The Road to Moksha: (4) Battling Aggression and Greed

Although ignorance is the ultimate obstacle to our liberation, the other two that go hand-in-hand are aggression (or hatred) and greed (or desire).

When we are wrapped up in our own selves at the expense of others, we want more and more and we cling to what we have. This causes energetic knots to develop in our heart center and we become less and less sensitive and open to love. This causes suffering. When we are aggressive we are operating from the same mindset, but there is an added element of fear. By acting out on this fear, we perpetuate this falsity and close ourselves off once again to love.

A powerful antidote to break through those energetic knots are backbends. Even more powerful is vinyasa karma. Ultimately, this sacred asana practice is meant to teach us to detach from our likes and dislikes. By treating each pose equally and with a steady and calm mind (aided by our breath) we work towards conquering hatred and desire.

However, as yogis we are called to examine deeply the root of the issue. If we do so, we realize that both aggression and greed are caused by fundamentally misunderstanding the basic principle that all of creation is interconnected and interdependent. Both lead to an attitude of exploitation. To heal this foundational ignorance, one must radically change how one views life - and one's actions. This is why David and Sharon, and many others, believe that leading a vegan lifestyle - or working towards one - is a solution. This lifestyle paradigm is rooted in an inclusive understanding that all sentient beings, and our Earth, deserve our mercy and kindness. It also sees that being compassionate with other humans isn't enough - we must go to the root impulse of exploitation in order to heal. And that extends to all of life.

PRACTICES
1. Vinyasa Krama
2. Ethical Vegetarianism
3. Backbends

The Road to Moksha: (3) The Fundamental Misunderstanding

Yogash chitta-vritti-nirodhah. (YS I:2)
When you stop identifying with your thoughts, fluctuations of mind, then there is Yoga, identity with Self, which is Samadhi, happiness, bliss and ecstasy. --Translation by Sharon Gannon

Because we misperceive reality, we suffer. What we think about, who we are, how we believe the world works, is completely wrong. We are not separate entities but interdependent. The world isn’t out there, but we create it in here.

This is good news, but also scary. It makes you 100% responsible for everything. But its good news because it is fundamentally empowering; now you have the power to change. You can never change others or anything ‘out there,’ but knowing it comes from ‘in here’ means you can change it. It is in your hands.

How? Through cultivating wisdom. Through meditation. We train our minds by meditating to tame our thoughts that reflect our conceptual duality. The very nature of thought is to define and divide. This isn’t bad, but it must be brought under control. We work to transcend thought by not identifying with it. Once we begin to understand reality more, we begin to see more connections and feel the sacredness of all life.

The fundamental misunderstanding is the identification of spirit with matter; thinking that the eternal individual soul is the temporary manifestation of the gunas with which we have come to identify and which forms the basis for actions (karma) which bind us to samsara: we think we are these bodies, and what happens to these bodies happens to us. The state of the jivanmukta arises when we are realize that we not our bodies, we are not our minds - we are Spirit.

"You are either wise---or otherwise." –Sri Brahmananda Sarasvati

"Mind your own business……which is knowing who you are. That YOU ARE." 

–Sri Brahmananda Sarasvati

PRACTICES
1. “Who am I?” Meditation
2. Meditation
3. Inversions

The Road to Moksha: (2) The Guru

Guru Brahma, Guru Vishnu, Guru Devo Maheshvara, Guru Sakshat, Param Brahma, Tasmai Shri Guruvey Namaha
Tasmai Shri Guruvey Namaha

Once we’ve decided to embark on this path, we look to the guidance and the advice of someone ahead of us. We can find this in the teachings of those noble and enlightened souls who’ve progressed on the path of yoga, the ‘gurus’ or those who remove (ru) the mud (gu).

It is said that when we are ready, the guru appears. But we can’t be infantile in our understanding and expect a guru to be a small Indian man with a white beard. Gurus come in many forms – including fierce and unpleasant forms. In one way, you can say that everyone and everything that comes into your life has a lesson for  for you. We just have to be open to it. All the time.

PRACTICES
1. Guru Mantra
2. Read scriptures
3. Child’s pose

The Road to Moksha: (1) The Choice to Be Free

Do you want to be right….or do you want to be free? -Sharon Gannon

Before we start yoga, we must answer this question. By “right” Sharon means our identification with the EGO. (In truth we aren’t actually ‘right’ even though we think we are.) Usually we are faced with this question when undergoing tremendous suffering. Otherwise, we are quite content being ‘right.’ But until we are ready to choose to be free over being right, we can’t embark on the path of yoga. That is why it is said that yoga isn’t for everyone; some people aren’t ready or don’t want to be free. They just want to be right. (How’s that working out for you?)

