The Way of Love

Meditation in essence is a Path of Love, whatever terrain we are following, whatever map we are working with.

In today's world, astoundingly, almost all meditators are "just regular people," living their lives, and exploring meditation as part of their day, as a refuge, time of healing, and method of becoming more relaxed and centered in action.

We are all still mapping out this path, that we can call The Way of Intimacy, because it is very different to get up in the morning, walk the dogs, feed the kids, see them off to school, go to work, and so on – compared to waking up in a monastic cell and just following the monastic routine that is unchanged for centuries.

Previously, for thousands of years, "regular people who live in the world," were not much heard of in terms of meditation, the voices that have carried over the centuries are primarily those of specialists, almost exclusively males who separated themselves from the ordinary pursuits of relationships and business and having a home, and just gave their all to cultivating the techniques of meditation. I used to have thousands of books on meditation, from all manner of traditions around the world, and none of them contained anything resembling, "This morning I got up, grabbed half an hour of ecstatic meditation, then nursed the baby, make breakfast for the other kids, got back into bed to snuggle with my husband or lover, then went to work at my to-do list." 

In its origins, the meditation tradition is based on the notion that there are four general currents of desire propelling human life: Love, freedom, satisfying work, and honor. In Sanksrit Kama Moksha Artha and Dharma. The purpose of yoga (in the past, yoga=meditation) is to enable an individual to fulfill these desires to the best of their ability. Yoga, or meditation, is a technology to enhance the coordination of all that is best in a person and to help them bring this to meet the needs and opportunities of the outer world.

Even when the methodology of the discipline involves renunciation, detachment, celibacy, and poverty, the overall aim is to free the individual up from everyday concerns so that they can devote themselves totally to God, or Cosmic Consciousness, however they construe the Higher Power and higher purposes of living. 

Even when the path is The Way of the Warrior, it is still love, for warriors fight for the sake of the love of their team, and country, and cause. Above all, warriors train themselves so that war is unnecessary and unthinkable, and so that the rest of the 99% of humanity can just go about their business, and live their lives.

When the path is The Way of the Healer, we can see this is a path of love, certainly, attending to the wounds of body and heart and mind and soul, and encouraging health in all dimensions. 

As you explore, "What is my path, what are the essential characteristics of MY way," keep in mind that you may touch upon many different tones as you explore what works. You may have elements of the Warrior Way that you summon from time to time, when dealing with a difficult conversation, or if you are a mother raising sons and daughters. You may touch upon the Way of the Healer, summoning that inner power, when listening to a friend who is suffering. You may even have an inner nun or monk, a steady presence that inspires and sustains you as you walk this way of human incarnation.

On this Path of Love, which is also a Way of Individuality, there is a lot of wondering to do. Even though we know ourselves only to a limited extent, we have to guess and explore as best we can, and find what works, by experimentation, trial and error. We have to discover who we are in conversation with life, just as when we are in relationships with friends and lovers, we discover who we are.

Meditation is a conversation with pranashakti, with the Life Force, however we like to name it. There is a give and take, a sense of adventure, and continual surprise on this path

Swami Brahmananda Saraswati

How To Thrive In A Crisis

The new normal seems to be ongoing crises on every level of life, physical and emotional. How do we live, how to we breathe easily, in the midst of climate crisis, continual forest fires, pandemics, and all the craziness? Even previously stable democracies around the world are being tempted to degrade into dictatorships.

The good news is that our bodies evolved to deal with exactly this. How life on Earth started is a great mystery, but one thing we know is that every component of our bodies, from the individual cells, to the organs and tissues, nerves, senses, and our brains are the process of continual adaptation to total change.

Let’s Reinvent the Day

Consider a few small changes to your life, to the way you approach the day.

1. What if you just work 8 to 5, or 9 to 5:30, and never look at or answer emails or messages at any other time? What would happen?

2. What would it be like if you spend two hours a day just walking at an unhurried pace, looking at the world, smelling it, enjoying the contact of the breeze on your skin, the sunshine, the textures of it all?

3. What would it be like if you do not hurry at all, ever, except in the rare emergency?

4. What would the night’s sleep be like if you spend the hour before bed time being in your own sanctuary, with just the golden glow of a soft light, or candlelight, reading poetry or listening to beautiful music?

No matter the structure of your day, we all have things we can do, small changes that make a big difference.
I recommend reading this interview with Brunello Cucinelli, who started a company that makes cashmere clothes. He says, “I am a great supporter of memory. If I remember things, I do not need to go back and check and revise. In this company, you cannot send emails after 5:30 PM, when the company closes for the evening.” When they have meetings, he wants all the staff present to have memorized the relevant numbers, so they can be looking each other in the eye as they talk, and be more present. And no emails can be sent to more than two people, so that you don’t clutter everyone’s inboxes.

https://pi.co/tag/brunello-cucinelli/

What is The Radiance Sutras School of Meditation?

