Peacocks Dance

I went into my backyard. Winter sun, lonely, some peacocks, and parrots. I love the pine trees duo. I had gone with headphones and the mobile in case I get a call, generally upset about the power cut that pulled me away from the computer screen.

I plug in the headphones and there's music, I had missed yoga in the morn. I start with that intention and end up just dancing. Something amazing happened. I never knew peacock was fond of dance, not like that. (I sometimes feed these dozens of peacocks in the backyard and since the past year and half have begun to understand my shy neighbors) Peacocks looked on, amazed, and danced too! This time of the year they are still growing new feathers (they shed them each year) and they dont generally dance in groups, not with humans. This happened for some time and I ended up just looking at them till both sides humans and peacocks lost the natural wonder. I am back on my desk, with, as if, heady pleasure.

Shut the world out

Well, this post is going to be my undoing. But the saving grace is ... well, let me come back to the point--the post is about a meditation practice where students are required to draw replica of a very intricate picture from memory. Good memory is a good reflection of how good the cognition is of the meditator.

Even non-meditators can acquire phenomenal memory after practice and some people seem generally good at it, but sooner or later great memory will come naturally to a meditator.

So if these guys were to come and rate me on my meditation practice based on my memory it will be ... well, embarrassing! I dont remember anything, I shut the world out!

Somebody help me!

Ritual

My mind realises pain will be a separate phenomenon if there is sustained concentration. If there is no clinging to self. I relised it as I did my eyebrows looking in the mirror. Instances when it hurt were instances when I was clinging to the idea of 'self'. In bare cognition it didnt hurt. Concentration I believe erodes unhealthy and unatural states of ignorance and delusion, concentration is a more natural state...

Secret of Yogi's Flexibility :)

One of the reasons a yogi celebrates simplicity is for a clear view. I think it is not out of detachment but for convenience that they become minimalistic. It is surprising to think that it is more comforting to have less. Less luxuries, less food, less possessions, less clothing, less working hours, less talk … . Some things are given up altogether like music and sex. Seems no fun to a lot of people.

Largely, I feel yogis are not sadists...they just simplify things. Why make it so inconveniently convenient one might ask. The answer is: They indeed have practices that engage them for large spaces of time … but more importantly they choose to simplify to make things clear. Like in clear waters you can see the bottom/bed of the river or a pond. Like in clear weather/desert you can see far. Yogis simplify things to gain clarity, clear cognition. Clear cognition of what? Yogi wants to gain a clear cognition of cause and effect. Experiential understanding of the theory and practice of dhamma, to stay real and to progress indepedently. What right do I have to say this, how do I susbstantiate what I say here abut clear link between simplicity and access to insight?
To substantiate I will have to pull in an event from this morning. I have recently come home after a bit of traveling. Carried very few possessions with me. A small cloth bag for short trips and a bit larger bag for longer haul, apart from a handbag. That did set the context of minimalism and simplicity, cognition apprently was starkly clear and so was cause and effect of things as meditated for long hours parked at stations and while traveling.
Now, this morn at home I woke up with some pain in the back of my neck. I know from past experience that this pain has direct correlation with stress. Pain in the neck was because I have been stressed out for finances apart from … may be bad posture … though I rarely, if ever, slouch. I was experiencing a lot of clinging to money which is unusual, but the feeling came up and was grasping me:) Then this morning I spontaneously parted with a personal possession to help someone. For a brief moment I thought I will regret for it later (what a selfish state of mind!)… but the person receiving was glad and automatically I joined in the pleasure of sharing. I noticed, surpringly, that small event relieved me of sress. I also noticed that for some time the pain vanished! As the day progresses I continue to deal with my matters with a superior state of mind.

No matter how small the context, the cognition should be clear for a meditator to progress on the path of dhamma.

I recall here age old Hindu tradition of dana that is now reduced to a mere convention of pandits recommending certain kinds of giving/dana as antidote to some trouble that the native might be suffering from … but conventions don’t help at all. Cognition does.

Yogis establish this cognition and purity as the seat of change within. Cognition establishes clear links, helping one progress on the path of purification. This helps others ... but the real stuff is that one starts healing oneself. The yogi becomes stronger, from leading a pure/moral life, with right effort, right view, constant learning/mindfulness based on sound experience, sound cognition, and lastly, sound theoretical knowledge of dhamma.

