FTWMI: Deep Listening (*Revised) – the post-practice Friday post September 1, 2023
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Bhakti, Books, Changing Perspectives, Japa, Japa-Ajapa, Karma, Life, Mantra, Meditation, Music, Mysticism, One Hoop, Philosophy, Religion, Wisdom, Yoga.Tags: asana, Buddhism, Dharma Singh Khalsa M. D., Ek Ong Kaar Kaur Khalsa, Gina Sharpe, Guru Nanak, Japa-Ajapa, Japji Sahib, Kaur Khalsa, Macbeth, mantra, meditation, Psalms, Sikhism, Song of the Soul, Song of the Sould, stillness, Tehillim, truth, William Faulkner, William Shakespeare, yoga philosophy, yoga practice, Yoga Sutra, Yoga Sutra 1.27 – 1.28
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May you be safe, peaceful, healthy, and hydrated.
For Those Who Missed It: This post-practice post for Friday, September 1st, is a revised (and slightly expanded) version of a 2020 post. You can request an audio recording of either practice via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
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.)
“Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.”
– Macbeth in Act V, Scene V of Macbeth by William Shakespeare
Philosophies and major religions from all over the world emphasize the importance of being dedicated to the truth. In the Yoga Philosophy, that dedication to the truth, satya, is the second yamā (external “restraint” / universal commandment). Yet, despite that emphasis, there is a lot of disinformation, misinformation, manipulated information, lack of information, and fakery in the world. Sometimes there is so much that it can seem hard to know the truth.
We can spend an extraordinary amount of time sifting and searching through all the disinformation, misinformation, manipulated information, lack of information, and fakery in the world and, in the end, feel like the aforementioned Scottish king and the inspiration for a novel by William Faulkner. It’s so frustrating that we may settle down for a moment and give up. Or, we may rest awhile, only to dive back in. But, really, those are two bad choices.
A third option is the oft overlooked option of being still, being quite, and turning inward instead of outward. Yes, it is often overlooked and yet, every philosophy and major religion in the world emphasizes the idea that we carry the truth with us. The truth is inside of us. So, the key to seeking the truth isn’t turning outward, it is turning inward.
“Be still and know that I am God.”
– quoted from Tehillim – Psalms (46:11, in some Hebrew texts; 46:10 in Christian texts)
“…really pay attention to what’s happening internally…. Meditation is learning how to get so still, and so calm, tranquil, through the directing of the attention, to this present moment, that we begin to see really deeply…. And so we go more and more and more deeply into the nature of things, and when that happens, and reactivity ceases, then responsiveness arises.”
– quoted from the dharma talk and Q&A entitled “Suffering and the End of Suffering” by Gina Sharpe
Guru Nanak was the 15th Century founder of Sikhism and the first of the ten Sikh Gurus. According to Dr. Dharma Singh Khalsa*, Guru Nanak (before he was a guru) “went for his morning bath in a river near his home in northern India. He entered the water and was not seen again for three days. His family feared that he’d drowned. Then he reappeared and began singing the very verses you’ll find within these pages.” Those verses are the Japji Sahib.
Known in English as The Song of the Soul, the Japji Sahib is an ancient Sikh text at the beginning of the Guru Granth Sahib, which is the Adi Granth or primary sacred text / scripture in Sikhism. Originally compiled and printed by Guru Arjan, the fifth Sikh guru, on August 29, 1604, it was placed in the Golden Temple in the city of Amritsar, Punjab, India, today (September 1st) in 1604. Over the years, most of the ten Sikh Gurus have added their commentary and exposition, which is the majority of the Guru Granth Sahib.
Every aspect of this sacred text is part of it’s wisdom. It was originally compiled in Gurmukhī, a script which literally means “from the mouth of the teacher.” The title, the Guru Granth Sahib, indicates that it is the book that “holds” the teacher or “remover of darkness” – and it is considered a living teacher. As indicated by it’s name, the Japji Sahib is intended to be chanted.
“Deeply Listening,
Yoga
And the hidden systems
Of the body
Make themselves known.
Deeply Listening,
The wisdom
Of all sacred scriptures in the world
Is revealed.
Oh my soul,
Those who surrender themselves in Love
To the Divine
Continuously blossom and bloom.
Deeply Listening
Sorrows
And errors
Depart.”
– quoted from Japji Sahib: The Song of the Soul by Guru Nanak (Translated by Ek Ong Kaar Kaur Khalsa)
Remember, when we do the 108 Sun Salutations I refer to it as japa-ajapa, which is “repeat and repeat” or “repeat and remember.” Jap also means “understand.” This type of repetition is a form of meditation which is also recommended in the Yoga Sūtra (1.27 – 1.28). It allows the mind to use the repetition as a path and gateway into stillness.
I say “a path and gateway” because there are steps. One doesn’t just mumble a few words a few times and find themselves instantly still and quiet. First, you have to get past the place where your mind is trying to wrap itself around the fact that you are repeating the same thing over and over again. Then, you have to sift through the object that is the word, the meaning of the word, and the fact that you are focused on the object and the meaning of the word. Eventually, you start to internalize the word and let go of some of the outside distractions. Finally, you reach a state of pure cognition where it is possible for you and the word to be absorbed into each other – in other words, you become the word. A dedicated, uninterrupted practice (also recommended by Patanjali) is helpful in this practice; however, the most important element is trusting and listening.
“By trusting
What you hear
When you listen,
The Truth
Of your Inner
Consciousness
Will saturate your psyche
With wisdom
And deep understanding.
By trusting
What you hear
When you listen,
You shall dwell
In all mansions
Of learning.”
– quoted from Japji Sahib: The Song of the Soul by Guru Nanak (Translated by Ek Ong Kaar Kaur Khalsa)
This Restorative Yoga practice is accessible and open to all.
Prop wise, we use a small ball (e.g., tennis ball, massage ball, etc.) at the the beginning of the practice. Additionally, this is a kitchen sink practice. You can practice without props or you can use “studio” and/or “householder” props. Example of “Studio” props: 1 – 2 blankets, 2 – 3 blocks, a bolster, a strap, and an eye pillow. Example of “Householder” props: 1 – 2 blankets or bath towels, 2 – 3 books (similar in size), 2 standard pillows (or 1 body pillow), a belt/tie/sash, and a face towel.
You may want extra layers (as your body may cool down during this practice). Having a wall, chair, sofa, or coffee table may be handy.
Friday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify.
MUSIC NOTE: You can start with Track #1, #2, #3, or #5. These are instrumental tracks.
*CONTENT NOTE: The translation by Ek Ong Kaar Kaur Khalsa is the foundation for The End of Karma: 10 Days to Perfect Peace, Tranquility, and Joy by Dharma Singh Khalsa, M. D. During the 2023 practice, I quoted chants from Chapters 12, 10, 14, and 39. The one in Chapter 13 is also one of my favorites.
I encourage you to listen, just listen (deeply) to Track #6.
“If you
Trust what you hear
When you listen,
Then you will know
What you see,
How to understand
And act.”– quoted from Japji Sahib: The Song of the Soul by Guru Nanak (Translated by Ek Ong Kaar Kaur Khalsa)
### LISTEN ###
More On “The Courage to Be, Right Here and Right Now” (mostly the music) August 20, 2023
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Books, Changing Perspectives, Faith, Healing Stories, Hope, Life, Music, Pain, Philosophy, Religion, Suffering, Vairagya, Wisdom, Yoga.Tags: Epictetus, Paul Tillich, Seneca, Stoicism, Yoga Sutra 1.12, Yoga Sutras 1.5-1.11, Yoga Sutras 2.3-2.11
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Be well. Be great. Be hydrated.
“What conflicts with the courage of wisdom is desires and fears. The Stoics developed a profound doctrine of anxiety which also reminds us of recent analyses. They discovered that the object of fear is fear itself. ‘Nothing,’ says Seneca, ‘is terrible in things except fear itself.’ And Epictetus says, ‘For it is not death or hardship that is a fearful thing, but the fear of death and hardship.’ Our anxiety puts frightening masks over all men and things. If we strip them of these masks their own countenance appears and the fear they produce disappears. This is true even of death. Since every day a little of our life is taken from us–since we are dying every day–the final hour when we cease to exist does not itself bring death; merely completes the death process. The horrors connected with it are a matter of imagination. They vanish when the mask is taken from the image of death.”
– quoted from “Chapter 1. Being and Courage – Courage and Wisdom: The Stoics” in The Courage To Be by Paul Tillich (b. 08/20/1886)
Please join me for a 65-minute virtual yoga practice on Zoom today (Sunday, August 20th) at 2:30 PM. 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 by emailing myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
Sunday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “10272021 Another Appointment EVE”]
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.)
### BE Fearless & PLAY, LIVE, LOVE.###
Big Gold 2 (the “missing” Wednesday post) August 18, 2023
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Books, Buddhism, Changing Perspectives, First Nations, Healing Stories, Hope, Life, Mantra, Men, Music, One Hoop, Pain, Philosophy, Religion, Suffering, Tragedy, Vairagya, Wisdom, Women, Writing, Yoga.Tags: alchemy, Annie Hall Strong, Ben Harper, Bob Schneider, Canada, Chilkoot Trail, chinta mani, Cintāmaṇi, Daisy Mason Trust, Dale L. Walker, Dawson Charlie, George Washington Carmack, Gold, Gold Rush, Jack London, James Mason, Jeanne Campbell Reesman, Kate Carmack, Keish, K̲áa Goox̱, Klondike, Native, Philosopher’s Stone, Robert Henderson, Shaaw Tláa, Shyāmantaka Mani, Skookum, Skookum Jim, Tagish, Tagish Charlie, The Skookum Jim Friendship Centre, Tlingit, Vihari-Lal Mitra, White Pass Trail, Yoga Vasishtha, Yukon
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Peace, blessings, and hydration to all!
This is a “missing” post for Wednesday, August 16th (with reference to some August 17th events). You can request an audio recording of either practice via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
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.)
“16. Hence whatever is obtainable by anyone at any time, is often missed and lost sight of by either his ignorance or negligence of it; as the precious gem in the parable, which was proffered and lay palpable in full view.”
— quoted from (Book 6) “CHAPTER LXXXVIII. The Tale of the crystal Gem. (Argument:—The slipping of a precious stone in ignorance, and picking of a glossy glass in view of it.)” in The Yoga-Vasishtha Maharamayana of Valmiki (translated by Vihari-Lala Mitra)
Generation after generation, there are certain things which seem to capture the imaginations of people all over the world. Yet, as much as we obsess about the thing, we still somehow miss the point. Take gold, for instance. People are so fascinated by gold that, generation after generation, we’ve created great adventure stories – as well as cautionary tales – around gold and the concept of gold.
Gold is a precious metal that is naturally occurring. It is a free element that can be found in rocks, water, and random deposits. It can also be formed. In fact, for thousands and thousands of years, people from all over the world have not only gone “digging” for gold, they have also sought the secret to alchemy: the Philosopher’s Stone, the catalyst that could turn anything into gold and (maybe) offer eternal life.
Some people believe the “stone” is an actual piece of rock or a dry red powder. Others believe it to be a magical liquid (perhaps made from a the red powder). Some Hindu and Buddhist texts (and therefore some Yoga texts) refer to a wish-fulfilling jewel, called “Cintāmaṇi” or “Shyāmantaka Mani,” which can convey wisdom, transform ailments into knowledge, prevent natural disasters, and produce gold on daily basis. Some texts describe a pearl; some describe a ruby. On the flip side, in some cases it is very clearly a sacred word – or the sacred text itself – that makes someone golden.
“2709: Sivayanama is Alchemic
In slighting terms they speak of our Lord;
With thoughts centering on the Light
And hearts melting in love
Let them chant His name;
With the alchemic pill of Sivaya Nama
He will turn thy body gold.”
— quoted from “Tantra Nine – 6 SUKSHMA (INARTICULATE) PANCHAKSHARA” in Tirumantiram: English Translation of the Tamil Spiritual Classic by Saint Tirumular (complete English translation by Dr. B. Natarajan)
Metaphorically, when we think of something as being “golden,” we think of it as good, great. Something (or someone) who is golden has value. Because of the value we place upon it, gold is worth our time… and worth it’s own weight. By the same token, describing someone or something as golden means we consider them worth our time. We consider them valuable. On a certain level, we all want to be golden and we all want the people around us to be golden. But, sometimes, we find we are dealing with fool’s gold.
