Wear the World as a Loose Garment
This past week we had a member of our community pass away. It brought me back to the bedside of my father in his final 72 hours. Nothing remained; all the tattvas had been purified. The man who was my father, the kind, wise, funny, brilliant, caring small-town doctor was now just bone and breath—and that for only a short while longer. When Saint Francis spoke these words, “wear the world as a loose garment,” he was referencing this all-too-short life we live and how we should approach living it. He was cautioning us to not become too attached. But as I reflect on these words in light of this path, the path of Kundalini Yoga, there’s so much more we can give to this simple phrase. In our path, we speak of Sahej, in fact it’s one of the five stages of Spiritual Maturity or Wisdom. And it means ease. To come to a place of ease and grace in our practice is to find ourselves on the threshold of mastery. To come to a place of ease as a woman is to give up the pretenses of make-up and tight clothes because we know have nothing to make up for—and anything we can’t breathe in doesn’t belong in our closet anymore. To come to a place of ease in our own lives is to understand that all we can do is our best; the rest is in the hands of the doer, Karta Purkh. To come to a place of ease, sahej, is to come into a state of acceptance of what is. We quit trying so hard. We quit pushing the river. We quit anything and everything that used to tie us up in knots, whether it’s what our neighbors might think, what our children might do, what our partner might say. We quit judging everything and everyone—including ourselves. We loosen our belts and take a deep breath and see what lies before us as good. And in this way, we align ourselves with God who sees it all as good, in the beginning and in the end. Sahej is a state of peace and equanimity. It’s a state of non-judgment. It’s a state of rest. So take it easy today. Life is short, but it’s also long. Loosen up a bit. Laugh as often as you can. Be at ease at least once every day. And you may find, oddly enough, that the rest takes care of itself. If death serves as that reminder to us of these basic things, then may we be brave enough to look into its face often enough to remember: It is a good day to die, and with that as your foundation, Live!
posted by Sat Purkh Kaur Khalsa @ 12:25 PM
3 Comments:
Sat Nam, Sat Purkh,
I first heard fo you when I was at White Tantric in Herndon year before last and in a break, they were looping "The One I Love". The words and the (your!) voice went right "in" and touched me so deeply,hot tears burned my eyelids. I asked "WHO is singing?!". Turned out that you and my Hubby ALMOST have the same name. He is "Sat Purkha". I now happily have the CD and often play this particular track, for me and in my yoga classes.
I had the thought last year that I should teach a women's class. Yogi-ji's elevation of women and his teachings for them are two of the things that really resonate with me on this path. Anyway, I felt it was time for me to start focusing on and sharing what I like to call "my passion for women" in specific classes for them. I bought your book "Grace Notes" to use as one of my references for a 6 week women's "miniseries" I am teaching. It began last week, every Wednesday for 6 weeks. Needless to say, I love this book....and it will be a wonderful life resource for me and all women who read it.
Now I have found this blog, as I looked you up this morning on "Guru Google" :-). I read your last 4 posts and decided I really needed to say to you that you are a beautiful writer. That you write from the depths of your heart and your experience and your challenges, yet you write with such humour and intelligence and yes...GRACE....is in itself a testament to the alchemical powers I believe we all have as women. The power to transform the raw materials of life into spiritual gold. Thank you for sharing your gifts. Thank you for inspiring me. Thank you for being a flesh and bone mirror of The Divine Mother. I live in Virginia...I hope I get to meet you on the physical level someday...maybe take your class. Sat Nam, ji....Siri Amrita Kaur.
Sat Nam, Sat Purkh,
I first heard fo you when I was at White Tantric in Herndon year before last and in a break, they were looping "The One I Love". The words and the (your!) voice went right "in" and touched me so deeply, hot tears burned my eyelids. I asked "WHO is singing?!". Turned out that you and my Hubby ALMOST have the same name. He is "Sat Purkha". I now happily have the CD and often play this particular track, for me and in my yoga classes.
I had the thought last year that I should teach a women's class. Yogi-ji's elevation of women and his teachings for them are two of the things that really resonate with me on this path. Anyway, I felt it was time for me to start focusing on and sharing what I like to call "my passion for women" in specific classes for them. I bought your book "Grace Notes" to use as one of my references for a 6 week women's "miniseries" I am teaching. It began last week, every Wednesday for 6 weeks. Needless to say, I love this book....and it will be a wonderful life resource for me and all women who read it.
Now I have found this blog, as I looked you up this morning on "Guru Google" :-). I read your last 4 posts and decided I really needed to say to you that you are a beautiful writer. That you write from the depths of your heart and your experience and your challenges, yet you write with such humour and intelligence and yes...GRACE....is in itself a testament to the alchemical powers I believe we all have as women. The power to transform the raw materials of life into spiritual gold. Thank you for sharing your gifts. Thank you for inspiring me. Thank you for being a flesh and bone mirror of The Divine Mother. I live in Virginia...I hope I get to meet you on the physical level someday...maybe take your class. Sat Nam, ji....Siri Amrita Kaur.
Greetings Siri Amrita Kaur,
Thank you for your kind words. Inspiring for me to know my book is still out in the world helping people become more and more clear about their own divinity and how to bring it to others.
I invite you to join us April 17-20 for a women's weekend. . . . your chance to gather with other women and explore the goddess within.
www.truebeingbeingtrue.com
And if we don't see you then, I teach at Solstice each year and I travel and teach on the East Coast quite often, so maybe we can work something out the next time I'm touring the East Coast.
blessings and stay in touch,
Sat Purkh
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