Pratyahara, patience, forgiveness, and freedom from likes and dislikes.

Greetings Yogis and Yoginis,

This week in class we are considering pratyahara, patience, forgiveness, and freedom from likes and dislikes.

The Perfect Way is only difficult for those who pick and choose; Do not like, do not dislike; all will then be clear. Make a hairbreadth difference, and Heaven and Earth are set apart.

-Seng-Ts'an (Jianzhi Sengcan)

Happiness and sorrow, good and bad, pleasure and pain - these are the very texture of life on the superficial level. The less you are bound by these dualities, the more clearly you will be able to see the core of purity and selflessness that is the real Self in everyone, even in people who cause trouble.

My grandmother had a pungent phrase for difficult people: "a lash in the eye." We all know from experience how an eyelash in the eye can be so irritating that we just cannot think about anything else. That is exactly how difficult people affect those around them, so naturally most of us try to avoid such people.

But this lash in the eye is an opportunity for learning the skills that matter most in life: patience, forgiveness, and freedom from likes and dislikes. It is only the spiritually mature person who can go and put his arm around someone who has given him a really difficult time, and say sincerely, "Without you, how could I ever have learned to be patient? How could I have learned to forgive?"

Words to Live By: Inspiration for Every Day – Eknath Easwaran

The homework is to notice when a "lash in the eye" comes your way and be slow to respond. Consider the fifth limb of Yoga, pratyahara and how this practice can encourage the cultivation of patience, forgiveness, and freedom from likes and dislikes. Roughly, Pratyahara is the withdrawal or the refinement of the senses. The concept of pratyahara is found in verse II.54 and II.55 of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras.

Blessings,

paul cheek
Rushing Water Yoga
417 NE Birch St., Camas, WA 98607
360.834.5994

www.rushingwateryoga.com
info@rushingwateryoga.com

Serving Yoga to Camas, Washougal, and Vancouver Washington since 2003