Fool’s gold looks like gold and may even feel a little like gold. But, it’s not gold. Instead, it is to gold what the rope in the woods is to the snake: an illusion that tricks the brain and activates an emotional response in the body. If we are looking for gold, and we see something in the distance that could be gold, we get excited; the adrenaline starts pumping; we can barely wait to celebrate. Even though fool’s gold is not actually gold, the excitement is real. That very real excitement simply ends up mixed with disappointment. Just as this can literally happen, it can also metaphorically happen. We can get excited about something or someone; we can think they are the real deal – GOLD! Then, we end up looking like the fool; because they were never honest, they were never true. They were never skookum.
“skookum [Chinook, Chinuk Wawa], adjective
-
Good, excellent, impressive, best.
-
Big, strong, durable, tough, reliable, trustworthy.
-
Powerful, brave.
-
Really good, right on.”
— definitions from Wiktionary, Wikipedia, and other sources
On the afternoon of August 16, 1896, a family of prospectors found gold in Canada’s Yukon Territory. Skookum Jim Mason, his sister Kate Carmack, their nephew Dawson Charlie, and Kate’s husband George Washington Carmack found a couple of gold nuggets in Rabbit Creek (now called Bonanza Creek), a tributary of the Klondike River. The site had been suggested to the family by Robert Henderson, a prospector who had moved on after finding nothing for several days. While there are some discrepancies about who spotted the first dime-sized nugget, most historians agree that Skookum Jim made the discovery. If not him, then maybe his sister or his nephew. One thing seems clear: George Carmack did not find the nuggets. However, Claim #37903 (the discovery claim) was staked in the name of George Washington Carmack.
Skookum Jim, Kate, and Dawson Charlie were all Indigenous. Given the name Keish (a Tagish word that means “wolf”), Skookum Jim was also known as James Mason. He and his sister Shaaw Tláa, who became known as Kate, were Tagish First Nation members. Their nephew, K̲áa Goox̱, who was known as Dawson Charlie (and also as Tagish Charlie) was Tagish and Tlingit. As excited as they were about their discovery, the family was also concerned that an Indigenous claim might be challenged by Canadian officials and/or other prospectors. So, on August 17th, the discovery claim and a second claim in the same area were staked in the name of the only white member of the family: George Washington Carmack. Being the first to stake a claim in the area entitled Carmack to two (additional) “free” claims. The extra claims were staked in the names of Skookum Jim and Dawson Charlie. These four claims kicked off the Klondike Gold Rush.
“GOLD! GOLD! GOLD! GOLD!
—
Sixty-Eight Rich Men on the Steamer Portland.
—
STACKS OF YELLOW METAL!
—
Some Have $5,000, Many Have More, and a Few Bring Out $100,000 Each.
—
THE STEAMER CARRIES $7000,000.
—
Special Tug Chartered by the Post-Intelligencer to Get the News.”
— quoted from the “extra” published on July 17, 1897, by the Seattle Post Intelligencer – Klondike Edition
Word spread relatively quickly once the discovery claim was filed. Within a few days, prospectors in the area staked the major claims. Within a year, newspapers made it sound as if it was easy to strike it rich. The headlines made it seem as if all someone had to do was “head west” and they could scoop up gold the way you could pick wild flowers. Over a hundred thousand stampeders were struck by “Klondike Fever.” While many of those who found gold ended up selling their claims to mining companies – and while the area yielded approximately $250 million by the time large-scale mining ended in 1966 – most stampeders never find a single nugget. Some people never even made it to the river. However, all found that the process of getting to a place where there might be gold was just as challenging – if not more challenging – than actually finding gold.
People could get to the Klondike via an all-water route, which was known as the “rich man’s route” because it was so expensive. Some people decided they could hike all the way into the territory – and while some of those hikers arrived, they did so almost two years after the initial rush. Most stampeders used the “poor man’s route” to reach the Yukon River. This hybrid approach required sailing up the Inside Passage to Skagway or nearby Dyea, and then using the White Pass or Chilkoot Trails (respectively) to hike over the Coast Range mountains.
Both coastal towns exploded as people geared up for their hike – and people needed a lot of gear. The Canadian government required stampeders to carry a year’s worth of food and equipment before they ever crossed the border. In addition to the cost of food, clothes, prospecting equipment, and transportation, goods purchased in the United States were subject to a duty. Of course, most stampeders didn’t know what they needed. Intrepid entrepreneurs would eventually create and sell “Yukon outfits” – kits containing all the necessities. In 1897, The Northern Pacific Railroad Company published the Chicago Record’s Book for Gold Seekers. However, some people still ended up with more than they needed. Others found themselves without something critical. But, before they reached that point of discovery, they had to get their “ton of goods” across the mountains.
“In the Skagway News, December 31, 1897 Annie Hall Strong wrote advice to women who ‘have made up their minds to go to the Klondike.’ Ms. Strong weighed in on the required ton of supplies and wrote ‘what should be taken & what should be left behind – from a woman’s perspective.’”
“Among her ‘Advice to Women’, Ms. Strong recommended 3 canvas bags: 1 for bedding, 1 for clothing, and 1 for shoes and boots. From her actual first-hand experience, Ms. Strong says: Evaporated eggs are a failure and everyone who took saccharin as a substitute for sugar were loud in their condemnation of it. Take plenty of sugar. One craves it, and 200 pounds per outfit is not too much. Corn meal, sugar, tea and coffee should be packed in tins. Take plenty of tea. Baking powder and candles are apt to be the first articles to disappear. A few extra pounds would come in very handy. She also recommended lemonade tablets; they are preferable to lime juice and citric acid, being easier to carry, having no weight or bulk.”
— quoted from the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park’s “Annie Hall Strong” profile (at U. S. National Park Service site)
Getting to a place where there might be gold was an arduous task. The hike was narrow, steep, and dangerous. In addition to the risky terrain and brutally cold climate, stampeders sometimes had conflicts with each other that led to injury or death. Prior to tramways being built (starting towards the end of 1897), people had to carry everything on their backs and/or use pack mules or horses. Since it was impossible for one person (or animal) to carry everything they needed in one trip, people leap frogged – carrying a load a few feet, setting it down, and then going down for the next load. The leap frog method required people to decide if they could carry a lot of weight for a few trips or less weight for more trips. The heavier loads cut down on the number of times stampeders had to cross the same path, but they resulted in slower travel times.
While the geographical distance they traveled was only 33 – 35 miles (~53 – 59kms), people spent approximately 3 months and hiked hundreds of miles because of the leap frog method. Some people gave up, left their belongings by the side of the trail, and turned back. Some died. Approximately 3,000 pack animals also died. If they got across the mountains, they still had almost 600 miles (~965.6kms) of lake to cross in order to reach Dawson City and the areas where people believed there was gold. Then, they had to find an area that wasn’t already staked. Despite the challenges, 20,000 – 30,000 stampeders headed to the Yukon Territory within the first year… searching for gold.
“It was in the Klondike that I found myself. There nobody talks. Everybody thinks. You get your true perspective. I got mine.”
— quoted from the essay “Eight Factors of Literary Success,” as published in No mentor but myself: Jack London on Writing & Writers by Jack London (Second Edition, Revised and Expanded, Edited by Dale L. Walker and Jeanne Campbell Reesman)
One of those people was a 21-year old man by the name of Jack London. On July 25, 1897, he and his brother-in-law, James Shepard, left San Francisco on board the SS Umatilla. They headed to Juneau and planned to take the “poor man’s route” across the Chilkoot Trail. James got sick early on and had to return to Oakland, California. Jack continued with some veteran stampeders and made it to Dawson City, where he staked Claim #54 in December of 1897. He survived the winter; but just barely. He developed scurvy, spent some time in the hospital in Dawson, and then headed back to the California.
Jack London arrived home to find that his father had passed and that he had responsibilities. But, like so many others, he had no fortune in gold. The only things he had to show for his adventures in the Yukon were swollen gums, loose teeth, a little frostbite, a lot of exhaustion, a pocket full of gold dust, and a head full of stories. Unlike so many others, however, he also came back with a renewed calling: to be a writer. Like an alchemist, he turned the stories of his adventures gold, writing books like The Son of the Wolf (published 1900) and The Call of the Wild (published 1903).
“21. The fool thought this brittle thing to be the real gem now lying before him, as the ignorant sot believes the sparkling sands to be the dusts of the purest gold.
22. Such is the case with the deluded mind, that it mistakes the eight for six and a foe for a friend; it sees the serpent in the rope and views the desert land as the watery expanse, it drinks the poison for the nectar and spies another moon in the sky in the reflexion [sic] of the true one.
23. He took up that sham trumpery for a real gem, and thought it as the philosopher’s stone that would confer on him whatever he desired; with this belief he gave up in charity all he had, as they were no more of any use to him.
24. He thought his country to be devoid of all that was delightsome to him and its people as debasing to his society; he thought his lost house was of no use to him, and his relatives and friends to be averse to his happiness.
25. Thus thinking in his mind, he determined to remove himself to a distant country and enjoy his rest there; and then taking his false gem with him, he went out and entered an uninhabited forest.”
— quoted from (Book 6) “CHAPTER LXXXVIII. The Tale of the crystal Gem. (Argument:—The slipping of a precious stone in ignorance, and picking of a glossy glass in view of it.)” in The Yoga-Vasishtha Maharamayana of Valmiki (translated by Vihari-Lala Mitra)
We can look at Jack London as one of the fortunate few. Similarly, we can see Skookum Jim Mason, Dawson Charlie, and Kate and George Washington Carmack as people who got lucky. After all, they survived the Yukon and collected about $1 million dollars from their original claims. (That would be well over $36 million in 2023.) Skookum Jim and Dawson Charlie also staked smaller claims in Kluane region in 1903. They were all wealthy beyond their dreams. However, their new-found wealth came with challenges… and heartbreak.
Kate/Shaaw Tláa and George Carmack had both been married before and had experienced their share of heartbreak. Kate’s first husband was a Tlingit man who, along with their infant daughter, died during an influenza epidemic. George had been married to one of Kate and Skookum Jim’s sisters, who also died. The family encouraged the widow and widower to marry and, in 1893, about seven years into their union, the had a daughter. Three years later, they struck gold; but, very little changed for the couple during the two additional years they spent in the back country. In 1898, they decided to leave the Yukon Territory and move to Seattle, Washington. They had plans for more great adventures – like buying a boat and sailing to France. Unfortunately, the marriage fell apart within a year and George Carmack abandoned Kate and their daughter.
As George Washington Carmack made plans to remarry, Kate/Shaaw Tláa attempted to file for divorce – only to find there was no official record of her 13-year marriage to George Carmack. She returned to Yukon Territory with no claim to their resources and no official claim to the gold. Carmack eventually tricked their teenage daughter into returning to Seattle, by promising that she could obtain her mother’s share of the gold. But, not only did Kate/Shaaw Tláa never receive any money, she also never saw her daughter again. She would have been completely destitute were it not for her skills in needlepoint, a government pension, and her brother.
“skookum [Chinook, Chinuk Wawa], noun
-
Monster; similar to Sasquatch.
-
A person who has a purpose and is on solid ground, in good health and spirits.”
— definitions from Wiktionary, Wikipedia, and other sources
True to his nickname Keish/Skookum Jim was generous to a fault. He built a large home for himself and, when she was abandoned, he built a cabin for his sister. When his nephew K̲áa Goox̱/Dawson Charlie passed away (in 1912), Skookum Jim reportedly hosted the largest potlatch (gift-giving feast) their community had ever experienced. He also randomly gave money to anyone and everyone. His marriage suffered and fell apart, leaving him with custody of his daughter Saayna.aat/Daisy. Somewhere along the way, he developed a drinking problem – a really expensive drinking problem, since he would buy drinks for everyone around him.
Keish/Skookum Jim was one of the early miners who sold his claims to a prospecting company. He received $65,000 (which would be over $2 million in 2023). Since he was truly “skookum,” he recognized he had a problem and set aside some of his money to create a trust in his daughter’s name. The Daisy Mason Trust was meant to cover his daughter’s education. He also created a will, establishing legacies for Kate/Shaaw Tláa, his nephew Koołseen/Patsy Henderson (who was originally with the family in the Yukon, but apparently not when they found the gold), and two other relatives. Tragically, the trust and will were not executed as intended after his death in 1916. When his daughter Saayna.aat/Daisy passed (in 1938), the interest from the Daisy Mason Trust was directed “to help obtain a better standard of health and education for Indian People in the Yukon.”
One of the initiatives that came from the Daisy Mason Trust was the creation and construction of the Skookum Jim Memorial Hall, built in Whitehorse 1962). Now operating as The Skookum Jim Friendship Centre, it is the oldest Native organization in the Yukon and the birthplace of The Yukon Native Brotherhood, Yukon Association of Non-Status Indians, Yukon Native Youth, Yukon Native Women, Yukon Native Court Workers, and Yukon Indian Women’s Association. It’s programs include the Skookum Jim Oral History Program, Yukon A.I.D.S. Programming, Native Court Worker Trainee Program, Hawshagoonca-coo Cultural Program, and the Yukon Alcohol Community Action Program. The Centre also facilitated the creation of programs like the Yukon Association of Non-Status Indians (YANSI), Crossroads Halfway House, Yukon Alcohol and Drug Services, and Skookies Educational and Recreation Counseling Haven Program (SEARCH).
While so many others have been forgotten – or only live on in history books and movies – Keish/Skookum Jim Masons’s legacy is still alive… golden… skookum.
“I’ve been fooled before
But now I know
I’ve made the mistake in the past
But now I know the difference
From gold and brass
Not the kind of gold you wear
But the kind that can feel my care
You look like gold”
— quoted from the song “Gold to Me” by Ben Harper
Wednesday’s playlist is available on on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “08162022 Big Gold”]
### “All the gold in the sunset all the diamonds on the sea / It’s all we need to set ourselves free” ~ Bob Schneider ###
Symbols for Reflection & Self-Study (the “missing” Monday post) July 24, 2023
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Buddhism, California, Changing Perspectives, Faith, First Nations, Food, Healing Stories, Health, Hope, Karma, Life, Loss, Meditation, Music, One Hoop, Pain, Peace, Philosophy, Religion, Suffering, Tragedy, Wisdom, Yoga.Tags: "Major Heat", 988, Alex Johnson, Bannock, Brian Maffly, Brigham Young, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Confederated Tribes of the Goshute Reservation, Dà shǔ, Diamond Sutra, Dr. Gill, faith, Goshute, Heather Sundahl, Intertribal Powwow, John Newton, Mary Murdock Meyer, Navajo, Northwestern Band of the Shoshone Nation, Oxford Languages, Paiute, Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah, Pie and Beer Day, Pioneer Day, San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe, Shoshone, Skull Valley Band of Goshute, Stuart Chase, tapas, The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Hebrews, Ute, Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah and Ouray Reservation, White Mesa Community of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, 大暑
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Stay hydrated, y’all, and “may our hearts be open!”
This is a “missing” post for Monday, July 24th. It contains some new material and some “leftovers” from 2022. You can request an audio recording of either practice via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
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.)
“Pecan pie.”
– My response to the prompt question* on Monday, July 24, 2023
Sometimes, I use symbols in the practice that may seem really random and quirky.
Like tacos… or pie.
No, not the symbol pi – but actual pie that you eat. Except, in this case, it’s just a symbol. In this case, when I ask people what pie symbolizes their faith, it’s just a starting point to go deeper into the practice.
“The lord Buddha continued:
‘If any person were to say that the Buddha, in his teachings, has constantly referred to himself, to other selves, to living beings, or to a universal self, what do you think, would that person have understood my meaning?’
Subhuti replied, ‘No, blessed lord. That person would not have understood the meaning of your teachings. For when you refer to those things, you are not referring to their actual existence, you only use the words as figures of speech, as symbols. Only in that sense can words be used, for conceptions, ideas, limited truths, and spiritual truths have no more reality than have matter or phenomena.’”
– quoted from “Chapter 31” of the Diamond Sutra – A New Translation, translated by Alex Johnson
According to the Yoga Sūtras, meditation is the way to overcome obstacles and the five debilitating conditions that arise from the obstacles. Meditation, in yoga, requires “withdrawing the senses” (pratyāhāra) – which means turning your awareness and senses towards a single focal point – and focusing on that single point until the focus becomes concentration. Concentration over a certain period of time becomes meditation, which is some degree of absorption. The various degrees of absorption involve the merging of the person meditating, the process of meditating, the awareness of meditating, and the initial focal point.
Patanjali detailed powers/abilities that come from meditating on certain things and described “seedless” meditation (meaning meditation without an object). However, in the first chapter of the Yoga Sūtras, he actually offered several different objects which can be used as a focal point (or starting point), including: aspects of the Divine, a single word, attributes of the heart, the breath, sensations experienced through a sense organ, inner light, a person who is free of desire, dream knowledge, or “whatever.”
Ok, Yoga Sūtra 1.39 doesn’t just say “whatever.” The instruction is actually to meditate on “a well-considered object.” The commentary specifically points to objects which have been “agreed upon or accepted” within a certain tradition. If we want to get precise, these are objects that have been proven (within the context of a tradition) to lead to peace, happiness, enlightenment… whatever that means to you in this moment.
It is interesting to me that the classical commentary (as well as the commentaries on that commentary) describe things as “proven” and then inevitably point to symbols of faith, i.e. spiritual and/or religious symbols. For example, in the commentary in The Secret of the Yoga Sutra: Samadhi Pada, Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, PhD, highlighted the “lotus of the heart, the Sri Chakra, the Star of David, the cross, an unwavering flame, [and] personified forms….” Similarly, the people most commonly suggested as being free of desire – i.e., those personified forms – are people who are recognized, in the various religions of the world, as people of faith and symbols of faith.
“FAITH, noun
-
complete trust or confidence in someone or something.
-
strong belief in God or in the doctrines of a religion, based on spiritual apprehension rather than proof.”
– quoted from Oxford Languages
Faith means different things to different people. Therefore, just the thought of the concept of faith can turn people on – or it can turn people off. One thing to remember, however, is that faith is not necessarily religious. Ultimately, faith is about trust. We can trust (or not trust) anything. In fact, even the definition in The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Hebrews comes down to trust: “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” (11:1, New International Version)
Where we place our trust directly contributes to the way we move through the world. Even outside of the practice of yoga, giving some thought to who, what, and how we trust can provide some insight into how we move through the world. Contemplating our own concept of faith – even, maybe especially, when we say we don’t believe in anything – can give us insight into why we think, speak, and do the things we do. It can also help us better understand why we believe certain things are acceptable and why we believe certain things are unacceptable.
Gaining insight into ourselves is one of the benefits of practicing the Yoga Philosophy and, in particular, in practicing svādhyāya (“self-study”), which is the fourth the niyama (internal “observation”) in the philosophy. Now, if you look at an English translation, Yoga Sūtra 2.44 is simply a description of the benefit of practicing svādhyāya. Sometimes there is a reference to mantras and some commentaries point to those same religious and/or spiritual figures who are considered free of desire (and, therefore, free of suffering). In any case, the classic practice comes down to paying attention to what comes up – physically, mentally, emotionally, energetically, and/or spiritually – when contemplating shastra, sacred text and/or scriptures.
Sometimes self-study is simply noticing what comes up (i.e., what one feels and/or thinks) about a passage or scenario. It can also be noticing what comes when contemplating being in the scenario. Sometimes it is noticing what comes up with regard to a vibration – which can be a mantra and can also be music. In a moving practice, the movement, the poses, and how one feels about the movement and the poses (as well as how one feels about what one is feeling) are all opportunities for svādhyāya. For a variety of reasons, my practice includes historical scenarios and figures from different religions, philosophical traditions, and a variety of cultures.
My practice also includes non-religious situations and people – some of whom may be people of faith, but not the ones we automatically think of as being free of desire.
In fact, sometimes, their desire (and how they acted based on their desire) is the point of the practice.
Some portions of the following were posted in 2022.
“Family worship succeeding, the portion of the Scripture read had in it the following words, ‘By the Grace of God I am what I am,’ –– It was [John Newton’s] custom to make a short familiar exposition on the passage read. After the reading, he paused for some moments and then uttered the following affected words –– –I am not what I ought to be — ah, how imperfect and deficient – I am not what I wish to be, I abhor what is evil, and I would cleave to what is good –– I am not what I hope to be — soon, soon shall I put off mortality, and with mortality all sin and imperfection –– yet, though I am not what I ought to be, nor what I wish to be, nor what I hope to be, I can truly say, I am not what I once was, a slave to sin and Satan; and I can heartily join with the apostle, and acknowledge; by the grace of God I am what I am, Let us pray.”
– quoted from passage entitled “Anecdote of Mr. John Newton” by Dr. Gill, in the “Gleanings” section of The Religious Monitor, or, Evangelical Repository (March 1825)
Born in London on July 24, 1725, John Newton, the Anglican clergyman known for hymns like “Amazing Grace,” was not always a man of faith. His life was full of hardship and trauma that included his mother dying just a couple of weeks before he turned seven years old. After a couple of years at boarding school and another couple of years living with his father and stepmother, he went to sea with his father. When he was 18 years old, he was pressed into the Royal Navy; but, he ended up being publicly punished after trying to desert. Eventually, he transferred to a slave ship – but, he didn’t have any better luck there and was himself enslaved by the time he was 20.
After three years (of being enslaved), John Newton was rescued. But, then he found himself in the middle of a terrible storm. Faced with the very real possibility of his own death, he prayed and made a promise to God: if he survived, he would turn his life around. True to his word, he gave up drinking, gambling, and cursing. Later, he would also give up working within the slave trade and begin serious religious study. He spent years applying to be ordained by several different churches. Finally, he was ordained and accepted by the Church of England.
Take a moment, especially if you do not believe as John Newton eventually believed, to consider how you would respond and react to the trauma and tragedies that he endured. Keep in mind, there is not a “right answer” here. There is simply your answer.
“For those who believe, no proof is necessary. For those who do not believe, no proof is possible.”
– quote attributed to Stuart Chase, economist, social theorist, author
July 24th is “Pioneer Day” in Utah. It marks the occasion, in 1847, when Brigham Young looked out of the back of a covered wagon and said, “It is enough. This is the Right Place.” Young was the successor of Joseph Smith, the founder of what is now known as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and – before he was exiled from Illinois – Young had a vision of a place that these Mormon settlers could call home, a place where they would be free from religious persecution and conflict: “a place on this earth that nobody else wants.”
That last quote is what Brigham Young and his followers ostensibly believed. This belief and the desire to live without religious persecution were the reasons 148 settlers followed Brigham Young west. Most reached the Great Salt Lake Valley, at the foot of the Wasatch Mountains, a couple of days ahead of their leader, who was suffering from Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. Of course, they would eventually discover that at least one of their beliefs was misplaced – because there were already whole Nations of people living in the place, wanting the place.
“For generations, various Shoshone bands gathered on the lake’s shores for an annual fish festival to celebrate the lake’s bounty, according to Mary Murdock Meyer, chief executive of the Timpanogos Nation.
‘Our people raised families around these waters. We laughed and played. We worked and toiled. We swam. We fished. We utilized the surrounding foliage to make the necessary tools and medicines,’ Meyer said at last year’s Utah Lake Symposium. ‘Above all, we prayed. We held ceremonies. We danced, and we sang around the lake.’
Within a century of the pioneers’ arrival, much of this biological diversity would, like the Timpanogos, be gone….”
– quoted from The Salt Lake Tribune (March 31, 2022) article entitled, “How Utah Lake once sustained tribes and Mormon pioneers and why it needs help: After neglecting it for decades, Utahns want to make Utah Lake great again, but are sharply divided over how or even what that means.” by Brian Maffly
When contemplating those historical perspectives, we must keep in mind that what people did was also (partially) based on what people had already done. So, I also contemplate those religious pioneers that left New York, Illinois, and Missouri earlier (in 1846) and got trapped in the Sierra Nevada mountains as they traveled to California. They got trapped and many – like in the case of the tragic Donner party of 18 – did not survive the extreme cold. Of course, when I talk about Brigham Young and those 148 pioneers, I think about the extreme heat.
While I have only ever been to the east side of Salt Lake City, to This Is the Place Heritage Park, in the winter, I can imagine what it would be like after traveling months on end through so much heat. I think about the religious fervor that carried people through the rocky terrain and I think about what it might have been like for Brigham Young, sick, feverish, maybe delirious, and (even if he was experiencing chills) surrounded by major heat, great heat.
