HEAVEN AND HELL

HEAVEN AND HELL

A violent samurai warrior with a reputation for provoking fights for no reason arrived at the gates of a Zen monastery and asked to speak to the master.

Without hesitating, Ryokan went to meet him.

‘They say that intelligence is more powerful than brute force,’ said the samurai. ‘Can you explain to me what heaven and hell are?’

Ryokan said nothing.

‘You see?’ bellowed the samurai. ‘I could explain quite easily: to show someone what hell is, you just have to punch them. To show them what heaven is, you just have threaten them with terrible violence and then let them go.’

‘I don’t talk to stupid people like you,’ said the Zen master.

The blood rushed to the samurai’s head. His brain became thick with hatred.

‘That is hell,’ said Ryokan, smiling. ‘Allowing yourself to be upset by silly remarks.’

Taken aback by the monk’s courage, the samurai warrior softened.

‘And that is heaven,’ said Ryokan, inviting him in. ‘Not reacting to foolish provocations.’

Yoga takes a very similar approach:

• Detach, stay back, observe. Observe your own thoughts. Thoughts create emotions. Thoughts come first. Sometimes it happens so quickly that we miss it. We only notice the emotion but not the underlying thought.
• By observing and controlling your thoughts you can keep your emotions in check rather than your emotions controlling you.
• I know, this is much easier said than done. With practice you will make progress.
• Your first job is to notice and then observe when negative, self destructive and unhelpful thoughts are starting to rush through your mind.
• Set yourself a task for this week: every time you notice negative, unhelpful, fearful thoughts or self talk, say to yourself “stop”. This takes practice, initially you might be 5 or 10 minutes down the track before you even realize what you are doing to yourself. It doesn’t matter - just stop.
• Take a deep breath.
• Turn your mind to something positive about yourself, something you achieved today, this week, yesterday…. enjoy the feeling you create by thinking about something positive.
• Praise yourself, pat yourself on the back - say to yourself: “Well done, you are a star, this is great…” Don’t cringe, just keep encouraging yourself. After a while, it will feel quite natural.

Have a lovely day!
Posted in Yoga Philosophy | Words: 456 |