I've been in India for the past month and even though it is one of the most spiritually filled countries in the world, I still have not been able to reconnect with my spiritual path as I had hoped. My sadhana practice was still floundering and I had no idea how to get back.
For the past few days, I mulled over my favorite spiritual phrase lately, "Starting Over." If you've read my previous blogs, you know how frequently this has been mentioned on my spiritual path. Well I was doing it again. But this time I had inspiration from my fellow colleagues and namely a young woman named Zalpa ;-). On an extra long train ride from Jaipur to Varanasi, my group had many intriguing, funny and yet engaging conversations. And of course with all of us having religious or philosophical backgrounds, God, Truth, "The Search" was bound to arise. As we talked about these things and I was asked the typical questions of why the spiritual path or why this or that, it made me think of why I began my spiritual path and why I'm continuing it now. And I realized that my original motivations have changed. I have put so many rules and regulations on my spiritual practices...when I should do them, how I should do them for how long and how many times. I was approaching it like a daily task or a chore. The desire, the spark was gone and the only way for me to get it back is to return to the beginning. I have gotten so bogged down with shedding karmas and watching my thoughts, speech and action that I was overwhelming myself and losing sight of my initial craving. I have go back to the simplicity of the first day. I had to go back to my original motivation of simply wanting to be free, to have peace and truly know God.
Over the course of our conversations, Zalpa mentioned her work for her Master's Thesis which was based on a book that she carried around for years from the age of 16. And this book was not "religious" in the sense that it was a part of any religious canon or referred to as a central authoritative text for any religion, but rather it was her canon. A book that gave her so much inspiration and guidance for her life. It was a book filled with inspirational poetry by the Sufi poet, Hafiz. And I was so inspired by her and the effect the book had on her that I wanted to read it too. I've heard of the beautiful poetry of Sufis and how their unconditional, never-ending love for God has taken them to bliss. I've always been interested in the mystical side of Islam so I figured why not.
So last night, I ordered a copy of "A Year With Hafiz: Daily Contemplations" by Hafiz and Daniel Ladinsky. And although this is not the exact same book that she first read, I figured having one poem a day to reflect one would be a good start for me (and it was the cheapest ;-).
The book of course starts with January 1, but I figured I can start in the middle of June and work my way back around. If the Universe, if God wasn't trying to speak to me this morning I don't know what or who was. The first poem or rather the contemplation for the was the following poem called, "Pick the Lock,"
"There are so many keys on your ring, so many fine spiritual sayings you can recite, and maybe so many pictures of saints in your house.
But you rarely work hard enough, peer deep enough, to pick the lock.
You should have stopped reading pages ago, if not in this book, in another,
And just sat down and done whatever it took to grab God by the tail and pull Him from a cave in you."
-Hafiz and Daniel Ladinsky
A Year With Hafiz, 2010
About a year ago, I was saying to myself and to one of my spiritual teachers that I've read so many books and I've explored so many different methods and techniques that I have no idea where to start, but I knew it was time for me to stop reading and just DO. Isn't that crazy? Those last few lines truly spoke to me and resonated so deeply with my current status on the spiritual path. It made me ponder over why I feel the need to be so scheduled, so regimented, so organized with myself. Thinking it has to be this way or that, this time and that time when instead I should just sit down and do whatever comes from my heart. Hafiz has reminded me of the call for action to just do it instead of waiting around, reading book after book for something to happen, to get rid of all the rules and just flow from my heart.
For the past few days, I mulled over my favorite spiritual phrase lately, "Starting Over." If you've read my previous blogs, you know how frequently this has been mentioned on my spiritual path. Well I was doing it again. But this time I had inspiration from my fellow colleagues and namely a young woman named Zalpa ;-). On an extra long train ride from Jaipur to Varanasi, my group had many intriguing, funny and yet engaging conversations. And of course with all of us having religious or philosophical backgrounds, God, Truth, "The Search" was bound to arise. As we talked about these things and I was asked the typical questions of why the spiritual path or why this or that, it made me think of why I began my spiritual path and why I'm continuing it now. And I realized that my original motivations have changed. I have put so many rules and regulations on my spiritual practices...when I should do them, how I should do them for how long and how many times. I was approaching it like a daily task or a chore. The desire, the spark was gone and the only way for me to get it back is to return to the beginning. I have gotten so bogged down with shedding karmas and watching my thoughts, speech and action that I was overwhelming myself and losing sight of my initial craving. I have go back to the simplicity of the first day. I had to go back to my original motivation of simply wanting to be free, to have peace and truly know God.
Over the course of our conversations, Zalpa mentioned her work for her Master's Thesis which was based on a book that she carried around for years from the age of 16. And this book was not "religious" in the sense that it was a part of any religious canon or referred to as a central authoritative text for any religion, but rather it was her canon. A book that gave her so much inspiration and guidance for her life. It was a book filled with inspirational poetry by the Sufi poet, Hafiz. And I was so inspired by her and the effect the book had on her that I wanted to read it too. I've heard of the beautiful poetry of Sufis and how their unconditional, never-ending love for God has taken them to bliss. I've always been interested in the mystical side of Islam so I figured why not.
So last night, I ordered a copy of "A Year With Hafiz: Daily Contemplations" by Hafiz and Daniel Ladinsky. And although this is not the exact same book that she first read, I figured having one poem a day to reflect one would be a good start for me (and it was the cheapest ;-).
The book of course starts with January 1, but I figured I can start in the middle of June and work my way back around. If the Universe, if God wasn't trying to speak to me this morning I don't know what or who was. The first poem or rather the contemplation for the was the following poem called, "Pick the Lock,"
"There are so many keys on your ring, so many fine spiritual sayings you can recite, and maybe so many pictures of saints in your house.
But you rarely work hard enough, peer deep enough, to pick the lock.
You should have stopped reading pages ago, if not in this book, in another,
And just sat down and done whatever it took to grab God by the tail and pull Him from a cave in you."
-Hafiz and Daniel Ladinsky
A Year With Hafiz, 2010
About a year ago, I was saying to myself and to one of my spiritual teachers that I've read so many books and I've explored so many different methods and techniques that I have no idea where to start, but I knew it was time for me to stop reading and just DO. Isn't that crazy? Those last few lines truly spoke to me and resonated so deeply with my current status on the spiritual path. It made me ponder over why I feel the need to be so scheduled, so regimented, so organized with myself. Thinking it has to be this way or that, this time and that time when instead I should just sit down and do whatever comes from my heart. Hafiz has reminded me of the call for action to just do it instead of waiting around, reading book after book for something to happen, to get rid of all the rules and just flow from my heart.
