Ganesh: Remover of Obstacles

Posted on June 29, 2015 by admin

This past Friday I had the fortunate opportunity to hear visiting yogi James Boag entertain and enlighten a small group of us at our local Lulu Bandha’s yoga center with stories with about the birth of Ganesha, first child of Shiva and Parvati. And, as James is a cosmic guy, the stories fit right into our on-going theme of working with obstacles and discovering skillful means of transforming their energies. In the Indian tradition, Ganesh is the ultimate remover of obstacles.

There are several variations on the story of Ganesha’s birth. Click here for a short one. James’ version was much more detailed and nuanced, and included Shiva’s ace warrior, Vira Bhadra, well celebrated by the asana crowd. In James’ version, Vira Bhadra is the one who lops of Ganesha’s head, not Shiva. Ganesha had easily defeated all the other warriors Shiva sent to bring back Parvati. But Vira Bhadra, no ordinary warrior, has the power of 360 vision, symbolizing the wisdom of experience and maturity. Ganesh, being youthful, never sees him coming, as he has locked into a single idea (his mother must not be disturbed), and gets stuck there. This is the immaturity of youth, which costs him his head! When Ganesh gains a new head, that of an elephant, it symbolizes a new maturity, and Ganesh has become one of the most popular of all the Indian deities

As in all Indian mythology, the Ganesha story and his imagery is loaded with layers of meaning. Here are some of the aspects of Ganesha relevant to us and represented in his iconography.

1. His broad crown is an invitation to think big. (Do not settle for less than ‘Moksha’ or Enlightenment. Go ‘all in’ on the awakening process.)

2.The tiny eyes speak of the importance of concentration and attention to detail for success in any foray. Clarity, alertness and discrimination are key skills in the world of form. The Universe sometimes speaks in subtleties, and every layer of reality is alive with hints and clues to deepening the awakening process. And remember, the hints may not necessarily be pleasant or easy to accept either.

3. The huge elephant ears and small mouth suggest listening more and talking less. Listening at all levels, gaining sensitivity in all sensory modalities, and the extra-sensory ones as well, takes practice (sadhana). Continually dropping our own beliefs and thoughts to rest in emptiness, and not believing the inner dialogue of the small self are forms of vairagya.

4. Ganesha has only one tusk, with the other broken off. This symbolizes the importance of holding on only to the good and discarding the bad. Abhyasa and vairgyam appear again.

5. The trunk of Ganesha symbolizes the importance of being efficient and adaptable in order to be successful in one’s ventures. The curvature is also said to represent the rising of the kundalini powers. We have a limited amount of energy available to us in this life. Use it efficiently, wisely, carefully. The kundalini will take care of itself. It is natural and spontaneous with cosmic alignment.

6. His large belly points to the necessity of digesting all that life has to offer—the good, the bad, and the ugly. To conquer all obstacles we must accept all obstacles. If we see them as teachers, or as spiritual nourishment (eat your spinach!), we can live fully and freely. It is all ‘us’ anyway. Purnamadah, purnamidam!

7. The abhaya mudra (gesture of fearlessness) of his lower right hand symbolizes Ganesh’s blessings and protection on a person’s journey through life, especially the spiritual one. There is always help available if you ask. Ganesh is an aspect of your own higher self, as are all the deitiies, devas and demons, so don’t be shy about asking.

8. In His upper right hand, Ganesh usually holds an axe, with which He is said to cut off all attachments. Anything that prevents you from recognizing your own innate freedom is an attachment. We do not need them. And once you cut them off, they do not necessarily go away immediately. They may hang around, but at least they are no longer stuck to you.

9. He pulls the devotee nearer to the spiritual path by the rope that He carries in His upper left hand. In the beginning we need to be led along, as it is easy to get lost in the world of greed and self-delusion. Teachings, teachers, and the sangha all help herd us along the path.

10. In his lower left hand he holds the rewards he offers for practices (sadhana) done, a sweet confection known as modak, usually made from rice flour and a stuffing of jaggery, coconut and more. The world of form is divine. Pravati, mother of Ganesh, is the goddess of mothering and nurturing, and mothers want their children to eat well. Parvati, along with Saraswati, goddess of knowledge and learning, and Lakhshmi, goddess of wealth and prosperity, make up the trinity of Indian goddesses. This carving from the Ellora Caves near Aurangabad, India, depicts the marriage of Shiva and Parvati.

