Contemplation: The Mind in the Yoga Sutras -3
[Exploring Life] Mental Afflictions- The Origin of Discontent: The purpose of yoga is to provide a pathway out of suffering. All suffering originates in the mind. The mind and body are intimately interconnected, meaning that the intentions of our thoughts manifest themselves throughout the physical structure of our body. An acute painful thought creates a [...]
Contemplation: The Mind in the Yoga Sutras – 2
[Exploring Life] The Five States of Mind: Pantanjali (2nd century B.C.) is a pioneer of the mind. The uncharted terrain he ventured into was the inner landscape of the mind. His method was the direct observation of his own mind. In this sense, Pantanjali was both scientist and artist of the inner realm of existence. [...]
Contemplation: The Mind in the Yoga Sutras
[Exploring Life] Introduction to the Yoga Sutras: The Yoga Sutras written by Pantanjali in 2nd century B.C. is consider to be a foundational yoga text. The word Yoga is derived from Sanskrit root yujir meaning to join or to unite. A second meaning is derived from the root yuj meaning to contemplate. Yoga means to [...]
Spiritual Endeavour: Dark Night of the Soul – 3
[Exploring Life] One important outcome of a dark night of the soul, if it is ever attained, is what St. John of the Cross refers to as spiritual purification. A basic premise in the dark night is that both our senses and our spirit must be cleansed in order to purify the soul, and therefore [...]
Spiritual Endeavor: Dark Night of the Soul – 1
[Exploring Life] On a Dark Night… Darkness means an absence or deficiency of light. From a spiritual perspective, darkness creates an intuitive space in which the fragility of our beliefs about the meaning and purpose of our lives becomes uncomfortably apparent. To enter into a spiritual darkness is to begin an excruciating journey into of [...]
Spiritual Terrain: Approaching Grief Through Gratitude
[Exploring Life] From what experience have you suffered most? Suffering can inspire change and transformation in us; suffering can also confine and torment us. What is most essential is how we choose to embrace the suffering that we feel. I have shared my journey into grief and suffering with you via the series Points of [...]
Memory: The Revival of Experience
[Exploring Life] What is the nature of our memory? We often associate memory with an ability to remember, recollect, recall, or revive, a mental impression that refers to a past experience. The prefix “re” means again and again and therefore repetition; we associate repetition with memory in the sense that we can recall an experience [...]