If you have made the choice to be free, now what? You can’t really trust your mind because that is what got you here in the first place. But you can use your heart and set the intention to let go of the need to be right. Even if you don’t yet know how to become free, you can repeatedly remind yourself to surrender your steel-like grip on your EGO. At this point, it is all about surrender.

This involves humbleness and humility. This is a crucial prerequisite to embarking on the path of yoga. Remember that famous old saying about a student going to a teacher asking for teachings, but the guru says he can’t help him because his cup is already full? This practice is about emptying; recognizing you don’t know how to be free or happy and are lost.

And then work with what you have, your body. This is where the work of tapas, purification, comes in. We use asana and pranayama to start cleansing our ignorance.

But realize this is hard work! The spiritual path is not for the timid. But the point is to make us feel overwhelmed, to break us down, to make us ready for transformation. And you will change. Fundamentally. So commit, if you are ready. And find something to inspire you, to support you, to help you persevere on this arduous path. Find something transcendent. Maybe God, maybe a concept, maybe a person. But find something and let it help you on your journey.

“We don’t have time to live a mediocre life.” – David Life

“You get one life that is so precious it is like a diamond and if you are wasting it, you are selling it like coal.” -- Sri Brahmananda Sarasvati

PRACTICES
1. “Let Go” meditation
2. Set your intention, find your inspiration
3. Humble warrior

The Road to Moksha: 5 Week Series

 मोक्ष mokṣa

For the next five weeks starting this Sunday, I will be exploring why we do yoga in the first place -- which is ultimately for moksha, or liberation. Each week I will be covering an essential element of this path.

So, to start off, what is moksha anyway?

Moksha is the Sanskrit word for "release" and refers to the liberation from the suffering of samsara (the cycle of repeated death and rebirth or reincarnation). This concept comes from traditional vedanta philosophy. It is a release from one's worldly conception of self, the loosening of the shackle of experiential duality, and a realization of one's own fundamental nature, which is Brahman.
 
A jivamukta is one who becomes liberated, or attains moksha, while living. Self-realization is the key to liberation and this is done through yoga.

So, in other words, yoga is both the path and the goal.

As we explore the elements of the yogic path to moksha, use this wonderful graphic to help keep things in perspective. It was a gift from my dear friend and fellow teacher Hari-kirtana das. It clearly shows our progression as yogis from the material world of ignorance towards the spiritual world of transcendence. And, provocatively, it shows that moksha is really only the beginning towards our ultimate goal........

Awakening Joy course - July

The topic for this month is Letting Go. I personally find this one of the wisest-- and yet hardest-- lessons to learn. I struggle with it given my personality and temperament. To remind myself, I even had this tattooed into my forearm ('svaha' is actually the Sanskrit and yogic equivalent).

So what does it mean? And how does it make us happy?

First off, it refers to letting go of stuff. [This is a good time for plug for the brilliant 20 minute clip, The Story of Stuff. ]  In truth, deep down inside (and contrary to the messages of our consumerist culture) we know that 'stuff' doesn't make us happy. Being engaged with life and with loved ones, and contributing meaningfully to society makes us happy. Being obsessed with accumulating more and more 'stuff' actually takes us away from that.

This refers to our endless battle with desire. The secret is learning to distinguish what we want from what we truly need. And in cultivating the discipline and wisdom to choose. This means quieting down enough to listen carefully to the different voices in the mind. Then we can hear whether they are coming from a place of lack or from a deeper, wiser, compassionate connection that truly knows what’s good for us. 

I like how some refer to this choice as "surfing the urge" by being SOBER.
S - stop
O - observe
B - breathe
E - expand (see the long term effects rather than instant gratification)
R - respond


Next, and much harder, is letting go of the illusion of control in a world of change. This attempt to control things keeps us bound in fear. Joseph Goldstein uses a powerful image that describes the suffering that comes from holding on with attachment. He says that holding on tightly to that which is always changing is like rope burn. We don’t usually realize that it’s the holding that’s causing the suffering. If we can wisely let go, we free ourselves of the problem.

