If you’re ready to apply yoga philosophy to your own life—or teach it with clarity and feeling—my classes and workshops create space to sharpen your thinking, steady your inner life, and connect your practice to what matters now.
Friends and enemies
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Greetings Reader - The wisdom texts of bhakti-yoga tell the story of a saintly young boy who was the son of an evil king. The king’s only interest was the acquisition of power. He hoped that his son would be of like mind and, to that end, he instructed his son’s tutors to teach the boy about politics. But the king's saintly son rejected the whole idea of politics, going so far as trying to persuade his megalomaniacal father to renounce its basic tenet: “My dear father, please give up your demonic mentality. Do not discriminate in your heart between enemies and friends; make your mind equipoised toward everyone. Except for the uncontrolled and misguided mind, there is no enemy within this world.” There are many instances where the yoga wisdom tradition characterizes the conception of "friends and enemies" as a duality to be transcended by those who aspire for liberation. But there are times when yoga wisdom throws us a curveball. For example, the pre-eminent yoga wisdom text, Bhagavad Gita, also tells us that an enlightened person sees all beings, including friends and enemies, with equal vision. But the dialogue of the Gita takes place on a battlefield against the backdrop of a political conflict. And throughout the dialogue, Krishna, the speaker of the Gita, is trying to convince his friend, Arjuna, that he will attain glory by conquering his enemies. How can Arjuna fight his “enemies” while simultaneously transcending the whole idea of “enemies?” It sounds like a contradiction, but it’s not: Krishna is teaching Arjuna the art of enlightened political action. By combining the distinction between friends and enemies that defines politics with the spiritual vision that defines yoga, Arjuna can fight his “enemies” while maintaining a higher consciousness that will keep hatred out of his heart. Krishna tells Arjuna to infuse his fighting with yoga, which tells us that it’s possible, and sometimes necessary, for a yogi to fight political battles. When is it necessary? When power-hungry politicians take the friend-enemy distinction to such an extreme that they think cruelty is good and kindness is evil. As Rev. Benjamin Cremer, a Wesleyan pastor, puts it: “To those who worship power, compassion and mercy look like sins. When you worship power, the harsher the treatment towards your “enemies,” the more righteous it will look." It's said that a bhakti-yogi is willing to tolerate all manner of mistreatment . . . until that mistreatment is aimed at someone else. The one thing a bhakti-yogi can't tolerate is the suffering of others. Upon hearing his saintly son's wise words, the evil king was so mad that he tried to kill him. But he couldn't. The little boy didn't put up a fight; he relied on a higher power to protect him, and his faith was rewarded. Arjuna, on the other hand, was not just fighting for himself; he was fighting in defense of moral principles. And the same higher power that protected the evil king's saintly son was instructing Arjuna to breath fire on his foes. For a spiritual warrior like Arjuna, there is no contradiction between seeing friends and enemies with equal vision and fighting the good fight. Similarly, we can cultivate the equal vision of spiritual consciousness within our hearts while simultaneously making political distinctions in order to defend moral principles that guide us in our treatment of people, friends and enemies alike. Wishing you all good fortune, - Hari-k P.S.: My next live online course, Fundamentals of Yoga Philosophy, will be a great way to learn more about how to connect ancient yoga wisdom to life in the here and now. This three-part series that will give you a clear understanding of the basic principles of spiritual knowledge, a solid foundation for sharing that knowledge, and a deeper sense of connection to the heart of yoga's wisdom tradition. The course begins on Sunday, February 9th. CLICK HERE for more information and registration. |
Hari-kirtana das
If you’re ready to apply yoga philosophy to your own life—or teach it with clarity and feeling—my classes and workshops create space to sharpen your thinking, steady your inner life, and connect your practice to what matters now.
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