The Photo is that of Sitting Bull
Similarity of the American Indian ways of
teaching or propagating their philosophy is much is in common with most of the
ancient ways of propagation of knowledge.
First the student is selected.
Student becomes aware of his status
And a Teacher appears
It may appear as a miracle, but there is logic
behind it.
Look how the Yogic knowledge was
propagated.
To prevent its misuse and commercial
exploitation, the knowledge of Yoga was kept secret. The elders of the yogic
traditions were on the look out for good students and passed on the knowledge
secretly their chosen inheritors. The founder of the Yoga Institute in Bombay,
the first ever of its kind, Sri Yogendraji came under the tutelage of his
teacher. Sri Paramahansa Madhavdasji, who used to take him on long walks, and
boat rides and discussed Yoga in private with him. Also the two used to sit
down in a cave, to which the other students were forbidden to enter and the
teacher and student exchanged thoughts and knowledge was passed on.
I have wondered, whether we call this pre-planned
transfer of knowledge of the ancients, selection of the appropriate student, as
LUCK in modern terms. Prof. Daniel Mintz, a respected member of our
Professional Community in Miami, brought this to my attention. I was telling
him of my good fortunes about my work with the poor in Jamaica. Truly, he said,
in a subdued fashion, you planned everything properly and when every thing fell
into place, as it should, you projected it on to luck, didn't you?
This is what I was thinking, this morning
in Brussels, while reading about Karma Yoga, which emphasized that; we should
do our duty to the best of our ability.
1.
Do your work with the best
intentions of your heart
2.
Participate in your work with
full attention and joy
3.
Concentrate in your work,
integrating your body, mind and intellect
4.
Remain in the present, do not
think about the past or the future
5.
Develop and have faith in what
you are doing
I am struggling with no 4, Living in the
present or Mindfulness.
As the patterns of our lives change, we
have to adapt to various cultural changes and that makes the Mindfulness
difficult, as different cultures have differing approach to mindfulness or the
view of the future.
The country where I appreciate mindfulness
to the most is Cuba and the culture where I enjoy it most is among the Indians.
Emerging nations and economies like
Malaysia are insecure about their future and old established economies like USA
or Europe are in the grip of Fear. Both of which are not conducive to the full
enjoyment of mindfulness.
This morning, my gratitude list include: Dr Daniel Mintz, Miami; Dr Rick Cutfield, Auckland, Miss MYC, NM, NPF