Then I think about what I might have felt was acceptable (and unacceptable) given those conditions, beliefs, and major heat, great heat.
Click here if you want to read a post about major heat, great heat.
Just as I consider those different historical viewpoints as an opportunity for svādhyāya (“self-study”), I also think of people’s modern viewpoints. For instance, some people in Salt Lake City spend July 24th celebrating “Pie and Beer Day.” Some do so because they are not part of the Church and it’s a funny little rhyme. Some do so because they feel the official holiday isn’t as inclusive as it (theoretically) could be. On that same note, there is an Intertribal Powwow on this date that celebrates indigenous culture and the contributions of Native Americans to Utah. The powwow also highlights the fact that there were, in fact, people who wanted the land. They just didn’t see and/or articulate their relationship with the land in the same way as the Mormons; because they had different beliefs.
In some cases, they still have different beliefs… and those different beliefs inform what they think and say and do.
“What dredging proponents call ‘restoration,’ however, Mary Murdock Meyer describes as desecration of a sacred place. Her people may no longer live in Utah Valley, but she says they deserve a say in what happens to the lake that sustained their ancestors.
Like the endangered June suckers, the Timpanogos ‘have endured near extinction and deserve to live,’ Meyer says. ‘Think about tomorrow and the future generations. We, as native people, say you must look ahead seven generations when making decisions because what we decide today affects future generations.’”
– quoted from The Salt Lake Tribune (March 31, 2022) article entitled, “How Utah Lake once sustained tribes and Mormon pioneers and why it needs help: After neglecting it for decades, Utahns want to make Utah Lake great again, but are sharply divided over how or even what that means.” by Brian Maffly
There is no playlist for the Common Ground Meditation Center practices.
*NOTE: The fact that people in the same place have different beliefs brings us back to pie. Just like we all have different beliefs (and different preferences in tacos), we all have different preferences in pie. But, Monday’s question wasn’t about favorite kinds of pie; it was about pie as a symbol of faith. If you consider the first pie that popped into your mind (when you contemplated your faith), you might learn something about yourself.
My answer, pecan pie, is super sweet, super crunchy, and has Southern roots. I love it, but too much can be detrimental – and it doesn’t take much to be too much! Also, depending on your source, it can leave an unpleasant aftertaste.
What’s your pie?
“[Utah] is home to five groups of Indigenous people: Navajo, Shoshone, Ute, Paiute and Goshute. But within each larger tribal grouping, there may be ‘bands’ or ‘clans’ that are subgroups, often very distinct in culture and tradition while still sharing common language and ancestry with the tribe as a whole.
From these five tribes, Utah has eight federally recognized tribal nations: Navajo Nation; Northwestern Band of the Shoshone Nation; Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah; San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe; Confederated Tribes of the Goshute Reservation; Skull Valley Band of Goshute; White Mesa Community of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe; and Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah and Ouray Reservation. Three of our tribes (the Ute, Paiute and Goshute) each have two distinct federally recognized nations.
Adding to the confusion is Utah’s flag with an eagle that has six arrows in its beak, said to represent the six tribes of Utah. Which there were — in the 19th century. But in the late 1800s the Bannock were moved to the Fort Hall Reservation in southern Idaho.”
– quoted from the Deseret News (Jul 19, 2021) op-ed entitled, “Pioneer Day is a chance to look at Utah’s many layered history: Native Americans in Utah illustrate the diversity and unique cultures that still exist today” by Heather Sundahl
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.
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).
### MORE H2O ###
Dà shǔ “Major Heat” 2023 (an updated and revised post) *UPDATED* July 23, 2023
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Books, Changing Perspectives, Daoism, Faith, First Nations, Food, Healing Stories, Health, Life, Music, One Hoop, Philosophy, Religion, Science, Suffering, Taoism, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tragedy, Yoga.Tags: "Major Heat", 988, Batman, Bhagavad Gita, Chief Seattle, Christian Bale, Dà shǔ, Dr. Gill, Efrem Korngold L.Ac. O.M.DS., Harriet Beinfield L.Ac., Intertribal Powwow, Jack Hawley, Katie Holmes, Raymond Chandler, tapas, 大暑
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Stay hydrated, y’all, and “may our hearts be open!”
Some parts of the following were originally posted in 2022.
“‘Consider purification, tapas, which literally means “to melt,” as in refining ore. The purpose of purification is not pain and penance, but to deliberately refine one’s life, to melt it down and recast it into a higher order of purity and spirituality. The goal is very important; it is not self-punishment but refinement – to shift from human existence into Divinity!
There are three main methods of purification: the refinement of one’s thoughts, words, and deeds – also called the purification, respectively, of one’s instruments of mind, speech, and body. When you modify these three you automatically change for the better.’”
– Krishna speaking to Arjuna (17.14) in The Bhagavad Gita: A Walkthrough for Westerners by Jack Hawley
If you’re anywhere in the Northern Hemisphere, I don’t have to tell you that it’s hot. Neither do I have to do much to bring your awareness to the heat – the great heat, the major heat. Since I use different calendars, I may talk about different things on this date. However, because it’s almost always really hot this time of year, no matter where you are in the Northern Hemisphere, I’m always aware of the heat – and that shows up in the practice.
For instance, in years past, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar has fallen around this time of year (on the Gregorian calendar). The Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar and, like other religious calendars, the names of the months (and days) have special significance. In this case, the ninth month is the holy month of Ramadān, which means “scorching heat” or “dryness,” and is one of the “99 Names of Allah (God)” or “99 Attributes of Allah (God).” It is a period of fasting and reflection – which, in the Yoga Philosophy, is a form of tapas (“heat,” “discipline,” and “austerity”). On the other hand, if we want to just stick with a yoga paradigm, Guru Purnima, which is based on the Hindu lunisolar calendar, fell around this time on the 2021 Gregorian calendar. This celebration of teachers is also a celebration of light (in the form of wisdom/teachings) burning away darkness (e.g., ignorance).
“… but, it’s not who you are underneath, it’s what you do, that defines you.”
– Rachel Dawes (Katie Holmes), quoted from the movie Batman Begins
Speaking of burning away darkness, people celebrated the very first Batman Day today in 2014. This date was chosen to coincide with the San Diego Comic-Con and to honor Batman’s first appearance in the May 1939 issue of Detective Comics. Not realizing that subsequent celebrations of Batman Day would end up being held in September, I got super excited about the fact that Batman Day was also the birthday of the novelist and screenwriter Raymond Chandler, who was born today in 1888.
Raymond Chandler was known for his hardboiled detective short stories and novels featuring Philip Marlowe. All but one of the novels was made into movies (some, multiple times) and were also adapted for radio and live theater. Many of the movies featured Humphrey Bogart in the leading role. Batman and Philip Marlow (courtesy of their writers) both have a way with words that can make a person pause and think, “Huh, I never thought of it that way, but I know exactly what that means.”
“She gave me a smile I could feel in my hip pocket.”
– quoted from Farewell, My Lovely by Raymond Chandler
Or, maybe you know exactly how something feels – which is the whole reason I mention any of this: to get into how we feel. Svādhyāya (“self-study”), which is the niyama (internal “observation”) that directly follows the practice of tapas, is classically associated with sacred text and scripture. Since it is a practice that can cultivate empathy and deeper self-awareness, I consider a lot of different elements as an opportunity for svādhyāya. Just as you can feel a smile in your hip pocket, you can feel what it’s like to be surrounded by major heat, great heat – even when you’re in an air conditioned space.
“The center of most ancient cultures, from China in the second century B.C. to the twentieth-century native America, was the earth. Human welfare was attached to the rains upon the soil, the wind of the heaves and pliable trees embedded in an abundant forest. Chief Seattle, in 1854, summed up this ancient view of how humanity stands in relation to the world” ‘This we know – the earth does not belong to man, man belongs to the earth. All things are connected like the blood unites one family. Whatever befalls the earth befalls the sons of the earth. Man did not weave the web of life; he is merely a strand of it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself.'”
– quoted from “Chapter Three – Philosophy in the East: The Doctor As Gardener” in Between Heaven and Earth: A Guide to Chinese Medicine by Harriet Beinfield, L.Ac. and Efrem Korngold, L.Ac., O. M. D.
The traditional Chinese calendar, also known as the Agricultural Calendar and the farming calendar, is a lunisolar calendar that is also the basis for many other cultural and religious calendars throughout East Asia. It breaks down into twelve lunar months and twenty-four solar terms. Each day, month, season, and year is based on an astronomical and/or natural phenomena. For instance, days begin and end at midnight; a month begins and ends with the new moon; and the Lunar New Year begins on the second (or third) new moon after the Winter Solstice. Each month of the Lunar Year is associated with an agricultural phenomena as well as with a zodiac animal. On the flip side, the solar year begins with the Winter Solstice and each of the twenty-four terms is based on the sun’s celestial longitude and associated with “pre-climate” and “mid-climate” experiences. (NOTE: This system also includes intercalary or “leap” months during some years.) According to the traditional Chinese calendar, the sixth pair of solar terms are Xiǎo shǔ (小暑, “slight heat”) and Dà shǔ (大暑, “great heat” or “major heat”). This year, the latter started on last night and continues through August 7, 2023.
Dà shǔ (大暑, “Great heat” or “Major heat”) is the twelfth solar term and the last part of summer. It is considered the hottest time of the year in most of China and, last year, Chinese news media reported that it was the hottest “great heat” in recorded history. Agriculturally speaking, it is believed that “crops grow most rapidly, fireflies appear, soil becomes more humid, and heavy thunderstorms arrive” during this solar term. As is true of other religious and cultural observations, people in different regions throughout East Asia have different rituals and traditions related to this time of year. However, one commonality is the focus on how heat affects the mind-body and what people can do to boost their health and longevity. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), this time of year is focused on “clearing” heat and excessive dampness and stagnation from the body and “clearing” and nourishing the heart.
“Since everything is connected by the circle, health is understood broadly, defining the whole being within the social and natural order. What is good for nature is good for humanity, what is good for one is good for all, what is good for the mind is good for the body, and so on. To harm a part is to harm the whole. What is bad for the heart is bad for the body, what damages one person damages all people, what injures the earth injures me. Conversely, to restore and preserve the good health of one body and mind is to foster the well-being of the whole, the earth and all life upon it.”
– quoted from “Chapter Three – Philosophy in the East: The Doctor As Gardener” in Between Heaven and Earth: A Guide to Chinese Medicine by Harriet Beinfield, L.Ac. and Efrem Korngold, L.Ac., O. M. D.
Like Ayurveda and Yoga, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) associates the vitality of the heart with the arms. The heart meridian (YIN) begins at the inside of the armpit and runs along the front inside edge of the arm to the pinky finger. It is paired with the small intestine meridian (YANG), which runs along the back inside edge of the arm, starting with the pinky finger, zigzags across the shoulder and up the side of the neck to the outer corner of the eye (just in front of the ear). These meridians are associated with fire, summer, mid-day (which is sometimes the hottest part of the day), red (with a little hint of blue), and joy (when in-balance, versus anxiety when out-of-balance). Additionally, this time of year is associated with the “yang within yin” (you can think of it as action within the inaction) – a reminder that each energy type illustrated in the Yin-Yang symbol includes the opposite energy.
A common TCM practice is to “treat winter disease in the summer,” which is really about taking preventative measures against ailments like bronchitis, bronchial asthma, nasal/sinus allergies, and other cold weather ailments – all ailments related to the lungs, the meridians of which (along with large intestines meridian) are also located in the arms. Preventative care may include a customized herbal treatment, acupuncture, and/or a treatment whereby herbal patches are placed on specific meridian points. Being mindful of what we eat and drink is another way people take care of their mind-body vitality. Along with a lot of other traditional (and modern) medicines, TCM practitioners recommend eating light and staying hydrated during extreme heat. Specific to Dà shǔ (大暑, “Great heat” or “Major heat”), people avoid spicy food, oily food, and heavy meals – as well as (extremely) cold meals and raw food. There is also an emphasis on getting enough rest, not overexerting one’s self (say, with strenuous exercise), and not spending a lot of time outside in the heat.
“The key is to achieve balance, which means being flexible, diverse, moderate, and in harmony with your own rhythm and needs. Chinese medicine makes use of acupuncture, herbs, diet, physical exercise, massage, mental discipline, and the modification of life-style habits as forms of therapy to reestablish the rhythmic swing of the Yin-Yang pendulum.”
