Stories and one-liners
On wasting time:
The Dalai Lama, when asked what surprised him most about humanity, answered ‘Man. Because he sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in the present or the future; he lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies having never really lived.’
(from BWY e-Newsletter)
Looking the wrong way:
Samsara is the tendency to find fault with others (Naropa)
A riddle:
Once upon a time, a long long time ago, in a quiet village on a warm summer’s day, Lazy Yogi was looking for something in the garden.
His Neighbour came by on his way to market, and asked. ‘Hey Lazy Yogi, have you lost something?’ ‘Oh, hi Neighbour, yes, I am looking for my teaspoon’.
‘Let me help you.’
Together they thoroughly searched the garden. After a while the Neighbour wondered ‘Any idea where you lost it?’
‘Of course’, Lazy Yogi replied, ‘in the kitchen. It fell behind the cooker’.
‘But then why are you looking out here in the garden?’
‘It is a nicer place to look…….’
(Freely adapted from a Sufi story)
Looking the right way:
Throughout the day and night, look at your mind (Milarepa)
How to look the right way:
Without distraction let the mind rest naturally (Tilopa)
Relax the mind, and then just look (17th Karmapa, public teachings, Germany 2014)
How precisely to look the right way:
If you attempt to hold a camel, it fights you and tries to go every which way. However, if you let it go it stands right where it is. Let the camel go. (Saraha, thanks to Peter Barth)
Developing compassion:
(The robin, redbreast), ‘But little by little he gained courage, flew close to him, and drew with his little bill a thorn that had become embedded in the brow of the Crucified One. And as he did this there fell on his breast a drop of blood from the face of the Crucified One – it spread quickly and floated out and coloured all the little fine breast feathers.
Then the Crucified One opened his lips and whispered to the bird: ‘Because of your compassion, you have won all that your kind have been striving after, ever since the world was created’.
(from Jo Nesbo The Redbreast, who took it from: Selma Lagerloef, Robin Redbreast, Christ Legends)
Buddhism in a nutshell:
Avoid doing harm, do good, and train the mind.
When the going gets tough:
(When negativity disturbs the mind-stream) .... Be like a piece of wood (Shantideva, thanks to Geshe Damcho Yonten)
When the whole thing is just not working, and everything's lined up against you ..... the thing to make your practice is reverse the way you see it (Gotsangpa, with thanks to Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso)
and:
When a problem can be solved there is no need to worry. When a problem cannot be solved there is no point in worrying (Shantideva)
What does this have to do with Yoga?
Asana: When the (sitting-) posture is crooked, the channels are crooked, the energies that flow through the channels are crooked, and the mind that rides on the energies is crooked or disturbed. When the (sitting-) posture is straight, the channels are straight, the energies are straight, and the mind is straight, ie undisturbed. (Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche)
Pranayama: When prana moves, citta (mind) moves. When prana is still, citta (mind) is still. By stilling the prana we bring stillness to the mind. Therefore restrain the prana. (Hatha Yoga Pradipika)
The Dalai Lama, when asked what surprised him most about humanity, answered ‘Man. Because he sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in the present or the future; he lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies having never really lived.’
(from BWY e-Newsletter)
Looking the wrong way:
Samsara is the tendency to find fault with others (Naropa)
A riddle:
Once upon a time, a long long time ago, in a quiet village on a warm summer’s day, Lazy Yogi was looking for something in the garden.
His Neighbour came by on his way to market, and asked. ‘Hey Lazy Yogi, have you lost something?’ ‘Oh, hi Neighbour, yes, I am looking for my teaspoon’.
‘Let me help you.’
Together they thoroughly searched the garden. After a while the Neighbour wondered ‘Any idea where you lost it?’
‘Of course’, Lazy Yogi replied, ‘in the kitchen. It fell behind the cooker’.
‘But then why are you looking out here in the garden?’
‘It is a nicer place to look…….’
(Freely adapted from a Sufi story)
Looking the right way:
Throughout the day and night, look at your mind (Milarepa)
How to look the right way:
Without distraction let the mind rest naturally (Tilopa)
Relax the mind, and then just look (17th Karmapa, public teachings, Germany 2014)
How precisely to look the right way:
If you attempt to hold a camel, it fights you and tries to go every which way. However, if you let it go it stands right where it is. Let the camel go. (Saraha, thanks to Peter Barth)
Developing compassion:
(The robin, redbreast), ‘But little by little he gained courage, flew close to him, and drew with his little bill a thorn that had become embedded in the brow of the Crucified One. And as he did this there fell on his breast a drop of blood from the face of the Crucified One – it spread quickly and floated out and coloured all the little fine breast feathers.
Then the Crucified One opened his lips and whispered to the bird: ‘Because of your compassion, you have won all that your kind have been striving after, ever since the world was created’.
(from Jo Nesbo The Redbreast, who took it from: Selma Lagerloef, Robin Redbreast, Christ Legends)
Buddhism in a nutshell:
Avoid doing harm, do good, and train the mind.
When the going gets tough:
(When negativity disturbs the mind-stream) .... Be like a piece of wood (Shantideva, thanks to Geshe Damcho Yonten)
When the whole thing is just not working, and everything's lined up against you ..... the thing to make your practice is reverse the way you see it (Gotsangpa, with thanks to Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso)
and:
When a problem can be solved there is no need to worry. When a problem cannot be solved there is no point in worrying (Shantideva)
What does this have to do with Yoga?
Asana: When the (sitting-) posture is crooked, the channels are crooked, the energies that flow through the channels are crooked, and the mind that rides on the energies is crooked or disturbed. When the (sitting-) posture is straight, the channels are straight, the energies are straight, and the mind is straight, ie undisturbed. (Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche)
Pranayama: When prana moves, citta (mind) moves. When prana is still, citta (mind) is still. By stilling the prana we bring stillness to the mind. Therefore restrain the prana. (Hatha Yoga Pradipika)