fighting for truth
The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist seeds opportunity in every difficulty.
Winston Churchill
In a time of heightened energies, personal and worldly conflicts, inner and outer growing pains, and a general sense of waking the F up, it can no doubt feel challenging to be present with the difficulties and general discomfort in our interior and exterior worlds.
So what do we do when we are faced with a battle when they arise in our lifetime; how do we approach a rivalry with mindful action versus fearful reaction?
As I myself am still – and will probably always be – working with this inquiry, I offer the following insight from Dr. John Douillard’s recent article, in which he introduces the Vedic warrior:
Before Vedic warriors go into battle, they must battle demons and attachments of the mind…
[The Vedic warrior’s] inner peace, calm, and resolve allow for right action and the benefit of all to be their driving force, with no attachment to the rewards of victory. Battle is an opportunity to hone the skills of staying centered in the eye of the storm, centered in the Self, not distracted by the battle itself. Being in a battle for the right reasons without fear is a technique for reaching physical, mental, and spiritual potential…
All these tools [yoga, breathing, meditation… Ayurvedic psychology… physical training techniques…] are not to learn how to kill others, but to kill the parts of ourselves that are not real. Killing the unreal, the illusion, is essential before going into battle. Going into battle unprepared and untrained… risks fighting for the wrong reasons – for victory, pride… and ego!
Our inner battle and outer battle are both aimed at destroying the unreal and non-truthful, while unveiling the truthful. Truth, from the Vedic science perspective, is that which never changes — the field of our own consciousness, a pure creative potential that remains silent and joyful inside all of us at all times. As a warrior, our job is to set it free.
May you be strong and at ease, steady and calm in the continued unveiling of your truth.
[Fun fact: it is said that Samurai warriors would drink my beloved matcha before going into battle…]
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Onward.
Photo by Grant Henry Media for harMonica Design, Brooklyn NY.
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