This fall...a soft veil of.....Mercy

The Merchant of Venice, Act IV, Scene I [The quality of mercy is not strained]
by William Shakespeare

The quality of mercy is not strained;
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath. It is twice blest;
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes:
'T is mightiest in the mightiest; it becomes
The throned monarch better than his crown:
His sceptre shows the force of temporal power,
The attribute to awe and majesty,
Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings;
But mercy is above this sceptred sway;
It is enthronèd in the hearts of kings,
It is an attribute to God himself;
And earthly power doth then show likest God's
When mercy seasons justice. Therefore, Jew,
Though justice be thy plea, consider this,
That, in the course of justice, none of us
Should see salvation: we do pray for mercy;
And that same prayer doth teach us all to render
The deeds of mercy. I have spoke thus much
To mitigate the justice of thy plea;
Which if thou follow, this strict court of Venice
Must needs give sentence 'gainst the merchant there.

I post this today as I am a tad melancholic today,have been all week. This happens every beginning of autumn, a sadness sets in, the days are for sure shorter, the air is cooler, crisper, the leaves are beginning to lose their green color, there are some dried golden leaves that blow in the wind. It is the season of the Jewish New Year , a time of self reflection ,penitence, forgiveness and ultimately hope ,growth and change. I am easily attached to the the radiance, the abundance, the softness of summer, that I feel. It is always hard for me to let go of things,people,seasons that I love. I think this season of fall after recently having some time for self reflection at Shasta, I know there are things ,qualities about me that it is time to let go of and open myself up to the new that life has to offer and to welcome change,even though it can rattle me up at first.
So,at times like this, I call upon "mercy". I think of Shakespeare's words," The quality of mercy is not strained,It droppeth as gentle rain from heaven,Upon the place beneath."In the autumn there is often a chilling rain, may the rains of this fall season gently fall upon us all in its soft veil of mercy....

W.H. Auden,"we must love one another or die"

Today is September First, W.H. Auden, the poet's, reflections on Sept.1,1939, at the start of WW2

Ashtanga yoga.. finding the flowing river of Self

This morning as I was practicing, things were clearly not the same ,not from looking on the outside or within me as I have some new poses of late in my practice which always stirs things up a lot.But there have been many days,that seem like I am repeating things over and over again in just the same way, but even on those days that seem rote and routine, ordinary, flux, transformation is subtly churning away without making a fuss or asking to be noticed. The process of change is often quiet,humble, unassuming yet present.
Today, I had a complex conversation with my daughter about topics we revisit often and my response is often the same and sometime I get frustrated with what seems to me the same question or my same response. Such encounters often lead to disconnection, discord. As I found myself hovering on the boundaries of vexation, my mind literally paused. I saw myself in my yoga practice, my same mat, my same asanas, my same breathing, yet when I saw the kaleidoscope of the thousands of times of me on my mat, each fleeting memory had a subtle difference in texture,quality and tone.As I watched myself practice in my mind , I realized that I had cultivated much patience in repeating these poses,each time a little differently with greater compassion ,depth and perception each time. I took a breath and realized,what good is this yoga , theses asanas that really have small import in my life compared to the great understanding and empathy that is required to be attuned to another human being , moreover, my own daughter,who on the outside may seem to be asking me the same question, but on the inside is struggling to reformulate something different,new, and possibly risky.So just as my yoga yoga practice changed deeply, yet subtly so too my responses today ,although on the outside may have been of the same content,yet they formed from a different more thoughtful, patient and supple person, from a new wellspring that has really been there all the time, but required a practice such as yoga for me to refind...

Why yoga every day....

Most of what I know about writing I’ve learned through running every day. These are practical, physical,lessons. How much can I push myself? How much rest is appropriate—and how much is too much? How far can I take some thing and still keep it decent and consistent? When does it become narrow-minded and inflexible? How much should I be aware of the world outside, and how much should I focus on my inner world? To what extent should I be confident in my abilities, and when should I start doubting myself? I know that if I hadn’t become a long-distance runner when I became a novelist, my work would have been vastly different. How different? Hard to say. But some thing would have definitely been different.

…People some times sneer at those who run every day, claiming they’ll go to any length to live longer. But I don’t think that’s the reason most people run. Most runners run not because they want to live longer, but because they want to live life to the fullest. If you’re going to while away the years, it’s far better to live them with clear goals and fully alive than in a fog, and I believe running helps you do that. Exerting your self to the fullest within your indi­vidual limits: that’s the essence of running and a metaphor for life—and for me, for writing as well. ...from Haruki Murukami,"What I Talk about when I Talk about Running"

We do yoga everyday for the same reasons, how to be confident in ourselves, when does self doubt arise, the boundary between flexibility and narrow mindedness, how much to focus on one's inner world vs the outside world,living with clear goals, living life to its fullest.....

