Swamiji
For awhile there life was nothing but busy. Trying to be somewhere all the time without being fully anywhere. Rush, rush, rush. No time for yoga, no time for writing, no time for dancing, no time for me. Of course sometimes the biggest sacrifices bear the sweetest fruit and in my case her name is Percie Rose Littlewood and she is my pumpkin noodle shnicker doodle. You know what I mean?
So life is slowing down a bit and returning to shades of normalcy. She goes to bed happily at 7pm, she can entertain herself for periods of 5 – 10 minutes, and she constantly shows me my world through entirely new eyes. But, for the first time in 20 months I am awakening from an emotional fog and I realize that I am spiritually parched. I go to look for book suggestions from some of my favorite yoga teachers but am left disappointed by uber esoteric tantric texts that are more in Sanskrit then they are English and the translations just don’t work for me. I can try to read some striking yogic principle into them but it’s just not the same as the simple, empirical “ah ha” moments you get from a really good teacher (you know the one who’s theme is always exactly relevant to your current life and everyone else’s)! But class is not available, it’s too late at night or too early in the morning or sometimes the middle of the day, and I need a shot of inspiration – right now!
So I go to my special yoga bookshelf, the one now blocked by bags of too small and too big baby clothes, and look through my old gems. And there it is! In the back, almost un-noticeable is my copy of “The Yogi: Portraits of Swami Vishnu-devananda” by Gopala Krishna. The slightly odd shaped pages and old thick paper make me smile as I remember I bought this book from the bookstore at the Sivananda Kutir Ashram in Uttar Kashi, India. A small, gentle ashram nestled into a mountain village along the sacred Ganges near the Indian border with China. A place of peace and magic and hope like I had never experienced before and have not experienced since.
There on the cover is the smiling face of Swami Vishnu-devananda, the Indian disciple of Swami Sivananda of Rishikesh, India, some say one of the last great saints. Vishnu-devananda was responsible for opening yoga centers and yoga ashrams at Sivananda’s request and in his name all over the world, including India, the US, Canada and Europe. Go on their website and check out the thriving international organization that he built! www.sivananda.org Now, already I am enraptured and inspired.
Suddenly Vishnu-devananda’s amazing story and even more powerful energy come back into my life. His incredible life as Sivananda’s primary asana teacher, being one of the first to bring asana practice into ashrams in India. The story of Vishnu-devananda, hereto referred to as Swamiji’s first meeting with Sivananda, his Guru. On their first encounter he hid in the bushes to avoid bowing to Sivananda’s feet, as was customary of disciples, as he was not yet sure that Sivananda was worthy of this kind of devotion. As he hid, Sivananda walked directly in front of where he stood, and bowed down to touch Swamiji’s feet. In a moment Swamiji knew he had met his Guru and began the work of distancing from ego-mind.
Later in his life Swamiji had dreams and visions of flying. So despite the strange looks he got from some disciples – “who does this Swami think he is flying airplanes?”… he learned how to fly. Then he went on international peace missions where he “bombed” some of the world’s most troubled spots with flowers and peace literature including Northern Ireland, the Berlin Wall and Middle East. Swamiji was very aware of artificial man-made barriers in this world, and strove to show that they are false and only figments of our own imagination. Being in the sky meant that no one could stop him from “going where he shouldn’t” unless of course they shot him down which no one actually did. Swamiji’s peace missions were reminders to everyone that we are Earth Citizens, made in a State of God.
But the sweet, sweet nectar to my tired and frazzled soul are his words. Thank you, thank you, thank you author Gopala Krishna for putting together this first hand source of Swamiji’s teachings! Clearly, this contribution you have made is part of your dharma to inspire and encourage people like me.
Some words from Swamiji, quoted from Gopala Krishna’s firsthand book “The Yogi: Portraits of Swami Vishnu-devananda” Yes International Publishers, USA 1995:
This story is about a shepherd and his sheep living in a valley. One night a pregnant mountain lioness came to hunt amongst the sheep. When the shepherd saw the mountain lion he started shooting at her. The shooting frightened her. Suddenly she gave birth to her lion cub, and then ran away to the forest, leaving her cub among the sheep. Luckily there was a nursing sheep. She started nursing the new born lion cub. So the lion cub started thinking that the sheep was his mother, and he started to bleat like sheep – Baa Baa Baa Baa. He was drinking milk and eating grass, becoming a vegetarian. So the lion cub grew up among the sheep thinking that he is just like any other sheep.
After several years, the king of the forest, a big mountain lion, came to the sheep’s valley to hunt. There he saw among the sheep one of his own royal family members, bleating like a sheep, eating grass. What a disgrace! It was like Prince Charles going to live with the hippies. What would Queen Elizabeth think? That’s what the lion king thought. “What a disgrace to our royal family!”
So he ran shouting at the sheeplion, “What are you doing with the sheep? Why you are bleating like a sheep?”
And the sheeplion was terrified. Seeing the mountain lion running after him, he shouted, “Mommy! Mommy help me! This fellow is going to kill me!”
But the sheep mother ran away and the mountain lion caught the sheeplion. “Don’t be afraid of me. You are a lion like me.”
“Oh no no! I’m not a lion. I’m a sheep. I’ve got my mommy there, my beautiful mommy. “Mommy! Let me go to my mommy!”
