I delivered another armload of cat & dog food this morning! I've been taking the cat food to SOCKS (they are in really dire straits) and the dog food to PAWS. It feels so good to help, and know you are making a difference!
As I was driving home from my delivery, I was passed by a big black pickup truck with a dog in the back. I always react with anger and frustration when I see this: "What are you thinking!! Don't you know how dangerous that is?!?"
But as I was driving behind that big black pickup truck with the dog in the back, my next thought was "If someone wanted me to change my actions, would I respond if they attacked me with anger?" Of course not! I'd think who are you to tell me what to do? I wouldn't even hear their message- just because of the delivery.
So I started thinking about how we can speak truth without harm - satya and ahimsa. These are 2 of 5 yamas - teachings from the yoga sutras about how to interact with the world around us. What is truth spoken with violence? Is an untruth ever spoken with love?
The other 3 yamas are astaya (non-stealing), bramacharya (celibacy), and apigraha (non-covetousness). How do the other yamas apply when dealing with man driving a big black pickup truck with a dog in the back? Astaya - don't steal his dignity by assaulting him? Bramacharya - practice celibacy through starving my anger? Apigraha - don't covet his dog? Or his truck?
How do you practice these yamas in your life? Even if you've never heard the terms, we all understand the concepts.
As I was driving home from my delivery, I was passed by a big black pickup truck with a dog in the back. I always react with anger and frustration when I see this: "What are you thinking!! Don't you know how dangerous that is?!?"
But as I was driving behind that big black pickup truck with the dog in the back, my next thought was "If someone wanted me to change my actions, would I respond if they attacked me with anger?" Of course not! I'd think who are you to tell me what to do? I wouldn't even hear their message- just because of the delivery.
So I started thinking about how we can speak truth without harm - satya and ahimsa. These are 2 of 5 yamas - teachings from the yoga sutras about how to interact with the world around us. What is truth spoken with violence? Is an untruth ever spoken with love?
The other 3 yamas are astaya (non-stealing), bramacharya (celibacy), and apigraha (non-covetousness). How do the other yamas apply when dealing with man driving a big black pickup truck with a dog in the back? Astaya - don't steal his dignity by assaulting him? Bramacharya - practice celibacy through starving my anger? Apigraha - don't covet his dog? Or his truck?
How do you practice these yamas in your life? Even if you've never heard the terms, we all understand the concepts.
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