I have a very short fuse for perceived injustices.
It’s part of the reason I teach Raja Yoga, or mind control. It levels the field. There are no winners, no losers, no sheep, no wolves, no givers, no takers – just:
“Two oppositionally-charged, and thus perpetually-interacting, states of matter realized by consciousness.”
That crude description of Raja Yoga’s paradigm plays out in every microcosm of our universe: within our selves, our schools, businesses, communities, countries – in every subset of our universe, because it’s the very nature OF our universe!
Think oil and vinegar: divine when perfectly balanced yet no pour is exactly 50/50!
In my case, handsome devil that I am, I’m obviously not perfectly balanced!
- Physically, my left ankle is much weaker than my right because I’ve broken the left one three times – and my right shoulder has a bit of a constant ache and less range of motion due to a self-inflicted motorcycle accident a few years back.
- Mentally, my sub-conscious mind seems to be dragging around a lot more unpleasant memories than pleasant ones (thus I sub-consciously frown a lot) – many triggering a particular desire or determination to “settle things” – having felt aggrieved at a point or two along my journey.
We are ALL human. We ALL carry around a circus in our head of which we’re the ringleader. Some just do a better job at keeping the clowns and tigers in line!
I embarrassed myself pretty well this past week by following my heart instead of my head. Striking a balance between those two is my journey.
I made a public appeal on behalf of someone I perceived to be in distress – or, as my teacher pointed out this morning – I dawned my cape and did my thing! For ENTIRELY selfish reasons! Something in my sub-conscious mind drives me to “right the wrongs” I perceive around me.
On one hand, Raja Yoga gives me the strength and power to do it, but I need to remember that’s NOT the point. The point is to relieve OTHER people’s suffering! Raja Yoga addresses our human plight from a universal perspective. Its code of conduct, and physical and mental exercises are intended to reduce EVERYONE’S suffering. The very first “rule” of Raja Yoga is nonviolence!
I spoke with a nine year old boy last night who’s looking for a way to relieve his “anxiety”. I didn’t even know what the word meant when I was nine, though in hindsight, I was CLEARLY an anxious (and in my case, angry) kid.
Raja Yoga is about finding our own INDIVIDUAL sense of purpose and balance. Clearly, I’m still working on finding mine!
My new 9 year old friend – who was being taught how to meditate in school – says that we should each try to find our “center”. He didn’t realize it, but he was referring to the source of our awareness: our consciousness. The poor thing was stressed out because he couldn’t find his!
Ironically, we’re born unaware of this non-dimensional aspect of our own self – the aspect without which we wouldn’t realize we’re alive!
As one of my teachers says, “Consciousness infills everything, pervades everywhere, and impels all.” The trick to living a truly balanced life is recognizing the difference between our functioning mind and our immutable consciousness.
Tapping into consciousness by meditating isn’t easy – but it beats the hell out of suffering. I can take you to the trailhead of your own journey – but as in my own case, the actual work is up to each of us individually.
God bless us everyone, Allan
