Standing on the shoulders of our Teachers

“An artist’s early works are nearly always five-finger exercises that teach him the principles of the style of an older generation of artists, until he himself is mature enough to formulate a style of his own.”
Giorgio Morandi

This principle of practice in art is true for anything. One first studies, receives teachings and the more one practiced them, lives them, breathes them, one begins to be these teachings, to have a specific set of spices for his own recipe.

“ Practice and all is coming”, claims Patabhi Jois. It is not by talking about Yoga that one becomes a Yogi. Indeed, reading and discussing are also important, but it is the practice in every day life that helps the embodiment and manifestation of an artist, a teacher or a master in their every moment life and their sharing with others.

“Standing on the shoulders of our teachers” writes Ganga White. What does that mean to you?

An artist, a Yoga teacher, a musician or even a philosopher all start with studying masters of the past.
Practicing yoga, and studying with great masters is of great value. At a certain point, after substantial practice and time, one might start having this knowledge ingrained within themselves. Once this knowledge is there, the student learns to explore what works for them. Truly we are our own masters. We have all the answers; just don’t always see them clearly. The tradition, the teachers of past and present are guides, are shepherds presenting the grass. Once we can see the grass, we can try and eat it, we can see what it taste like. Maybe we need another field another shepherd, and eventually either we find a grass that is delicious for us, we make our own special blend of grasses or we find a new field altogether.

The Teachers that I respect the most are those that empowered me, not controlled me, those that were sharing all they had without holding back, that were willing to show me all there is, and accept me for who I am.

My joy, my Zen, my understandings cannot be taken away from me, as they are my own experiences, not my teachers or masters. I have learned a great deal from my teachers and masters, but it is through my own practice, my own experience and my own realizations that I have come to be what I am.

I am grateful for the past, for teachers and traditions, and I am grateful for life offering me direct experiences to know what is truly right for me, for my body for being a joyful human in service.

Renouncing

I renounce Judaism, renounce my Israeli title, Renounce great material things and renounce poverty.
I am not anti Judaism, nor anti Israel. I am not, pro Israel, nor am I pro Palestine.
I am, not because I think, not because I work, see or smell. I am.

Choosing a side is choosing violence. Seeing whole and allowing freedom, understanding the conditioning of all, the projections and the fear, being whole with one self, one becomes free and freedom expands from there on.
Knowing this and yet understanding that in daily life actions are happening, arms are fired, weapons are used. There are immediate reactions, anger arises, and especially when close family is danger or even hurt. What to do?

There is conflict. “Conflict arises from self-centered concern” (J. Krishnamurti. The fragmentation, the dividing of you and me, of them and us, create fragmented unions of groups, societies, and nations.

Creating outer changes, trying to look for solutions from the outside, may come from a place of not being capable of change within. The outer change, at times guided by teachers, parents, society, priests or any other authority, is mostly a change based on belief. Instead of believing, lets try to experience. We can listen to guidance, try it out on ourselves and see what holds true for us. Once experiencing is there, we no longer try, just be. There is an understanding, a manifestation of what is.

A message from my insurance company gives tips on how to deal with the anxiety and stress coming from the situation around the globe. Life is changing every moment. One day we have more and another less, one day our neighbors are nice to me and another I perceive them as hostile. Can I accept these changes? Notice if they arise from within my mind, am I adding value to events that are passing by, It is not about putting a band-aid, instead lets find the root cause, understand who am I?

My Dad used to say “Better be smart than right ”. True, he was talking about driving. I remember when I just got my license, and as I was driving our white Audi 80, coming into our street, another car, a red small one, tried to sneak in from the side and go ahead of us.
Knowing that I had the right, and the car needed to wait as it had a yield sign, I downshifted gear and stormed ahead. It was close but I won. 20 years later, I understand what my dad meant. What would I rather, be right and get into a possible accident or let the car go, stay calm and smile with compassion.

This is not a political statement. This is just an observation, just what comes to me now as I head to bed.