Posted by: Jivani Lisa | November 30, 2010

Making Decisions

Organized religions and other institutions often try to enforce rules in black or white ways.  This is understandable because people want easy answers.  Many people want to be told clearly and simply what is right and what is wrong; they want other people to make decisions for them.

Institutions that prescribe strict rules for behavior very often miss the point that life is filled with grey areas.  There are no simple solutions that work every time because every situation is unique.  What may be inappropriate or what may bring harmful consequences in one situation may actually be the best decision in another situation.

With practice, we can learn to trust ourselves and listen to our God-given intuition.  It’s certainly helpful to consider religious teachings and discuss our ideas or problems with others, but in the end, we must accept the responsibility of making our own best decisions based on circumstances.

Two important points:  We should not make decisions, especially very important ones, if we are feeling pressured or if we feel overwhelmed with a strong emotion.  In  both cases, we need to slow down, breathe, and get a little space by separating ourselves from the situation for a while.  Good decisions – even if very difficult – can be made when we are calm and level-headed, using a combination of reason and intuition.

We should aim to free ourselves of preconceptions and habitual responses that cannot serve us in the present moment.  This takes faith and trust.  We always have recourse to prayer and meditation.  Our personal experience of God is the basis for our intuition and ability to make sound decisions.

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Posted by: Jivani Lisa | November 25, 2010

The Evidence

A friend asked me how we can know whether our spiritual practices – whatever they may be – are actually working.  This is a good question because many times it may seem that nothing is happening and we may begin to wonder if our practices are pointless.

The short answer is this:  We should have a sense, over time (i.e., months and years), that we are making progress. 

Spiritual progress is usually very slow so it’s not uncommon to become discouraged.  However, overall, as we look back on our lives and especially on the time period of our conscious spiritual practices, we should notice that we are getting better.  This does not mean that we never make mistakes.  We will always be fallible human beings no matter how far we progress on the spiritual journey.

In general, we should notice things like:  We are able to control our angry outbursts or judgemental thoughts; our relationships with others are more harmonious; we feel more peaceful and balanced as we go about our days; and especially, our sense of compassion is growing.  These things are the evidence that our practices are working.

We remind ourselves that we carry peace, love and joy within ourselves because:  We are made in the image of God.  May we always be grateful for our many blessings – including the blessings of our spiritual practices.

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Posted by: Jivani Lisa | November 18, 2010

Levels of Practice

Have you ever said, or heard someone else say, “I don’t need to go to church because I worship God in my own heart (or in nature, etc.)?”

It’s certainly true that worship may be external or internal and formalized rituals are optional.  However, most people need the external forms to keep their minds focused on the task at hand – worshipping God.  Otherwise, the statement, “I don’t need to go to church….,” becomes nothing more than an excuse for laziness. 

We need to be honest with ourselves.  We believe we don’t need to go to church.  Okay.  But are we really taking the time each day or each week to worship God at home, in nature, in our hearts, wherever?

Internal worship is sometimes said to be a higher level of spiritual practice than external worship.  This can be true, but again, it depends on our intention and our honesty with ourselves.  We must be cautious about moving prematurely into higher levels of practice.  If external forms are necessary to keep us dedicated to our practice and honest with ourselves, then we should go with the external forms.  As much as we might like to, we cannot skip steps along our journey.  If we do, we will eventually find ourselves forced to go back and make up what we bypassed.

Skipping steps on our spiritual journey is like building a house with one or more missing walls.

Everybody needs to nurture the spiritual side of life.  We cannot ignore it.  We need some kind of relationship with God – otherwise, we have a big, empty space in our life than nothing can ever fill.

Maybe we really need to be in church.  Maybe we need to engage in regular forms of religious ritual.  Such practices can be important for our spiritual growth at our current place in the journey.

When we are truly ready for more internal forms of worship, we will naturally find ourselves moving in that direction.  It doesn’t have to be forced.  Higher forms of worship will gradually become available to us.  We will build the roof of our house once the foundation and walls are solid.

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Posted by: John | November 15, 2010

Too Much Yoga?

Ever wonder if you might be obsessed with yoga, if maybe you do too much yoga?  To be safe, ask yourself the following questions:

Are your downdogs making you want to chase cars?

Do you find yourself hissing after cobra pose?

Do you feel like mooing after cow?

Do you need to leave droppings while doing pigeon?

Does eagle make you want to attack a rodent?

Can you keep from multiplying after doing rabbit?

Do you feel mean and green after crocodile pose?

