A Joyful Practice

Truth: A Note, an Excerpt, & FTWMI: What Happens When You Are Off-Center & Completely Ungrounded? June 22, 2024

Happy Pride! Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone observing the Commemoration of the Dead and/or working for more peace, freedom, and wisdom (inside and outside).

“Now. as a professor of applied maths, I have fun with thinking about different ways of looking at things. There are known-knowns; there are things we know that we know. They are known-knowns. For example if you leave a cake on the stove too long, my wife tells me, it gets burned and so on. You know what I mean. There are known-knowns, ok? There are things we know that we know.

But then there are known-unknowns. That is to say, there are things that we know we don’t know. Alright? Then, there are unknown-unknowns. There are things that we don’t know that we don’t know.

And then, fourthly, there are unknown-knowns — these are things that we don’t know that we know.”

— quoted from the lecture “From Tyndale to Galileo: Grace and Space” by David Block, professor emeritus in the School of Computer Science and Applied Mathematics at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa

Have you ever wondered how can we ever really know the truth — IF you can really know the truth? I mean, how can we ever know that we know the Truth (when there is so much we don’t know)?

Truth comes up a lot in Yoga Philosophy. Dedication to it is satya, the focus of the second yama (external “restraint” or universal commandment). It could be considered “correct knowledge,” which is based on “perception, inference, and testimony or verbal communication from others who have knowledge.” (YS 1.6 – 1.7) Additionally, seeking it is the focus of the sixth chakra, which has been central to the June Saturday practices.

More specifically, the Anja chakra is energetically and symbolically associated with “Big T” Truth, self evaluation, intellectual and emotional intelligence, the ability to learn from experience, and one’s openness to other people’s ideas. While the third eye is often referred to as the “seat of intuition,” it could also be called “the seat of curiosity.”

Of course, some people think curiosity is dangerous. Maybe those same people don’t realize that what they are really thinking is that knowledge is dangerous… that the truth is dangerous…. Or, maybe they know and that’s the whole point.

Documentary filmmaker Ken Burns has spent his whole career seeking the truth and then presenting it to the world. On May 19, 2024, in a key note address at Brandeis University, he said, “Remember the opposite of faith is not doubt. Doubt is central to faith. The opposite of faith is certainty.” Hearing that made me think of the Holy Office in Rome, which forced Galileo Galilei to recant the truth today in 1633.

For Those Who Missed It: The following was originally posted in 2022. It includes an excerpt from 2020 and an additional excerpt from 2024.

“All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them.”

— Galileo Galilei, as quoted in Angels in the Workplace: Stories and Inspirations for Creating a New World of Work by Melissa Giovagnoli

Pay attention to those times when you, or someone around you, is very certain about something even though all evidence indicates that you, or someone around you, is wrong. In some cases, people may (or may not) acknowledge the truth when given the opportunity. In some cases, people are forced into situations where they intentionally prevaricate. Sometimes they are so adept in evasive language that it sounds like they are saying what you think they should be saying when, in reality, they aren’t acknowledging the truth at all.

The really twisted thing is that the scenario can play out in the same way even when you, or someone around you, is actually correct and you are being forced to recant your views because the people in the wrong are the people in power. This is exactly what happened to Galileo Galilee, today in 1633, when the Holy Office in Rome forced him to recant views that were (and are) widely accepted as the truth.

When compare what happened then to some things that are happening now, we must remember Yoga Sūtra 2.20, which indicates that we only see what our brain shows us, and we have to carefully consider if we are centered and grounded in what is real or if we are centered and grounded in something specifically designed to deceive us.*

As I blogged today in 2020: “Every one of us has a center — physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and energetically. Every one of us believes something is solid and true — even if we what we believe in is the impermanence of all things. We view everything we experience through the lens of our belief. This, more often than not, causes us to cling tightly to our beliefs. We cling tightly even when there is something inside of us that quietly whispers, or loudly shouts, that that to which we cling is wrong. We hold on to what is familiar, even if it no longer serves us, but we also hold on to that thing that we believe centers and grounds us. Sometimes we cling so tightly that we are unable to see we are off-center and completely ungrounded. Because, what we miss in holding on is that we have essentially told our mind/intellect, ‘This is the part that’s important; don’t bother me with anything else.’”

RE: Being Centered & Grounded

Please join me today (Saturday, June 22^nd) at 12:00 PM for a yoga practice on Zoom. You can use the link from the “Class Schedules” calendar if you run into any problems checking into the class. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.

Saturday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [“06222021 Staying Centered & Grounded”]

*NOTE: My intention in not naming names or specific current events is not to gaslight anyone or convince someone that I believe what they believe. Neither is it to imply who I see as “Galileo Galilee” and who I see as the “Holy See” in any modern example. Rather, I offer this as an opportunity to bring awareness to what our mind shows us and to observe how we respond or react to the information. Noting that, I also (unfortunately) recognize that some people may get it “wrong.”

“As long as our mind is contaminated by likes and dislikes, fear and doubt, we are bound to experience pain. Getting rid of this contaminated mind (chitta nivritti) is the ultimate pain reliever. We acquired a contaminated mind by embracing avidya. As soon as we renounce avidya, mental contaminants evaporate.”

— commentary on Yoga Sūtra 2.25 from The Practice of the Yoga Sutra: Sadhana Pada by Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, PhD

Grace, Zora, & Galileo’s Moons (a “long lost” Saturday post for Sunday)

If you are thinking about suicide, worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, you can dial 988 (in the US) or call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call this TALK line if you are struggling with addiction or involved in an abusive relationship. The Lifeline network is free, confidential, and available to all 24/7. YOU CAN TALK ABOUT ANYTHING.

White Flag is a new app, which I have not yet researched, but which may be helpful if you need peer-to-peer (non-professional) support.

If you are a young person in crisis, feeling suicidal, or in need of a safe and judgement-free place to talk, you can also click here to contact the TrevorLifeline (which is staffed 24/7 with trained counselors).

In the spirit of generosity (“dana”), the Zoom classes, recordings, and blog posts are freely given and freely received. If you are able to support these teachings, please do so as your heart moves you. (NOTE: You can donate even if you are “attending” a practice that is not designated as a “Common Ground Meditation Center” practice, or you can purchase class(es).

Donations are tax deductible; class purchases are not necessarily deductible.

Check out the “Class Schedules” calendar for upcoming classes.

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