I’m taking a Positive Thinking course this month at the Sivananda Center. As we’ve been contemplating the properties of thought I’ve been thinking of two verses in the Bhagavad Gita. These verses teach that the practices that bring us lasting joy seem like poison in the beginning while the practices that lead us to more suffering seem like nectar in the beginning but end up being like poison.
I remember my first meditation class very well. I hated it. We had to practice one minute everyday, ONE minute. This minute seemed like an hour to me and there was always something else “more important” that my mind wanted to do. Fortunately I could sense that I was meant to continue exploring the path and it has led to experiences of deep peace that were not possible from my old state of being and perspective.
On the other side, binge watching comedies and eating sourdough bread always seems like an incredible treat for me….in the beginning. Ultimately I end up with puffy eyes and a tired body that can’t get off the couch.
The pleasure we receive from contact with sense objects is impermanent. The pleasure that we eventually receive from meditation and a deeper connection to our own hearts is permanent. It is always there. We just need to choose to connect to it.
Every decision we make has an effect on the quality of our thoughts. When we choose a moment of meditation or deep breathing over a moment of internet scrolling with ice cream we improve the quality of our thoughts and begin to carve the pathway towards the place of infinite peace and wisdom that rests inside all of us.
I invite you right now, close your laptop….set a timer for 1 minute (5 if you’re feeling bold) and enjoy the experience of your own breath. Imagine you can breathe in and out through every pore of your skin.
“Sattvic happiness is the serenity of mind that meditation brings, the sweet joy that comes with Self-realization. Like all things good, it is hard work in the beginning but sheer joy later — bitter poison at first, sweet nectar in the end. The foundation of lasting bliss flows from Atma, the True Self Within. You can find this bliss inside through abhyasa, steady practice.
Rajasic happiness is just the opposite: nectar at first, poison in the end. It is temporary pleasure obtained from contact of your senses with objects in the world. Give in to this type of happiness and you invite the pain that always accompanies it. Rely compulsively on your senses for enjoyment and you rob your strength, stamina, and capacity for growth. Your spiritual wisdom fades. Pleasure and its corollary, pain, are what one drinks in the world; real bliss is what one sips within.”
~ The Bhagavad Gita A Walkthrough for Westerners, Jack Hawley (18.37, 18.38)