Greetings Sadhakas,
This week in class
we are exploring oneness or not being separate.
Sages speak of the
immutable Tree, with its root above and its branches below. . . . The limbs of
this tree spread above and below. Sense objects grow on the limbs as buds; the
roots hanging down bind us to action in this world. The true form of this tree
- its essence, beginning, and end - is not perceived on this earth.
- Bhagavad
Gita
We are all familiar
with the unflattering expression, "He can't see the forest for the
trees." Similarly, it can be said that most of us don't see the tree for
the leaves, that we fail to see the Tree of Life because we are fascinated by
the leaves. We are so obsessed by the leaves - the millions of little fragments
that grow on the tree - that we are not aware of the tree at all. We do not see
that without the tree the leaves do not have any life, that it is the sap,
coming from the very life of the tree, that flows into the leaves and supports
them.
In our modern
world, most of the emphasis is on separateness, on the leaf rather than the
tree. Daily we receive the message, "Find your joy in your own way; live
your life in your own way; find your fulfillment in your own way." This
drive for personal satisfaction is based on a cruel fiction: that the leaf can
prosper without the living tree. In reality, none of us are separate; we are
all part of the same creation, drawing our strength, happiness, and fulfillment
from the cosmic tree.
Words to Live By:
Inspiration for Every Day – Eknath Easwaran
The homework is
to observe how your Yoga practices connect you to everything that is. Yoga means many things including oneness or
not being separate. The challenge is to
learn how to apply this experience to our lives in every way and see how it
impacts our behavior and choices.
Blessings,
paul cheek
Rushing Water Yoga
360.834.5994
www.rushingwateryoga.com
Serving Yoga to Camas, Washougal, and Vancouver Washington
No comments:
Post a Comment