by Swami Divyananda
How can we find love in our hearts when our world is so full of anger and grief? No matter who wins the election in the USA, and no matter where you live in the world, we have a tough chapter ahead. Our communities are polarized, our people are angry and fearful, and as of today two hundred people are dying every hour from the virus. Plus, Mother Nature seems irritated and keeps generating new calamities.
Let’s not forget that we human beings have faced far worse in our 200,000 years on this planet and let’s focus on what we can do, in our tiny speck of power: one mind, one heart, one body.
More than in our minds, our greatest power is in our hearts.
This past October, the festival of Navaratri (the Hindu festival of the Divine Mother) was celebrated. That festival officially ended October 26, but we can continue the celebration in our own way. How? By having the all-compassionate and forgiving heart of a Mother. Sri Sarada Devi famously said, “I am the mother of the wicked, and I am the mother of the virtuous.” No one was shut out of her heart.
If we close our hearts against those who have different ideologies, they will close their hearts against us—that is inevitable.
Let us remember that the happiness of the yogi is a happiness not based on conditions. What is the source of that happiness? Dig deep and you’ll find that there is Light and peace inside of you.
There is a story about four blind men who encounter a tame elephant. They each touch a different part of the elephant and they start to argue about their experiences. “It is like a hose,” shouts one as he touches the trunk. “It is like a rope,” says another as he holds onto the tail. “It is a tree trunk,” says another while he has his arms around a leg. “It is a large leaf,” says another who is holding the ear. Then, a person with sight comes along and restores peace to the situation, explaining that each one of the blind men is right to the extent that he knows, and that the elephant is a combination of all their experiences.
Nowadays, 20-20 vision does not mean what it used to mean. During 2020 we’ve gotten entrenched in our outlook and closed to other viewpoints, like the blind men in this story. If we want to see the whole elephant we start by opening our hearts, welcoming the viewpoints of others, and looking for solutions that are inclusive.
In the midst of chaos and upheaval there is also Grace. We who are the students of Yoga can be the portals for that grace to emerge into the greater community.
Swami Divyananda is one of Integral Yoga’s senior monastics and foremost teachers. Over the years she served as director at the Integral Yoga Institutes in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Coimbatore, India and as the Ashram Manager in Yogaville. Presently she teaches and conducts trainings in the US and around the world, and leads an annual tour to the sacred temples and ashrams of India.