Friday, December 30, 2011
worldliness
One of those nights where, in the spirit of comradery, too many drinks are drunk, too many cigarettes smoked. Life stories and realizations emerge, cigarette after cigarette. Its cold outside this bar in Oakland and I'm shivering. I don't judge myself on nights like this: out of the poisons, buddha-nature shines forth. On the bart ride home, despite having taxed my system, prana is flowing freely. It's so obvious but I'll write it anyway: worldliness is often filled with insight and love.
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What's prana?
ReplyDeleteHi Mike, thanks for asking. Have you ever done pranayama in a yoga class? "Prana" is often translated as the breath, or as life-energy, the energy that sustains us. "Yama" is often translated as "control" or "discipline." Pranayama can be considered a discipline of the breath, or learning how to cultivate ones energy through using the breath. The breath itself is not prana, but can be used to cultivate prana. In yoga, the general understanding is that everything influences prana: the way you use your senses, all the thoughts you have, what you eat, the way you move, the way you breath. These can all make your energy more calm or more chaotic, more conducive to deep understanding, or to ignorance. When I say my prana is flowing freely, I mean that my energy is unobstructed, that it feels calm and clear. My point is that worldliness, in and of itself does not obstruct prana. We can use the breath to cultivate our energy, but sometimes we can do this even through, say, having drinks with our friends ;)
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