Greetings Sadhakas,
This week in class we will be exploring Saucha - keeping our bodies clean outwardly through
bathing, through the foods we eat, the exercises we do, as well as inwardly
through the thoughts we think.
A good action is
never lost; it is a treasure laid up and guarded for the doer's need.
– Calderon de la Barca
In Hinduism and
Buddhism this principle is called the law of karma. The word karma has been
much misunderstood, but its literal meaning is simply action, something done.
So instead of using exotic language, we might as well refer to the "law of
action," which states that everything we do - even everything we think,
since our thoughts condition our behavior - has consequences: not "equal
and opposite" as in physics, but equal and alike.
The comparison with
physics is deliberate, for this is not a doctrine of any particular religion.
It is a law of life, which no one has stated more clearly than Saint Paul : "Whatsoever we sow, that
shall we also reap." The working of this law, we should bear in mind, is
not necessarily negative. If we sow mercy, we shall receive mercy in ample
harvest. If we give love, we shall receive love; if we are kind and patient to
others, others will be kind and patient to us.
Words to Live By:
Inspiration for Every Day – Eknath Easwaran
The homework is
to apply the second Niyama, Saucha or purity to your thought process. Saucha is keeping our bodies clean outwardly
through bathing, through the foods we eat, the exercises we do, as well as
inwardly through the thoughts we think. Think about how angry words and
thoughts affect you. What happens to your relationships when you get angry? How
do you feel when you get angry? How does your body feel? Our actions as well as
our thoughts can pollute not only the world around us but our inner world as
well.
Blessings,
paul cheek
Rushing Water Yoga
360.834.5994
www.rushingwateryoga.com
Serving Yoga to Camas, Washougal, and Vancouver Washington
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