Sunday, September 13, 2009
The change of boiling points
Why is it that change only occurs after a boiling point has been reached? Why do people have to get to a point where anger, emotions, turmoil occurs before they will change?
Saturday, September 5, 2009
More on Asteya
I'm up early. 3:30am. Abundant energy. I look in my inbox and there is another thought from Easwaran that is a great follow up to yesterday's thought.
"An attitude to life which seeks fulfillment in the single-minded pursuit of wealth--in short, materialism--does not fit into this world, because it contains within itself no limiting principle, while the environment in which it is placed is strictly limited." -E.F. Schumacher
Easwaran's comments: The very air we breathe is not inexhaustible. If we love our children as we profess to, we should remember that the air is limited, exhaustible, a perishable member of the family of life. Treat it gently. Treat it with care. Don't blow fumes into the air or dump poisons into the rivers and oceans just because it increases profits. Don't fan overconsumption by buying things you do not need. It is not only corporations who carry the responsibility for pollution. Insofar as we tell them, "Produce all you want! We'll buy whatever you make," the rest of us are responsible too.
It is a wise commentator on today's world who points out that we do not inherit from our parents: we borrow from our children. Let us do all we can from today onwards to ensure that our children's children will live in a world unthreatened by radioactive waste and chemical pollution.
Need I say more? Practice asteya. Practice non stealing.
"An attitude to life which seeks fulfillment in the single-minded pursuit of wealth--in short, materialism--does not fit into this world, because it contains within itself no limiting principle, while the environment in which it is placed is strictly limited." -E.F. Schumacher
Easwaran's comments: The very air we breathe is not inexhaustible. If we love our children as we profess to, we should remember that the air is limited, exhaustible, a perishable member of the family of life. Treat it gently. Treat it with care. Don't blow fumes into the air or dump poisons into the rivers and oceans just because it increases profits. Don't fan overconsumption by buying things you do not need. It is not only corporations who carry the responsibility for pollution. Insofar as we tell them, "Produce all you want! We'll buy whatever you make," the rest of us are responsible too.
It is a wise commentator on today's world who points out that we do not inherit from our parents: we borrow from our children. Let us do all we can from today onwards to ensure that our children's children will live in a world unthreatened by radioactive waste and chemical pollution.
Need I say more? Practice asteya. Practice non stealing.
Friday, September 4, 2009
Asteya: the more you give, the more you get
Easwaran's daily thought today reminded me of Yoga Sutra 2.37: wealth comes to one practiced in non-stealing
"Unto those that hath shall be given, and they shall have abundance: but from those that hath not shall be taken away even that which they have." -The Gospel according to Saint Matthew
Easwaran's comments: This is a strange paradox, a little-known secret. Jesus isn't speaking of worldly goods. He is speaking of a very rare kind of treasure: the more you draw on it, the more you will have. The more patient you are with people, for instance, the more patience you will have. The more generous you are today, the more generosity you will have tomorrow. The more love you give, the more loving you become. The principle can be stated in the plainest of terms: if you are selfish with your love, the scant security you cling to will be battered by life. But if you give of yourself freely, your security will be unshakable. Your joy will be limitless. You will always have more to give.
Non-stealing is a concept many people only practice on a material level. It is considered a sin, or unethical. And there are punishments and laws against most material theft. But what about stealing from Nature? We only have a finite amount of air to breathe, or clean water to drink. Sure there are laws on how much pollution can be pumped into our environment, but it does not keep people from using too much, not giving back.
And what about stealing someone's else's time and energy? Many people do not realize that they steal energy. They talk too much without letting you talk, also. Or they constantly ask to come over and visit. They find that people stop wanting to be with them because they are sapping people's strength.
Once you practice non-stealing on all levels including material, spiritual, emotional...you will start to find peace in yourself. Give out to others without seeking something from them. A smile, to start. Maybe someone will smile back. When you show that you are trustworthy, people will put trust in you. When you love others, you will be loved back.
"Unto those that hath shall be given, and they shall have abundance: but from those that hath not shall be taken away even that which they have." -The Gospel according to Saint Matthew
Easwaran's comments: This is a strange paradox, a little-known secret. Jesus isn't speaking of worldly goods. He is speaking of a very rare kind of treasure: the more you draw on it, the more you will have. The more patient you are with people, for instance, the more patience you will have. The more generous you are today, the more generosity you will have tomorrow. The more love you give, the more loving you become. The principle can be stated in the plainest of terms: if you are selfish with your love, the scant security you cling to will be battered by life. But if you give of yourself freely, your security will be unshakable. Your joy will be limitless. You will always have more to give.
Non-stealing is a concept many people only practice on a material level. It is considered a sin, or unethical. And there are punishments and laws against most material theft. But what about stealing from Nature? We only have a finite amount of air to breathe, or clean water to drink. Sure there are laws on how much pollution can be pumped into our environment, but it does not keep people from using too much, not giving back.
And what about stealing someone's else's time and energy? Many people do not realize that they steal energy. They talk too much without letting you talk, also. Or they constantly ask to come over and visit. They find that people stop wanting to be with them because they are sapping people's strength.
Once you practice non-stealing on all levels including material, spiritual, emotional...you will start to find peace in yourself. Give out to others without seeking something from them. A smile, to start. Maybe someone will smile back. When you show that you are trustworthy, people will put trust in you. When you love others, you will be loved back.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
More methods of Yoga
Found an email Kathy sent last year. More forms of yoga you can practice...although I will have to research some more to understand them all (ie taraka yoga?)
- karma yoga: the path of self-transcending action
- bhakti yoga: the path of self-transcending love-devotion
- jnana yoga: the path of wisdom
- raja yoga: the royal path of meditation
- hatha yoga: the forceful path of bodily transformation
- mantra yoga: the path of numinous sound
- taraka yoga: the path of light
- tantra yoga: the path of ecstatic realization
- sahaja yoga: the path of spontaneity
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