At-least as much awe…
Today on the cushion these words came to me softly So can we stand in at least as much awe gazing upon that which never changes as we do with that which always with does?
Sometimes in our studies of yoga it may seem we are being guided to give up the world “or else”. Nature changes, it adapts, it moves. It is this movement that is associated with so much pain. Give it up or stay mired in that suffering. But the task is not deny the world exists. In fact Isvara Krisna marks this as upadana tusti in the Samkhya Karika- to be contented (tusti) with renouncing the world (upadana) carelessly. This however is not ultimately a helpful path by itself. Even utterly alone in a cave the mind will still project (remember the story of the snake and the rope?).
Yoga philosophy says Prakriti has Sat- The world is really here. Nature is a wise teacher. All it takes is to gaze upon the mountains, to bask in the sunrise, to feel embraced by the autumn wind to stand in awe. The forces of nature open windows within. Our practice doesn’t ask us to deny the beauty and teachings of all of this. Samkhya says the world exists for the experience of the observer. While we may have mistaken associations with the world, nature itself is not mistake. Sincere practice guides us not to deny but rather to stand in at-least as much awe of the eternal as we so regularly do in the presence of the ephemeral … on our journey to residing in absolute peace.
Lead us from untruth to truth
Lead us from darkness to light
lead us from the fleeting to the everlasting
Om Peace, Peace, Peace
~Brhadaranyaka Upanishad
