humility -- the unseen virtue...
I've been thinking a lot about humility lately (not, alas, embodying it!) and realizing how surrender and humility is the best antidote for egoism, doubt, arrogance, and fear.
humility is good medicine for whatever ails the soul.
this photo really moves my heart -- it's a shot of something my teacher Kaleshwara does, every day. the first thing that happens when he leaves his rooms to join his day in a formal, public way, is to walk into the main temple at our ashram, where this enormous living statue of Shirdi Sai Baba resides, and make a pranam (prostration) to Baba's feet.
there is NEVER a day that passes where Kaleshwara doesn't do this at least once.
it is the physicalizing of his utter surrender to his guru lineage, to his spiritual tradition, and to the divine energy in this universe.
to a normal way of thinking, it's an incomprehensible gesture, for a divine soul, a maha avatara of Kaleshwara's magnitude (one who regularly manifests objects out of nothing -- or out of his own body, heals terminal cancer victims and sufferers from cobra bites, has been known to raise the dead and turn water into wine....) to bow at the feet of a seeming statue.
to a supernatural way of thinking, it makes perfect sense.
it's a way of saying, on a daily basis, "use me, today, oh god, as your instrument. however I can serve you today, I'm happy to do it."
that kind of sanctity of intent, a pure open-hearted surrender, isn't terribly common in this world.
it's thrilling to witness.
it feels good to do it, too.
humility is good medicine for whatever ails the soul.
this photo really moves my heart -- it's a shot of something my teacher Kaleshwara does, every day. the first thing that happens when he leaves his rooms to join his day in a formal, public way, is to walk into the main temple at our ashram, where this enormous living statue of Shirdi Sai Baba resides, and make a pranam (prostration) to Baba's feet.
there is NEVER a day that passes where Kaleshwara doesn't do this at least once.
it is the physicalizing of his utter surrender to his guru lineage, to his spiritual tradition, and to the divine energy in this universe.
to a normal way of thinking, it's an incomprehensible gesture, for a divine soul, a maha avatara of Kaleshwara's magnitude (one who regularly manifests objects out of nothing -- or out of his own body, heals terminal cancer victims and sufferers from cobra bites, has been known to raise the dead and turn water into wine....) to bow at the feet of a seeming statue.
to a supernatural way of thinking, it makes perfect sense.
it's a way of saying, on a daily basis, "use me, today, oh god, as your instrument. however I can serve you today, I'm happy to do it."
that kind of sanctity of intent, a pure open-hearted surrender, isn't terribly common in this world.
it's thrilling to witness.
it feels good to do it, too.
posted by Alx Uttermann @ 1:22 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home