Saturday, March 9, 2013

Q. I am really interested in the relationship between achieve- ment of our highest potential and the tendency we have of getting caught up in our thoughts and desires for how we "wish" things would be. Can you rap on how to integrate the practice of being fully in Presence with personal achievement?

A. I'm not sure I'm understanding the question but I'll try. That integration would be exactly the same as, say, being fully in Presence while cooking dinner, or, staying in Presence/pure awareness while at work, or while making love, or even while in meditation, because as you know, just because you sit to meditate doesn't mean you will automatically slip into a state of non-localized presence, or pure and causeless joy.
    The way I see it, abhyasa (practice) is ongoing. As yogis, we are always checking in with our state of consciousness, the quality of thoughts and our level of identifying with ego. That's practice. We have certain "formal" practices where we set up a situation and come into it with a certain degree of commitment and focus toward that end. Those formal practice sessions, whether sitting in meditation or practicing asana (postures), make remembering to practice in other situations a whole lot easier. I think of the formal or what's sometimes referred to as "on the mat" practice as a sort of weight-lifting for consciousness. We are creating a groove and the more we show up for it, the easier it is to return.
    The sister practice of abhyasa is vairagya, which is equanimity. So as you move toward your goals in life, whether its achievement of your highest potential or getting through your next meeting without losing your cool, when you find yourself struggling with what is, you can remember to practice equanimity. You start to learn to take life in stride, and not get all bent out of shape about how you "wish" things would be.
     Then you won't have to constantly rearrange your world to suit your happiness. Things are as they are and we can do what we can to make things better but sometimes there is nothing more to add. At that point, there's nothing more but to take a look at your own reactivity and get on with your practice of vairagya.  Just do the best you can with what you have right in front of you. Do what's obvious.


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