Dr. Raj Balkaran 0:05
Welcome back to the Indian wisdom podcast. I'm your host, Dr. Raj. But more importantly, you are looking for inspired insight, which you can apply to everyday life. And perhaps you're also looking to hear a tale of two. Well, you're in the right place. Well, I think that there are a great many of us who are struggling in a variety of ways. Some of those ways are on the personal level. There might be issues in one's personal life and one's relational life and one's work life, etc, etc. What I'm noticing more and more is that by virtue of the connectedness of our globe, a great many individuals are ensconced in the suffering that is happening in certain places on the globe at present. We have at our disposal, front row seats, to do an atrocious train wreck that entails mass slaughter and trauma on various sides. And really, without question, these are troubled times. So wish to perhaps offer some perspective 30,000 foot view perspective on how to navigate such times perhaps this might be of use to a great many of you. By the way, speaking of a great many of you, it's actually heartwarming to see the podcast, sort of take off slow and steady. I think this is episode eight. I recall and, you know, there's, there's a sizable listenership already. So here we are, by all means, if this is valuable to you, please consider liking, sharing, etc, etc. So that we can continue producing this, hopefully helpful content. Now, it is actually a fallacy to think that we are worse off than we've ever been. Or the contrary, we are actually we've made phenomenal progress as a civilization as a culture. And 100 years ago, a short 100 years ago, a great many, many, many people on peoples had much fewer rights had much less range of motion, there is an incredible amount of work left to do. But really and truly look back as well as forward and look at how far we've come on a number of levels. Many of us on the globe Do not struggle to survive. But because we do not struggle to survive, and we have yet to learn how to thrive. We have a lot of time and energy on her hands. And much of that is spent gawking at the horrors and the issues afoot. And certainly it is important to stay informed. Some of us are called to ameliorate to support the various issues afoot, and most of us are not most of us have other dharmas other purposes, other vying duties. And so we've actually as a globe, with glaring exceptions, perhaps have never been overall. So well placed. And yet, there's still a great deal of suffering. The difference is that we've never before had access to this great suffering that's happening in faraway places. You know, we have the play by play of so much it's going on around the world. And so injustice, brutality, suffering of various sorts has always existed. These are variations on ancient themes. But we've never before been so aware of what is taking place behind closed doors in various organizations and various hierarchies in various conflicts. And so keep that in mind. Yeah. Now, the question is, how do we deal with it? Perhaps a greater question is, is it ours to deal with? Is it our place to take on literally the troubles of the world? Is that something that a human being is called to do in the human being handle? Such pressure, such pain, such turmoil? Certainly not. We are limited. Our time on this earth is limited. Our energies or resources are limited, and thankfully, they bring Each of our purpose is also limited. What we are here to do, what we are here to accomplish, who we are here to serve. This tool is limited and it is of use to focus on what is ours to handle what is ours to manage. These without question are dark times in many ways, although, as I mentioned at the outset, the backdrop the white noise of our globe is one of progress without question, not for everybody, and present, an overarching ly the stock is trending up. Now, that being said, we are not called to be ensconced in the horrors of war. Although we are called to bear witness to the darkness of our times, when the times are dark, are we called to be enveloped by the darkness? No. And the times are dark, we are called to Kindler flames. We are little lanterns as if lanterns in which the flame of the soul abides. We are called to kindle our flame, share our light with others, attract other light seekers. And this is how we brighten the world amid the darkness upon us, let us not be consumed subsumed by it. Yes. What does one do this? Well, there are a variety of strategies for mindfulness relaxation, but to my mind the lowest hanging fruit and at the same time, one of the most powerful strategies is breath, breath work and breath control on Ayala is the Sanskrit term whether you are working on your breath with respect to Indyk paradigms and Indic wisdom or not either way. Breathing is something that we all need to do, and that we all continually do. But do we really know how to do it similar to eating, consumption? nourishment? We all need nourishment, but do we know how to nourish ourselves? I think there are a variety of statistics available, particularly in the Western world, which emphatically declare that we do not. Do we know how to breathe? Do we really understand and embody the breath? Do we grok the connection between breath and emotion? Do you understand that where there is the breath there is no anxiety. And when there were there is anxiety, there is no deep breath. Are we aware that literally by manipulating and lengthening and deepening and widening the breath, we gain mastery over our emotions. When was the last we breathe deeply? Intentionally. So more than just an expression. Take a deep breath, spend time daily breathing and bringing awareness bringing prana bringing lifeforce in to your vessel along with the air or the oxygen. And beyond the breath and breath work, I think it's very useful to take as your guru as your instructor as your exemplar as your paragon of wisdom, the tree to not forget the wisdom of the tree. Well, perhaps you never learned the wisdom of the tree. But unconsciously, you know the wisdom of the tree. unconsciously you understand the trees are full of presence and peace. What do I mean by that? Well, who knows? Maybe I'll start with a little bit of a tail and then we'll see where it goes, shall we? Once the great sage Markandeya had been in deep meditation for eons when a great storm swept the earth Well, we all know what it's like to have storms sweeping the earth in a great deal of calamity and difficulty. We're living through a number of storms these days. But this was an ordinary storm. This was the Deleuze that marked the end of the age while there is no real apocalypse, this is not a linear universe. We have we have a linear left brain and we have a cyclical circular right brain and the circle has no beginning or end
so question as to whether or not the cosmos is linear, or the cosmos is cyclical. And to my knowledge is only one one prominent and credible physicist who is making this argument, Roger Penrose, but that's the story for another day. But the question is whether or not the cosmos is linear or cyclical, it's very important, because perhaps the problems the various observational anomalies that are front, the theory of the Big Bang, perhaps they arise, because we are imposing a linear mentality onto a cyclical entity, if everything within the universe cycles if galaxies cycle if life cycle if atoms cycle of cells cycle of seasons cycle, if everything within the universe cycles. Perhaps the universe itself does, anyhow, there's to lose at the end of the age, while the end of this current age, well, the delusion happens and disillusion happens. And then there's a new age. And similarly, when we think about the dawn of this age, you know, the dawn arises on the back of the dissolution of the last stage, right, ad infinitum, forever and ever, amen. in either direction, forward and backward. Right. So the delusion the delusion marks the end of the age, the destruction of all things was upon him the great sage marking there, the water soon envelop the earth in preparation for cosmic dissolution. And, you know, the function of the solution is an activist performed as discharged by none other than Shiva, the great god Shiva dancing all things annihilating all things in his dance of bliss, what a glorious image, more about that another day. But you know, having just come out of his meditation, Mark can be wasn't an all frightened, you know, part of his meditation involves a deep breathing, so he was kind of there was no anxiety there who's abiding in the witness witness consciousness. The witness has that space from which you truly act. When you are in ego, when you're in your patterning and your emotionality. You think you act Do you think you respond, but you don't you react. But if there was a stimulus, and you have the ability to create space and hold space between the stimulus and the reaction, then it's not a reaction, it's a response. The extent to which you abide in the witness is the extent to which you truly act as the extent to which you are free. And we are all bound by the reactions, which issue forth compulsively unthinkingly instinctively. But anyhow, Marconi, I just came out of his cosmic trance, and he was awake, abiding in the witness, and not at all frightened. He was centered and ready to embrace. Whatever came. He simply marveled at the great torrents of random being pelted down the perimeter from the perturbed heavens, sooner waves swept him up in its whirling fury and carried him off, as far as the eye could see water cover the earth. He was carried by the currents to the top of a massive wave and a top this wave was held mysteriously in place, a great banyan tree. He thought to himself, well, certainly this is no ordinary banyan tree is marvelous and extraordinary and majestic and, and even spiritual as banyan trees are in general. This is no ordinary banyan tree. It's rooted not in soil, but it's rooted in water in this great expanse, and how could it possibly abide here? How can it possibly survive here? How can it possibly be so still, amid this tumult, get this through, get this tree thrives. The mysterious valley in the middle of the ocean was glowing with great splendor, a sight to behold to market his way to light the current that carried him delivered him to its base. mesmerize he approached the tree, and noticed that upon one of its branches set, a smiling child, child, beautiful baby, resplendent in the branches of the tree, marking they approach the radiant child in all in wonder, wondering if this was a dream, a vision is real. He reached to pick up the child, but just as he did so, the child took a deep breath in Now, marking dad found himself swept up again, as though by another great wave. But this time he was carried out to the curtains of air being sucked into the child's mouth. Either the child's mouth grew in size from Arkadia trunk, he couldn't tell, because before he knew