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YogaIsLife
641 Posts |
 Posted - Jul 17 2008 : 06:53:43 AM
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Hi,
I was wondering about 2 things. One is what Yogani might call one of those "divine paradoxes" 
Time or no-time? I mean, ultimately, according to all saints and sages and the best quantum physics available there is really no linear time as such. An infinite present moment is all that is, always was and always will be. Time is an illusion in that sense.
But then you have time time. Linear time. Or cyclic time (day turns to night, seasons to years, etc.). But in this sense time moves. Morning is different from night, etc. And it is in this time that we live, breath, and do yoga. For example, it seems to me important, from reading yogani's lessons, that time and the correct use of time is important for evolution. Use it wisely they say. Practice wisely. The more efficient you are the further you would go in a shorter space of time. Before you die even. Do the best you can with the time you have. It is a gift.
So, what about this paradox? Time is important and unimportant at the same time. Intuintively I sense time is precious. What I do with every breath is important, as a gift that I can or not waste. But imagine I die? Imagine an earthquake comes my way or some plane crash or something? Should I worry about these things? Should I avoid all risk activities so as to live the longer I can so I can practice the most I can with effective practices so I don't have to start all over again in the next life? Well, it sounds foolish and childish but I was wondering about this. Is just that I sense I found something precious now and I would like to walk this path as further as I can but, should I be afraid of death? It can be around the corner really, as always is...
The other thing: motivation of practice. I noticed a lot of people here were into "spiritual practices" for a long time. For me even this term is new! I had no idea some people actually actively (well, maybe except for monks and the such, but only by "negating" reality) engaged in some kind of "spiritual gymnastics", exercises to find the truth of all and god. It was kind of a revelation to me. It makes it mechanical. For me, I have always been curious about nature and the essence of things in a romantic and philosophical way. I remember going to the beach at dusk and just feel this presence there. That was god for me although I had never formalised it as such (I come from a non-religeous background). So I just thought yes, there is something more than this, but all we can do is acknowledge it, be thankful maybe, and go on with our lifes. We are too small for "understanding god", might as well enjoy what we have. But some spontaneous metaphysical experiences in my life made me realise that indeed it is not so black and white. But, for example, I see a lot of people here read Yogananda's Autobiography of a Yogi. I have never and I don't really feel like reading. I guess the only "spiritual novel" I read was Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse when I was 18 and I really loved it, but again, it was mostly, for me, a metaphysical, phylosophical, romantic, beautiful, description of understanding the whole. Never thougth we could BECOME the whole!  Especially through exercises! This is quite fascinating to me. And here we are, all, practicing "spiritual gymnastics"  . Just follow this simple procedures and you will see for yourself. This is exciting! Scary in a way (I thought it was unattainable, like unreachable, and not even to be mingled with, this great power of the universe). Well, my mind and heart will accomodate to the idea slowly I hope. I sense there is no way around it really 
Just some thought. All the best. |
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Divineis
Canada
420 Posts |
Posted - Jul 17 2008 : 6:39:23 PM
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:) I'm really digging your posts YogaIsLife. They just seem so much like... many of the questions we've all had\have, written out so nicely and honestly :).
Time... I always see it as a "relaxing into". I practice mindfulness quite a bit, when I'm just going about, doing regular daily stuff. I think of it as... spiritual practices don't change my life at all, it's just "my life" + awareness. And awareness has always been there of course... I just chose to practice it, to direct it towards certain goals or whatever. It reminds me of a quote I heard recently "happyness isn't a place, it's a direction".
Death... I've thought about that one a fair bit myself. All I know is that, however I die... I'll do my best to go into it with full awareness... and until then, I've got hopefully a fair amount of time to practice haha :). It's just another concept really though... "me", dying. I've looked for that "me", I can't really tie it down to one particular thing, so the notion of "me" dying is almost a little silly. In many ways, that me is already dead... it's always been dead, the attachment there never really existed, but one has to see that to understand it, and it's definetly no instant "oh my god, there is no me, the me I thought was me was mostly illusion. I can't fear death anymore, or anything else for that matter". |
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cosmic_troll
USA
229 Posts |
Posted - Jul 23 2008 : 11:14:41 PM
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Great post, YogaIsLife!
To me, there is no paradox. The two "kinds" of time you describe are just different ways of perceiving time. Time is Time. One person might experience it as being linear, while another experiences it as an eternal present moment.
While I mostly experience time as linear, these practices are giving me increasingly more moments of timelessness.
I wish you mad success on your spiritual journey!
Love and Peace yo
cosmic |
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YogaIsLife
641 Posts |
Posted - Jul 28 2008 : 06:35:29 AM
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Thanks a lot for the replies Divineis and Cosmic Troll! Sorry for the late reply, I was away for a while.
I understand what you are saying. Still this questions are burning in me! I am a bit impacient maybe because some of the questions have practical significance for me. Like, "how should I live my life?". Specifically, now that I found something that I feel makes sense, what if I die and don't reach my destination? What kind of choices that makes me have?
Well, just ramblings, don't mind much! ;) |
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CarsonZi
Canada
3189 Posts |
Posted - Aug 01 2008 : 11:32:32 AM
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Hi YogaIsLife,
In response to your question of "How should I live my life?", none of us are REALLy in a position to tell you how to live your life, but I would suggest to you this;
Try in everything that you do to keep an open and constant awareness of your Self. This would sort of be an "active" form of meditation or yoga. And if you can manage to maintain a decent amount of "Self-Awareness" you don't have to worry about death at all. Because if you are "aware of the Self" at all times, death is nothing. It will just be another transition. Kind of like falling asleep but still being aware of yourself at the same time. Try not to worry, try to let things "be as they are" as Adyashanti advises and the rest will fall into place.
