Looking at the beautiful sky this morning… I find these words, the perfect food for my soul right now…. Keep Calm “By cultivating attitudes of friendliness toward those who are contented, compassion toward those who are suffering, delight in the holy (pure), and disregard toward the unholy (impure), the mind retains its undisturbed calmness.\” — Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Samadhi Pada, Sutra 33.
This sutra alone is a great mediation. Succeed here and you’ll find yourself a lot more at peace. Unfortunately, the mind of most people is not calm. This has to do with our judgement of others and our attachments to ideas. Non judgement and non-attachment are pathway to a calm mind.
Do you judge those people and things you think are unholy or impure? Perhaps you call them bad or evil. Do you judge corporations? Do you judge vegans? Do you judge environmentalists? The list is endless.
Yoga asks us to cultivate detachment. This allows a person to simply witness others. From this place of non-judgement and non-attachment to ideas, compassion flows easily toward everyone we don’t like. From this place, we more easily surrender to the Divine flow while having faith and trust that we are being carried forward safely on the current of the life.
Being the witness and surrendering does not mean passivity. This is a common misunderstanding. Rather, it means surrendering the ego. This allows a person to see clearly and act in alignment with Divine will. This is known as dharma. Living a dharmic life leads to calm and well-being. It also supports healing. But to succeed here takes conscious awareness and willingness to step out of our own way. It takes humility and an open heart.
May we be at peace with those who are similar to us. May we have acceptance of those who are different. May we have compassion for those who are suffering. Om Shanti (In peace).