it, he was able to comfortably enter the mouth of the child, as if it were the mouth of some mystical cave where a great masters go to become enlightened. Once inside the mouth of the strange child, Mark and dad be held the entire surface of the earth as it was before the flood. he beheld the jungles and valleys the mountains and plains, he cast his gaze upwards and was created at the expanse of the sky. teeming with stars and galaxies before him. He was somehow able to see the sun. In all its glory in the brimming moon in its fullness, and the vast array of stars and planets lighting up the night sky. Worthy yet his gaze met the galactic expanse, making up the universe, and all in the mouth of this child. Mark, India soon realized he must be standing in the mouth of the great God, Vishnu, the preserver he who pervades all things now, there are many tales about Vishnu, slumbering upon his serpent couch, on the oceanic abyss, a glorious and powerful image. Perhaps that tale will be told another day. But at this time, the cosmic child exhaled. Remember talking about the power of breath, and just as Marconi had been drawn rapidly into the body of the child, so too, he was thrust back out of his mouth back into the presence of the majestic Banyan mark and the ESAT of the base of the tree taking solace and the great banging even in the midst of the Great delusion is meditation. He meditated upon the presence of the tree that that held within its bows. That divine presence is very beautiful image something ancient and often Aha, something ternal and yet youthful, you know, what a brilliant image this divine child you know, he and his meditating really on the power of the tree. This this this this vignette, really this is the market as the only soul who actually is able to survive Prolia the cosmic dissolution he has this blessing right? He's he's ever youthful. Yes, will tell the story of how Mark Navy can ever youthful in another podcast, but he has this power. So really, he very much represents the witness, you know, not just the spiritual witness that we all have access to but you know, it's a mythologize ation thereof wherein he witnesses the dissolution of all things. He witnesses probably or he witnesses the ending of the world itself. So Mark, India is really a very potent symbol of sainthood. S. And here comes some of his reflection on the power and the presence and the wisdom of the tree. Trees are peaceful, they're silent, they're still they're present. I mean, who would you be? Can you imagine? You might think it cheeky or silly or counterintuitive or even outlandish to take as your guru or tree. I pick careful attention. Anyone who is actually anyone who's open energetically in the presence of a tree fully understands that trees are, I wouldn't say sentient in the way that humans are sentient. But they have tremendous knowing power is presence there. They're aware. They're peaceful, they're silent are still the present. And they make suitable sites not only for spiritual practice for your practice, but suitable sites for yogic perfection. Many sage has attained enlightenment beneath the tree. Most famously, perhaps the Indian Prince Siddhartha Gautama, renounced and found enlightenment beneath the Bodhi tree, more famously known as the Buddha, enlightened one. He was one of many brothers, one of many enlightened beings. The tree is both symbol an exemplar of profound wisdom. Humans can learn much from their majesty, for humans to be fulfilled. They need to continually grow
without growth, there's no fulfillment. There's only stagnation. The tree is taller and taller each day than it was before. It's always growing. Yes, it stretches upwards and outwards towards the expanse of the sky. The sky represents what the space of ideas have ideals of true this mysterious expanse, overhead. Right? Expansion. It is the plane of the heavens of divinity of the beyond the trees why stretch itself becoming more than it was before in an effort to touch the sky, and we are wise to follow suit. In addition to being a plane of magic, if you will and wonder, mystery and majesty, the sky is home to the sun, source of all heat and light. The sun represents the self within all beings. That spiritual spark of awareness, animation grace which propels all life, as the tree sees the sea receives the sun's grace, so to should we, in our goings and comings upon me on the earth, we take the time to gaze upon the sky. Do you make space for wonder when you behold the sun and moon and stars? Trees? No Well, the wisdom of communing with the sky get through not quite operating with their head in the clouds, so to speak, are they this is only half the equation. They hold within them this really extraordinarily powerful creative tension. This this this, this combination, the collaboration of opposites, right? She's always going upwards, is it true is also always going downwards. The secret to the tree's growth lies in its opposed impulses. Its impulse to reach up into the sky is matched and made possible by its capacity to burrow down deep down into the earth. The trees growth is literally dependent upon its groundedness. And this holds within it great wisdom. Are you grounded, and you capable of being grounded? Do you know what it feels like to be grounded? A scattered state really is the ill of our age, the element of our age is scattered pneus.
And in its many, many many manifestations. It the trees growth is literally dependent upon its groundedness.
