Covid-19 infections, dire climate change predictions and ever increasing political polarization have gathered ominously about like dark clouds, hanging around over us all. Any semblance of normalcy, order and continuity have been disrupted before our very eyes. Has the world ever been in such a precarious state?
Simply put, yes, many times. As someone once wryly observed, “the trouble with history is that it repeats itself.” These calamitous global conditions are the byproducts of obstinate human tendencies that play out again and again in different guises. But the single root or germ seed for all of these seemingly disparate consequences, according to yoga wisdom, remains unaddressed and unrecognized.
If we could identify the fundamental miscalculation which is called “prajna aparadha,” that means misplaced intelligence, then we could begin to safely navigate through the swirling tides of change that otherwise overwhelm and disorient. Yogis say that the way out of this morass is the way “in.” In other words, when a fundamental shift and reorientation is made, from habitually externally directed preoccupation to exploring the very seat of awareness uniformally located within each person, our relationship with the world and more importantly, with ourselves can be recalibrated.
The essential underlying impulse to universal harmony is called “rta” and is equally present individually, even if undetected. The same driver for homeostasis or the body’s equilibrium mechanism is not just restricted to our physicality. This holistic impulse to restore order and harmony operates at every level, everywhere. We just need to begin to tune into it. It is the pure intelligence quotient, without cogitation.
When this power is aligned with prajna or wisdom the way forward becomes discernible. The Way is simple but not so easy, requiring a “joyful mind, a caring mind and an expansive mind…” according to the 12th century Zen Master Dogen. Cultivating these qualities is the whole purpose and focus of yoga.
The principles and practices yoga prescribes are antidotes to today’s and yesterdays’ continuing challenges. Yoga enables us to find a security and level of wellbeing that is not contingent or shaken by changing circumstances. The essential ingredient is the capacity to practice consistently over an extended period of time, and with enthusiasm. Doing so facilitates becoming steady, with clear mind and light heart. Then when we call upon what is best rather than retreating into what is base in us, the inexhaustible wellspring of renewal and inspiration rises up to greet us on our journey. From this place, as the Buddha said, “all roads lead me Home.”
NEW COURSE | living ayurveda
Introductory Course for Ayurveda
yoga psychology & meditation
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