Some strategies of letting go:
1) Letting go by simplifying your life in some way
2) Letting go of unskillful habits
3) Letting go of your stories
4) Letting go of expectations and excessive planning
5) Practicing generosity as the active expression of letting go

“Let go a little and you will have a little peace. Let go a lot and you will have a lot of peace. Let go completely and you will have complete peace. Your troubles with the world will have come to an end.” --Ajahn Chah 

Awakening Joy course - June

The topic for this month is Integrity. This might seem strange as a prescriptive for joy, but in Buddhist philosophy this is an integral part of happiness (pun intended!). The Buddha made the connection clear when he said,

For one who leads a virtuous life,
it is a natural law that remorse will not arise…
For one free of remorse,
it is a natural law that gladness will arise…
For one who is glad at heart,
it is a natural law that joy will arise.

Buddhists believe that living with integrity is the foundation for peace of mind and the happiness of a liberated heart. Compared with other sources of happiness, only integrity leads to "the bliss of blamelessness."

So, to bring about such bliss, we consciously cultivate integrity by mindfully listening our internal moral compass, realizing that the more we follow it the happier we will be.We all have a conscience and so automatically feel unsettled when we’re not in alignment with our values. Perhaps the problem is we don't realize WHY we are feeling unsettled because we don't make the connection. The practice of mindfulness can help by making us more aware of our inner wisdom, and so is a great ally.

Sometimes, as we become more aware we also realize how much we fall short from the ideal. So practicing integrity becomes a humbling process that is purifying. It also requires genuine compassion and kindness for ourselves once we begin to see the depths of conditioning that cause us to act with attachment, aversion or confusion, even when we know better. As Ram Dass says in Be Here Now,

"As you further purify yourself, your impurities will seem grosser and larger. Understand that it's not that you are not getting more caught in the illusion. It's just that you're seeing it more clearly. The lions guarding the gates get fiercer as you go towards each inner temple. But, of course, the light gets brighter too."

What do we do with the guilty feelings? There’s actually a Buddhist antidote for guilt. If you act unskillfully (notice they don't say 'badly'), it’s recommended to practice what is called "wise reflection" or "wise remorse." When you realize you've done something unskillful, rather than drowning in guilt, ask yourself, "What can I learn from the experience that will help me remember to act more skillfully if a similar situation arises again?"

And in the end, it is our intention to act with integrity that matters most of all. So we keep trying, keep learning, and keep reminding ourselves to act with integrity. 

"I never had a policy; I just tried to do my very best each and every day. " -Abraham Lincoln

Awakening Joy course - May

The topic for this month is "Finding Joy in Difficult Times." I am actually struggling with this since things are going so well for me right now and I am not experiencing much difficulty (except for my finals and the papers I have to write!). When I started this program back in February, however, I was certainly experiencing one of the most difficult periods of my life. And since everything changes, difficult times are sure to return to my life. So, this topic has much to offer; if nothing else, learning how to cope when those challenges come is a great tool to have in your toolbox.

The most important lesson, I believe, is not to deny when you are depressed or in pain. Finding joy does NOT mean pretending or forcing it. Being human is hard and we will feel difficulties, that is a fact. The Buddha even started out his teachings with the First Noble Truth that the unenlightened life is suffering. His exact word, dukkha, translates to mean stress, unsatisfactoriness, and unreliability. This we can all identify with. So it is not a question of 'if' the hard stuff comes, but 'when' it comes. But the hope we have is that our suffering can lead us to moksha, liberation. After all, the Buddha not only taught about suffering, but the end of suffering.

The first step is not to resist the pain when it comes. There is no use in complaining, whining, or wishing it were different. That actually only makes it worse. Instead, what we should do (and is completely counter intuitive) is open up to the experience. By staying open, you can learn to let the pain of life's inevitable challenges move through you rather than get stuck in you.

This requires mindfulness because the resistance that intensifies our suffering is in our mind. We need to stop trying to protect ourselves from our painful experiences and mindfully open to them. It is also important to remember that the pain and sorrow is not permanent. Everything changes. As we stay mindful with our pain, we soon learn that our suffering is not as solid as it appears.

In working with our pain there are two important steps:
1) Feeling your feelings (without getting lost in the story)
2) looking at how you can grow in this situation, deepening your understanding of the human experience and life.

Try this "Recasting Exercise"
1. Bring to mind a difficult situation you are dealing with in your life.
2. What are the emotions that you’re feeling? Have you allowed yourself to feel all the feelings?
3. What are the lessons you’re learning from this situation? How can you find meaning as you go through this difficulty?

Often, we will find that when we stay open to our suffering, we also open up to all the positive qualities that are inside us - understanding, compassion, and kindness. In learning to face our pain we deepen our compassion. And we find a courage we didn't know we had.

