There are few poets that have something to teach you in every situation in your life and Jalaluddin Rumi happens to be one of them. I spoke about his poem The Guest House a couple of days ago. Today I shall write about how right now, at this very moment, I am living through and experiencing something that the poem is helping me with.
This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival
A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
As an unexpected visitor.
Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they are a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still treat each guest honourably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.
The dark thought, the shame, the malice,
Meet them at the door laughing and invite them in.
Be grateful for whoever comes,
Because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.
In my yoga blog, Samasthiti, I once spoke about Abhyasa & Vairagya : the concepts of Practive and Detachment. Vairagya is not to abandon everything and look at life from afar, distancing yourself from all the beauty and challenges it has to offer. Or might have meant that in the traditional context of the word - in the holy Hindu scriptures. For me however, Vairagya is to be able to enjoy life's pleasures without being enslaved to it, without feeling like you couldn't' survive if it were taken away. In my Bhagawad Gita class last week, my teacher spoke to us about how it is ok to indulge in pleasure of life - food, sex, relationships, beauty - but if some one were to say to you "no coffee for you for a month" - you would be ok with that because you've overcome attachment that acts like addiction. That is my understanding of the word Vairagya - to dispassionately observe and partake all that life has to offer, not dispassionate to mean to lose all wonder and joy, but as a if nee be I can step away from it all and not be in pain or distress.
My teacher one evening narrated a story to us about two monks. One was a "poor" monk with a small hermitage and few students, he denied himself and his students all luxuries of life, because that was his idea of tapas or discipline. Not so far away there was another monk who allowed himself certain luxuries and necessities of life, had a big hermitage and was very popular. One day, the poorer monk decided to test the other monk's dedication to the yoga and spiritual life and marched to his ashram. The "richer" monk welcomed him graciously and asked what brought him to this part of the forest. The monk then tests him by saying "i thought we could both go away on a pilgrimage and meditate, far away from the noise of ashrams. The richer monk agreed enthusiastically and was ready to leave right away, right there and then. The first monk was shocked at this unexpected acceptance and hence unprepared for the journey himself. He then proceeds to tell the second monk that he needs to stop by his ashram to take his walking stick & certain other belongings in preparation of the journey, as well as brief and prep his students of his departure. The second, richer monk, is willing to walk away from everything in spite of technically "possessing" more stuff.
Our teacher then proceeded to tell us that not owning things does not necessarily mean that you are not attached to it. Similarly, being in possession of a lot of material things also does not mean that you are enslaved to a material way of living. For me, the moral of the above story or the lesson I took away from it was to arrive at a middle point of sorts where I am not owning too much stuff, i have enough to live a comfortable life, but I am also comfortable to live without them if the need so arises or I wouldn't unhealthily crave for luxuries when I have to live without it for a bit. That is my idea also of Vairagya.
Every now and then the Universe throws me a challenge related to Vairagya. Just when my ego is getting used to the idea of dispassionate attachment and I begin to get better at it, I am introduced to something stronger and bigger and hence more difficult to let go off. Looks like in my birthday month, the Universe has decided to gift me a challenge. As I am nearing the end of my time in Europe, which always is a difficult time for me anyway, it is telling me - here, along with being in Europe I gave you something you really wanted and craved for in life, no go live without it and see how that feels.
I visited the Victoria and Albert museum in London today and I loved it. I went with a very special friend and we walked around for a bit. There was a Christian Dior exhibition on, but we had other important things to chat about and he had some things in the museum that he really wanted me to see, so we ended up spending a lot of time over tea and scones in the central courtyard. Which was exactly what both of us needed. When we were on our way out of the museum, we realised it was a friend's birthday and we wanted to gift her something, so we walked into the museum store. We saw a t-shirt hanging with the words "All I need is Less", obviously a take on All you need is Love. Both of those statements are true - we do not need a lot of stuff, all we need is less in today's day and age. But what is also equally important is love, a reconnection with love - a feeling of being connected to all sentient beings around you.
In the spirit of detachment, of less and love, and also because I am in London and one of my favourite movies to watch every year during Christmas is Love Actually, filmed in the city, here is a gorgeous version of All you need is love.
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