More Reflections from Hanuman's words at Shasta

When Hanuman was asked about the meaning/purpose of life,these are some of the things that I remember he said to us at Shasta;
-I will continue to do what I always do
-Don't freak out(when the world is upside down in headstand or in life)
-There will be a meteorite shower tonight,you can see it if you look up at the sky
-Did you see the meteorite shower
-The goal is for you to become your own guru
-I am standing behind you right now(again when upside down)
-In answer to an earnest student who asked ,can I have your permission to be your student,"Yes"
-A nonverbal gesture to me,to remember to remove my shoes in a sacred place
-Thank you for jumping into the cold water with me
-This is my "friend",Fred"
-A guru will not always be here for you,you need to become your own guru
-Focus on your bhandas to still the mind ,reduce fear
-"One ,not two"
-I learned generosity and compassion from my guru

As in the Bhagavad Gita ,in a dialog of a few , but well chosen words , much is said with less, leaving much room for reflection.What I remember as I think about these words is something about basic integral values of living a good life.I need to remember that I am on my path in life,that somehow I chose it or it chose me,but there is no turning back and I must fulfill my destiny, my duties , my roles, I need to remain focused on one essential thing at a time ,to try to do best, that there is great honor and dignity in effort,to always esteem friendship and cherish my friends,to give pause to the sacred spaces at my feet,to remain calm in the face of tribulation,to promote and teach self reliance,to use self knowledge for the purpose of making the live's others better, otherwise it is an exercise of self indulgence and delusion, to look up at the sky or into space or out into our world to find the awe inspiring that is always there as Tim asked,"did you see the meteorite shower".One can only see if one chooses to look both inside ourselves and out into the world.I personally will remember ,"I will do what I always do".I understood this to imply that sometimes we find ourselves on an odyssey that at times may be against the grain, but it is something that we have become skillful at by practice and life wisdom.We should not waver or doubt in the truths that we know in our heart as they are hard-earned and have bee polished,chiseled,purified to their essence.We can not waver in self doubt on those values that emanate from our heart.
And Hanuman's words lead me back to the Bhagavad Gita as Krishna speaks words of encouragement to a Arjuna at a time that he is overcome with self doubt;

These words from the Bhagavad Gita;

Thou hast power only to act not over the result thereof. Act thou therefore without prospect of the result and without succcumbing to inaction
(
The translation follows thus

Karmani ave adhikars te
--you have the power to act only
ma phalesu kadachana
--you do not have the power to influence the result
ma karmaphal hetur bhoo
--therefore you must act without the anticipation of the result
ma sangostu akramani
--without succumbing to inaction
)”

“Sever the ignorant doubt in your heart with the sword of self-knowledge. Observe your discipline. Arise.”





- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Happiness

I was talking to a friend tonight about how often the religious,moral point of view is about living a good life, doing good in the world and not so much about feeling good or being happy.Can one actually do good if one does not feel good?Can one know another if one does not know themselves?The answer to such questions is obviously complex and requires living one's life, asking such questions that may not have obvious answers. I think His Holiness, the Dalai Lama begins to give us some answers in his suggestions of how to live a good life;
Dalai Lama’s 18 Rules for Living
1. Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
2. When you lose, don’t lose the lesson.
3. Follow the three Rs:
* Respect for self
* Respect for others
* Responsibility for all your actions.
4. Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.

5. Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.
6. Don’t let a little dispute injure a great friendship.
7. When you realize you’ve made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
8. Spend some time alone every day.
9. Open your arms to change, but don’t let go of your values.
10. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
11. Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back,
you’ll be able to enjoy it a second time.
12. A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life.
13. In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation.
Don’t bring up the past.
14. Share your knowledge. It’s a way to achieve immortality.
15. Be gentle with the earth.
16. Once a year, go someplace you’ve never been before.
17. Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each
other exceeds your need for each other.
18.Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.

Praise for daily living

Secret

by Dorothea Tanning

On one of those birthdays of which I've had so many
I was walking home through the park from a party,

pleased that I'd resisted mentioning the birthday—
why hear congratulations for doing nothing but live?

The birthday was my secret with myself and gave me,
walking under all those trees, such a strong feeling of

satisfaction that everything else fell away: party sounds,
the hostess who stared and as suddenly disappeared

on seeing her husband walk in with a young(er ) friend;
another guest examining garment labels in the room

where I went to leave my jacket; one of two waiters
balancing a trayful of foot-high champagne glasses;

a bee-like buzz of voices I ought to have enjoyed
but heard as foreign babble, so remote it was from

a birthday, so empty of import nothing would remain.
I got my jacket, waved from the hall, pressed Down.

In summer the park, for an hour or so before night,
is at its greenest, a whole implicit proposition

of green leaves, a triumph of leaves enfolding me
that day in a green intimacy so trustworthy I told

them my secret: "It's my birthday," I said out loud
before turning away to cross the avenue.

"Secret" by Dorothea Tanning, from A Table of Content. © Graywolf Press, 2004. Reprinted with permission
This too from the Writer's Almanac


It is not my birthday today, mine is in the beginning of the summer,"why,hear congratulations for doing nothing but live". I am one who tends to keep things private, do not like when fusses are made about me. There are times I am disappointed in human responsiveness or lack thereof and know the intimacy of sharing a secret with a spread of light lit leaves as I walk through a park that becomes a trusted friend.I do however think, that congratulations is appropriate and necessary for every day that is lived as life has great challenges and magnificent triumphs, none of which comes without great effort and perseverance. So I am about praising all days of our living for the great risks,trials,tribulations and trying that we do every single ordinary day ,birthday or not.