- Ben Vincent
Ben Vincent, One Yoga Teacher
Instructor for the upcoming
Winter Weekend Immersion- The Yoga of Desire: Harnessing the Soul’s Power to Shape Our Destiny,
Jan 26-29
We are approaching the latter part of January, and with it, the fading of many half-hearted new years’ resolutions. From the yogic perspective, both the longing to realize our fullest potential, and the patterns of thought and behavior that keep us stuck, are based in desire. According to the yoga tradition, “Our life is the product of our deepest driving desires.” As such, it is essential to have a clear vision of how desire influences our lives. There is a misconception among many in the yoga world that the ideal of yoga is “being desire-less” or “letting go of all desires”. While this is true in regard to the deeper mystical experiences of yoga, trying to get rid of desire is not necessarily conducive to “living yogic-ly” in our day to day lives. In fact, it often leads to repression of our intuitive knowing and the calling of the highest Self. A more skillful way of working with desires is to:
1) Cultivate awareness of what we really desire and need
2) Explore how desires are influenced by the ego and the higher self
3) Make clear choices and work toward realization of our calling
In the yogic tradition, there are four desires considered essential to a life of balance and fulfillment. While these desires manifest themselves uniquely in each of us, they are said to be universal- shared by all of us, and innate qualities of the universe itself. These desires are collectively known as the “Purusharthas.” To understand the intention of this teaching, it is helpful to understand the two sanskrit root words which form purush(a)rtha. Purusha is usually translated as “soul/ pure consciousness”. It refers to our true nature or highest Self, which transcends the cycles of life, death and rebirth. “Artha” is often translated as means or prosperity. Essentially, the purusharthas refer to the desires that enable the realization of the True Self.
The four purusharthas are: Dharma (purpose), Artha (means), Kama (pleasure) and moksha (freedom).
Dharma is one of the most important words in the yogic tradition. Often translated as duty, purpose and order, it literally means to establish or create structure, that which gives life order. Dharma refers to the laws that govern the entire cosmos (para or universal dharma) and our lives (sva or individual dharma). It also refers to the teachings of how to live our lives in accordance with what is ultimately real. On an individual level, we have many dharmas: the duties of being children, parents, partners in relationship and friendship, and contributors to our community and the world. We also have the dharma of what we do for gainful employment (our profession) and our life’s work. For many, life’s purpose is revealed through the experience of suffering , and our process of transcending it. For some, knowing our dharma comes naturally, while for others, it is not revealed without great endeavor. Contemplate and journal about the following questions. They will guide you in exploring, discovering and fulfilling your dharma.
- What is my role in the world? How do I want to invest time and energy?
- What are my responsibilities? Which ones feel right?
- When I am serving the highest good, what am I doing?
Artha, often translated as means, prosperity or abundance, refers to that which enables and supports us in fulfilling our dharma. While Dharma can seem esoteric, artha is very tangible. What do you need to fulfill your responsibilities, both materially and non-materially? A place to live, food and water, a job and resources necessary to cover your expenses are part of artha. So is your health, spiritual practice and supportive relationships. Finding the right balance of artha is a practice of the middle path. Focusig too much or too little for material support can make it very difficult to explore dharma. If you spend all our time trying to make money, the desire for artha can devolve into greed and materialism. On the other hand, if we don’t know where you will sleep or how you will eat tomorrow, you spend all our resources just trying to meet our basic needs, with little left for purpose, pleasure and freedom. Use the following questions to explore artha:
- What do I need to fulfill my dharma, materially and non-materially?
- Am I afraid of not having enough or afraid of having more?
- What does wealth mean to me?
Kama, meaning pleasure or joy, is usually what gives desire a bad name. We are in many ways a society addicted to pleasure. But are we happy? Most of us have searched the outer world to find happiness. We may have tried material comforts, money, food, drugs & alcohol, religious practice, and sexual & platonic relationships to name a few. While these may bring temporary enjoyment, they are ultimately part of a changing world and cannot bring lasting happiness without inner work. Continual craving of pleasant experiences can devolve into greed, addiction, sloth, and unhealthy sexuality. It is the unsatisfactory nature of passing pleasures that forces us to look inward. From the yogic perspective, Kama is the ability to be present with beauty at any moment in life, without being attached to its form. It is the pleasure that allows us to transcend the ego.. These pleasures may nature, music & art, intimate relationship, selfless service, self-expression and mystical experience to name a few. When exploring a healthy relationship to pleasure, use the following questions:
- What inspires me? What am I passionate about? What brings me joy?
- Am I happy, enjoying life?
- Are my pleasures supporting or undermining my dharma?
Moksha, meaning freedom or liberation, is the innate longing of humans to be free. It refers to both the “freedom from” and the “freedom to”. It is this calling to be “free from” which inspires all forms of spiritual practice, all movements for peace and justice in the world, and seeks an end to suffering in the world. Merely being “free from” is not the entirety of this teaching. Being “free to” implies the ability to pursue dharma, artha and kama, to cultivate families and communities, and to generally influence the course of our lives. Thus freedom is not to be misunderstood as a lack of responsibility. According to this teaching, we are only truly free when we are fulfilling our dharma- our soul’s purpose in this lifetime. Ultimately, it is the realization that we are always free, and appear bound only by our own misperceptions, that is the essence of moksha. Practices that support the realization of Moksha in one’s life include: Yoga, mediation, chanting, prayer, retreat, spending time in nature, and being with children and elders to name a few.
- What can I influence and Control?
- what must I let go of trying to control?
- In my life, what fulfills a sense of both Dharma & Moksha?
It could be said that the entire body of wisdom teachings known as Yoga, could be boiled down to the purusharthas. The human search for meaning, prosperity, joy and freedom motivates all human endeavors. It is important to remember that the map of the purusharthas, is not the territory. Simply having desire is not enough. We must explore both our deepest aspirations and also the subversive desires or fears which keep us from realizing them. Until we do so, we are at best surviving in this life. According to the dharmic traditions, a human birth is very fortunate. It is a rare opportunity to work toward self-realization.
I will be teaching a special weekend intensive on The Purusharthas Jan 26-29. This profound and transformative process will use yoga practice (postures, breathing and meditation and chanting), teachings about the pursharthas, and journaling and self-reflective exercises to explore how the map of these teachings, relates to the inner terrain of our soul. Join us for this special weekend…What are you waiting for?
May this new year inspire you to explore and work selflessly in realizing your potential and supporting the well being of the world.
Be well,
Ben