"There is a brokenness out of which comes the unbroken, a shatteredness out of which blooms the unshatterable."

Awakening Joy Course - April

A student once complained to Nisargadatta, a great twentieth-century spiritual teacher from India, that daily life seemed so tedious to him. "You've done the most amazing thing," the sage replied. "You've made life boring!" In our culture of thirty second sound bites, we can easily get addicted to a never-ending desire for peak experiences. And so in the midst of abundance, we can find life lacking.

The answer, and the focus for this month, is Gratitude. The founder of Gestalt psychology, Fritz Perls, used to say, "Boredom is simply lack of attention." And as we know from last month's practice of mindfulness, when we pay attention, anything can be interesting. "There are two ways to live your life: One is as though nothing is a miracle, the other is as though everything is a miracle," said Albert Einstein.

Tibetans Buddhists say that gratitude opens the heart like a satellite dish. We all know the dangers of letting our minds rule our lives - it is pretty easy to get caught up in sordid stories and dramas that leave us drained and depressed. But by practicing gratitude, we can bypass our minds and go straight to our hearts - and experience the awe and wonder and beautiful Mystery of being alive. And the amazing part is that by opening to gratitude, we also begin to attract into our lives even more blessings and benevolence.

And it is a practice. You can consciously cultivate appreciation and gratitude to arise in your heart. Each moment is an opportunity to develop a grateful heart by paying attention to the many blessings, big and small, around you. One of the main effects of practicing gratitude is that our "appreciation radar" is out much more consistently and we start seeing what is good in our life more often and more clearly. Also, negative states like anger and resentment dissolve in the presence of gratitude. Some gratitude exercises to try include:

• Look for and appreciate the good stuff - keep your radar out on the look-out
• Appreciate others, especially in the workplace and at home
• Appreciate yourself, become less dependent on praise from others
• Write a daily gratitude email to a friend as a practice
• Keep a gratitude list or gratitude journal
• Write a gratitude letter to someone thanking them for all the ways they've enriched your life
• Express your gratitude directly in the moment
• Take a moment to say something you are grateful for at dinner everyday

One of the experts in the science of gratitude is UC Davis psychologist Bob Emmons who wrote the book Thanks! How the science of Gratitude Can Make You Happier. His work has found that people who are more grateful have higher levels of well-being - they tend to be happier, less depressed, less stressed, and more satisfied with their lives and social relationships. Another expert in this field, MJ Ryan who wrote Attitudes of Gratitude, says that gratitude activates the parasympathetic nervous system which floods the brain and body with endorphins, oxytocin and other feel-good hormones.

In Be Here Now, Ram Das says you can go through life resisting every situation with a cry of "unnnkkkhh" or opening to it with "aaaahhhhh." In other words, you can go through life seeing everything as a burden or a gift. The choice is ours: whining or appreciation. Go for appreciation.

"The secret to awakening joy is the live with a grateful heart that can hold with acceptance and gratitude the 10,000 joys and sorrows."

Why I love that man......

I admit it fully - I love Krishna Das.

A lot.

No other living being has embodied the spiritual journey - with all of its humanity - as much as he has. Listening to KD talk and chant, I cannot help but FEEL his authenticity and his love. It is strong and palpable and unquestionable. I feel it in his eyes, in his words, and most of all - in his chanting.

And yet at the same time, KD is no polished saint to be worshiped. He is fully broken - as we all are - and completely unashamed and honest about it. With the utmost beauty, he embraces his brokenness and shares it with all of us in order to show us that his achievements are not due to his own will, but due to the grace of God.

Each time I see him, he is wearing the same red flannel shirt, sporting the same scruffy stubble, and telling the same stories of his previous immature, arrogant ways. But when he starts talking about his encounters with his guru, Neem Karoli Bhaba, one can FEEL the grace of this holy teacher. One can feel the transformation that occurred inside the heart of KD when he met his guru. One can FEEL how KD's heart was opened and burned through a great purifying fire, which annihilated him - and caused him to be reborn.

I love him because he's not perfect, he's totally human, and yet - he reminds us that regardless of our supposed perfection in worldly terms, we are called and can be perfect in our love.

I welcome you to fall in love yourself.........

Download one of his newest songs, Narayana/For Your Love, for FREE through Amazon.
Watch and listen on KD's YouTube channel
KD is also coming to DC on April 8th. All the cool kids are coming. :)