On Truth & Pleasantness

By Manoj on November 9th, 2009 .

Namaste all,

just some reflections..

Scenario 1- identity- teacher; association- students

Last week’s TTC class, among other things,the yamas(moral don’ts in yoga) were focussed.
In it, spoke at length about ahimsa (non violence) and satya (truth). Ahimsa is given the utmost importance in yoga, which is non violence in thought, word and deed.
Now, total non violence in ‘thought’ might be a bit difficult. So let us look at ‘word’ and ‘deed’.

Most of us might have enough restraint over the sensory organs of hands and feet, so that physical violence is not something which we indulge or face. However, when it comes to words, we do hurt people through sarcasm, downright criticism, contempt etc.

So this week the focus for the TTC students is to observe their words, facial expressions etc, which advertently or inadvertently might be hurting people around them.

Then we spoke on importance of truth, and about abiding in truth too, in thought, word and deed.

Also taught that though truth is very important, it is secondary to non violence, and cited a verse from a scripture called Manu smrti, which says ‘satyam bruyat priyam bruyat na bruyat satyam apriyam’.

Translated it means, ‘speak truth, but only if it is pleasant and beneficial to the listener’.

Scenario 2- identity- husband; association- two kids

Sandhyas dance performance is just around the corner. Yesterday was Monday, supposedly family day, but she was into practice the whole day. I was with Sid and Shiv. By evening, felt quite challenged. Then Sandhya called, first saying that her dance practice has finished, and then after a pause, whether she can now go for a hair trimming procedure.

I wanted to say, ‘common, now atleast come home’. But remembering that it won’t be the pleasant truth to her.. I instead said, ‘of course, no problem, the kids are like angels, and you can go, take your time’.
2 hrs later a distraught calls from her ‘ my hair is a mess now.. i only wanted trimming.. but the lady almost completely cut it off.. now what can i do’.

My trigger response went something like this, ‘ you are NOW asking me what I can do?? You should know when to call it a stop.. going from one thing to other.. now hair is a mess.. good.. at least learn something from all this’..

Scenario 3- thinker

That was rude, wasn’t it?. Though there was satyam in what I said, in that truly what can anyone do, once the hair is already cut, but yet, in that utterance of truth, there was no priyam, no sweetness, no benefit, to her or me. The call, she just wanted someone to share her sadness and worry, and not a scathing sermon.

Anyway, what i realize is, sometimes, especially when we are really tired, it is tough to control the indriyas (organs of action), and tongue especially. Patanjali says practice discriminative reflection continuously. So, on speech, a continuous reflection can be, “Am i saying something which is beneficial to the person, or merely hurtful”?

We have to be especially wary of our speech with those who can’t talk back at that point of time. Rudeness to waiters, maids, children.. it is not that we should never be stern.. but some extra statements, judgments etc, we all have to be watchful..

Patanjali clearly says that these have to be practiced by all, irrespective of jati (race), desa (place) and kala (time). So, whether teacher or student, mother or child, employer or employee (various jati differences), we have to practice satyam with priyam (truth for the benefit of the person, which then brings out a sweet quality);

Similarly, whether in studio or home, in office or in car, same practice (referring to desa);

And referring to kala (time), whether during tired time, bad mood time, whatever, still strive, atleast not to hurl words dripping with apriyam (unpleasantness)

So let us all together practice being mindful and truthful, along with suffusing intentions and words with pleasantness, sweetness and beneficence..

Now who is sitting closest to you? Start practicing.. may each word and each action bring about a certain cheer and lightness to the listener..

Namaste

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3 Comments

Hui Hsien
November 9, 2009 @ 10:33 pm

This evening I was actively practising Ahimsa awareness whilst braving the nasty after office traffic on the LDP. In desperate situations like that the average Malaysian driver does not give way to other motorists. However, I took several deep breaths and compassionately allowed 1 car into my lane. 1 led to 2 and by the time the 3rd car tried to push herself aggressively in, I realised that that was my threshold and submitted to the reaction of my manas, which was to honk angrily.

Question is, how do you practise Ahimsa without falling victim to opportunists?
Manoj
November 10, 2009 @ 1:33 pm

Namaste Hui Hsien
So heart warming to read how you are trying to apply the teachings into real life.. Now, let me try to answer your valid question through a story..
“Long ago there was a deadly snake. She was truly a pure embodiment of terror to the villagers of the neighbourhood. In fact the people of the village stopped using the path which runs via her pit, as she indiscriminately attacked and bit anyone going that way.

One day, a wandering yogi stopped by the village to rest. Next morning, after his sun salutes, he was about to resume his journey. The villagers then advised him not to take the path where the snake resides. But the monk went that way. And as expected, the snake rushed in to attack him. But somehow, the monk’s calm, fearless countenance, and total compassion towards the snake, affected it, and she then asked the monk as to how he is so fearless, calm and loving in the face of imminent death. The monk’s one word answer was, ‘yoga’. The snake then expressed keen interest to learn yoga. The monk started by delivering a lecture on ahimsa, and then said that he can initiate her into the deeper practices only after one year of ahimsa practice. He then bade goodbye to the snake, promising to meet her after one year.

The snake, like Hui Hsien, started practicing ahimsa in great earnest. It gave way to all the people walking that way, and remained extremely docile, never raising its hood, except while it practiced the cobra pose.

This change was soon noticed by everyone, especially the children. They started to twirl, tie and swing her around, while some snake charmers used her for their tricks.

By all this, in quick time the snake got badly injured. One day after some villagers beat her and partially burnt her for their entertainment, she barely managed to get back to her pit, after which she was never to be seen again.

One year passed, and the monk returned. He enquired about the snake, and the villagers told that the snake is no more. The monk anyway went to the pit, and softly chanted Om, three times. The snake slowly slithered out, her face still winced in pain. The monk asked as to what happened. The snake told the whole story and then concluded, ‘It is all your fault, holy sir. You advised me to practice ahimsa by not biting anyone, and look what I got in return’.

The monk then said, ‘ I asked you to only stop biting. Not to stop hissing’.

End of story.

So Hui, Hiss.. i mean honk! That is not a problem at all. See, practicing ahimsa doesn’t mean being submissive. You shouldn’t allow yourself to be subject to violence or exploitation in anyway. You can express anger. But inside, you should be aware of it. Dont loose yourself completely to that emotion. So, in your story you stopped at the point of your honking. Two scenarios can happen after that.

Scenario 1- You continue your drive, after observing what the anger did to your body.. did it contort the face? tensed the abdomen? stopped the breath? And then you let it go completely, observing your breaths, observing the sky, noticing the occasional irritation about the jam, enjoying the music.. then you are still in the groove.. perfectly ok.

Scenario 2- You continue your drive.. but there is an aggression.. some expletives spurt out from the mouth.. you strangle the steering.. body is tensed.. breathing is haywire.. but you are not noticing it.. you are saying that you will never let anyone cut you in the future.. and so on..

The second scenario is what we have to watch out. Where the emotion completely takes over and run you.
Yogiontheisland
November 10, 2009 @ 6:22 pm

So, will we see you driving around the streets of KL and Penang in the future joyfully honking and hissing?