Yogi bares himself to the play ... as if standing bare in such a desert where his frame of mind determines the weather. Storms of emotions are very clearly comprehended, heat of anger, depressing dark of the night, or lifedrops of love and compassion. Surise and sunsets. In bare conditions everthing is faced head on. Thats the life of a yogi, moment to moment and bare. Do not read this too literally, yogis have meditation practice as vast as the sky as the background, without this bacground do not bare yourself :) The skills of survival in the bare desert are the skills in theory and practice of dhamma, that renders the flexibility and watever else that is required … the challenges are not faced uslessly, the motivation is for wisdom

Mind knows no bounds when …

It is continuation to the last post. Lot has happened since I wrote the last bit on morality. Lot of teeny weeny and large chunks of moments passed since then. Largely rough moments that expected *lies from me to save my interests, and I lied. But lousy and silly as I am, I am not a natural ... do not have the Salesman’s flair. So am back to business ... writing another reflection on larger benefits of morality.

So here’s the Salesman’s story:

Girl, student, 2006 June. Lost her cell suddenly, went to buy a new one. Doesn’t know what make she wants … just wants basic features. Willing to spend but doesn’t want any fancy stuff. Near her prospective college she walks in a shop with an innocent looking salesman who sells her a cell, Italian make, this that, basic camera, good functions. She buys the cell in five minutes after asking about camera and features. Yes it can be connected to the computer but he will give the cable later. OK girl thinks she will come back later for the cable. She visits the shop several times later to transfer some precious pictures but never gets the cable. The cable is out of stock.

Four years later it occurs to the girl that the salesman had lied! He had lied consciously about the additional feature and fooled her. Such an event of being easily fooled will occur with someone who is not habitually in a habit of lying. Everyone else too seems truthful and innocent. Took four years to realize it was a lie. And the reaction is not anger but that of pity for the one who lied. Seems like you have come from a different, strange country. Morality makes one a little 'stupid'. I remember a phrase here 'a yogi fears no one, and no one needs to fear him'
Now, obviously the salesman sitting in that little shop dreams of being a millionaire. Five years down he seems to have only grown older;) He thinks lying helps, it might seem to bring an immediate success but had the young salesman chased some larger truths (may be at the university nearby) he might have been a millionaire now, or a seeker … may be both! May no one be shy of obvious truths, of brilliant opportunities, may all embrace each other.


Bless you!
*There are five basic things I call morality learnt it from five precepts
Abstain from lying
Abstain from sexual misconduct
Abstain from stealing, taking what is not yours
Abstain from intoxication
Abstain from taking life.

Mind knows no bounds when …

The mind knows no bounds when it is moral. When it is physically trained and empowered by creating fulfilling material conditions of morality and goodness. It is only then that one can grow in mindfulness, in concentration, and in wisdom.

Though a moral life is the most natural state of being, sometimes our own habits create resistance and keep us from a fulfilling life. Leaving things behind that we regret. Yesterday, I lost my mind and was rude with someone, I didn’t like the way I behaved. My moral eye didn’t like it. At this point let me explain what I mean by morality, apart from the five precepts, morality means tolerance, love and generosity. Detachment has a lot to do with morality. Ease has a lot to do with morality. In simpler view, when you lose your ease, you are being immoral. Refined meditators very clearly see the link between the baser occupations of greed, lust, ill-will resulting in losing of peace, of ease. So very clearly, I will trade something very precious and hard-earned if I lose the moral path. And morality will exercise the very organs that assist meditation, and eventually enlightenment. I might be millions of aeons from the final goal right now, and this life is like a drop in the ocean, but I need to make it there drop by drop.

One of the surprising discoveries of a meditative life was the significance of a moral life in it. I did live an uneventful and a moral life earlier too, but the effect wasn’t catalysed until meditation brought a lot of self-worth to it. Awareness and mindfulness of each event, wholesomeness of each thought suddenly seemed to acquire premier significance, enabling strength.

Another thing I wanted to express was 'allowing change to happen'. This is something that needs to be done deliberately. I started meditation little knowing what it will turn me into. I was surprised by changes that happened … I suddenly seemed to be following the cult of the noble ones The attitudes start coming, in poise and demeanor. The best thing is to approach meditation with an open mind, to allow change to happen. I seemed to be ‘sacrificing’ a lot of time, I allow this change to happen. (A lot of crap came up as I meditated -- aches and pains, my body resisted, mind resisted, habits resisted and I had to deal with it, meditation after all is not pleasing!)

I was overtaken by passion for meditation, I allow this change to happen. I started making strenuous effort, I allow this to happen. I grew detached, again I balance things in the material world to the extent I could, and allow even this to happen.
Allow the change to come, bend, bow and love the change that comes, for most of us it will be a great discomfort to let these changes come in, but let go …



Five precepts: http://www.thebigview.com/buddhism/precepts.html

Sunshine

Have just returned from a trip/walk in the hills. Started from the river bed and reached somewhere up there, loose gravel, alone, apart from the chap who lead me there. Have been doing yoga since the last few days. Somehow getting anchored, discovering what I want to do, or in fact, getting strength to 'not do' things I never meant to be doing. At job, home, routine. Needed a break to start afresh, to let in sunshine.