11. The bowls and baskets of offerings at Ganesh’s feet are there to symbolize that the entire world, and all its choicest pleasures, are out there for the taking. Practice is not self-abnegation. It is celebration of wholeness and fullness, with, discrimination, wisdom and compassion.

12. Ganesh’s tiny pet and vehicle, Mushika, his mouse, is usually bowing down close by, indicating that though a little desire is good, it is essential for one to master it. You have to ride your desires and not vice versa. How can a huge elephant ride on a tiny mouse? Or be pulled in a chariot by him? Ganesh is very light, in spite of his size and strength. And mushika is pretty strong as well. And Mushika, because he is tiny, can carry Ganesha’s grace into every nook and cranny of creation.

This week you can invoke your own inner “Ganesh” and see what happens.

The Yin and Yang of Spiritual Practice

Posted on June 23, 2015 by admin

Last week we looked at the obstacles that crop up for the more experienced students Patanjali addresses in the Samaadhi Paada, the first of the four chapters that cover the study of yoga. For those of us here, the awakening is proceeding along, but as we quickly realize, awakening is the beginning of yoga, not the end goal. Years of karma and negative psychological and emotional habits do not just disappear, but, with proper understanding and continued practice, they can become food for spiritual growth. Add in the societal and planetary karmic challenges we also face and there is nourishment for all of us for many incarnations to come.

So, how do we develop proper understanding and practice? Patanjali jumps in with both feet to help us right at the beginning of the Samadhi Pada. In sutra I-12, abhyaasa-vairaagyaabhyaam tan-niroddhah ,he introduces the ‘yin and yang of spiritual practice, abhyaasa and vairagyam, as the primary upayas (skillful means) to attenuate these habits and stabilize the samadhi state. “The negative vrittis (described in the previous sutras) are resolved through practice and dispassion.”

Abhyaasa describes how to invest your your embodied energy, be it physical, psychological, emotional, relational, or spiritual (which essentially covers all of these.) Patanjali’s advice; invest your energy in stabilizing your spiritual health. I-13: tatra sthitau yatno’bhyaasah. The Sanskrit root ‘stha’ shows up every where in the spiritual teaching of India and indicates stability, steadiness and stillness. Sthira sukham asanam, II-46, is well known to hatha yogis. In chapter 2 of the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna describes ‘sthita prajna, stable wisdom, as the goal of life to Arjuna. (See also PYS: I-35, II-18, II-39, III-31).

Modern neuroscience also has a deep appreciation for the need to stabilize emotionally healthy mind states, and how growth and development requires the capacity to stabilize new learning in the process of integration. (See all writings by Dan Siegel, Rick Hanson etc). From Hebb’s Axiom we know that continuous attention brings stability. “Neurons that fire together, wire together.” In sutras I-33 – I-39, Patanjali gives us our meditation practice many possible neuronal pathways to ‘attend to’ and stabilize the healthy states. An ‘awakened’, i.e., ‘heart centered’ hatha yoga practice is another powerful way to build a healthy form of spiritual stability. As we will see a bit later, our choices off the mat also offer the opportunity to practice ‘abhyaasa’.

Because what we pay attention to over and over ‘sticks’ in the mind field, for better or worse, Patanjali also includes vairagyam, dispassion, with abhyaasa. Here, dispassion means the recognizing of the unhealthy psychological, emotional and spiritual patterns that we are habituated to, and consciously choosing, through mindful awareness, to stop ‘feeding’ those patterns with energy. If we use a river as a metaphor for the flow of energy through the mind field, vairagyam is the intelligence, the buddhi, building dams, barriers or gates to direct the flow of mental energy away from the fields of suffering, while abhyasa creates new channels to send that energy to places that are healing, nurturing and stimulating to growth and further awakening. This takes a lot of ‘self study’ as we have to learn to discriminate between healthy (flowing through our heart) and unhealthy (flowing through our egoic or self centered beliefs) habits and actions. Sometimes, especially on the subtle levels and when it comes to our relationships with family and friends, this is not at all clear .

