I wish there was an example, but not wording and academic thinking. NO. I am talking about an example of day to day life, of something happening to a human being today, in this world, where a deep examination of a tormenting thought leads to experiencing its true nature as something 'sacred'.
I am reading Richard Freeman's "Mirror of Yoga". Again. Same as the "Yoga Matrix" if you ever bought the CD, same thing.
I have come now, after "Trantra", which will probably get its own post (anyone up for having sex with a person 60 years older than you whom you dislike? -No he does not say that. I say that-), It comes to the chapter on the Yoga Sutras.
The first thing that surprised me was him saying that a lot of us misinterpret the second and most famous sutra in the world "yoga is the cessation of the fluctuations of the mind" or something like that depending of whom your Sanskrit translator was.
He says that "yoga is not an anti thought practice", it is not actually about stopping the thoughts, but rather "yoga encourages clear, penetrating thinking"... he goes on to say:
"It is astonishing how frequently and easily this has been misinterpreted over the centuries by those unwilling to enjoy the paradoxes of thought that are revealed and observed within a healthy yoga practice".
So, clear penetrating thinking.
When we are stable and observing the mind we can, says Richard "examine the vritti" (the thought) clearly..."and in that process of examining we may be able to "experience its true nature as something that is sacred"
I find myself making a note on the I-pad kindle reader, "wish there was an example"
So when I observe a thought, for example the anger I feel towards a situation that happened a long time ago, then I am able to experience its true nature as sacred.
How So?
- As a reflection of something I may have been lacking back then and also today (power for example, since I am sick and cannot even take care of myself?).
- As a reflection of how anger eventually vanished and all thoughts come and go?
- As a ... how is it sacred?
I am reading Richard Freeman's "Mirror of Yoga". Again. Same as the "Yoga Matrix" if you ever bought the CD, same thing.
 |
The first thing that surprised me was him saying that a lot of us misinterpret the second and most famous sutra in the world "yoga is the cessation of the fluctuations of the mind" or something like that depending of whom your Sanskrit translator was.
 |
| This is The Spoken Version of the Book, BUT it includes chanting, so it is worth it! |
He says that "yoga is not an anti thought practice", it is not actually about stopping the thoughts, but rather "yoga encourages clear, penetrating thinking"... he goes on to say:
"It is astonishing how frequently and easily this has been misinterpreted over the centuries by those unwilling to enjoy the paradoxes of thought that are revealed and observed within a healthy yoga practice".
So, clear penetrating thinking.
When we are stable and observing the mind we can, says Richard "examine the vritti" (the thought) clearly..."and in that process of examining we may be able to "experience its true nature as something that is sacred"
I find myself making a note on the I-pad kindle reader, "wish there was an example"
So when I observe a thought, for example the anger I feel towards a situation that happened a long time ago, then I am able to experience its true nature as sacred.
How So?
- As a reflection of something I may have been lacking back then and also today (power for example, since I am sick and cannot even take care of myself?).
- As a reflection of how anger eventually vanished and all thoughts come and go?
- As a ... how is it sacred?
Claudia,
ReplyDeleteVery interesting! But, is "anger" really a thought? Or a "collection" of sorts - perhaps made up of conflicting emotions, etc. and not just one whole "thing"?
Hope you're continuing to take things easy :) one step at a time...
Claire
The thoughts around them are
ReplyDeleteNot sure if this is a good example but here goes: The night my father died, I was standing beside the hospital bed looking at him and I noticed that what I was feeling was anger. I was angry at my mother. I felt like if she had been a better wife maybe he wouldn't have drank himself to death. Ridiculous, I know, but I recently discovered that this "belief pattern" has affected everything in my life. I need to be "good enough" or else something bad will happen. That was the thought pattern. The sacred part for me is the realization of just how ridiculous that belief is. When I step back from the thoughts I can see them more clearly, away from the emotions. When that happens - I can see the true nature of the thought. SOMETIMES anyway.
ReplyDeleteMmmm, Nice chewy post Claudia..
ReplyDeleteI'm with Richard on yoga not being anti-thought. It's just the random fluctuations, the monkey mind we're trying to eliminate, not thought altogether. Heck, the yogis were Samkhyans for heaven sake, knowledge/knowing was what they were interested in. The goal, surely, is to be able to focus all our mental facilities whether that be on the tatvas or perhaps ishvara if we're theistically inclined. Yoga as kaivalya, freedom to think, not yoking of thought.
I tend to think of it as a kind of phenomenological thinking. If I try to think about a tree all kinds of associations come to mind, random thoughts all over the place but I don't want those... fluctuations I want to focus on the tree it's treeness. That's an old Phenomenological example, a Late Heideggarian one would be to focus the mind such that you can bring a thing into a clearing, a lighting where it can present/reveal itself a being and becoming . Thought as sacred doesn't seem so strange in the context of being and becoming perhaps.
So what happens if we develop, through our practice, the ability to focus our mental facilities in such a way and then direct it at the tatvas, the principles of nature one after another and ultimately eliminate them as accounting for what we are. Beneath/behind each, something else remains, beneath/behind each thought, each thought of thought, perusha... the sacred.
Me, I'll settle for improving the focus of my metal facilities, a clarity of thought.
Oh Kino has posted something on Richard and mula bandha which is perhaps not unrelated although perhaps a little disappointing if that's where he's going with this.
Mirella, I see, so in the separation from the emotion, when thought is seen for what it is, you found the sacred. I think it is abeautiful example, I love how simple you put it! thank you!
ReplyDeleteGrimmly, yes they were all Sankhya's...focusing the mind efficiently... I am learning about Sankhya myself, so really dont know THAT much just yet, but I like what you say about the treeness of the tree, in a way it sounds as taking it in as it arises, I know, is what you say, is like taaking it in withoutjudgement so it can become. Nice.
Thank you