Lakasana (Becoming)

 

 The state of Being remains in the tamasik (dull) nature. This tamasik state of Being needs to be nudged towards the rajasik (engaged) state in order to change the tamasik Being into lakasana (becoming). This requires cultivating and refining all the vestments of the Self.
BKS Iyengar, Core of the Yoga Sutras

 

There is a great pull in life towards the known.  Every day we follow rhythms, tendencies, and routes that are familiar because it takes less mental, physical, and psychological effort.  Doing something different goes against the grain.  And yet, without change we stagnate physically, emotionally, intellectually, spiritually.  We will never know what we are capable of unless we challenge ourselves. 

 

The goal of spiritual transformation is to live with more openness, compassion, and courage.  To live with more of these qualities and less of those which imprison us in jealousy, anger, and shame, requires great effort, in-depth self-reflection, and surrender of the ego into humility.  These are the three pillars of kriya yoga (yoga of action).  Great effort is required to go against the grain of our small mindedness, to act with courage rather than shame when we feel afraid, compassion for ourselves and others when we feel jealous, openness to vulnerability when we face the unknown. Unless we come to terms with our habits, we won’t understand our knee jerk reactions to obstacles. What makes us jealous will continue to make us jealous.  What prevents us from loving more generously will win out.  Without this effort along the spiritual path, we will never know what sustains us deeply in courage and faith to living a fuller life. 

 

Just about everything in our culture cajoles us into a dull static unchanged state, from numbing our discomfort with food, alcohol, work, and relationships, to surface level “self-improvement” to look more glamorous, to technologies which suck our energies into passivity rather than creativity.  Spiritual transformation requires an effort against these currents, a movement into discomfort, uncertainty, silence, and solitude.  While this deep and integrated transformation requires sustained effort over a long period of time, the change when it comes is more like a ripening than a fixed goal line crossed.  Transformation through effort is immanent like a birth.  But like our own birth, we cannot force ourselves into becoming.  We ready ourselves through practice to catch the currents of our birthing. It can take a long time for this ripening, months and years passing when no change is apparent.  And then suddenly, we find the capacity to love more and fear less right there in the midst of a tragedy.