– quoted from the “Everyday Life” section of “Chapter Four – Cycles of Circles: A Theory of Relativity Yin-Yang” in Between Heaven and Earth: A Guide to Chinese Medicine by Harriet Beinfield, L.Ac. and Efrem Korngold, L.Ac., O. M. D.
As I mentioned before, different regions have different traditions and rituals related to Dà shǔ (大暑, “Great heat” or “Major heat”). In Guangdong province, people eat herb jelly, which is made of “divine grass.” Also known as “immortal grass,” this flowering plant is part of the lamiaceae or labiatae family of plants, which includes basil, mint, rosemary, sage, savory, marjoram, oregano, hyssop, thyme, lavender, and perilla, as well as conventionally identified medicinal herbs like catnip, salvia, bee balm, wild dagga, and “Chinese motherwort.” In Taiwan, this is the best time to eat pineapple. In at least one part of the Fujian province, people may make mizao from fermented and pickled rice (often cooked with brown sugar) and consume it to revitalize any energy sapped by the heat. They may also drink warm mutton soup – made from “summer mutton” – and litchis that have been soaked in cold water. In Hunan province, people may eat a spring chicken in order to harness the power of youth.
Finally, in Zhejiang province, one of the highlights of the summer festival is a “Great Heat Boat,” which is giant boat filled with offerings made in hopes of a good harvest, a good catch, and a happy life. Fishermen carry the boat during a parade that leads to the sea, where the ship is cast off and then set afire. Like many other festivals in China, this one includes firecrackers (to ward off the bad luck) and blessings (to cultivate the good luck).
“Eastern Philosophy is based on the premise that all life occurs within the circle of nature. Things within this matrix are connected and mutually dependent upon each other. Nature is one unified system, the Tao with polar and complementary aspects: Yin and Yang. Nature is in constant motion, following cyclic patterns that describe the process of transformation. When the elements of nature are in balance, life is harmonic and flourishes. When the balance of polar forces is upset, disaster looms.”
– quoted from “Chapter Three – Philosophy in the East: The Doctor As Gardener” in Between Heaven and Earth: A Guide to Chinese Medicine by Harriet Beinfield, L.Ac. and Efrem Korngold, L.Ac., O. M. D.
Please join me for a 65-minute virtual yoga practice on Zoom today (Sunday, July 23rd) at 12:00 PM. 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 by emailing myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
Sunday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “08222021 Fire Thread”]
“It’s not who I am underneath, but what I do, that defines me.”
– Batman (Christian Bale), quoted from the movie Batman Begins
Extreme heat can not only make people lethargic and unmotivated, it can also lead to extreme agitation and anxiety-based fear. We may find it hard to think, hard to feel (or process our feelings), and/or hard to control our impulses. If you are struggling in the US, help is available just by dialing 988.
If you are thinking about suicide, worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, you can call 988 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.
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.)
*Errata: The 2023 dates for Dà shǔ have been corrected. Additionally, the news reports of record heat were related to 2022.
### H2O ###
A Little Grace & FTWMI: Compassion and Peace (with regards to Ralph Waldo Emerson) July 15, 2023
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Books, Changing Perspectives, Faith, Healing Stories, Life, Meditation, One Hoop, Pain, Peace, Pema Chodron, Philosophy, Religion, Suffering, Wisdom, Writing, Yoga.Tags: Andrews Norton, Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, Frederick Manchester, hair, Harvard Divinity School, Henry Ware Jr, inspiration, John G. Palfrey, neti neti, Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr, Pema Chodron, Phi Betta Kappa Society, politics, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Religion, sex, Swami Prabhavananda, transcendentalism, yoga philosophy, yoga practice
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Peace and blessings to all!
“Gargya, son of Valaka, was a good talker, but exceedingly vain. Coming one day into the presence of Ajatasatru, king of Varanasi, he accosted him with boastful speech.
Gargya: ‘I will teach you of Brahman.’”
– quoted from Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, as printed in The Upanishads: Breath of the Eternal – The principal [sic] texts selected and translated from the original Sanskrit by Swami Prabhavananda and Frederick Manchester
For Those Who Missed It: The following was originally posted in 2020. Class details and an extra link have been updated.
“Somebody says a mean word to you and then something in you tightens — that’s the shenpa. Then it starts to spiral into low self-esteem, or blaming them, or anger at them, denigrating yourself. And maybe if you have strong addictions, you just go right for your addiction to cover over the bad feeling that arose when that person said that mean word to you. This is a mean word that gets you, hooks you. Another mean word may not affect you but we’re talking about where it touches that sore place — that’s a shenpa. Someone criticizes you — they criticize your work, they criticize your appearance, they criticize your child — and, shenpa: almost co-arising.”
– Pema Chödön
When I was growing up, as a Black girl in the South, I got my hair done. You might say I was getting a permanent, getting a relaxer, or getting my hair processed. Either way, getting my hair done was a lengthy (and relatively expensive) endeavor which, as it did in the 70’s, involved lye. Lye, can refer to a variety of metal hydroxides; however, in this case I’m referring to sodium hydroxide (NaOH). The same chemical used in soaps, detergents, and drain cleaner (specifically because it can breakdown hair clogs) was included in most commercial hair straightening products for African Americans with a certain texture of hair. These products could, and often did, result in chemical burns on the skin of men, women, and children. Sometimes the physical scars were permanent; sometimes you were just left with the memory of the horror of feeling like your scalp was being burned off your head. Obviously, this was an experience people wanted to avoid – so, everyone had to keep their cool in the beauty shop. This made some subjects off limits. Specifically, we didn’t talk about sex, religion, and/or politics.
Talking about sex, religion, politics, and any subject that combines one or more of the three is a guaranteed way to “get a rise out of someone.” And, what is inevitably rising is your blood pressure, your body temperature, and your passion (“suffering”). Talking about sex, religion, politics, and any combination of the three is a great way to get “hooked” – which means conversations involving those subjects are great times to practice “compassionate abiding” and the Four R’s (Recognize, Relax, Refrain, Resolve). I would even suggest that if you have a way with words, or you are engaged in conversation with someone who has a way with words, it might be helpful to start the practice before you even start the conversation.
I know, I know, to some my suggestion sounds ridiculous. Yet, people who have a way with words have a way of getting a rise out of you. Words have power. Remember, words are related to the first two powers (siddhis) unique to being humans. People who have a way with words can be very powerful.
“A more secret, sweet, and overpowering beauty appears to man when his heart and mind open to the sentiment of virtue. Then he is instructed in what is above him. He learns that his being is without bound; that, to the good, to the perfect, he is born, low as he now lies in evil and weakness. That which he venerates is still his own, though he has not realized it yet. He ought. He knows the sense of that grand word, though his analysis fails entirely to render account of it.”
– quoted from the 1838 “Divinity School Address” by Ralph Waldo Emerson
Ralph Waldo Emerson had a way with words. He was one of the leaders of the Transcendental Movement of the 19th century and consistently encouraged poets, scholars, the clergy, and everyday people to turn inward, to take a look at themselves. He was a teacher of “Young Ladies” and influenced naturalists and pioneers of the environmental movement, like John Muir, and political and social theorists, like Karl Marx and Friedrich Nietzsche. He inspired people like Walt Whitman to write poetry, to properly capture the spirit of the United States. He supported abolitionists like John Brown and inspired people like Henry David Thoreau to go into the woods to live deliberately and to discover, through Nature, who/what they were and from whence they came. He believed all things were connected to God and, therefore, divine – radical religious thinking for a graduate of Harvard Divinity School. Yet, he was invited to speak to Harvard students twice, in 1837 and 1838.
Emerson’s 1836 essay “Nature” resulted in an invitation from Harvard College’s Phi Beta Kappa Society in 1837. By most accounts, “The American Scholar” went off without a hitch. It was an introduction to Transcendentalist and Romantic views on Nature, as well as the American scholar’s relationship with and responsibility to Nature. He talked about cause and effect, history, and the scholar’s role in writing history. Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. called the speech “the declaration of independence of American intellectual life” and, 95 years later, Phi Beta Kappa would name its newly established literary magazine after the speech. The speech also resulted in an invitation to deliver the commencement speech for his alma mater, Harvard Divinity School.
“The intuition of the moral sentiment is an insight of the perfection of the laws of the soul. These laws execute themselves. They are out of time, out of space, and not subject to circumstance. Thus; in the soul of man there is a justice whose retributions are instant and entire. He who does a good deed, is instantly ennobled. He who does a mean deed, is by the action itself contracted. He who puts off impurity, thereby puts on purity. If a man is at heart just, then in so far is he God; the safety of God, the immortality of God, the majesty of God do enter into that man with justice. If a man dissemble, deceive, he deceives himself, and goes out of acquaintance with his own being. A man in the view of absolute goodness, adores, with total humility. Every step so downward, is a step upward. The man who renounces himself, comes to himself.”
– quoted from the 1838 “Divinity School Address” by Ralph Waldo Emerson
Today in 1838, eleven months after receiving a lifetime of accolades for his “The American Scholar” speech, Ralph Waldo Emerson addressed six of the seven members of the Harvard Divinity School graduating class, Unitarian theologians like Andrews Norton and Henry Ware, Jr., and the Divinity School Dean John G. Palfrey. Keep in mind that, at the time, Harvard Divinity School was closely associated with the Unitarian church (having originally been established as a Unitarian school) and that Emerson was a former Unitarian minister. The fact that Emerson had left his position at a Unitarian church was no secret – in fact, some would say that “The American Scholar” speech was a reflection on his own spiritual crisis. Perhaps, the scholarly aspect of his relationship with Nature was so inspiring that no one paid much attention to the religious part. With the commencement speech, however, Emerson left no doubts about his beliefs.
He outlined how Transcendentalism and Unitarian theology didn’t fit together and proclaimed that moral intuition was a better guide than religious doctrine. Furthermore, he discounted the need to believe in the historical miracles of Jesus (who he defined as a great man, but not God); denied the need for a “personal God;” and basically declared that the clergy (including those in attendance) had killed God and killed the Church with ministry devoid of life.
“Meantime, whilst the doors of the temple stand open, night and day, before every man, and the oracles of this truth cease never, it is guarded by one stern condition; this, namely; it is an intuition. It cannot be received at second hand. Truly speaking, it is not instruction, but provocation, that I can receive from another soul. What he announces, I must find true in me, or wholly reject; and on his word, or as his second, be he who he may, I can accept nothing. On the contrary, the absence of this primary faith is the presence of degradation. As is the flood so is the ebb. Let this faith depart, and the very words it spake, and the things it made, become false and hurtful. Then falls the church, the state, art, letters, life. The doctrine of the divine nature being forgotten, a sickness infects and dwarfs the constitution.”
– quoted from the 1838 “Divinity School Address” by Ralph Waldo Emerson
Emerson expected his speech to inspire debate, maybe even a third invitation back to Harvard. Instead, today’s 1838 commencement speech pushed people’s buttons and got them so “hot” (or hooked) his critics started attacking him personally. He was called an atheist and someone who poisoned young men’s minds. It was implied, in print, that his speech was barely intelligible and “utterly distasteful.” Norton called Transcendentalism “the latest form of infidelity,” and Ware (who had been Emerson’s mentor during his time at Harvard) delivered a sermon a few months later that was seen as a point-by-point rebuttal to Emerson’s speech. Instead of an invitation to come back, the 35-year old Emerson was banned from Harvard for 27 years (and 6 days). When he returned to deliver the 1865 commencement speech, his words were a reflection of a country that had been at war with itself, as well as a reflection of a man whose spiritual community had been at war with him.
“MR. CHAIRMAN, AND GENTLEMEN : With whatever opinion we come here, I think it is not in man to see, without a feeling of pride and pleasure, a tried soldier, the armed defender of the right. I think that in these last years all opinions have been affected by the magnificent and stupendous spectacle which Divine Providence has offered us of the energies that slept in the children of this country, – that slept and have awakened. I see thankfully those that are here, but dim eyes in vain explore for some who are not.”
– quoted from the 1865 Harvard Divinity School commencement speech by Ralph Waldo Emerson
Please join me for a 90-minute virtual yoga practice on Zoom today (Saturday, July 15th) at 12:00 PM, where I just might push your buttons. 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 by emailing myra (at) a joyfulpractice.com.
