 |
OPEN MIND OPEN BODY Ideas for Your Yoga Practice |
|
|
|
Building
a Personal Practice I
often receive questions about how to build a personal practice. Many
people worry that they aren't doing enough; others worry that they can't
practice as much as they want to, and still lead a regular life.
The
following parables, which I have adapted from an English translation of
the The One Hundred Parable Sutra, address these issues. I've included the
parables on this page, and my interpretations of them on a separate page.
Take a moment to consider the parables before reading my reflections. Your
own insights may be even more helpful to you than my interpretations.
Whenever
you worry about practicing "enough", remember these stories.
PARABLE
1: WHY BOTHER PRACTICING AT ALL?
A
man decided to go walking in the heat. He quickly became lost and
dehydrated. He continued walking, and the more he walked, the worse he
felt. Soon, he was so tired and dehydrated that he began to see mirages of
water. He chased these mirages, desperate for relief. The more he chased
the mirages, the worse he felt.
Miraculously,
in his wanderings, he stumbled upon a real river. He sat at the river's
edge, and looked at the water longingly. Another wanderer passed by, and
asked the dehydrated and exhausted man why he did not drink from the
river. "Clearly you are thirsty," he said. "Why don't you
help yourself?"
The
dehydrated and exhausted man said, "Oh, this river is far too much
for me to drink. I could never finish it."
PARABLE
2: IF A LITTLE PRACTICE IS GOOD FOR ME.....
A
woman was invited to a friend's home for dinner. She found the meal
tasteless and bland. Her friend noticed, and offered her some salt. After
a few bites of the newly salted meal, the woman was amazed. How much
better the meal tasted! If a little salt made the meal this good, imagine
how great a lot of salt would be! So the woman pushed aside her meal and
began to eat the salt straight out of the container.
PARABLE
3: A PERFECT PRACTICE OR NOTHING AT ALL
A
shepherd had a herd of 250 cows. He was a faithful and diligent caretaker
of his cows, performing every daily duty with devotion. One day, a tiger
attacked his herd and killed a cow. The shepherd was devastated.
"My
perfect herd is destroyed!" he exclaimed. "What good are the
other 249 cows now?"
So
he took his cows to the edge of a cliff and drove them off, one at a time,
killing them all.
These
parables can be found in their full form in the book:
A
Flock of Fools: Ancient Buddhist Tales of Wisdom and Laughter From The One
Hundred Parable Sutra Return to Ideas for Your Yoga Practice
Enjoy these ideas? Sign up to receive monthly ideas for your yoga practice in the free Open Mind Open Body Newsletter.
|
|