Pranashakti

Bodies, all bodies, are saturated with genius. There is intelligence everywhere. You can conceive of it any way you like – evolution, God’s design shop, spontaneous divinity. At every level, from that of the atoms dancing through your body right now, to your cells, organs, muscles, and senses, there is awe- inspiring order. A body is a small part of the universe that has organized itself so that it can gaze in awe at the beauty of the vastness and dance with it. One aspect of the genius of bodies is that they know how to engage in action, then rest up, repair themselves, recover, recharge, and jump back into action again. We live our whole lives in this cycle. This self-repairing dynamic of life is a mighty power. In Sanskrit there is a beautiful word, pranashakti, for referring to this mighty power.

Prana: Filled, full. The breath of life. Respiration, spirit, vitality. Breath as a sign of strength. Vigor, energy, power—with all one’s strength, with all one’s heart.

Shakti: Power and skill in the use of power. Ability. Strength, might. Energy. Capability. Effectiveness of a remedy or cure. Regal power. Divine Feminine Power. The power of a word. Creative power of imagination.

Pranashakti is not other than your own life. The body you are breathing in right now is always flowing and pulsing with the genius of life in its rhythmic flow of action and rest. Meditation is a celebration of the rhythms of life.

Sutra 51: SVARŪPA

Svarupa

One’s own form or shape. Your own condition, character, nature. Your own peculiar character. Wise, learned. Practice

This verse begins with yatra yatra, “wherever, whithersoever.” Wherever your mind finds satisfaction, there is your meditation practice. Then we see the amazing word svarupa, “your own peculiar nature.” A reading of this verse would be, “Wherever your mind wanders, there you can experience the absolute bliss of your peculiar nature.” If you talk to people about their secret joy, that thing they love so much they live for it, there is an infinite range of peculiar activities. Rejuvenating old cars. Fly-fishing. Bathing naked in mountain streams. Training dogs. Gardening. Painting mandalas. Golf. Surfing. It doesn’t matter what you love. What matters is that you love it and you choose it freely.

Svarupa is the shape of your soul. In all these practices, in everything you do in meditation, follow the shape of your own soul. Practice in a way that feels to you like your favorite hobby or indulgence—that natural way you would putter in the garden if you love gardening, wander around a city if you are a traveler, curry the horse if you are a horse person, play your instrument if you are a musician—and you are just alone, exploring.

Para ananda svarupa is “the transcendental joy of your unique character.” This suggests that you get to the universal through the personal. No matter how wounded, wacky, or wonderful you think you are, celebrate your individuality.

From The Radiance Sutras by Lorin Roche, PhD https://lorinroche.com/the-radiance-sutras

Care of the Self During Times of Pandemic - Video

Guru Viking interviewing Lorin Roche, PhD, on how to stay well during the pandemic.

Lorin Roche and Guru Viking talk about how to work with anxiety, fear, and panic? How to work with isolation? How to work with sickness and death? And how to help others having those experiences?

Fear, sickness, death are perennial human experiences, and so my hope is that these episodes will be of use not only to those who are being affected now in this situation, but also of use to others beyond it.

0:55 - Guidance for those who are afraid or panicked.

14:18 - Guidance for those who are sick

19:48 - Guidance for helping those who are sick or dying

21:21 - Guidance for those who are dying.

27:43 - Guidance for those in isolation.

33:13 - Concluding comments.

For more interviews, videos, and more visit: - www.guruviking.com

Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James

Meditation Tips for Today - July 4th

Sometimes it works to just come as you are. No preparation. Just pause somewhere and tune in. Don't change clothes, just wear your pajamas or old jeans.

Sometimes the doors just open. They call to us. Also be alert to what preparation you might like to do before meditating. Sometimes vacuuming, dusting, puttering, cleaning, is a good ritual before meditating. Water the plants.

Other preparatory activities you might explore

- take a cold shower

- read a poem

- ask your mind to give you a beautiful thought and write it down. Just write one beautiful sentence.

- put on music and dance freely for half an hour, then lie down for 5 minutes, then sit and be in love with life for 5 minutes.

Other approaches:

- call a friend and share with each other what emotions are moving in your body, fear, worry, anger, love, tenderness, exhaustion, whatever is there. Just share emotions, nothing else, to honor each feeling. Don't try to get rid of the emotions, just honor them. Then explore meditating, giving thanks for each breath.

- meditate for one minute and then create something. Paint. Draw. Dance. Write. Play music.

- tell everyone you are going to Be In Silence for an hour or two, and turn off your phone. Take a physical book into your hand, whatever actual book you have. Make yourself very comfortable and look at the cover while enjoying the flow of your breathing. Breathe with the book. Open to the first page and slowly notice each page, the physical property of the paper and ink and then let yourself fall into the meaning and feeling of the book. Notice how different it is to the body to read paper than a screen.

This weekend is simultaneously Independence Day, Guru Purnima, Dharma Day, The Full Moon, and a partial eclipse.

Today is a good day to touch the Earth, celebrate the Sun and Moon dancing around each other, and live in gratitude for the air you are breathing. It's a good day to renew your contact with everything in life that inspires you.

- read the Declaration of Independence and take one thought from it, whatever you like, and appreciate how much human longing is behind those words, and how we are all, in our own way, continually striving for freedom, to inhabit our independence.