Quote to Remember
The following quote is something that I need to be reminded of regularly (as I am "in my head" too much) and applies not only to yoga, but to anyone who seeks God or walks the spiritual path.
"The young, the old, the extremely aged, even the sick and the infirm obtain perfection in Yoga by constant practice (Yoga=union with God, not just physical postures). Success will follow him who practices, not him who practices not. Success in Yoga is not obtained by the mere theoretical reading of sacred texts. Success is not obtained by wearing the dress of a yogi or a sanyasi (a recluse), nor by talking about it. Constant practice alone is the secret of success. "
(Hatha Yoga Pradipika, chapter 1, verses 64-6)
While typing this out, I wondered what the text would look like with a more universal application and came up with this:
"The young, the old, the extremely aged, even the sick and the infirm find union and connection with God through practice and action. Only the one who acts in accordance with one's beliefs finds this union and truly knows God. We do not find this union simply by talking or by reading our sacred book(s). It is not obtained by saying the right things or by charading. Only the one who "lives it" has truly found what she/he is seeking."
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2 comments:
...and yet, even as I reread this post, I am aware that practice does not equal STRIVING. We cannot approach this "search for Union with God" in the same way we approach our education or job promotion. I'm reminded that even "practice" is not so much about addition (doing more and striving harder), but rather subtraction (noticing God in the simple and mundane or stripping things away).
For we are not, in fact, "searching" for anything. It is already right here, right now. We just have to be Buddhas and WAKE UP.
"For we are not, in fact, "searching" for anything. It is already right here, right now. We just have to be Buddhas and WAKE UP."
This is so hard for most to accept because of our culture and what we've been taught that says, "take the long, laborious, painful, sorrow-filled way because the instant, simple, joy-filled approach can't be true."
I like what you say about practice and subtracting ourselves away instead of adding our ego-trip.
The recipe is complete, the cake has already been assembled…no need to put the mix back into the box….just enjoy the cake!
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