All the best,
Namaste,
CarsonZi |
Edited by - CarsonZi on Aug 01 2008 11:53:52 AM |
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YogaIsLife
641 Posts |
Posted - Aug 01 2008 : 12:01:37 PM
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Hi CarsonZi, thank you. :)
That is very helpful and I do feel that happens to me as I progress in meditation and I feel I know what you mean. The fear I was feeling and feel sometimes I now sense it is all in the mind and I need not be afraid of death. But you know how it is, old habits are difficult to quit and sometimes I still worry. Worry about the future, about the choices I make, as if each choice would be decisive. I know it is all mind games but sometimes they are strong.
To put it in context, I am about to travel to go live abroad again. I had done this before and I always fell into fear and panic and anxiety. But why do I keep on going then? :) It seems inevitable. I feel, somehow, it is the right, natural, thing to do. But still I end up hurting myself (and it is my own doing! I create this pain and fear I know!). I think it is my resistance to what is (created by the mind) that always resists my normal flow of life. I really feel my mind making all this noise about the problems I see all around. I didn't know inner silence so it was mind against mind going nowhere. So now I feel this and accept it more and let if flow more. Still, sometimes, the mind wonders and worries and, if some questions drop, others remain, less strong but remain. Death is one of the cases. I have panic of airplanes (there I said it!). But I have to take them to get to where I am going. And rationally I know there is nothing to be afraid of and anyway is a inherent fear, if it were not airplanes it would be something else, I am sure. That is why I am "resisting the resistance" and letting life flow to it's natural course and not being worried all the time and let fear rule and limit me. Although I tried to do this in the past it didn't work (mind versus mind) but now with meditation I feel it might. So now I am glad I found these tools and inner silence, where unending joy lives.
But still sometimes I wonder...and if that plane falls and I am trapped there? (notice that it could be any other thing but the mind is tricky). Hence the fear of death and not finding me before I die (that now I know that, with time and what I know as tools go, I can). Is as if I feel I am just starting to really blossom and I always wanted to give so much and I (mind) am just afraid that I won't be able to! It is a paradox! I start finding peace and mind keeps on battling finding some other problem to feed itself!
Of course, the alternative scenario of staying where I am and making a decision based on fear (again) is not the solution. I will conquer fear in stillness. Just give me time :)
Anyway, life continues to flow and I feel more and more that the old and endlessly repeated saying "the now is all that is" is true. That brings me joy :))) |
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CarsonZi
Canada
3189 Posts |
Posted - Aug 01 2008 : 1:25:25 PM
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Thanks for sharing YogaIsLife. Sometimes it is good to be able to voice our fears. Sometimes that is all it takes to trigger the process of understanding and hence removing these fears. I am happy to say that I truely have NO fear of death anymore. I actually will welcome it. What it took for me to get over my own "natural" fear of death was realizing that "death" is an illusion too. Death, as "we" call call it in today's society, doesn't exist. Death in reality can be liberation. If I was in an airplane that was "falling" and I knew death was most likely certain in mere moments, I would head STRAIGHT to my silent place of inner bliss right away. I would leave with a smile on my face, and pure bliss in my heart. This is easy to say for someone who has already realized this to be truth, but it takes a personal revelation for this to be manifest in one's own life. Spend time in inner silence twice daily and that personal revelation WILL come. And don't worry, "we" will give you all the time you need. Good luck with your move. All will be well.
Namaste,
CarsonZi |
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YogaIsLife
641 Posts |
Posted - Aug 01 2008 : 2:10:16 PM
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Thanks a lot CarsonZi. That is inspiring.
As I think of it, it is more like fear of suffering. If it is not the plane by itself, it is the weather of where I am going, or the loneliness I might feel etc. I know these are all ilussions, there is no reason to believe any of these things, hence we call them irrational fears. But they can be quite strong and ingrained in your body-mind.
There is also the fear of not being truly alive before dying,as I sense I can truly be. That's a big part of it as well.
In any case, is like you say, twice daily meditation and I will know it. I already start realising it is so. |
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CarsonZi
Canada
3189 Posts |
Posted - Aug 01 2008 : 3:07:52 PM
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CarsonZi
Canada
3189 Posts |
Posted - Aug 01 2008 : 4:14:27 PM
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Suffering is enjoyable with the right state of mind. Or another way of saying this is that suffering IS a state of mind. Noone has to suffer. Suffering is a choice. We just have to realize this and make the choice not to suffer anymore. Irrational fears are just that...Irrational. I've always found these easy to overcome. (some people don't though) Take the fear of harmless insects or arachnids that my significant other has for example. I even used to have this fear myself until I thought about what they (the bugs) can really do to me that is scary...crawl on me and make me feel icky. If that. Not much to really be afraid of. The rest eventually takes care of itself. It eventually gets to the point once you think about it enough, where EVERY fear is seen as irrational, even the fear of suffering during death, and life becomes a LOT more enjoyable. It's all a matter of proper perspective.
Good luck!
Namaste,
CarsonZi |
Edited by - CarsonZi on Aug 01 2008 4:26:32 PM |
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time vs no-time & the reasons of practice
