MyLifeYoga

Lets face it: the prospect of dying is not a pleasant one. Yet this is the single unchanging constant in our lives. How we deal with dying to a large extent determines how we live. But we do not want to talk about dying. We hope that by somehow keeping the prospect of dying out of our mind, we can avoid it. Unfortunately this is counterproductive. If our thinking about dying is muddled, so will be our actions. This post attempts to take the issue of dying from under the rug and bring it out in the open.

Dying is the ego’s problem. Our association with the ego turns dying into our problem. The more closely we associate with the ego, the more our attitude towards dying will be either evasive or heroic. In either case, our mistreatment of the prospect of dying can have adverse effect on our lives and the lives of our loved ones. It can make our lives miserable and so also the lives of our loved ones.

The key to cultivate the right attitude towards dying comes from decoupling ourselves from the ego. When this happens the terror associated with dying greatly diminishes. This in turn greatly reduces the amplitude of drama associated with dying. Those around us find us to be more approachable and our lives are filled with love till our last moment.

How does Yoga come into all this? The key is to understand that yoga is a process. It leads to a mind-body that slowly decouples itself from the ego. Yoga takes you away from your ego and introduces you to your soul.

As we allow the magic of Yoga to unfold in our lives, we find that the role of anger, bitterness, jealousy, and rigidity is greatly reduced. This is replaced by love, forgiveness, compassion, and flexibility. All this is the direct result of decoupling from our ego.

The decoupling from our ego also allows us to approach the process of dying in a more natural way. Instead of fear we have acceptance. Instead of anger we have generosity. Instead of bitterness we have love. And instead of remorse we have forgiveness. Our thinking is decoupled from false drama and becomes more mature. When the ego ceases to become our focal point, our decisions are based out of love. This fills our lives with happiness and so also the lives of our loved ones. We allow ourselves to die happily, peacefully, and naturally. But more important is that we learn to live fully with lives filled with love, peace, and gratitude.

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Credits:This has been written by Raj Shah and edited by Ketna Shah.

This is a fascinating video of a quest to take close up pictures of lions in Bostwana using a remote controlled 4×4 camera buggy. It shows the innate curiousity of lions. Even more fascinating is the potrait of “grown up boys” having fun with toys.

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We seek to remove uncertainty from our lives. That is why we want to know answers to our questions. Will I have a job given the situation at work? Does he love me? Do my students like me? Will I succeed? Will I be happy if I move in with him? What will happen to me after I die? Does God exist? These are examples of questions that we spend immense amount of energies on. Here are a few things to know:

1. Not all questions have answers– Just because we can ask a question does not mean that there is an answer. Some questions do not have answers because the answer lies in a different frame of reference than our question. Some questions can only resolve with time. Some questions have answers but we are unable to understand them. Whatever be the case, the fact that the answer eludes us, is a reason to be humble and patient. Working up an anxiety does not do us any good.
2. To understand some answers you have to make yourself ready for them– There are times when the answer is staring us in the face, but we are unable to grasp it. Truth is reachable if we are able to digest its meaning. So the right approach to finding an answer that continues to elude us is to change the question to: What do I need to do to prepare myself for the answer?
3. Know the worst-case options– Some questions only resolve with time. There is no way to know how things will turn out. The best approach here is that instead of spending endless energy worrying about the outcome, it may be better to think though with a clear head what the worst case options are. Be sure you are prepared for the worst-case scenario as best you can and quit worrying.
4. Ask the right question– Instead of asking- does he love me? Maybe a better approach would be to ask: What are the obstacles to love entering my life? Instead of asking: Is there God, the question could be: What are the roadblocks to my attaining deeper spirituality? Instead of the question: What happens after I die? The question could be: Am I living a worthy life? Rather than grappling with questions that are beyond our reach, we should rather look for questions that we can do something about.

The Buddha is said to have said, “Three things cannot be hidden: The sun, the moon, and the truth.” There is inevitability about reaching truth. So patience and humility is the key and let the truth unfold by itself as we march resolutely towards it.

Related: On Finding Our Truth: Four watch-outs

Credits:This has been written by Raj Shah and edited by Ketna Shah.