Saturday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “07152020 Peace & Compassion RWE”]
“I look for the hour when that supreme Beauty, which ravished the souls of those eastern men, and chiefly of those Hebrews, and through their lips spoke oracles to all time, shall speak in the West also. The Hebrew and Greek Scriptures contain immortal sentences, that have been bread of life to millions. But they have no epical integrity; are fragmentary; are not shown in their order to the intellect. I look for the new Teacher, that shall follow so far those shining laws, that he shall see them come full circle; shall see their rounding complete grace; shall see the world to be the mirror of the soul; shall see the identity of the law of gravitation with purity of heart; and shall show that the Ought, that Duty, is one thing with Science, with Beauty, and with Joy.”
– quoted from the 1838 “Divinity School Address” by Ralph Waldo Emerson
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.
### TRUTH BEAUTY RIGHTEOUSNESS ###
FTWMI: The Origins of Litigation July 10, 2023
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Books, Changing Perspectives, Dharma, Faith, Healing Stories, Life, Love, Music, One Hoop, Religion, Science, Texas, Tragedy, Wisdom, Writing, Yoga.Tags: Aristotle, Bishop Samuel Wilberforce, Butler Act, Charles Darwin, Clarence Darrow, Code of Hammurabi, creationism, Dayton Tennessee, evolution, First Amendment, Galatians 5:14-15, Henry Sweet, Herbert Spencer, intelligent design, John T. Scopes, L. W. King, litigation, Ossian Sweet, Oxford debate 1860, Planned Parenthood v Casey, policy, Roe v Wade, Romans 13:18, Saint Paul, Scopes Monkey Trial, SCOTUS, Thomas Henry Huxley, Thomas Massie, William Jennings Bryan
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Peace and blessings to everyone!
For Those Who Missed It: The following was originally posted today in 2022. Class details and links have been updated. Notes and content updates have been added at the end of the post.
“1. If any one ensnare another, putting a ban upon him, but he can not prove it, then he that ensnared him shall be put to death.
2. If any one bring an accusation against a man, and the accused go to the river and leap into the river, if he sink in the river his accuser shall take possession of his house. But if the river prove that the accused is not guilty, and he escape unhurt, then he who had brought the accusation shall be put to death, while he who leaped into the river shall take possession of the house that had belonged to his accuser.
3. If any one bring an accusation of any crime before the elders, and does not prove what he has charged, he shall, if it be a capital offense charged, be put to death.
4. If he satisfy the elders to impose a fine of grain or money, he shall receive the fine that the action produces.
5. If a judge try a case, reach a decision, and present his judgment in writing; if later error shall appear in his decision, and it be through his own fault, then he shall pay twelve times the fine set by him in the case, and he shall be publicly removed from the judge’s bench, and never again shall he sit there to render judgement.”
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– quoted from the Code of Hammurabi (translated by L. W. King, as posted on the Yale Law School’s Lillian Goldman Law Library website for The Avalon Project: Documents in Law, History, and Diplomacy)
Before we go any further, let me clarify something important. The title of this blog post can be – and is intended to be – taken in different ways. This is not, however, a treatise on the beginning of how people started taking legal action against one another. Although, to that end, I will say that carved and chiseled tablets from as far back as 2350 BCE provide very clear evidence of Near East, Middle East, and African societies with codified expectations, processes, and precedents. Here in the West, the most well-known of these ancient legal texts is probably the Code of Hammurabi (circa 18th century BCE), which is recognized as the laws of Hammurabi, sixth king of the First Dynasty of Babylon. Preserved on a stone slab over 7 feet (i.e., over 2 meters) tall, the text contains an image of King Hammurabi and Shamash, the Babylonian sun god and god of justice, followed by several thousands of lines of cuneiform text.
The Code of Hammurabi includes 282 rules and guidelines, which establish what happens “if” someone does something – or is accused of doing something – and what happens “[w]hen” they are proven guilty or “if” they are proven innocent “then” what happens to the accuser. The latter are particularly interesting to me, because there is no double standard: falsely accusing someone could carry the same penalty as having done the deed. It is also interesting to note that (per the fifth code, as quoted above) judges were not above the penalty of law – a rule that underscores the responsibility that comes with judicial power.
In many cases, the penalty for grievances were severe (and final). While some parts of our modern Western society have done away with the death penalty and most have eliminated “trial by river,” we can very clearly trace many of our laws, litigation processes, and penalties through the history of the Abrahamic religions and into the here-and-now – at least, from a purely historical perspective. In fact, the Code of Hammurabi is so historical significant to our modern society that Hammurabi’s image is included in the relief portraits of lawgivers located over the gallery doors of the House Chamber in the United States Capital – right next to Moses and across from two gentleman from Virginia: George Mason and Thomas Jefferson.
“We will now discuss in a little more detail the struggle for existence…. I should premise that I use the term Struggle for Existence in a large and metaphorical sense, including dependence of one being on another, and including (which is more important) not only the life of the individual, but success in leaving progeny.”
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– from On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life by Charles Darwin (pub. 1859)
So, again, this post is not about the history of law. Instead, this post is about a trial that started today in 1925. It is not, as any good law professor or lawyer will tell you, the first (or the first significant) trial in the United States of America. Therefore, it is not the beginning of this great nation’s (sometimes way too “great”) litigation system. However, when I think about litigation that set a precedent for the way laws and legal proceedings affect society – and are affected by society – I think of The State of Tennessee v. John Thomas Scopes, better known as “The Scopes Monkey Trial,” which took place in Dayton Tennessee (July 10-21, 1925).
At the center of the trial, legally speaking, was John Thomas Scopes, a high school biology substitute teacher who was accused of violating Tennessee’s “Butler Act” by teaching evolution during a high school biology class. Tennessee teachers were required, by law, to not teach evolution or deny Intelligent Design (ID) – even though the required text book had a chapter on evolution. By most accounts, Scopes skipped the chapter, but he still provided an opportunity to challenge what some considered an unconstitutional Act. Given the subject matter, it is not surprising that the trial became a carnival-like spectacle. There were vendors selling Bibles, toy monkeys, hot dogs, and lemonade. Despite the summer heat, the crowd size eventually increased to the point that the whole thing had to be moved outside. Those who couldn’t make it to Tennessee and/or the court “room” could listen to the trial on the radio. And, everyone had an opinion. Of course, the legal opinions that mattered came from the lawyers.
“Science is a magnificent force, but it is not a teacher of morals…. If civilization is to be saved from the wreckage threatened by intelligence not consecrated by love, it must be saved by the moral code of the meek and lowly Nazarene. His teachings, and His teachings alone, can solve the problems that vex the heart and perplex the world.”
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– quoted from William Jennings Bryan’s written summation to The State of Tennessee v. John Thomas Scopes (as distributed to the press), July 1925
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“My statement that there was there was no need to try this case further, and for the court to instruct that the defendant is guilty under the law was not made as a plea of guilty or an admission of guilt. We claim that the defendant is not guilty, but as the court has excluded any testimony, except as to the one issue as to whether he taught that man descended from a lower order of animals, and we cannot contradict that testimony, there is no logical thing to come except that the jury find a verdict that we may carry to the higher court, purely as a matter of proper procedure. We do not think it is fair to the court or counsel on the other side to waste a lot of time when we know this is the inevitable result and probably the best result for the case. I think that is all right?”
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– quoted from Clarence Darrow’s “bench statement” just before the jury’s verdict was announced in The State of Tennessee v. John Thomas Scopes, July 21, 1925
William Jennings Bryan – who was known as “The Great Commoner” and “The Boy Orator” – represented the state of Tennessee and, therefore, the idea that man was created by (the Abrahamic) God and had no relation to “other” primates. By 1925, when the trial occurred, Mr. Bryan had severed the country as a litigator; a member of the U.S. House of Representatives (from Nebraska’s 1st district); and as the 41st U. S. Secretary of State (serving under President Woodrow Wilson). He had also, unsuccessfully, run for president on three different occasions. He was adored by some, abhorred by some, and was nothing short of polarizing. [As a side note, William Jennings Bryan died five days after the verdict came in of the “Scopes Monkey Trial.”]
Then there was Clarence Darrow, for the defense.
Clarence Darrow was prominent member of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and had just (the previous year) wrapped up the very public “Leopold and Loeb murder” trial. He was considered a witty, sophisticated country lawyer, who even had the audacity to put the state’s attorney (William Jennings Bryan) on the witness stand. In 1925, Clarence Darrow was already establishing his reputation as a brilliant criminal defense lawyer who fought for the underdog. Just as was the case when he represented Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb, his motivation for representing John Scopes wasn’t about whether or not his client broke the law. It wasn’t even, as he pointed out in his summation, whether or not the court would find his client guilty. No, Clarence Darrow’s focus was ultimately about whether or not laws and punishments made sense. As he would illustrate in his later defense of the brothers Ossian Sweet and Henry Sweet (1926), as well as of Thomas Massie (1931), he was about the rule of law and “the law of love.”
“I do not believe in the law of hate. I may not be true to my ideals always, but I believe in the law of love, and I believe you can do nothing with hatred. I would like to see a time when man loves his fellow man, and forgets his color or his creed. We will never be civilized until that time comes.”
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– quoted from the end of Clarence Darrow’s 7-hour closing argument in The People of Michigan v. Henry Sweet (the second of the “Sweet Trials, involving a defendant from the racially charged The People of Michigan v. Ossian Sweet et al.), May 11, 1926
Clarence Darrow’s “law of love” is the same “moral code of the meek and lowly Nazarene” that William Jennings Bryan cited and, ironically, it speaks directly to the origin of Charles Darwin’s treatise on evolution. That is to say, it is related to how we are all connected and how our survival is based on “dependence of one being on another.” However, those early teachings – which actually predate Jesus – are not always practiced as they are preached. Similarly, evolution as it was debated in Tennessee in 1925 and at Oxford University in 1860, was not exactly what Darwin presented in 1859. In fact, the scientist never even used the word “evolution” in his first text. But, it didn’t take long for his argument to, ummm, evolve (or devolve, depending on your perspective). The way Darwin approached the subject was partially responsible for why it changed and why it can still be such a hot topic.
Portions of the following, related to Charles Darwin, were originally posted on November 24, 2020.
“There is grandeur in this view of life, with its several powers, having been originally breathed into a few forms or into one; and that, whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being, evolved.”
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– from On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life by Charles Darwin
The idea of evolution didn’t start with Charles Darwin. No, even the Greek philosopher Aristotle (384–322 BCE) referenced earlier ideas (that predated his life) and contemplated an internal purpose (related to survival). Aristotle believed that this “internal purposiveness” existed in all living beings and could be passed down through generations. So, if the idea existed before Darwin’s On the Origin of Species (or, more completely, On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life) was published on November 24,1859, why did Darwin’s work create such an uproar?
To get to the origins of Origins – or at least the controversy, chaos, and uproar around it, let’s go back to 1852, when Herbert Spencer, an English philosopher, biologist, anthropologist, and sociologist used the German term “entwicklungsgeschichte” (“development history”), which had previously been used in relation to embryos and single cell organisms, to explain cosmic and biological changes in societies. Spencer would later write an essay coining the phrase “theory of evolution” – in relation to Darwin’s work. However, in the same year (1852) that Spencer wrote about cultures having “development history,” he also wrote an essay called “The Philosophy of Style” in which he promoted writing “to so present ideas that they may be apprehended with the least possible mental effort.” In other words, Spencer advocated writing to make the meaning plain and accessible.
I can’t say for sure how much Darwin himself was influenced by Spencer, but it is very clear that Darwin wrote On the Origin of Species for non-specialists. In other words, he wrote it for the masses. And, as it was easily understood (and written by a then esteemed scientist), it became wildly discussed – in the parlors and in the public. The first big public debate occurred on June 30, 1860 during the British Science Association’s annual meeting at Oxford University. The next big public debate started today, July 10, 1925, in Dayton, Tennessee (USA). In both cases, what people remember is the way two very articulate men squared off around matters of faith and reason, and the moral and ethical implications of believing one origin story over the other.
As predicted by his lawyer, John Scopes was found guilty by the jury. The judge fined him $100 (the equivalent of about $1,670.26, as I post this today). As planned, the case was appealed to the Supreme Court of Tennessee (in 1926). All five of the defense’s constitutional points of appeal were rejected by the higher court. However, the verdict was overturned on a technicality: the $100 penalty required by the legislation was higher than what the state constitution said a judge could apply. Had the jury assigned the fine, it is possible that the case could have continued to the Supreme Court of the United States.
