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Oooh i didnt realise the clock change either so thank you for the headals up for 24th!! 🙂 i will read asteya this fortnight...i think maybe i already read it! But will read again regardless x
Hello! It has been a while since I've written here. To be honest, 'life', curve balls, and workload have taken the attention.
In the forum we have already noted the first two of 5 Yamas, which are Ahimsa and Satya. Non-harm and truthfulness.
We can apply these to thoughts, words, and actions.
As well as noting how we may harm or lie to ourselves and others, we can consider how others/media/society lies to and harms us, and the planet.
The next Yamas are Asteya and Bramacharya. Non-stealing and with-self-restraint.
Stealing is not always obvious. Consider how social media steals time and attention; consider how the (petty) dramas of life steal energy and attention too; consider how consumerism steals resources from the planet and communities, as well as thieving your cash flow. Approaching life without taking too much, or allowing ourselves to be taken from, leads to a natural sense of integrity, abundance, and contentment. Remember, while others may seem to have more, and it is tempting to keep playing the game, you are seeking something beyond the game, which is accessed by stilling the mind from ripples, including the ripples of comparison and greed.
Bramacharya is commonly thought of as restraint from sexual activity. But Bramacharya isn't always this overt. Think of Bramacharya as moderation. Moderation in sexual activity, eating, consumption of screens, sleep, buying things etc. You can sense the strong link to Asteya, as all the Yamas are interconnected. If you take too much sex, food, sleep, media, entertainment, idle conversation, alcohol, gaming.... whatever it is.....then you end up depleted! It's a paradox. The senses become over saturated and the energy becomes depleted. This isn't about a grey existence, this is about a wise existence. If we are constantly pushed towards our preferences, and pulled away from our dislikes, then the mind is always occupied with longing ! Longing for more of this or less of that. Be mindful of your indulgences and moderate them. Be mindful of what you avoid, and sometimes, do what you don't want to do instead of indulging! Bramacharya stops longing, which in turn stills ripples of the mind and provides a sense of natural vitality. And that's exactly what we are aiming for. 🙏 ❤️
Reflections on Asteya and Bramacharya.
I have noticed, for all the Yamas, that whatever worldly goal (intention) i create around them, the opposite will surge before settling.
For instance, for Ahimsa, the intention was to put non harm before truth. Yet just a day or two later, I found a tirade of truth leaving the body (!), directed at another, which visibly shocked the other person and me!
I take this as an opportunity. Life is showing me what I have inside of me. What the character is capable of. So, do you want to operate from impulses, joys, and sufferings of the character, or are you wanting to operate from elsewhere? If life does not show me what the character is capable of, then there is continued ignorance which will bite back later.
Asteya and Bramacharya have given a suprise lesson. The assumption was to let go of unhelpful behaviour. But what actually happened was less helpful behaviour. The mind had become rigid and was pushing for more, more, more worldly pursuits, in terms of occupational, physical, and scheduling achievements. Rather than living in the moment with True guidance nudging action along, a fevered thirst for more took over. The mind became hooked into a thought stream of achievement. This is not a bad thing but it meant there was little awareness of a bigger picture. Character identity solidified. Where character solidifies there can often be a level of stress, anxiety, unease, and disconnection, or, seperation.
This is a balance that needs continual mindfulness. Because there is nothing wrong with the experience of striving and there is nothing wrong with the stress of worldly demands. But where is attention operating from during these experiences? If attention is bound with worldly pursuits, is it because the direction came from a sense of expansive right action, or is it because the character was avoiding difficult feelings (eg of fear, invisibility, unworthiness etc).
That's all for now folks, these are just musings of a mind. The mind loves to think 😆. Consciousness loves to exist. Realisations seem to grow and wane. Everything is breathing; contracting and expanding. Patterns within patterns. Enjoy the ride! 😎 💕
Next shiny things on 5 May. Its a reflection on the five Yamas, which together comprise the first of the eight limbs of yoga.
There is no shiny things in the sanctuary on 19 May as the sanctuary will be on retreat. 💕
On 21 April we reviewed the chapter on Aparigraha, without-greed. The below is a summary/paraphrase of the authors words:
Author Bhava Ram gave a stark eye witness account of how little some people have; a pair of toddlers living inside a rubbish dump in the Phillipines. Fending for themselves, in competition with adults and animals for scraps, likely to soon be met with illness they will die from, becoming the food for the animals.
In comparison, how much we have. How self centred we prove ourselves to be by wanting more more more. Economies and societies and individual lives, based on greed.
We are living from the senses, ego, and conditioning; we are focussed on petty concerns and desire. It is so easy to forget that we are part of a humanity. If our families, neighbours, associates, friends, and co workers are all living in the paradigm of material gain, then it's no wonder we are swept away in it too. Stuffing our bellies, homes, and lives with obesity on every level.
We take too much. What can we give away willingly. And when gifting items to a charity is initially met with resistance, when you have over the items, does the resistance disappear like a mist that never was?
Give thanks for what we do have. All is a blessing. By serving others, we come to know the truth of the oneness of humankind.