Yoga and the Necessity of Shining Your Sacred Jewel

The sun's reflection glimmers like a jewel on the Hudson River on Memorial Day.

Earlier this month I happened upon a podcast with one of my favorite yoga authors, Stephen Cope. Many years ago, I had read his book, Yoga and the Quest for the True Self, and was so captivated by his simple to understand ways of explaining yoga philosophy, that I highlighted passages from practically every page of his book and have shared various quotes from it with students in my yoga classes over the years.

In this Unity In Yoga podcast, SEASON 8 | Episode 1: Seeking Inspiration for Living/Practical Wisdom, Stephen mentioned a yoga story that I had heard about many years ago that captivated me, the story of Indra’s Net. Stephen explains Indra’s Net this way:

… Indra was one of the greatest gods of the Ayurvedic pantheon, which goes all the way back to 2,000 BCE and before. And Indra, like most of these gods, lived on top of Mount Meru. It was said that Indra, who was the fiercest and most powerful of all the gods of the vedic dispensation, Indra had cast a vast net over the entire universe. And at the vertex of each warp and woof strand was a gem. And it was said that that gem was an individual soul. And it was that soul’s job to hold together that part of the web. If they did their dharma, they were holding together—again, dhr, hold together—that part of the web. If they didn’t, the whole thing begins to unravel from their spot.

Why is this important to us as yoga practitioners? Stephen explains that from the karma yoga perspective taught in the Bhagavad Gita, we all have a “dharma” or “sacred duty” that we were given to fulfill on this earth in this lifetime. He says:

… we’re back to this really very interesting connection between individual fulfillment and the common good. So if you’re doing your dharma [sacred duty], it holds together the whole thing. This word dharma, it does tend to have many meanings, but they all converge around dhr, to hold together: the law, the truth, the path. There’s a certain quality of that “holding us together.”

Each of our lives are so precious, because we are all a jewel in Indra’s Net. And of us have been born with some special calling that is unique to us. It is up to us to listen quietly and hear “the voice of God” within so that we might know what our calling is. Once we know, then we have to have the courage to act on it.

In my lifetime, I’ve felt the calling to act upon something more than a few times. Earlier in my 20s and 30s, I just had to dance. In my 30s and 40s, I just had to act. And in my 50s and now my 60s, I just had to create Keoni Movement Arts, teaching yoga, dance and gymnastics – 3 things I threw myself into and loved doing – to others, particularly to those with the least access or means. I turned 64 this past month, and when I look back, I remember experiencing doubt and uncertainty amid the passion and the thrills. But now, my life seems to all make sense. All along, I have just been guided by that inner voice that says “you have to do this.”

I don’t know what your dharma (sacred duty) is, but I do know that if you practice any kind of contemplative art – whether it be yoga, meditation, praying, dancing, singing, hiking, hearing the laughter of children, and so on – you will hear “the voice of God” speaking to you and guiding you through what you must do.

And speaking of “must do,” here the dharma is guiding each of us to doing our part in “holding up the net” at our vortex on it. And “holding up the net” means taking actions that will benefit – not hurt – ALL beings, in addition to our own selves. Practicing our dharma is not a selfish act, but rather the most selfless act we can do.

Here is what we receive when we do our “sacred duty”:

The work we have to do can be seen as coming alive. More than some moral imperative, it’s an awakening to our true nature, a releasing of our gifts.
Joanna Macy (b. 1929)
American Writer  

I hope that your ongoing yoga and meditation practices can lead you to knowing your dharma, give you the courage to act on it, and awaken you further to your true nature.

May you be happy, …
May you be healthy, …
May yoga help you to know your “sacred duty,” …
May hold us all together at your part of the Net, … for the benefit ALL Beings everywhere.

Aloha and Metta,
Paul Keoni Chun

The Earth's great jewel in the sky on Memorial Day.