“Oh no! You are not a sheep. You are a lion like me.”
“Please leave me alone. I beg you lion, let me go.”
“No. No. No. I’m going to take you and show you who you are.” So he dragged him to the mountain against his will and brought him to a big lake. “Look in that lake. What do you see?”
His eyes shut tight. “No. No. I don’t want to open my eyes. I am afraid.”
“Don’t be afraid. Just look. See who you are.”
“I know who I am. I’m a sheep. I got my mommy; I got three brothers and two sisters; I live in the valley.”
“Oh no, that’s all wrong. Look! You have forgotten who you are.” After some time, the sheeplion opened his eyes. “What do you see?”
“I see waves.”
“Wait for the waves to subside.” After some time there were no more waves, no more ripples; the lake was as smooth as glass. Suddenly he saw his face. He didn’t look like a sheep. He saw the other lion’s face beside his. “Hey I am like you. You are like me. I am you. You are me. We are both kings!”
And the mountain lion said, “Don’t bleat like a sheep. Roar like a lion! Go to your kingdom in the forest and enjoy your life.”
So for the first time in his life, he roared. No more bleating like a sheep. He realized who he was and lived happily ever after in the forest, in his kingdom.
Who are the sheeplions of this story? We all are. We are bleating morning till evening: Baa Baa Baa I am German, Baa Baa Baa East German, Baa Baa Baa West German, Baa Baa Baa I’m Russian, Baa Baa Baa American, Baa Baa Baa Protestant, Baa Baa Baa Catholic, Baa Baa Baa I’m a Jew, Baa Baa Baa I’m Arab, Baa Baa Baa I’m a PLO, Baa Baa Baa I’m Chancellor, Baa Baa Baa Prime Minister, Baa Baa Baa I am male, Baa Baa Baa I’m female, Baa Baa Baa I am a Swami, Baa Baa Baa. That’s all we are doing all day long.
The mountain lions, the great masters, like Jesus and Sivananda, come and say, “Oh, you are bleating like a sheep. You are not a German, an Austrian, Russian or American. You are the immortal self. I am in you. You are in me. I am He. I am Brahman. You too are Brahman. You too are God. But this body is not God. Look within. You’ll find who you are.” “Oh no, no! I don’t want to find out who I am. I know who I am. I am a Swami. I have three ashrams; I have ten students. I have two hundred and twenty rooms and thirty bathrooms. I have money, two million dollars in the bank. Master says, “Hey, that’s not you. These things just belong to you.” “Oh no, no! I have my wife and children.” “They won’t come with you. They’re all objects.” “Oh no, no, no! I love my wife and children very much; I have a beautiful home and a lovely family, children” And the teacher says, “Don’t bleat like a sheep. When you die will your wife go with you? Will your children go with you? Can you take all your money with you?” He starts thinking, “Hey, something is wrong here.”
You will also die. You can’t take your credit card with you. You can’t even take this body with you. The germs are waiting for it. Death is waiting for you because you identify with this body. You are immortal. “Oh Teacher, tell me how to find it, how to escape death.” “I’ll show you come with me.”
Close your eyes. Look within, in that mind-lake. What do you see? Pizza, ice cream, bananas; heart beating, lungs breathing. They’re all objects. That’s not you. You are not a heart, or lungs, etc. Just close your eyes and breathe very gently. Practice. Go on, practice. You must practice breathing gently every day. When there are no more thought waves, what do you see? Now Teacher, I am you. You are me. There is neither disciple nor teacher, neither I nor God; we are one. I am in everything; everything is in me. I am that I am. Aham Brahma Asmi. Sohum. I am He. I am He. Sohum.
May you take these words with you for your own sweet inspiration, renewal and connection to the energy that created us, that brings us together, that makes us smile and makes us One.
Peace,
Whitney
Thursday, April 22, 2010 marks the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day. Earth Day is a day designed to inspire awareness and appreciation for the Earth’s environment and is celebrated all over the world. It is a perfect time to think about the impact you have on the environment, make a commitment to learning more, knowing how you can help to protect it and living sustainably. What, exactly, does green or sustainable living mean? Different people use different definitions, but it all comes down to one fundamental concept: The Earth’s resources shouldn’t be depleted faster than they can be replenished. From that concept comes everything else, including caring for the environment, animals and other living things, your health, your local community, and communities around the world. Reduce Consumption – Anything that you can do to decrease the amount of the Earth’s resources that you use is impactful. Reduce the amount of energy, water and materials that you use. Choose Carefully – Assessing where certain products and services come from by thinking about their entire life cycles from manufacture to disposal. How did this item get into your hands and what impact did it have on the environment? Thinking in this way helps you to make the greenest choices possible. Reduce, Reuse and Recycle all day long- Buy as little as possible and avoid items that come in lots of packaging. Support local growers and producers of food and products – these don’t have to travel as far and so reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Take your drink container with you, and don’t use any disposable plates or cutlery. Recycle all the things you do use for the day or find other uses for things that you no longer use. Carry a cloth bag for carrying things in and recycle your paper bags. Travel Responsibly- As an eco- traveler, it is your responsibility to prevent or minimize any negative impacts on the environment, local community and economy of the destination you are visiting. 
