In 1997, I traveled to Mysore, India to study yoga for three months. I took a trip with three friends to Bylakuppe, one of the largest Tibetan settlements in India, to visit a friend who was a monk. He encouraged us to take a walk through the woods on a path that would eventually lead to a clearing which was the home of a bronze statue of a Buddha. Our friend said the sculpture had been cleaned recently and it would be dazzling in the sunlight.
We set out into the woods for the hour-long walk. The path had not been traveled on for a while. It was covered with leaves, twigs, and big branches. The path merged with the ground on all sides making it difficult to know which direction to walk. But we continued on and traveled slowly.
At other points on our walk, the bushes and trees on either side of the path grew together. We had to move the branches apart so we could walk through. It was the hot season, tons of bugs flying around our heads, and the branches scratched our bare arms. But we continued on and traveled slowly.
In other areas, the growth of trees and bushes was so dense above us that the forest became dark as if we were traveling at night even though it was 8:00am. We couldn’t see where we were going or if we were moving in the right direction. But we continued on and traveled slowly.
Every so often on our 2 hour walk we would see sparkling flashes of light through openings in the forest and then they would disappear. These flashes of light helped us determine the right direction to take on the path.
Finally we came to the clearing where the bronze sculpture of the Buddha sat right in the middle. Golden, dazzling, and glittering from the sun shining on it. We sat in meditation around the Buddha, collecting and gathering our attention to one place. The swirling thoughts in our minds began to quiet and flashes of a self underneath the flurry of thoughts in the mind would appear, connecting us to a deep wisdom.
One way that yoga is defined is Upaya, a path. A path that connects us to our potential to grow, to change, to get wiser, to soften, to be more kind and loving. A path that leads us to a deeper sense of self that is not identified with the thoughts, feelings, sensations, and activities around us. That is the basis of meditation and all contemplative practices, to continually connect us to our potential for basic goodness and wisdom. A path of self-knowledge and liberation for all beings.
Our paths in life are often arduous, sweaty, filled with branches, leaves and mosquitos that obscure the right direction we want to move in. But if we sit each day, gather and collect our attention, we get a glimpse of our potential, that sparkling flash of light and clarity within all of us. With consistent practice the flashes of light are less intermittent and more constant. We remain shining. We just need to continue on slowly and travel together.
Give it a try.
Sit down and feel that by sitting you are on a path to self knowledge.
Gather and collect your attention to where your hands are resting on your body.
Feel the sensations of the hands on your body.
When the mind wanders, bring it back to your hands resting on your body.
Ask yourself what direction you need to move in today. What path will bring you more ease, more compassion, more kindness.