Do you start purring after doing cat?

Do you feel like climbing trees after monkey pose?

Does fish pose make you seek a meal of worms?

If you answered “yes” to five or more of the questions, the cure is to practice only corpse pose (savasana) for the next 14 days.

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Posted in Poetry

Posted by: Jivani Lisa | November 14, 2010

More Than Animals

As human beings, we are part of the animal kingdom.  We have all the basic animal urges, and if we’re honest with ourselves, we must admit that if we could do whatever we want, whenever we want, our lives would revolve around food, sleep and sex all the time.  In many cases – unless we love our career – we only work so we can afford to eat and have a place to call “home” – where we can sleep and have sex.

Yet, as humans, we are more than animals:  Our brain compels us to think, to remember the past, to plan for the future.  Beyond this, we have a soul that longs for meaning and fulfillment.  Just as our body requires food and physical activity, and our mind looks for mental stimulation, our spirit yearns for pure peace, love and joy.

We can think of our complete being as a three-legged stool with the legs representing our physical, mental and spiritual selves.  If we break off any of the legs, we become unbalanced and our entire being falters.  In our culture, the most commonly broken leg is our spiritual life.

When we realize we are neglecting our spiritual side, we can choose to begin nurturing it in simple ways.  Since everyone is unique, each of us must find what works for us (so yes, this does involve some trial and error, but that’s part of the fun!).  I believe the essential components are silence and solitude.

Begin by making time each day or each week – this means dropping nonessential activities – to be alone without any distractions such as work, music, TV, telephone or internet.  If you choose to do this daily, then carve out one hour each day to nurture your spiritual life.  It doesn’t even need to be one uninterrupted hour.  It could be 3o minutes in the morning and 30 minutes in the evening – or 20 minutes, three times a day.  If you prefer the weekly model, then set aside a larger chunk of time – say, three to five hours – one day per week.  (Of course, your decision will depend on your life circumstances, on your work and family responsibilities.)  If this seems like a large time commitment, just stop to consider how much time you devote to caring for your physical body and your intellectual needs – the other two legs of the stool.

This precious silence and solitude will give you the opportunity to engage in activities that nourish your spiritual life.  Some possibilities are:  walking in a natural setting; writing in a journal; sitting beside a stream or body of water; sitting in a quiet church; meditating on the flow of your breath or on a mantra; praying; chanting; drawing; or playing a musical instrument for relaxation.

Some physical activities, such as running, swimming, or doing yoga asanas, can also be highly conducive to spiritual practice.  The important thing is to quiet the analytical mind as much as possible because spiritual practice is more about being rather than doing; it’s about experiencing rather than intellectualizing. 

Our culture tends to label such spiritual practices as lazy or self-indulgent, yet if we don’t take the time for our spiritual life, we feel unwell and incomplete.

The point of our practice is to help us feel our connection – a connection that is always there – to something higher than ourselves, to peace, love, joy, to God.  This is the reason why every major religion and spirituality prescribes some type of sabbath “day of rest.”  It’s not because God requires or demands our attention; rather, it’s because we need it to be healthy and complete human beings.

Begin with a plan today!  Don’t allow anyone or anything to hinder you.  The rewards are even better than you can imagine!

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Posted by: Jivani Lisa | November 11, 2010

Who Are You?

This is based on a traditional Buddhist teaching story:

A young man named Naresh traveled to the Himalayas and met an old sage who’d been living in a cave for decades.

The sage softly asked, “Who are you?”

The youth answered, “I am Naresh.”

“Who are you?” the sage repeated.

Naresh, thinking perhaps the old man hadn’t heard him, spoke in a louder voice, “My name is Naresh.”

“Yes, but who are you?”

 Naresh, scratching his head, replied, “My father’s name is Ram Dutta. I live in Delhi. I’m an accountant.”

“Yes, but who are you?” persisted the sage.

The young man pondered this question for a while. Was the sage just hard of hearing? Or was he, perhaps, growing old and a bit senile?

“Well, if you don’t know who you are,” said the sage with a smile, maybe it’s good you came to me.”

By now the young man was thoroughly bewildered! Still, he felt a certain peace in the holy man’s presence. . . .

Naresh returned to the Himalayan cave many times but he couldn’t really explain why he felt drawn there. Gradually, however, he began to think, “Can I really define myself in such a limited way as to say I’m an accountant? I’m not what I do. I’m a young man with many interests – including that of visiting this sage, though I do so for reasons I don’t fully understand.”

“Who are you?” the sage asked him again one day.

