This body inevitably grows old, becomes sick and dies. But do I die with the death of the body? In what sense is this body really "me"? In what sense is it really "mine"? In almost every spiritual tradition in the world, the answer to those questions is "no! You do not die with the death of the body. You are an eternal spirit, One with God, and in no sense are you the body nor is the body yours!"
What a liberating teaching!
If I know this about myself, then, I know this about others too and so I will no longer mourn the death of the body as the death of my loved ones! This is of course Krishna's opening philosophical teaching to Arjuna in the beginning of Chapter II of the Gītā.
To prove that you are not the body nor is the body yours, we gave no less than 19 arguments to demonstrate this fact for you, right now, right here, in the light of your own experience:
https://youtu.be/7b7g9mDWnLM
But you know, if this teaching is not properly understood, it can easily lead to a kind of repression or a sort of dissociation. So to distinguish genuine spiritual realization (and the freedom that arises therefrom), from an unhealthy dissociation/spiritual by-passing, we gave this lecture:
https://youtu.be/ClXyxXccBss
Now, those of you who have been studying the Tantrik tradition probably know that the body is emphasized as a sacred site of spiritual opportunity. In Tantra, the body is seen as a microcosm representing the macrocosm. Nay, the body IS the macrocosm in which the entire universe appears.
How then do you resolve the seeming contradiction between these more "transcendalist" notions that "you are not the body/the body is not yours" vs the more "immanent" Tantrik claims that you are embodied as the whole Universe?
In this lecture, we review some of the material from the previous lectures we gave on this subject (links above) and then present two models of embodiment, a Vedantic one from the Taittīriya Upanishad and a Tantrik one from the Virupaksha Pancashika to make the case that "you are not THIS body that you take yourself to be; you are in fact, the entire Universe embodied!"
Finally, we offer 4 yoga practices to help you transcend this limited embodiment in favor of a more genuine one!
This lecture is for Jaanam, who requested it! I hope you enjoyed it Mā!
Jai Mā
Lectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST, Friday 10am PST and again Friday 6pm PST.
There's Q&A right after the lectre.
It is free and open to the public. All are welcome!
Use this link and I will see you there:
https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815
For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:
https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnish
To get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrM
Lectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and Friday 10am PST and again Friday at 6pm PST.
Use this link and I will see you there:
https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815
For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:
https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnish
To get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrM
