Sunday, August 19, 2012
Hypocrisy
11:58 AM | Posted by
Anaamika |
Have you ever wondered how people who do horrible things are able to live with themselves? Not only that, most of them believe that they are a wonderful person and would take offense if anyone told them otherwise. People who molest children take offense to being called a pedophile. Murders claim that it was the devil and not them who committed their heinous act. "Temporary insanity" has become a popular defense for those who do not wish to take responsibility for their actions. Even a former United States president, Richard Nixon, when exposed of committing criminal acts, went on national TV to proclaim, “I am not a crook!” And no, we will not go into Bill Clinton.
For people to take offense to being called a word that describes any person who does what they did, they obviously know that the act in question is wrong. So what causes them to deny that they have done wrong? Was it not their own decision to commit the act, and their own body that performed it as their eyes and ears approvingly witnessed it?
The word “hypocrisy” comes to mind. Most of us are guilty to some degree of this human defect, whether we are willing to admit it or not. In yoga, we teach the Yamas and Niyamas, the moral restraints and observances. Most of us have already been taught moral values when we were a child. We know that violence is wrong, stealing is wrong, being greedy is wrong, for example, it is just that some of us seem to have a harder time than others in putting these teachings into action. One problem is that the limitations of the human ego make us see situations from only our point of view and not that of anyone else. We enter daily situations from the position that we are always right, and whoever disagrees with us is automatically wrong. The human ego is so powerful that it can override facts, evidence, common sense and human decency.
Are you a hypocrite? If you are not following your own moral ideals, you must admit that you are. In order to stop being one, we must first learn objectivity. We must train the mind to see ourselves for what we really are, and not what we wished that we were. We must also spend more time placing ourselves in others' shoes. We must spend more time reflecting on our behavior and be able to admit our shortcomings. We must see the problem in order to correct it. And it is only in this way that we - and the world- will become a better place. It's a tough journey. Even U.S. Presidents struggle with it.
- Anaamika -
For people to take offense to being called a word that describes any person who does what they did, they obviously know that the act in question is wrong. So what causes them to deny that they have done wrong? Was it not their own decision to commit the act, and their own body that performed it as their eyes and ears approvingly witnessed it?
The word “hypocrisy” comes to mind. Most of us are guilty to some degree of this human defect, whether we are willing to admit it or not. In yoga, we teach the Yamas and Niyamas, the moral restraints and observances. Most of us have already been taught moral values when we were a child. We know that violence is wrong, stealing is wrong, being greedy is wrong, for example, it is just that some of us seem to have a harder time than others in putting these teachings into action. One problem is that the limitations of the human ego make us see situations from only our point of view and not that of anyone else. We enter daily situations from the position that we are always right, and whoever disagrees with us is automatically wrong. The human ego is so powerful that it can override facts, evidence, common sense and human decency.
Are you a hypocrite? If you are not following your own moral ideals, you must admit that you are. In order to stop being one, we must first learn objectivity. We must train the mind to see ourselves for what we really are, and not what we wished that we were. We must also spend more time placing ourselves in others' shoes. We must spend more time reflecting on our behavior and be able to admit our shortcomings. We must see the problem in order to correct it. And it is only in this way that we - and the world- will become a better place. It's a tough journey. Even U.S. Presidents struggle with it.
- Anaamika -
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Aparigraha: Should we not give or receive gifts?
3:09 AM | Posted by
Anaamika |
One of the teachings of yoga is aparigraha, which means non-possessiveness, non-greediness, and non-indulgence. It means to be satisfied with what we have in life, and to not chase after fame, fortune, or worldly possessions. Some schools interpret this as including non-acceptance of gifts. The logic is that by accepting gifts, the yogi creates an obligation to someone, and a yogi should never be obligated to anyone. On first thought, it seems to make sense, but let us think about it a little deeper.
People give gifts for many reasons. Obvious gifts that one should not accept are those that are offered with a clear motive: bribes and kickbacks, for example. But what about those which were offered in sincere appreciation of something that you already did or were going to do anyway? Would it not be against the principle of ahimsa (non-violence) to refuse the good will of a grateful person?
When we talk about non-acceptance of gifts, we should also think from the standpoint of the giver. Some people make donations to charitable organizations with the understanding that their name or photo will be published. They have their names engraved on buildings, benches, plaques, brochures and such, some even have busts or statues made of themselves so that everyone would know how great a person they are or were. While their donation may have been made with good intentions, does this type of giving with a motive go against aparigraha, which teaches us not to indulge in self-gratification? Let us know your thoughts.
People give gifts for many reasons. Obvious gifts that one should not accept are those that are offered with a clear motive: bribes and kickbacks, for example. But what about those which were offered in sincere appreciation of something that you already did or were going to do anyway? Would it not be against the principle of ahimsa (non-violence) to refuse the good will of a grateful person?
When we talk about non-acceptance of gifts, we should also think from the standpoint of the giver. Some people make donations to charitable organizations with the understanding that their name or photo will be published. They have their names engraved on buildings, benches, plaques, brochures and such, some even have busts or statues made of themselves so that everyone would know how great a person they are or were. While their donation may have been made with good intentions, does this type of giving with a motive go against aparigraha, which teaches us not to indulge in self-gratification? Let us know your thoughts.
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