By now the older man seemed to the younger not only perfectly normal, but even incredibly wise.

“I dont know who I really am,” said Naresh.

“That’s better!” the sage said. “Now then, think about it again. Who are you?”

“Well – I have a name, a family, a domicile. But am I really any of those things?” Suddenly it dawned on him: I’m a soul in search of itself!

His body was still young, but he knew it would age in time.  He sensed he was the same person inside that he’d been as a little child. The body had changed, but he had not. He realized he was not the body.

He remained in silence and introspected further: His understanding had changed since he’d met the holy man, but he was still the same person – inside. His thoughts and perceptions had changed, but something in his consciousness had remained the same. “That which changes,” he realized, “cannot be what I am; I am that something within that remains unchanged, that simply observes change.”

Thus, he came to identify himself more and more with his soul.

One day Naresh said to the guru, “I know who I am, but there are no words with which to speak of it.”

 The sage, hearing those words, only smiled.

Naresh remained silent.

Later that day, the guru said, “Now that words fail you, there is much that we can communicate!”   

Wisdom begins with the deep knowledge that we are not this body or this personality. We are the immortal soul.  We are peace, love, joy, bliss. . . .

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Posted in Religion

Posted by: Jivani Lisa | November 7, 2010

Jesus and Karma

Christians believe Jesus Christ was the incarnation of God who came to live among us as a human being and ultimately to suffer, die and rise from the dead in his human form to save us from our sins.  They believe he was the only incarnation of God on this earth and he was the only one who could save us.  If we believe in him, our sins are forgiven and we are “saved.”

Eastern religions have a very high regard for Jesus but they do not believe he was the only incarnation of God.  However, they have a deep understanding of the workings of karma.

Here, I present a basic Eastern understanding of the relevance of Jesus Christ to the world, to all people.  My explanations are based on the writings of Paramahansa Yogananda (born 1893 in India; died 1952 in the USA).

Karma means “action” and includes our thoughts and words as well as deeds.  Our karma always has consequences – either immediate or in the future.  Sometimes the consequences are apparent to us (and even to other people) and sometimes they are not.  Regardless, it is helpful to think of karma as cause and effect and remember that it is part of God’s natural law.  In other words, God created karma; it operates at all times whether or not we see it or believe it.  We do have free will; we can choose whether our thoughts, words and deeds are helpful or harmful.  However, we cannot escape the consequences of our thoughts, words and deeds – unless God chooses to spare us.  Since God created the law of karma, He can choose to override it – just as He occasionally nullifies other aspects of His natural law, thereby manifesting “miracles” for all to see.

Paramahansa Yogananda, in his famous Autobiography of a Yogi, gives several fascinating examples of Indian yogi-saints who were granted (by God) the ability to take on the karmic debts of others.  I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in these topics.

Christianity, to this day, recognizes the existence of “victim souls” – men, women, and even children – who suffer terrible physical and mental hardships and pain in a spirit of peace, love and joy.  There is seemingly no explanation for the magnitude of their sufferings since they have lived holy, compassionate lives (i.e., they are not being “punished” for their own sins).  Victim souls are said to suffer for the sins (bad karma, although Christianity doesn’t use the term) of others – as St. Paul shared in the afflictions of Christ on behalf of others (Colossians 1:24).

Jesus Christ, from an Eastern perspective, was a very high-level, world-influential, victim soul.  And yes, he was an incarnation of God.  He took upon himself the karmic debts of multitudes of people all over the world.  In his compassion, he accepted the pains and sufferings that would have been the natural effects caused by harmful thoughts, words and deeds.

I believe it is helpful for Christians to open their minds and look at traditional Christian teachings from other perspectives.  This doesn’t mean anyone has to change religions or that one particular spirituality is better than another.  It simply means allowing one’s faith to continue growing and deepening through consideration of other perspectives.  Paramahansa Yogananda had great love and devotion for Jesus; his writings are filled with Biblical references and explanations of Christian themes.  For more information, I highly recommend the following books by Paramahansa Yogananda:

Autobiography of a Yogi

The Yoga of Jesus

The Divine Romance

In the Sanctuary of the Soul: A Guide to Effective Prayer

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Posted by: Jivani Lisa | November 3, 2010

Concentration

Do you have a hard time concentrating, focusing your mind on a task?  This is no surprise considering the sound-bites and quick fixes that are promoted in our culture.  We have been taught to value multi-tasking; we have learned to strive for accomplishment of many things – albeit on a superficial level.

