Yoga and the Art of Dying
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Whimsical Art in downtown Fort Myers, FL on September 3, 2022. The calm before the storm. Sigh. There's a yogic message being played out here.
The Buddha famously taught:
"Hatred is never ended by hatred –
but by love [this is an eternal rule]”
Dhammapada verse 5
“Many forget that we here must die,
For those who remember, quarrels end.”
Dhammapada verse 6
Siddhartha Gautama (The Buddha)
As I write this on the last day of September, 2022, my heart is filled with sadness for all the death and destruction that we are witnessing. The war in Ukraine rages on with unfathomable atrocities being unearthed. Migrants seeking a better life are dying at the border. We remembered and commemorated once again the events of 9/11. And now, Hurricane Ian. My heart feels pain.
Earlier this month over Labor Day weekend, my husband and I enjoyed a wonderful dinner at Ford’s Garage in downtown Ft. Myers, FL. Afterwards, we happened upon this whimsical piece of public Art (above) just across the street. It made us chuckle at the time.
Now, it makes me think about the Buddha’s words about forgetting that one day we too must die. My heart breaks thinking about the people who served us in the restaurant and the nice shop owner from New Jersey who’s store just across the street was filled with delightful tchotchkes that made us chuckle. I know they are suffering immensely right now.
Death and destruction so immediate such as all the happenings I mentioned above make us pause and remember that our lives are fragile. And precious. And hopefully to try again and again to let go of quarrels – both inside and outside of ourselves. About this, Pema Chödrön writes:
If we want suffering to lessen, the first step is learning that keeping the cycle of aggression going doesn’t help. It doesn’t bring the relief we seek, and it doesn’t bring happiness to anyone else either. We may not be able to change the outer circumstances, but we can always shift our perspective and dissolve the hatred in our minds.
And that is exactly why we practice yoga and meditation. To loosen and dissolve, if ever so slightly with each practice, the hatred in our own minds and hearts. And as I’ve said many times in this blog in various ways, it starts with dissolving some of the hatred we direct towards our own selves. I know I am not perfect – even at self-compassion. And yet, each day I do try to remember to be kind to myself when “bad thoughts” cross my mind. Or when I make a mistake.
So, I think that yoga and the art of dying is remembering each day that we’re not going to be here forever and to try to add to the world’s joy in some small way. It could be being kinder to ourselves. It could be pausing to see the people we encounter in our lives as being just like us – they just want to be happy and content. It could be donating to worthy causes directed at helping people less fortunate than ourselves.
It could also be reflecting on Pema Chödrön’s words here:
When I die, I want to die with no regrets. When I die, I want to die free of habitual patterns and things, obstacles that hold me back from awakening. I want to die as free from all of that as possible. I want to die with less self, selfishness, self-centeredness. I want to die with less reactivity where I just lose my temper in a second or become overwhelmingly jealous in a second. I want to grow in self-reflection and be able to really know my mind and work with my mind. And every day we have more and more of a sense of freedom.
I hope that as your yoga and meditation practice continue that they help you to dissolve just a little more of who you think you are each day. And I hope that they can help you to resolve some of the conflict that is in your heart and mind. I hope the day that I die that I am freer. And I wish the same for you.
May you be happy, …
May you be healthy, …
May your mind dissolve quarrels, …
May you remember that one day you will not be here, … for the benefit of ALL Beings everywhere.
Aloha and Metta, Peace and Kindness,
Paul Keoni Chun
Sanibel Island, FL, September 4, 2022, at sunrise. My husband enjoying finding shells washed up by the tide along the beach. Little did we know then that this was the calm before the storm. Sigh. I cannot believe this beautiful island we enjoyed so much together has been devastated by Ian.