“It has often and confidently been asserted, that man’s origin can never be known: but ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge: it is those who know little, and not those who know much, who so positively assert that this or that problem will never be solved by science.”
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– from The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex by Charles Darwin (pub. 1871)
The fact that “The Scopes Monkey Trial” is related to Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species is tangentially related to why I think of it as a litigation “origin” story. More importantly, as the first United States trial to be nationally televised broadcasted on the radio, The State of Tennessee v. John Thomas Scopes set a precedent on how trials are covered by the press and how the public pays attention to such trials. The press was right there, in the court “room” and, therefore, it put the whole country in the jury box; hearing testimony in real time. It was the beginning of a national (even an international) court of public opinion that’s not restricted to the parlors and the streets. Instead, this expanded defacto jury also becomes a judging and legislating body that is quick to convert cases into real world applications (and vice versa). For example, the initial verdict in 1925, led to several state legislations debating anti-evolution legislation – most of which were rejected, but some of which were codified. While Tennessee’s “Butler Act” was rescinded September 1, 1967, there have been similar legal and pedagogical debates in the United States as recently as 2005 and 2007 (hello, Kansas – where evolution is still officially “an unproven theory”). The case also led to changes in science text books (across the country) and changes in the way in which students were taught – and not just about how they were taught biology.
Finally, as a textbook case on how the U. S. legal system could work, ”The Scopes Monkey Trial” was/is a primer for how the constitution can be applied to day-to-day life and how that application can be defended… or rejected. It is a tried and true First Amendment case and, to me, is the origin story of how so many Americans view the legality of their constitutional rights, as well as how they understand their rights to challenge how the constitution is applied and the process by which they might exercise those rights. As so many states (including my own home state) codify things that I view as absolutely egregious (and unconstitutional) – and as SCOTUS shockingly overturns precedent – I see lots of opportunities for Scopes-like ”tests.”1
As soon as Texas created it’s ”bounty hunter” abortion law, I said there’s going to be some Scope-like cases testing this. Within a matter of days, cases were filed. Just a couple of weeks ago, mere days after SCOTUS overturned Roe v Wade and Planned Parenthood v Casey, a woman here in Texas was pulled over while driving in the high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane. She was cited for not having at least one passenger. The woman, who is pregnant, cited the aforementioned Texas penal code and the SCOTUS decision as ”proof” that she was driving lawfully. She was given a ticket, which means she gets her day in court.2 I don’t know anything else about this woman and I don’t know anything about her politics, but – whether her motivations are purely economic or whether they are more expansive – her case will put these matters to the test.
And, how ever, those cases are decided, the world will be watching… and discussing.
”Now, we came down here to offer evidence in this case and the court has held under the law that the evidence we had is not admissible, so all we can do is to take an exception and carry it to a higher court to see whether the evidence is admissible or not. As far as this case stands before the jury, the court has told you very plainly that if you think my client taught that man descended from a lower order of animals, you will find him guilty… and there is no dispute about the facts. Scopes did not go on the stand, because he could not deny the statements made by the boys. I do not know how you may feel, I am not especially interested in it, but this case and this law will never be decided until it gets to a higher court, and it cannot get to a higher court probably, very well, unless you bring in a verdict…. We cannot argue to you gentlemen under the instructions given by the court we cannot even explain to you that we think you should return a verdict of not guilty. We do not see how you could. We do not ask it.”
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– quoted Clarence Darrow’s statement to the jury, just before the verdict was announced in The State of Tennessee v. John Thomas Scopes, July 21, 1925
Please join me for a 75-minute virtual yoga practice on Zoom today (Monday, July 10th) at 5:30 PM. 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 me at myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
There is no playlist for the Common Ground Meditation Center practices.
The 2022 playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for the “Hays Code” playlist dated “March 31” on YouTube and “03302020” on Spotify]
The Law of Love
“Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law.”
– The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Romans (13:8, NIV)
“For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.”
– The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Galatians (5:14-15, KJV)
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“Is it on your grandmother’s or grandfather’s side that you are descended from an ape?”
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– Bishop Samuel Wilberforce to Thomas Henry Huxley (reportedly), June 30, 1860
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“I asserted – and I repeat – that a man has no reason to be ashamed of having an ape for his grandfather. If there were an ancestor whom I should feel shame in recalling it would rather be a man – a man of restless and versatile intellect – who, not content with an equivocal success in his own sphere of activity, plunges into scientific questions with which he has no real acquaintance, only to obscure them with aimless rhetoric, and distract the attention of his hearers from the real point at issue by eloquent digressions and skilled appeals to religious prejudice.”
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– Thomas Henry Huxley to Bishop Samuel Wilberforce (reportedly), June 30, 1860 (from Life and Letters of Thomas Henry Huxley, by his Son Leonard Huxley by Leonard Huxley (Volume I)
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NOTES & UPDATES: 1Historically, the United States has a history of legal cases that could be considered what I refer to as “Scopes-like tests.” Please note, however, that – up until recently – such cases involved real people, doing real things. John Scopes was an actual teacher in an actual classroom and he was legally found guilty based on the statutes and evidence.
2Brandy Bottone was the Plano resident who claimed her unborn child as her second passenger. At some point in 2022, she was issued a second ticket for a similar violation. She also gave birth to a healthy baby girl. The first ticket was dismissed in June 2022.
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.)
### Where Do We [Even] Begin? ###
FTWMI: The best thing since… July 7, 2023
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Art, Faith, Food, Health, Life, Love, Music, Religion, Science, Yin Yoga, Yoga.Tags: #blackouttuesday, asana, C7H8N4O2, chocolate, International Chocolate Day, Ivan-Kupala, John the Baptist, Kupala, Michael Pollan, Nativity of John the Baptist, Otto Frederick Rohwedder, sliced-bread, Susan Steinhauer Hettinger, World Chocolate Day, yoga practice
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Peace and blessings to everyone (and especially to anyone who was celebrating Ivanа-Kupala)!
For Those Who Missed It: The following was originally posted in 2020 (and an abridged version was reposted in 2021). In addition to slight revisions, class details, links, and an additional quote have been updated and/or added.
“He showed the words ‘chocolate cake’ to a group of Americans and recorded their word associations. ‘Guilt’ was the top response. If that strikes you as unexceptional, consider the response of French eaters to the same prompt: ‘celebration.’”
– quoted from In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto by Michael Pollan
When people like something (or someone) – I mean, really, really like something (or someone) – they sometimes say “it’s the best thing since sliced bread” – which is funny when you consider that there’s only one day honoring “sliced bread.” On the flip side, there are at least ten days devoted to chocolate:
- Bittersweet Chocolate Day (January 10th)
- Chocolate Day in Ghana (the second largest producer of cocoa) (February 14th)
- World Chocolate or International Chocolate Day (July 7th and/or 9th)
- World Chocolate Day in Latvia (July 11th)
- Milk Chocolate Day (July 28th)
- S. National Confectioners Association’s International Chocolate Day (September 13th)
- White Chocolate Day (September 22nd)
- National Chocolate Day in the United States (October 28th)
- Chocolate Covered Anything Day (December 16th)
Chocolate contains phenols, which may act as antioxidants in the body and reduce “bad” cholesterol. Other documented health benefits to eating chocolate include the fact that chocolate can cause the brain to release all four of its so-called “love chemicals” (oxytocin, serotonin, dopamine, and endorphins). That, however, doesn’t explain why there are so many different kinds of chocolate. I mean, when you really get down to it, there are probably as many kinds of chocolate – and ways of enjoying chocolate (or, in my opinion, ruining chocolate) – as there are people on the planet. We can break chocolate down as chocolatiers do: into real chocolate (made from chocolate liquor and cocoa butter) and compound coatings/chocolate (cocoa powder and vegetable oil). However, even then there are different kinds of chocolate.
Some people say mass produced chocolate in the USA tastes like plastic compared to chocolate from Europe. (It kinda does, see previous paragraph to understand why.) Some people only like chocolate in candy, while others only appreciate it in cake or brownie form. Dogs can only eat white chocolate, because, well… it’s not actually chocolate. And some people will eat anything – and I do mean anything – covered in chocolate.
“Wie ich Dich liebe, Du meine Sonne,
ich kann mit Worten Dir’s nicht sagen.
Nur meine Sehnsucht kann ich Dir klagen
und meine Liebe, meine Wonne!”
In which way I love you, my sunbeam,
“I cannot tell you with words.
Only my longing, my love and my bliss
can I with anguish declare.”
– German and English lyrics of a love poem (to Alma Mahler-Werfel) associated with the final movement of “Symphony No. 5” composed (and written) by Gustav Mahler (b. 07/07/1860)
Chocolate has a long history of being used as a gift / token of affection and friendship. It also has a long wartime history as it was consumed during the U. S. Revolutionary War and has been a standard part of the United States military ration since the original ration D or D ration bar of 1937. The D ration bar was intended to “taste a little better than a boiled potato.” Arguably, it did not (but, the K ration bars arguably did.) Allied soldiers reportedly gave bits of chocolate to people they freed from concentration camps and it is still something soldiers use to establish connections in the field. According to The Chocolate Store, (US) Americans consume 2.8 billion pounds of chocolate per year (over 11 pounds per person), which is significantly more than our European counterparts – who, I’ll repeat, arguably have access to better mass produced chocolate.
Maybe one of these (chocolate) days, I’ll do a deep dive into why there are so many different days celebrating chocolate. (I mean, other than the obvious commercial reasons and well… because it’s chocolate.) Today, however, I just want to point out that people are as particular about chocolate as they are about beer, wine, and burgers – which makes yoga a lot like chocolate.
None of that, however, points to why we compare really amazing things to sliced bread instead of to chocolate.
“He was a very patient, inventive man. He had an office in the basement of this big house they lived in, in Davenport, Iowa, that he called his dog house. He went there every time he got in trouble with my grandmother. When he was there, he was inventing or thinking about inventing things.”
– Susan Steinhauer Hettinger talking about her grandfather Otto Frederick Rohwedder
Otto Frederick Rohwedder, born today in 1880, in Davenport, Iowa, invented the first automatic bread-slicing machine for commercial use. Rohwedder was an inventor and engineer who studied optometry and spent a short period of time as a jeweler. His work with jewelry and watches inspired him to create machines that would make life easier for people. After a delay, due to a fire that destroyed his original blueprints and prototype, Rohwedder was able to apply for a patent and sell his first bread-slicing machine, which also wrapped the bread to ensure freshness.
Rohwedder sold his first machine to his friend Frank Bench, owner of Chillicothe Baking Company in Chillicothe, Missouri and his second machine to Gustav Papendick in Saint Louis, Missouri in 1928. Papendick reportedly improved upon the way the machine wrapped the bread and applied for his own patents. While there is some argument about who sold the very first loaf of sliced bread using Rohwedder’s machine, documented evidence points to Bench selling the first loaf today in 1928. It was advertised as “the greatest forward step in the baking industry since bread was wrapped.”
Texas Toast not-withstanding, commercially sliced bread was thinner and more easily accessible than a regular loaf of bread – so people ate more bread. Like chocolate, sliced bread was rationed in the United States during World War II. In fact, sliced bread was briefly banned in 1943. Whether the ban was lifted because of the huge outcry from regular every day housewives and people like New York City Mayor Fiorello Henry La Guardia or because there just wasn’t that much saved in the ban is a matter of opinion.
Bottom line, sliced-bread changed people’s lives and the way they moved through their days… kind of like yoga.
NOTE: In 2020, World Chocolate Day and (what I’ll call) “the best day since sliced bread,” fell on the same day as Ivanа-Kupala in the Ukraine, Poland, Belarus and Russia. Ivana-Kupala is a Slavic summer holiday that combines the pagan celebration and fertility rituals of Kupala (and midsummer) with Orthodox Christian observations of the Feast Day of Saint John the Baptist. The observing countries use the Julian calendar (as opposed to the Gregorian calendar) so their celebration actually occurs (for them) on June 23rd – 24th (as opposed to July 6th and 7th, in non-Slavic countries). In 2023, the celebration fell on July 7th, in non-Slavic countries. One of the elemental aspects of the celebrations focuses on the combination of fire and water.
Please join me for a “First Friday Night Special” tonight (July 7th) at 7:15 PM – 8:20 PM (CST), for a virtual Yin Yoga practice on Zoom that may be the best thing since sliced bread. 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 by emailing myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
This practice is accessible and open to all.