Therefore, in addition to our personal practice, our relational, cultural and societal choices are also included cultivating stability and dispassion. After a long day at work, we could choose to go to a bar, or a yoga class. We can work to find a collection of friends and mentors that support and nurture our spiritual aspirations. Every time we meet and are relating another human being, a social group, or any living being, we have the chance to practice mindful awareness and choose, as best possible, to channel our energies through the heart field and not our whiny, self defensive egoic structures. Moment to moment, say yes to this, no to that. In this way habits change through conscious choice and the awakening stabilizes creatively and dynamically.

Krishnamurti on ‘Understanding’

Posted on February 26, 2015 by admin

Spiritual teachers have the delightful challenge of trying to articulate the ‘(already I’m in trouble here!) inarticulable. There is general agreement on the two points of view available to the human consciousness, although the words used to point to these two vary. For the overwhelming majority of humanity, the dominant, and perhaps only point of view is that of limitation and impermanence. This is the world of forms. All forms are inherently limited and impermanent, whether we are referring to a thought or a galaxy. In this ‘world’, our self sense is composed of pieces: ideas, beliefs, memories, likes and dislikes. There is never stability or peace of mind for me as everything that is ‘me’ is constantly shifting. We can struggle and fight to hold on to something, trying to keep this ‘self’ intact. We build grand edifices out of beliefs and philosophies, we align ourselves with religions, political parties or cults, trying to find our ‘self’. But in the end, these edifices are castles of sand. Finding our ‘self’ here a hopeless proposition, but one we cling to lifetime after lifetime.

On the other hand, it is possible to ‘see’ the world from the eyes of wholeness, where absolute silence and stillness echo through eternity as all forms arise and dissolve in their own time. This is the Absolute, Buddha Nature, Brahman. Here, the “I am” rests in its own wholeness, with no separation, no division, no other. “Tada drashtuh svarupe avasthanam” says Patanjali. There is no struggle to become, or to self-improve. The Self is already whole and complete. This does not mean that life, in the world of form is without challenges and struggles. To embody this teaching in the world of form with death and disease, is difficult. But we do not have to make the innate difficulties ‘personal’. They are not about ‘me’. They are just as aspect of being alive, in this body, on this planet, in this moment. We feel, we act, we learn, and we keep moving along. Or more accurately, life just keeps flowing through us, as the forms come and go.

In the following quote from “The World Within” , reprinted from the current edition of the Krishnamurti Foundation of America newsletter, Krishnamurti uses “Understanding’ to point to the realization of “Unbounded Wholeness” and describes the human struggle to ‘recognize’ this.

“Understanding is not to be gained eventually, in the distant end. That which is not understood continues, and that which is understood ceases to be. Understanding is not accumulative; there is no experiencer who understands. What is incomplete remains as a memory, giving continuance to identity, to the ‘me’ and the ‘mine’. That which is understood and completed ceases to be, as it does not leave traces, memory. Understanding can exist only where there is freedom, not where there is bondage, not when the mind is crowded with memory. The end, the goal makes for and strengthens memory, and memory or accumulated experience does not bring about understanding. Accumulation creates a self-enclosing centre, separative, exclusive, and what is enclosed is never free, and so the experiencer can never understand. The experiencer is ever experiencing, and so the experiencer is ever incomplete. He can never understand, for understanding lies in freedom.

How can there be surety, certainty in freedom? That which is free, immeasurable, is beyond all comparison; it is beyond and above all opposites. He who is uncertain craves for certainty, but is not all existence uncertain, insecure? Death, disease, old age is upon us, which creates impermanency; yet we seek certainty in the impermanent. In death, in decay, in the transient we seek surety. How blind we are!

“But we must surely live in this world. Who will give us our daily bread?”

In seeking the Real, bread will be supplied; but if we seek only bread, then even that will be destroyed. Bread is not the ultimate value; when we make it into the ultimate, there is disaster, there is murder, there is starvation.

Through the transient seek the eternal. There is no path to it, for it is ever-present.”