, our freedom to create abundance comes from our ability to harmonize with the flow and exchange of our possessions; generosity and not clinging to our possessions brings more of what we desire. If we share our resources and help others to live abundantly we will experience more abundance for ourselves. Likewise, if we hold people in contempt and judgment we will experience that in our life. Understanding this simple logic could dramatically alter your life and radically change the world if practiced on a greater scale. Author Geshe Michael Roach, the first American to complete the rigorous twenty year study program with Tibetan scholars earning him the ancient degree of geshe, or master of Buddhist learning, contributes a great degree of wisdom on this subject in his very readable book The Diamond Cutter, The Buddha on Managing Your Business and Your Life. He shows how a person can apply the principles of fixing your life and business by fixing yourself first. By "fixing" it is meant looking at the problems that confront you and discern what is the force behind it that made it manifest. Business persons can observe how they treated their competition, suppliers, employees, themselves, and see how they prosper and live in harmony, or not. Any of us can apply the principle of changing our sense of gratitude, speech, integrity, compassion and the like and alter the negative events of our lives by changing the negativity that created it. Geshe Roach points out that the imprints that we create in our mind sit there deep in our subconscious. All imprints grow in strength exponentially during the time they spend there. The accumulative effects of many negative thoughts and actions produce the things we experience. Hence, we can consciously monitor our mental imprints and over time negate the negativity we create for ourselves. We may have to weather a few storms until we have moved through the karmic accumulation we have generated but the effort is the only solution for ending the pain and suffering we have generated. This knowledge is empowerment. It is the source of freedom. Once we recognize that we are responsible for the quality of the reality we experience we can then move forward setting down new and more positive patterns. These will, in varying degrees of time, produce the results that are more in harmony with our desires. To make this point quite clear Geshe Roach lists forty-six business problems one may experience and the solutions that come from mastering the awareness of our imprints and their results. These business problems are very applicable to our daily lives for they address issues such as stinginess, envy, back-biting and gossip, begrudging other’s success. He also touches on the positive results of integrating integrity, honesty, the cultivation of inner quietude, patience and holistic health. Behind the effort of consciously creating our optimal existence is the yogic concept of sadhana, or life as spiritual practice. It is not dogmatic nor religious; it is simply knowing that we are empowered to create our freedom by understanding cause and effect and partnering with the benevolent forces of the Divine. When we express our awareness that there is nothing but the Divine we are free to be spontaneous and can plant the seeds we want to bear fruit. To live in this light and to experience our harmonious interconnections we must take the time to know ourselves from the inside out. This requires contemplation and meditation on the emptiness that creates spaciousness and freedom, the hidden potential in all things that goes far beyond our initial perceptions of good and bad. It requires knowledge of how our mind works and the sense of responsibility that we must take for our way of being. It requires inner calm to not make rapid judgments and assumptions. It means practicing patience to let things unfold while making the best choices we can based on our highest intentions. Our thoughts and perceptions color our reality so it is up to us to choose how we want that reality to look and work. Partnering with the Divine will strengthen the awareness that we are not alone and that there are forces bigger than ourselves at play. Seeing those forces as empty potentiality grants us freedom to act as co-creator beings and choose how we perceive what shows up. I personally really connect with the Tantric concept of the expanding wave of manifestation that emanates from the heart of Absolute Consciousness. This wave is the dance of life made manifest by the energy of Shakti¸ or divine creativity. Like a surfer choosing his or her wave and mastering the ride we get to choose how we create and respond to life unfolding. We are more empowered in how the ride unfolds than we are led to believe. ___________________________________ Notices: Yogi needs a home for 4 days On Tuesday, October 23rd I am having the wood floors in my home refinished and my wife Bridget and our 14-year-old son Gabe and I will be in need of a place to stay. We are looking for a place to house sit or rent. Please let me know if you have any leads for me to follow regarding this. The idea of checking into a hotel just doesn’t seem too appealing. Give me a call at 789-1058 or email at wjddoran@comcast.net. Thanks. My teaching schedule: Monday: 12:00 noon to 1:15 pm at Olympic Athletic Club in Ballard Tuesday 10:00 – 11:15 am 7-week pre-registered series (Nov. 6th – Dec. 18th)- Space Available New class series: room for 8 students, taught out of my home. Thursday 7:30 to 9:00 pm 7-week pre-registered series (Nov. 1st – Dec. 20th) – Full Friday: 12:00 noon to 1:15 pm at Olympic Athletic Club Saturday: 10:00 – 11:15 am at Phinney Center on <<Phinney>> and 65th Sunday: 11:15 – 12:30 pm at Olympic Athletic Club in Ballard Note: No Saturday class at Phinney Center on October 20th, back on the 27th.
May your days be filled with peace, joy and light. Namaste, Will PS. Please feel free to pass this newsletter on to your friends. ____________________________________________
If you wish to be removed from this list send a blank message with the word "REMOVE" in the subject line to wjddoran@comcast.net .
|
|
|
|
|