Prop wise, this is a kitchen sink practice. You can practice without props or you can use “studio” and/or “householder” props. Example of “Studio” props: 1 – 2 blankets, 2 – 3 blocks, a bolster, a strap, and an eye pillow. Example of “Householder” props: 1 – 2 blankets or bath towels, 2 – 3 books (similar in size), 2 standard pillows (or 1 body pillow), a belt/tie/sash, and a face towel.
You may want extra layers (as your body may cool down during this practice). Having a wall, chair, sofa, or coffee table may be handy.
Friday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify.
For a more vigorous practice, the 2020 playlist is also available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “07072021 Bread & Chocolate”]
Consider buying chocolate from one of these brands!
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.)
Revised 07/07/2023.
### C7H8N4O2 ###
The Grace of Believing [What’s Behind the Curtain] (mostly the music and a “midsummer” excerpt) June 24, 2023
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in "Impossible" People, Books, Buddhism, Changing Perspectives, Faith, Healing Stories, Life, Love, Music, One Hoop, Peace, Philosophy, Religion, Vairagya, Yoga.Tags: Henry Ward Beecher, John the Baptist, Midsummer, Nativity of John the Baptist, Saint John of Capistrano, Saint John of the Cross, Saint John the Apostle, Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day, Vihari-Lal Mitra, Yoga Vasishtha, Zechariah
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Happy Pride! Happy Midsummer! Many blessings to all, and especially to anyone celebrating Saint John’s Day!!!
“42. The prince also, seeing him thus, remained in his mute gaze and silence, and then after a while, he oped his mouth and spoke as follows:—”
“44. Whatever is destined, must come to pass; and wise men must not be startled at or feel sorry for the same; because all those events betake the body only, and cannot affect the inward soul.”
– quoted from (Book 6) “CHAPTER CV. Metamorphoses of Kumbha to a female form. (Argument:—Kumbha’s relation of her transformation to a woman by right, and her attachment to the prince.)” of The Yoga-Vasishtha Maharamayana of Valmiki (translated from the original Sanskrit by VIHARI-LALA MITRA)
Here’s an excerpt from today’s date-related 2020 post:
“Life is a matter of perception. We experience certain things and that experience colors the way we experience future things. The way we experience something, based on previous experiences plays a part in how we engage ourselves, others, and our experiences. In other words, life is how you see it.
In the Yoga Philosophy, these layers of experience or layers of perception are referred to as samskāras (which is often translated as “impressions”). Specifically, samskāras are karmic impressions formed by everything we say, do, think, and experience through our senses. These layers of impression can be very subtle, and may be imbedded deep within our subconscious and unconscious memories or they can be very much in the front of our conscious mind. Either way, they can strongly influence the way we think, speak, and act. Part of the practice, both in Yoga and in Buddhism, is to burn away the veil. Or, you could think of it as washing them away.”
Click here to read the entire 2020 post about Midsummer and one of the Feast Days dedicated to Saint John.
Please join me for a 90-minute virtual yoga practice on Zoom today (Saturday, June 24th) at 12:00 PM. 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 by emailing myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
Saturday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “06242020 Midsummer & Saint John”]
NOTE: If you have a free Spotify account (playing in shuffle mode) you may hear extra music.
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.
### COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS ###
FTWMI: Another Hard Working Day June 21, 2023
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in 108 Sun Salutations, Bhakti, Books, Buddhism, Faith, Healing Stories, Japa-Ajapa, Kirtan, Life, Mala, Mantra, Meditation, Music, One Hoop, Religion, Science, Suffering, Surya Namaskar, Wisdom, Yoga.Tags: asana, Atheist Solidarity Day, Fernando Pagés Ruiz, hatha yoga, International Yoga Day, Ivan Zupa, Jack Lang, Joel Cohen, Maurice Fleuret, Mike Smith, Patricia Miller, Sadhguru, Solstice, Sri T. Krishnamacharya, T. K. V. Desikachar, viniyoga, World Handshake Day, World Humanist Day, World Music Day, yoga, yoga philosophy
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Happy… [insert everything that’s being celebrated today, including Pride]!
For Those Who Missed It: This expanded and “renewed” compilation was originally posted in 2022. Some verbiage has been revised and some information was previously posted in June and December 2020.
“We must understand that yoga is not an Indian (thing). If you want to call yoga Indian, then you must call gravity European.”
– Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev, founder of the Isha Foundation, speaking in a 2016 United Nations panel discussion about International Yoga Day
Today (June 21st) is vying with May 1st to be the hardest working day of the year. It’s International Yoga Day, World Music Day, World Handshake Day, Atheist Solidarity Day, World Humanist Day, and sometimes (including this year) it’s Summer Solstice. I feel like I’m forgetting something….
Oh yes, one of these days is also connected, inspired even, by someone’s birthday. So, let’s start with that.
Born June 21, 1938, in Mysore, India, T. K. V. Desikachar learned yoga from his father, Sri T. Krishnamacharya, who became known as “the father of modern yoga” because his teachings led to a resurgence in the physical practice of yoga in India. Eventually, a handful of Krishnamacharya’s students were charged with sharing the physical practice with the rest of the world. T. K. V. Desikachar was one of a those students and some say that his method of teaching – as well as the tradition of practice (originally called “Viniyoga”) that he taught – is the most consistent with Sri Krishnamacharya’s teachings.
Just as was the case with his father and grandfather before him, T. K. V. Desikachar’s students included his children and world leaders. Just as his father and grandfather did, he stressed the importance of teaching and practicing according to an individual’s needs – physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. His teachings were so influential that a celebration of yoga was proposed to the United Nations General Assembly in 2014. The first International Yoga Day observation occurred today in 2015, with over 200 million people in almost 180 nations practicing yoga – some even extending the celebration into the entire week.
Since today is also a solstice, someone somewhere is probably practicing 108 Sun Salutations.
“One of his longtime students, Patricia Miller, who now teaches in Washington, D.C., recalls him leading a meditation by offering alternatives. He instructed students to close their eyes and observe the space between the brows, and then said, ‘Think of God. If not God, the sun. If not the sun, your parents.’ Krishnamacharya set only one condition, explains Miller: ‘That we acknowledge a power greater than ourselves.’”
– quoted from the Yoga Journal article entitled “Krishnamacharya’s Legacy” by Fernando Pagés Ruiz
The word “solstice” comes from the Latin words meaning “sun” and “to stand still.” The solstice marks the moment, twice a year, when one hemisphere is tilted toward the Sun while the other is tilted away. The incline make it appear as if the Sun is hovering over one of the poles – thus creating the longest day (and the longest night) of the year. In the Northern Hemisphere, today was Summer Solstice, the longest day and the shortest night. It’s a moment of transition that marks incremental changes: increasingly shorter days (i.e., more night).
I often mention the yoga “tradition” of practicing 108 Sun Salutations on the equinoxes and solstices, but I have no idea how long such traditions have existed. I do know, however, that ancient Indian texts – including some related to astronomy – highlight the auspiciousness of 108 and that all around the world various cultures have celebrations related to the changing positions of the sun. Since many of the surviving sun-related rituals and traditions from around the world involve movement (e.g. dancing around a May pole, leaping over bonfires, and cleansing rituals), it is not surprising that people still find practicing Sūrya Namaskar (“Salutes to the Sun”) so appealing. After all, it is a practice of constant change, highlighting a period of transition.
While there are different types of “Sun Salutations,” it is traditionally viewed as a series of twelve poses and, therefore, a practice of six (inhale-exhale) breaths. The movement mimics the body’s natural tendencies to extend, or lift up to the sun, on the inhale – which is the solar breath – and to get closer to the earth on the exhale – which is the lunar breath. It is a mālā (“ring” or “garland”) meditation practice involving a japa-japa (“not thinking-repeat” or it can be explained as “repeat-remember”), which is similar to a reciting, chanting, or praying with a rosary or beads. In fact, there are chants and prayers which are sometimes used along with the movement. Not coincidentally, 108 corresponds with the way people use mala beads and old fashioned rosaries – which had beads to recite 10 decades (10×10) plus 8 beads (for mistakes). On the rosary, the cross is the guru bead.
Click here for more about sun-related celebrations and stories or click here learn more about the auspiciousness of 108.
If you click on the 108-related link above, you will note that 108 shows up in some traditions as the number of vedanās (“feelings” or “sensations”) that humans can experience. On one level, the calculation breaks down how we internalize vibrations. It does not, however, break down all the external stimuli that might result in the 108 sensations. For instance, it can be used to explain all the different feels we might have over a memory that pops up when we eat a biscuit, see someone that reminds us of someone, move our body in a certain way, and/or hear a certain tone (or combination of tones). It does not explain, however, how there is so much great music in the world – or why everyone deserves music.
The idea that “everyone deserves music / sweet music” is something very much at the heart of World Music Day. Not to be confused with International Music Day, World Music Day was started in France in 1982 and has been adopted by over 120 nations, including India. The idea for free concerts in open areas by a variety of musicians was first proposed by an American, Joel Cohen, as far back as 1976. In 1981, however, French Minister of Culture Jack Lang appointed musician Maurice Fleuret as the Director of Music and Dance. The duo collaborated to create an event in 1985, whereby even amateurs would be encouraged to musically express themselves in public. Fleuret said there would be “music everywhere and the concert nowhere.”
According to Johann Sebastian Bach, “[Music] should have no other end and aim than the glory of God and the re-creation of the soul, where this is not kept in mind, there is no true music, but only an infernal clamour and ranting.” A quick study of music from around the world will show that, throughout history, many people have created music that is devotional in nature. In fact, kirtan (“narrating,” “praising,” or “reciting”) is a form of bhakti (or “devotional”) yoga, where chanting is combined with music. More often than not, the chanting is related to one of the names of God, mentioned in the 108-link above.
Today’s playlist, however, has no kirtan during the 65-90 minutes of practice music. Because, well…
“Why believe in a god? Just be good for goodness’ sake.”
– bus billboard for the American Humanist Association
There are atheists everywhere, even though many people believe they are few and far between. In 2010, Mike Smith started a Facebook group to make Atheist Solidarity Day an official holiday. Even though he deleted the group soon after, people were engaged. Today, atheist celebrate June 21st as a global protest, celebration, and awareness raising event for people who don’t always have the freedom to openly express their lack of belief in “god,” whatever that means to you at this moment.
To be clear, not all humanist are atheist; however Humanists (as described by the Humanist Manifesto of 1933) are atheists. While I could call myself a humanist, I am neither a Humanist nor an atheist. Still, today’s black and red theme is in solidarity of people having the freedom to believe what serves them – as long as it doesn’t harm others.
As we are finding more and more each day, that last part is the tricky part of believing in “freedom of religion.” So many people believe that other people’s beliefs are causing them to suffer, when – in fact – it is that very belief (about other people’s beliefs) that causes suffering. Additionally, people sometimes believe that their beliefs are so correct that they should be forced on others – an attitude which can create more suffering. It’s a vicious cycle.
On World Refugee Day, with regard to personal safety, I mentioned that we are all (on a certain level) responsible for our own feelings of safety. I think the same is true about suffering. This has nothing to do with the fact that one person can harm another person or do something that causes another person to suffer. Instead, what I am saying is that if we feel unsafe in a situation, we are responsible for acknowledging that feeling and examining it to see if it is rooted in reality. Then, we act accordingly. Similarly, if we are experiencing mental and emotional anguish over another person’s beliefs, we owe it to ourselves to go deeper. Ask yourself: How does this other person’s belief affect me in the real world? Does this person’s belief (system) truly threaten my existence?
We have to be honest with ourselves and recognize our own kliṣṭa (“afflicted” or “dysfunctional”) thought patterns in order to see the roots of our own suffering. Doing so will also allow us to see how we are contributing to division in the world. In the process, doing so can bring us a little closer to “coming together” – which is, ultimately the whole point of yoga, and all these celebrations.
“My son, place your hand here in the sea and you are united with the whole world.”
– Ivan Zupa, founder of World Handshake Day, remembering the advice of an old man
Please join me today (Wednesday, June 21st) at 4:30 PM or 7:15 PM for a yoga practice on Zoom. Use the link from the “Class Schedules” calendar if you run into any problems checking into the class. You will need to register for the 7:15 PM class if you have not already done so. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or by emailing myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
Wednesday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “06212022 Another Hard Working Day”]
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.)
