Gita blog, 3

Regarding our discussion on the Bhagavad Gita, chapters 7-12:

These six chapters are most strongly associated with Bhakti Yoga—the yoga of devotion. We began our conversation with a discussion on of ‘jnana’ and ‘vijnana’ found within chapter 7, verse 2 when Krishna tells Arjuna, “I will give you both jnana and vijnana. When both these are realized, there is nothing more you need to know.” There is a profound distinction between these two words: ‘jnana’ means knowledge of the divine while ‘vijnana’ refers to the living knowledge of the divine, or, the ability to know the divine through everyday actions which requires utter dedication to yoga and meditation. I read Gandhi’s statement about the Gita wherein he claims that the scripture “calls on humanity to dedicate mind, body, and soul to purity.” We discussed jnana and vijnana in light of this call toward purity, which we can understand to be synonymous with the call to yoga and meditation. Of course, this necessitated a conversation still of how. Different views of meditation were offered and while each bore unique aspects, they all shared the intention of distilling our mind to the true essence of Self—Purusha. Once again we discussed the gunas (sattva, rajas, and tamas), our sensory-driven society and the challenges to identify and understand the difference between the real and unreal (Prakriti and Purusha, if you will); “The states of sattva, rajas, and tamas come from me, but I am not in them. These three gunas deceive the world: people fail to look beyond them to me, supreme and imperishable. The three gunas make up my divine maya, difficult to overcome. But they cross over this maya who take refuge in me” (7.12-15).

Chapter 7 brings forth a new term: maya. Inextricably linked to the gunas, maya is as simple as it is complex. Maya is understood to be a veil between one’s Self and the truth: the thicker the veil, the further away one is from God. Put another way, the thicker the veil, the nearer one is to evil; “Others who are deluded by maya; performing evil deeds, they have no devotion to me” (7.15). There is a story of Narada, an ancient Indian sage, and God, in the form of Vishnu, that profoundly illustrates maya. After years of dedicated meditation, Narada came to know God as Vishnu and one day Vishnu appeared to him and asked him if he could grant Narada any form of assistance. Narada replied that he wanted help understanding how mankind can get so caught up in maya; how can people be so foolish, he wondered? To which Vishnu replied, “Let’s take a walk.” On their walk, they came to a desert and both of them became exceptionally thirsty. In the distance, they saw smoke and thinking there was a village Vishnu asked Narada to go to the village and bring back some water. Narada happily complied.

Narada traveled over the dry sand until he reached the village and knocked upon the first home’s door that he saw. A beautiful young woman answered. Within seconds, he seemed to have forgotten everything else and he stayed in the village to marry the young woman and they began a family. After twelve years, his wife had their third son. While this youngest son was still a baby a flood tore through the village and all the homes were destroyed. Thankfully, Narada, his wife and their three sons escaped and waded through the powerful knee-high water; Narada held one son by each hand and had the baby over his shoulder while his wife struggled by his side. Suddenly, Narada slipped on a stone and the baby slipped from his shoulder into the water. In a flash he had released his son’s hands to save the baby but the powerful current swept the baby, and then the two older boys, away. Narada’s wife was overcome with grief; her knees buckled, and she too was taken by the water. In mere moments, Narada lost everything and he too collapsed with grief and surrendered his life to the water.

A long while later, Narada regained consciousness and when he remembered all he loved and lost, he wept. “Narada!” a voice called and he looked up to see Vishnu. “Narada, what happened?” asked Vishnu. “A half hour ago I sent you for water, and now I find you sleeping in the sand!” Such is the power of maya: time passes and whether it’s been hours or thousands of years, once one awakens it’s as if no time has passed at all.

