YOGA SUTRA 2.9 is such an important and always oh so relevant SUTRA
FREEDOM FROM FEAR
Ours is a death-averse culture.
To a medical practitioner, death means defeat.
To most of us, death is an enemy.
It conquers life and plunders everything life has gathered.
To a yogi, however, death is a fact. It comes with birth, accompanies us while we are alive, and harvests life without fail, just as a farmer harvests his crops. Yogis call it abhiniveśa, “that which has penetrated the very core of our being.”
This pervasive fear has its roots in our lack of understanding that there is something more precious than our bodies, our so-called loved ones, and our worldly possessionsAnd fitting to this topic of fear of death, also honoring the late THICH NHAT HANH in today’s show who left his body this week on JAN 22, at age 95.
“The moment I die
I will try to come back to youas quickly as possible.I promise it will not take long.Isn’t it trueI am already with youas I die each moment?I come back to youin every moment.Just look,feel my presence.If you want to cry,please cry,And Knowthat I will cry with you.The tears you shedwill heal us both.Your tears and mine.The earth I tread this morningtranscends history.Spring and Winter are both present in the moment.The young leaf and the old leaf are really one.My feet touch deathlessness,And my feet are yours.Walk with me now.Let us enter the dimension of onenessand see the cherry tree blossom in Winter.Why should we talk about death?I don’t need to dieto be back with you.”
~Thich Nhat Hanh
