Some people have the
idea that Spiritual Laws are punitive. These Spiritual Laws are guidelines that
come from such Truths as Yama Niyama, The Ten Commandments, The Four Noble
Truths/Five Mindful Trainings/The Twelve Steps.
They are not punitive. They are simply that:
guidelines. When these guidelines are followed in the societies they have been
born from or of, there is harmony, and peace prevails over darkness. When they
are not…well, we are experiencing what happens in the days in which we are
currently living.
Yama
Niyama comes from The Vedas; actually the last part of them, called Upanishads.
The Father of Yoga, Patanjali, refers to them in his Eight-Fold Path of
Yoga.
They are
guidelines to help and guide us along a path where we develop our body, mind
and soul. That development is to help us to become who we are meant to be and
to have a loving, intimate relationship with our True Self…the God within.
Most
descriptions break these guidelines into two parts: the five Yamas and the five
Niyamas. I say “most” because there are some guidelines that will have 10 Yamas
and 10 Niyamas. Both are correct; the latter will break each down even further
than the former.
Yamas
are guidelines for us to interact in the outer world and in relationships with
others. When these guidelines are followed, we avoid harming others and
society.
Niyamas
are guidelines on how to react with our own internal world and ourselves. The
practice of Niyama will allow you to harness the energy from the practice of
the Yama’s, thus allowing you the positive environment to grow along your
spiritual path.
I
think it’s only appropriate to start with the first Yama: Ahimsa, Non-harming.
Practicing non-harming means not harming one’s self
or others by thought, word or deed, even in dreams. So if you have a bad dream,
remember it’s only a dream. It’s not real; don’t focus on it. But also remember
to be careful of where you put your thoughts throughout the day.
Live a kindly life, revering all beings as expressions
of God/Higher Power. Remember all that we see is but a direct or indirect
expression of the Creator of all.
Work on continuing to let go of fear and
insecurity. Those thoughts and feeling will only erode your self-confidence. They
are not the building blocks upon which you should construct your life. You do
the very best that you can, work as hard as you can, follow the moral
principles in life and leave the rest up to God/Higher Power. You will get what
you need (but maybe not what you want).
Knowing that harm caused to others unfailingly
returns to one’s self, live peacefully with God's creation. Never be a source
of dread, pain or injury. Do not harm the environment. Do not speak that which,
even though truthful, would injure others.
This also includes the principles of ethically
correct nutrition and, no less important, working to rid yourself of negative
emotions, which are the result of ill thoughts and often lead to rude words and
actions.
We all have made ethical mistakes at one time or
another in our lives, such as breaking the law, which came about from either: (1)
not understanding the universal order/law and or our role in it; or (2) from
negative emotions of fear, greed, resentment, etc. Remember that they are lower
emotions that will take you off the path of Higher Consciousness and peaceful
living.
Namaste,
Michael
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