“When something happens to upset you and you are discouraged, try to feel that life’s difficulties and troubles are not intended to arrest your progress in the spiritual life, but to test your strength and increase your determination to keep going. Whatever it is that must be met, your are to either overcome it or use it. Nothing should daunt you for long, nor should any difficulty overcome or conquer you. God’s strength will always be there, waiting for you to use it. Nothing can be too great to overcome, or if not overcome, then used.” Anonymous
Our intention - “I am aware of my own uniqueness” refers to our personalities - the good, bad and ugly as well as our life circumstances as they are unique to us in this unique moment in time. The above quote describes the Niyama of the month, Tapas, which asks us to stay in the “heat” of life so we can move through it. The only way through is through!
Further with this part of the quote: “nothing can be too great to overcome, or if not overcome, then used” Here we are asked to find the lesson in the burn. “A crisis is a terrible thing to waste” was an earlier quote - it is only wasted if we don’t learn from it. I went through a very uncomfortable relationship this past year during my recovery from cancer, covid and the stress of building a new house. When I look back, I wish I had done it differently and I spend too much time rehashing the whole situation. Now if I just stayed there, then it would be a waste! Instead, I feel like I have grown more this past year than I had all of the 30 years of being on a spiritual journey. So that is the gift of yoga, awareness and spiritual self inquiry - the determination of Tapas to find and accept my own uniqueness and now I get to move forward with a lighter version of me!
How about a few questions:
1.Can you remember the cathartic times in your life and how you were shaped by them? When did you check out from the pain and when were you fearless in the fire and held on for the blessing?
2.Can you choose a sadhana practice to serve you - eating well, meditating, my 40 day challenge - something that impacts the essence of your being.
3.Can you practice staying 1 minute more in whatever unpleasantness presents itself to you this week? Can you stand the heat of unpleasantness? Can you let the heat begin to burn away your judgements, opinions and expectations?
Happy Thanksgiving!!! I am forever grateful to be sharing this journey with you!
I love this quote -
“EVERYONE IS ALREADY THE LIVING BUDDHA, COMPLETE, WHOLE, PERFECT as you are. All this action and effort to become special is just making you very unsocial and creating a tremendous amount of pain and suffering.” Zen Master Dennis Genpo Merzel