We look at the world around us and see so much chaos, so much suffering, so much fighting. We see power struggles and the endless need for vengeance. It doesn't stop because everyone feels justified to protect their own. That is why yoga is very important, because yoga teaches us to redefine what "own" is, who "we" are, what "territory" we are protecting.
The state of yoga is a state of wildness. It is a state of recognizing no "other", because all "others" are me, regardless of sex, race, religion, regardless of merits done or mistakes committed. There are no "sides" to take in yoga. Contrary to popular assumption, to be wild is not to be chaotic and exploitative. If we truly observe nature in its wildness, to be wild is to peacefully co-exist, to live amongst our differences as one unit. A wild yogi is someone so connected to their true nature that no laws or politics or ideologies can take away that deeply-ingrained inclination for peace. It is easy for us to point fingers and make commentaries about what others- people and nations- should do. This is what normal people already do. What wild yogis do is to look at our own lives and see where we may unknowingly contribute to the violence that we see. If we say we do not approve of senseless killing, do our actions match our declared beliefs? If we still eat animals, we ourselves are part of the cycle of killing. If we say vengeance is pointless, have we ourselves forgiven those who have hurt us? If we are still holding on to resentment, we still think and act from a place of hurt wanting to hurt others. If we say discrimination is wrong, do we ourselves afford others their rights regardless of how different they are from us? Or do we pick and choose who we value, do we categorize and label and stereotype and box in other beings? To be wild is to break free from the restraints of racism, nationalism, sexism, speciesism. To be wild is to see the other as I am. To be wild is to live in peace. To be wild is to be aligned in thought, word, and action for the happiness and freedom of all beings.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Archives
March 2020
|