The good news is that we can actually teach ourselves to concentrate.  Try this.  Choose an object, any object, upon which to focus your mind.  Some examples are:  gazing softly at a picture, a holy object, a candle flame or water.  Or with eyes closed:  centering awareness on peaceful music, a prayer, or on one’s own breath.  It doesn’t matter what we choose as long as it’s something that interests us on some level.  Then, we simply focus our awareness on the object of concentration.  Let the awareness be tranquil but alert.

This takes practice and patience because we are not used to sitting quietly and making an effort to concentrate.  The mind will wander.  This is completely natural since the mind was created to think just as the eye was created to see and the ear to hear.  Whenever you notice that the mind has wandered away from the object of concentration, simply draw it back to the object.  That’s the point of this exercise:  to notice when the mind has wandered and then bring it back.  No fuss, no worries.

How long should you spend on this practice?  If you’re new to it, just try for five minutes at a time.  Then, with continued practice, you will find that you can stay with it for longer periods of time.

The act of continually returning to the object of concentration gradually trains us to become more concentrated in all the activities of our daily life.  The effects will be felt in our work, our home life, friendships, etc.  We learn to take one thing at a time as it comes to us.  A sense of peacefulness gradually informs both our inward and outward lives.

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Posted by: John | October 25, 2010

The Spiritual Side of Flying

Life’s like flying an airplane. If you don’t make gradual changes, you’ll find yourself making sudden excessive changes.

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Sheet lightning in the clouds at night can be an ethereal experience.  The nav lights on either side guide the plane, reflecting from the clouds with red and green.  Breaking out into the clear is like a vision revealed.

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Early morning takeoffs are contemplative – the dew on the windshield, the moisture dripping from the wings while patches of ground-fog hang here and there clouding my memory like time.

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The opaque light of flying under high clouds sometimes makes me feel as if I’m flying around in an oil painting.

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Life leaves scars only if you live it.

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Pink sunrise cirrus, always softer seeming, appears more seductive than the reddish strato cu of sunset. Or does sunrise seduce me into another day while sunset sets me free again?

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Why does no one ever see the really good landings?  Maybe it’s best that way.  The good things are always savored alone.

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Posted in Poetry

Posted by: Jivani Lisa | October 21, 2010

The Cure for Depression & Addictions

Years ago, when I was suffering from severe depression and anorexia nervosa, my psychiatrist asked me if I belonged to any particular religion or spirituality.  I replied that although I was raised Catholic, I rarely bothered going to church.  He leaned back in his chair and asked why.  I said, “Well, it seems pretty pointless and I don’t get anything out of it anyway.”  He suggested that I give it another try because many people are helped by their faith.  I shrugged it off as a stupid idea.

Two years later, feeling bored on a rainy day, I picked up an old book on world religions and started reading about Buddhism.  I was immediately taken with the Buddha’s First Noble Truth:  Life is dukkha (usually translated as “suffering” or “unsatisfactoriness”).  To make a long story short, I spent the next three years immersing myself in eastern religions and practicing vipassana meditation.

This was the beginning of my true healing.  Meditation taught me that I could look inside myself without flinching, that I really could stop the negative thoughts that kept me spiraling down into depression.  At first, I literally had to yell inside my head, “Stop!” at my negative thoughts or visualize a Stop sign. 

This allowed me to find space inside myself.  Sometimes, this space felt peaceful and sometimes it felt empty, lonely, sad.  My innate sense of spirituality led me to nature and eventually to prayer.  During this time, I was gradually healed of depression and eating disorders (various types of food addiction).  I discovered a God who loves me and accepts me as I am.  My faith in God was strengthened.

Six years after the psychiatrist’s comment, I found myself experiencing a true connection to a loving God who wants what’s good for me.  I’d turned my life over to a Higher Power on my own, in my own time. 

Although the “Higher Power thing” sometimes seems like a cliché, I believe it is true.  We cannot find true peace, joy or fulfillment until we turn our lives over to God with full trust.  As St. Augustine said:  “Our hearts are restless until they rest in Thee!”

There are many forms of addiction (restlessness): drugs, alcohol, sex, gambling, shopping, food – even TV, movies, the internet and Facebook.  Human beings are very good at finding distractions that easily turn into addictions.  But these things never bring peace, joy or fulfillment.  They merely numb the dukkha of life.

God is the Cure for our addictions in all their forms.  It’s up to each of us to open our hearts, to seek, to make space for God within us.  We each do this in our own way, in our own time.  May we never give up on our journey!

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