And this holds within it the following wisdom the shoe gained support stability by digging deep, its roots reaching toward the center of the earth. The tree is testament to the fecundity of the earth whereby it grows, it digs deep into the cool moist Earth whereby it derives hydration. nourishment is not only fed by the Earth, but it also nourishes the earth with its with its fallen leaves and fruit. The symbolism of a tree calls us towards symbiotic participation in the Earth's random network of life. The tree is downward pull towards the Earth. We can think of it this way we can think of these these two poles as archetypally masculine and feminine. The trees downward pull towards the earth represents its feminine aspect. This is why in last week's episode with the University of Eden, what we were paying attention to was this masculine sky god who is transcendent holy, from the earth and humanity. And in the inversion really we see that Divinity has to do with the earthly the feminine the bodily the act of eating the sacred serpent. Yes. Same symbolism here we are alluding to. Right, so the tree is downward bull perhaps represents its feminine aspect, while its upward pole towards the sky represents his masculine aspect. This is why in so many iterations of indo European myth, we have a Skygarden earth goddess and they are often somehow connected or even paired such as in Greek myth. For example, Uranus, the sky god and Gaia, the earth goddess will beget a great many beings. The power of the tree lies in its ability to integrate masculine and feminine This is a very important idea that is alchemy when you're able to integrate your masculine and feminine aspects now you There's much to be said about this. This is it's this, these aspects are far beyond sexes, even genders or gender roles. What we're referring to here is a chemical process that entails bringing into collaboration and cooperation, aspects of self, right? In with respect to the subtle body, this is where the right masculine solar channel, the Pingala connects with cooperates with as balanced by the left feminine looter channel. The EDA, right. And when the energy is able to flow in the central channel, this Shuna Well, that's a state of wholeness and balance and supreme power, sovereignty. Right. So, the power of the tree lies in its ability continuing masculine and feminine, its upward growth is dependent upon its downward growth. And its downward growth is equally dependent upon his upward growth. It holds within this great paradoxical wisdom. The tree is whole, the tree is complete, the tree is at peace. This is why we're reflecting on the wisdom of the tree today, because so many, many clients and students with whom I am in conversation, I express concern about but many, much of what is happening on the world stage. And we discuss the extent to which we are called to be ensconced in such things. And we also just discuss strategies whereby one can remain grounded, and witness and bear witness to the atrocities afoot in a way which does not damage self in a way which does not erode our capacity to fulfill our primary duties in this life, our dharma in a way whereby we are not enveloped by the darkness, when we can meet it, and even greet it was the light we cultivate through practice. And that is a peaceful state. This, this vignette this, this, this, this tale of the great sage Markandeya really this mythic motif more than a tale of Mark and data. And this this rumination, this deliberation, this meditation, upon the wisdom of the tree, was actually penned in connection to rickshaw Sinha, and the stories behind the poses tree pose, right. And the commentary that ensues is as follows three poses to some simple pose. But for those who know the great wisdom behind it, is among the most profound of yoga poses, poses unintended or not about performance. They're about experience, they're not about how you look, they're about what you experience. Yes. In this pose, once hands are class, closing the circuitry of the energy of the heart. Also, once two legs become as if a single grounding rod connecting with the earth. Okay. I believe last week we talked about Shiva and Shivratri and terace occurring when the sun is in the constellation the lunar asterism, the nakshatra who were of a Bhadrapada and the symbol deity of this nakshatra is one legged goat, it's not really a goat, one legged entity, the unborn one was one legged form of pi over representing sort of this unity right this unity emerging from the earth. So, you know, the two legs become like a single grounding rod connecting with the Earth, upright plane between heaven and earth is divine. Think about this think about this very carefully. But his vertical motion and this horizontal motion, and of course is everything in between. But the vertical plane is nothing mundane, or what possibly abides in that plane. Okay. Think of evolution. Generally speaking, the more evolved a species at least in mammalian life, the more upright it is Right. The more upright a creature is, the more aware it is. And similarly humans generally speaking, the more upright you sit, more upright you stand the more aware you are certainly you're more aware while standing than you are while lying down. So there's this really profound and fascinating connection between vertical illness and awareness that seems to be encoded in the very process of evolution of species on this planet. Humans alone, I mean, think about this. Humans alone have upright posture. And humans alone have sentience or sentience. As we normally think of sentience, certainly humans are not alone in having awareness in general. But to have this level of self awareness seems to be part and parcel of having this level of uprightness. There's an interplay between the two. Right. The most upright creatures, humans possess the potential of the greatest awareness, divine awareness. This divine plane between heaven and earth is occupied only by humans, and perhaps upright cobras, and trees. It is the plane of Kundalini arising of spiritual ascension of touching the sky while rooted on Earth. Hope you've enjoyed this content a fraction as much as we enjoyed sharing it with you. By all means, give it a like to give it a share. I feel free to reach out with requests. Feel free to reach out to study with me if you'd like and I run the Indian Muslim school which I founded in Muslim school.com Feel free to attend a retreat with me in person. Be more than happy to facilitate your learning in some way, shape, or form. Until next time, keep well and keep contemplating the power of the upright plane. Bye for now. No stay
