The Yoga Sutras

             

MAITRI  KARUNA  MUDITOPEKSANAM  SUKHA  DUHKHA PUNYAPUNYA  VISAYANAM  BHAVANTAS  CITTA  PRASADANAM

“By cultivating attitudes of friendliness toward the happy, compassion for the hungry, delight in the virtuous, and disregard toward the wicked, the mind-stuff retains its undisturbed calmness."

Yoga is simple, yoga is basic, yoga is awareness. Everyone right now currently knows everything there is to know about yoga… Yep, you do. It’s up there somewhere. Now whether you are aware of that knowledge is the question. What will it take for you to think that you do know about yoga? Well let me tell you something, that you already know it.

I chose this Yoga Sutra because it stands for our most basic principle we all should hope to live by and have all been practicing in almost every home across the world. Be nice, have sympathy, the thought is all that counts, and so on. Where do you think our most basic morals came from?? 

There are four parts to explain in this Sutra.

Friendliness toward the happy. Everyone knows someone who is over optimistic, in a great mood all the time, and usually is a pretty lucky person. Well don’t hate. Not physically or even in your head. Rid that thought called jealousy. How are they affected by you being jealous? We’re trying to create inner peace not restlessness. Share their feelings, feel their happiness. Only by embracing his happy with more happy could one retain inner calmness. There are always people who will never be happy unless no one appears happier than them.

Along with the happy comes the unhappy. Compassion towards the unhappy is the only way to keep the peace. How could one possible stay at ease with themselves if they are fully aware they had the opportunity to help someone in need and didn’t? How could someone live their life like that? I couldn’t: they’re plenty of people out there like this. People who help other are secretly helping themselves. Are you going to benefit at all if you help someone in distress pick up their papers for work that they dropped all over the sidewalk? No, the person will give you nothing but a thank you. And quite honestly, if you need more than that you have some serious meditation to start. When you help others your goal is to keep the serenity in our own minds. Some people feel no regret when just passing by the opportunity.

Delight in the virtuous. Maybe your boss, maybe a co-worker, maybe your old man or old ex, everyone has those certain people in their life that are just plain better than you. More compassionate, harder working, more patience, or you name it, more virtuous, Swami might call it. Relating to the first part of don’t be jealous, feel fortunate. This person is certainly not competing with you, and means you only the best. Embrace them, follow them, don’t be ashamed, there are amazingly brilliant people on this earth, and perhaps you have been lucky enough to find out their secrets and way of life.

Lastly, there are those who are helpless, those who get jealous, and overlook that opportunity to help. Those who are wicked. Don’t try to help these people. And yes, there may be a fine line between those who desperately need help and those who are helpless. Those who hate, and will punish you for what they feel is bragging about your happiness. They will do anything to rid your happiness, to make sure you’re even. If your intentions are truly pure you will know which person is lost cause. And you should be able to tell almost immediately. These people must learn from example, they must make their own mistakes to be freed.

             

If you have problems with any of these (jealously), it is of no concern at all. This purification of thought take practice. There is no way to become not jealous by tomorrow. The feeling comes from within, but awareness and practice can and will help. Start easy. So were any of these ideas new to you? Highly unlikely. You’ve always know this to be. Well this was officially Sri Swami’s Satchidananda’s 33 Sutra in book 1. I told you that you have always had this Yoga stuff in your head somewhere. These are such basic ideas I wish everyone could follow. Much more can come from this. Your mind is an amazing thing. You might just be surprised how much Yoga practice you do on a daily basis. If a few more of these Sutras could be followed by everyone, the world would be a shining place. It even says in the book that if you choose to ignore the yoga life completely at least keep this Sutra with you. I feel I have done my part by bringing in fourth. Continue to be good and good things do come :)