These chapters also foster a discussion of dharma—one’s fulfillment of self-expression and self-realization—karma, and rebirth; “Those who remember me at the time of death will come to me. Do not doubt this. Whatever occupies the mind at the time of death determines the destination of the dying; always they will tend toward that state of being. Therefore, remember me at all times and fight on. With your heart and mind intent on me, you will surely come to me. When you make your mind one-pointed through regular practice of meditation, you will find the supreme glory of the Lord” (8.5-8). We connected this to our discussion of the challenges (gunas, service to our senses, and maya) and illuminated the path toward this one-pointed focus as the eight limbs of yoga (yama, niyama, asana, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhynana, and samadhi).

In the following few chapters, Krishna explains to Arjuna that he resides in everything and that when one understands Krishna’s presence in all then that one is enlightened; “To those steadfast in love and devotion I give spiritual wisdom, so that they may come to me. Out of compassion I destroy the darkness of their ignorance. From within them I light the lamp of wisdom and dispel all darkness from their lives” (10.10-11). To illustrate his omnipresence, Krishna states, “I am the silence of the unknown and the wisdom of the wise” (10.38).

Brining this back to Arjuna’s battle—both literal and figurative—Krishna explains that Arjuna should not fear taking another’s life because, “I have already slain all these warriors; you will only be my instrument” (11.33). And so we come to an ever-unfolding answer of which path of yoga is “right” (Karma, Jnana, or Bhakti), and we find this exchange in chapter 12 when Arjuna asks Krishna, “’Of those steadfast devotees who love you and those who seek you as the eternal formless Reality, who are the more established in yoga?’ Krishna responds, ‘Those who set their hearts on me and worship me with unfailing devotion and faith are more established in yoga’” (12.2).

This third section of 6 chapters concludes with a beautiful declaration of the power of equanimity; Krishna states, “That devotee who looks upon friend and foe with equal regard, who is not buoyed up by praise nor cast down by blame, alike in heat and cold, pleasure and pain, free from selfish attachments, the same in honor and dishonor, quiet, ever full, in harmony everywhere, firm in faith—such a one is dear to me” (12.18-19).

I hope to see you this Saturday, December 19th, for our discussion on the remaining chapters (13-18) in the Bhagavad Gita. In closing and justifiable for no other reason than its beauty: “If a thousand suns were to rise in the heavens at the same time, the blaze of their light would resemble the splendor of that supreme spirit” (11.12).

Namaste,

Autumn

December's Pose of the Month: Urdhva Hastasana

Press your feet into the ground, draw up through your legs and spine and extend your arms up while drawing your shoulderblades down. Externally rotate your arms to free up your neck. Engage your external obliques to draw your floating ribs in - this helps counter the tendancy to turn this pose into a backbend. Look at your thumbs without collapsing your neck. Breathe evenly into the front and back of your lungs. Urdhva Hastasana means upward hands pose.

Instructor Q and A with Steph Revering

So, tell me Steph...

How did a farm boy from North Dakota end up practicing and teaching yoga?
First, I had to leave North Dakota. Then, years later, a friend suggested I may take some benefit from practicing Yoga. I tried it, loved it, and the rest, as they say, is history. By the way, I never lived on a farm. I was the ND version of an urbanite. Ha!

Ashtanga Vinyasa. Why does this style of yoga resonate with you more than others?
Ashtanga Vinyasa is a genuine, tried-and-true method. It asks for everything you've got, then it requires a little more. I don't mean just physically, either. As a path of transformation, it is very thorough. The practice unfolds over a lifetime. If you dedicate yourself to the Ashtanga method it will rock your world. Dabbling in it will not yield lasting benefits. It is not an instant gratification path. It is not for people who do not want to overcome the slimy-toothy-scary things that lurk in the darkest corners of their being. It is not for lazy people. It is for people who want to become the human they were meant to be. No small task, for sure.

How has your practice evolved over time?
It's gotten more challenging and rewarding.

What do you do when you're not "yoga-ing"?
I'm a Ninja Assassin and Flamenco Singer . . . not really. I make paintings and read books. I enjoy traveling. Myriad other things. Sleeping.

Favorite pose?
Sirsasana.

I've noticed you have a fondness for coffee and Yoda. What else are you fond of?
Non-talking.