"Constant, quiet, calm practice means regular periodical practice continued for sufficient time to be effective. The results of this practice are cumulative. Little appears at the beginning, but much later on. The time given at any one sitting need not be great, for the quality of the work is more important than the quantity. Little and frequently is better than much and rarely. The sittings may be once or twice a day, or even three times if they are short. Once, done well, will bring about rapid progress; three times, done indifferently, will not. Sometimes the people who have the most time to spare succeed the least, because they feel that they have plenty of time and therefore they are not compelled to do their very best immediately; but the man who has only a short; time available for his practice feels the need of doing it to perfection."
In 1908, Ernest Wood left England for India - a lengthy, arduous trip at that time - where lived for the next four decades studying with various masters. In one of his writings he promotes the "less is more" approach to meditation saying quality is far more important than quantity of time spend in meditation -
"Constant, quiet, calm practice means regular periodical practice continued for sufficient time to be effective. The results of this practice are cumulative. Little appears at the beginning, but much later on. The time given at any one sitting need not be great, for the quality of the work is more important than the quantity. Little and frequently is better than much and rarely. The sittings may be once or twice a day, or even three times if they are short. Once, done well, will bring about rapid progress; three times, done indifferently, will not. Sometimes the people who have the most time to spare succeed the least, because they feel that they have plenty of time and therefore they are not compelled to do their very best immediately; but the man who has only a short; time available for his practice feels the need of doing it to perfection." There is no real success without goodness, and there is no greatness without goodness. These are not pious sentiments, but material and psychological facts, simply because the alternative to goodness is selfishness - a form of shrinking from life. - Ernest Wood
Yoga is a systematic program whose sole purpose is spiritual, whether you call it enlightenment, Self-realization, or other similar terms. The purpose for working with the physical body is so that the body is not an obstacle in practices such as Yoga meditation, contemplation, and prayer. Obstacles to these spiritual practices are naturally minimized or completely removed in the process of following Yoga.
This is from Spiritual teacher Swami Ji (www.swamiji.com) War presents itself as necessary for self-protection, when in fact it is necessary for self-identification.
- James Carse During a civil war in Japan, militias often invaded little villages. In one village everyone heard solders were coming and fled. When the militia arrived the village was vacant . . . except for one person, a zen master who remained to take care of the temple. The general of the army went to the temple to see who this lone inhabitant. When he arrived the master didn’t bow or grovel. He didn’t even speak to the general at all. Feeling disrespected, the general became angry. He drew his sword and shouted, “You fool. Don’t you realize I could run you through without blinking an eye?” The Zen calmly replied, “Do you realize I could be run through without blinking an eye?” Surprised and awed by the master, the general simply left. This encounter, which is a popular teaching in the Zen tradition, is about equanimity or balance in the presence of various life issues. Using the prospect of one’s death, which is for many the greatest life fear, the story teaches that one can face anything – including death – in a balanced way. There is no need to react, cringe in fear, or panic. Equanimity is something which ought to be brought into all events which come our way. In times of pain and pleasure, in times of sorrow and happiness, we can train ourselves not be carried away by our emotions remembering to remain in a balanced state. For example, when we learn someone has gossiped about us we do not react by gossiping back nor feeling broken by what was said. When we are treated with contempt and rudeness, we do not lash out with anger. Or, when someone we love has been diagnosed with a life threatening illness, we do not collapse in dread. We choose to remain balanced, calm, even serene. Swami Sivananda emphasized this when he wrote: One needs physical, mental and inner spiritual strength sat all times. One requires this inner strength especially during the time of disturbance, agitation and confusion Spiritual wisdom needs constant care and attention otherwise it quickly turns into dogma and doctrine. - Victor M. Parachin
QUEEN OF BELGIUM LEARNS HEADSTAND AT AGE 86 . . . AND OTHER THOUGHTS ABOUT AGING FROM BKS IYENGAR1/23/2018
As Iyengar's yoga teaching began to gain popularity in Europe, Queen Elisabeth of Belgium asked to meet him. Impressed by the yogi, Queen Elisabeth said she wanted him to teach her how to do a headstand. She was 86 at the time. Iyengar taught her sirsasana (headstand) citing her as an example that yoga can be taken up as a practice at any age. "The Queen of Belgium started doing headstand at the age of 86. Nothing happened to her," he writes in his book The Tree of Yoga. Here is other wisdom about aging from BKS Iyengar -
1. One is never too old to do yoga. "If it were, then I should have stopped my practice long ago," he said. 2. Yoga is especially important as one ages. "The body does decay...By performing asanas we allow the blood to nourish the extremities and depths of the body, so that the cells remain healthy. But if you say, 'No, I am old,' naturally the blood circulation recedes." 3. The risk of yoga injury and aging is minimal. "Much has been said by certain people about the dangers of yoga and the risk of injury. But if you walk in the street carelessly, you can have an accident. So do you advise people not to walk? People die when they are bed. So is it dangerous to sleep on a bed?" The key to injury free yoga is to be careful and mindful. The Queen of Belgium was so pleased with her yoga instruction about headstand that she later presented Iyengar with a bust of his head which she herself sculpted. Then, when Queen Elisabeth suffered a stroke in 1965 she asked Iyengar to visit and help her regain some control over her body. Recite this mantra to live fully in the present moment:
I won’t rehearse tragedies and I won’t borrow trouble. - Victor M. Parachin This month is the 155th birth date of Swami Vivekananda who first brought Yoga to the west in 1893. My biography of him (pictured above) was published on the occasion of his 150th birthday in 2012. Here are four quotes of wisdom from this remarkable human: 1. Animals must be respected and honored. It is diabolical to say that all animals are created for men to be killed and used in any way man likes. It is the devil's gospel, not God's. 2. American women are the "most advanced" in the world. Swami Vivekandanda was hosted for nearly three years by patrons in America. Here's what he said about this kindness: Many of the handsomest houses in this city are open to . All the time I am living as a guest of somebody or other. There is curiosity in this nation, such as you meet with nowehere else. They want to know everything and their women - thay are the most advanced in the world. 3. On Karma. What we are now is the result of our past practice. Again, practice makes us what we shall be. So practice the other way; one sort of turn round has brought us this way, turn the other way and get out of it as soon as you can. 4. On reverence for the Buddha. I wish I had one infinitesimal part of Buddha's heart. Buddha may or may not have believed in God; that does not matter to me. He reached the same state of perfection to which others come by love of God. (Feel free to repost or link to your social media) Though Buddhism is non-theistic, meaning Buddhists don't believe in God(s), the Buddha is highly venerated almost appearing as a God-like figure. Here are five reasons why he is so highly regarded and why images of him are found all over the world. 1. He said he was a human being, not a God, and the path he discovered could be found by any of us. 2. His life and accomplishments are living proof that enlightenment is possible for any one. 3. He reveals that it is possible to know and tap into our own inner 'Buddha nature' . 4. Perfection of our Buddha nature is the true purpose of our life and this can be done just as he did it. 5. The Buddha is an archetype, mentor or role model for those who seek spiritual evolution and growth. For these reasons (and many more) Buddha statues are found in temples, monasteries and homes world wide. Reflecting on the Buddha's life and example provides us with motivation and enthusiasm to walk the same path. |
Victor M. Parachin ...is aVedic educator, yoga instructor, Buddhist meditation teacher and author of a dozen books. Buy his books at amazon or your local bookstore. Archives
April 2024
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