“Live your life as a great bliss adventure. Be willing to follow what has heart and meaning.”
~Yogacharya O’Brian
As I stroll along our walking trails early in the morning, I find myself musing about the path of awakening. Ten years ago, I was initiated into Kriya Yoga by my Guru Yogacharya O’Brian. I remember seeing other devotees, dressed all in white, gliding into the temple with an ethereal smile and slipping effortlessly into meditation.
Yearning to experience this apparent joy and equanimity, I sat upright, legs crossed beneath me, and tried this otherworldly smile on for size. The truth was, beneath this external display of devotion, I was experiencing confusion and relentless sorrow.
The teachings of Yoga tell us that the root cause of suffering is avidya or wrong knowledge. We lack awareness of the expansive nature of our own being and occupy a limited view of our ourselves and of life itself. We see ourselves as separate from That which supports and sustains all of life.
The nature of who we are, and the source of all consciousness, is sat-chit-ananda. Absolute eternal being, pure consciousness, with the quality of bliss. Roy Eugene Davis defines ananda or bliss as the sheer joy of awareness of pure being. Thus, from Self knowing, lasting joy reveals itself to us.
When anchored in the awareness of the truth of our being, we can be in a state of allowing. Thus, we can experience the full range of human emotion flowing through us without being swept away by them. We can invite them in with compassion with the sweet knowing that joy itself will return when it eludes us.
Today, the revelation of joy that accompanies spiritual practice and service is a guiding force in my life. It takes radical surrender, humility, and a willingness to let go of clinging to emotions that feel all too familiar.
May we continue to turn towards the fullness of the Self and invite the bliss of our very nature to express itself through us. For we have this one precious life that is calling us to express in joy!
Rev. Julie Hitchcock