In Which I Develop a Newly Expanded Appreciation for Dahlias

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Last week, when my friend Suzanne and I were walking out of the Conservatory of Flowers in Golden Gate Park to catch the bus back downtown, we came across an island of dahlias in the middle of the parking lot.  We were filled with excitement and joy at the outrageous effulgence.  In the past, I’ve never had any particular feelings one way or the other about dahlias, though I knew that gardeners can get completely obsessed with them.  This exuberant showing gave me a flash of insight as to why dahlias can inflame passion and dedication.  It was a sweet reminder always to be open to new wonder, even from things we have previously experienced and thought we knew.

 

 

Ananda Tandava

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50th birthday week in California dancing, playing, exploring, thinking, relating, connecting, witnessing, creating.

Politics and “Inner Work”

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The other day, an acquaintance whom I met through yoga asked in an email whether I was still into politics or whether I was now more focused on my “inner work.” He lives in suburbia and voted for both Bushes and, at least in the early years, thought this country belonged in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. He practices asana and meditation, and eats a vegetarian diet, but he does it entirely for his own health and looks and not out of any evident intention of aligning with the flows and forces of nature or concern for all beings and the environment. For him, politics and yoga and meditation practices have nothing to do with each other.

I think it is wonderful that anyone takes care of their health and diet in a way that maximizes a health and a sense of well-being and minimizes the need to resort to medication and other Western medical care, which is a boon not only for the individual, but for the environment and for society in terms of cost.

For me, though, there is no separation between inner and outer work if one is living in the world and not in the cloister or the monastery. It is true that if one is out of inner alignment or unhealthy, it is not possible to be best aligned with nature, and thus, there is a need to do work for our self personally. But the true point of the practices is to help provide inner quiet, steadiness, and wisdom in our daily lives, which for a householder includes being an educated and active citizen.

Peace and light, E — Posted with WordPress for BlackBerry.

Found Exhortation

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On my journey back from vacation and meditation intensive to life inside the Beltway.

Peace and light, E — Posted with WordPress for BlackBerry.

Steadiness of Silence

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During one of our sessions, one of my fellow students asked whether she was really seeking a life of renunciation because she sometimes really craved sitting quietly for meditation. For her, having first experienced meditation as an adult who has a rich and comfortable life, even the shortest time sitting with eyes closed looking only within felt like it might be a denial of the outer world.

The practices Paul Muller-Ortega is teaching, and as he makes absolutely clear, are very much for the householder and are not the rarified path of a renunciate. Sitting in silence is a blissful and steady; it is going towards the inner world and not going away from the outer world.

We do not have to renounce our lives to sit regularly in silence. We can frankly delight in the sweetness of inner light and stillness and honor our desire to do so (a true renunciate would have to renounce even that desire). Meditation as part of the daily life of a householder, is a bedrock of support so that we can be ever more fully engaged in our lives, no matter how noisy they can get sometimes.

Peace and light, E — Posted with WordPress for BlackBerry.

Morning Walk

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After meditating and breakfast this morning and before meditating more, I took a walk along the short trail on the grounds. I saw several rabbits and some chipmunk/gerbil-like creatures, many different kinds of birds, and a small lizard. Though there were lots of holes on the path, I did not see any snakes, though we have been warned repeatedly to be careful of rattlesnakes, which abound here. To my disappointment, I did not see any members of the bobcat family that had showed themselves to some of the people who had arrived a day early.

Peace and light, E — Posted with WordPress for BlackBerry.

Breakfast for Meditating

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The figs are fresh-picked on the property: the apricot preserves are made from fruit picked on site. Yum.

Peace and light, E — Posted with WordPress for BlackBerry.

Found Exhortation

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The Hair Pat-Down

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When I was going through airport security today in San Francisco on my way to Los Angeles, the security guard made me stop. She patted my hair all around my neck and then let me go. I had read an article a few weeks ago (probably in the New York Times), written by an African-American woman complaining of the hair pat-down. The author said that though she knew many woman of color who had experienced it, she knew of no white women, no matter how curly their hair. When it happened, I thought, “well, I’m a white woman who has been given the hair pat-down.”

When my blonde friend, whose hair is thick and curly, met me at the gate, I asked if they had patted her hair. It was not a surprise the answer was “no.”. My wild and frizzy, dark, ethnically jewish hair is still scarier to this society than pretty blonde, northern european tresses.

Peace and light, E — Posted with WordPress for BlackBerry.

On Sadhana

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