Photo by Samuel Austin
“It is not the receiver who is blessed but rather the giver.”
2.39 Yoga Sutras of Pantajali: Aparigraha Sthairye Janmakathamtaa Sambodhah
When non-greed is established, a thorough illumination of the hows and whys of one’s birth comes.
What is often drawn from this teaching is the idea of being uninterested in the fruits of your own labor. The idea is that you do things for the love of it, for the joy of giving, forget fantasizing about the praise and the paycheck, just do your best and enjoy the journey. This is what we do at the end of every yoga class and meditation - we send the benefits of our practice to others. Our practice is not to improve the look of our body, although this may come our practice's purpose is to share whatever comes with one and all.
To break down the key word of the sutra aparigraha we find three components; first is “graha” which means to grab or take, second is “pari” which means from all sides and lastly is “a” which negates it adding a “non”. Releasing freedom. Aparigraha let it go.
It is the equivalent of the Judeo-Christian commandment, “Do not covet thy neighbor’s goods.”
Rejoice in your own uniqueness, and what you have on YOUR plate.
Photo by Miti
So we come up with a meaning of not taking more than is needed, non-greed, and non-accumulation; all part of the development of an attitude of detachment or non-dependence.
Let’s dive a little deeper, and take a loving gaze within to see how this applies in our own lives. We may believe we are living in accord with this sutra but, perhaps, there are deeper conditionings we can now observe. Once we see the nature of reality we have the power to change it.
Our problems begin when we identify with external realities as the source of our happiness. This sets up a SCARCITY perspective. We forget that everything outside of us is temporary, and that we’ll always need something else to make us happy. The fancy new dress becomes an impulse buy tucked away at the back of the wardrobe and a newer one is needed for the weekend. There will never be enough of anything. Enough will never be enough. There will always be a desire for more.
Our problems begin when we identify with external realities as the source of our happiness.
We are at an extraordinary point in history because this attempt to fill the emptiness creates a need for material consumption which, in turn, creates a culture of mindless waste. You need go no further than the local deli in New York to see proof of this. The purchase of one to-go coffee includes a disposable plastic lid, at least five unnecessary napkins and a plastic bag. The plastic in this example is a particular scourge because it ends up in our oceans, after a useful life of between five seconds and fifteen minutes. Plastic does not break down.
Here is a disturbing statistic. 500 million plastic straws are used and disposed of every day in the US alone. In total, approximately 80 000 ton of plastic per day are used across the country.
We now know that there will most likely be more plastic than fish in the sea by 2050, and also that fish are consuming the plastic and humans are consuming the fish. In short, plastic is now a part of our diet affecting our endocrine system and potentially causing various cancers.
The industrial plastic production is connected with the oil industry and is driven by profit. Enough is never Enough — it's easy to identify corporate greed, but what about the consumer part of the equation?
Everybody who uses disposable plastic is a part of this. This includes most of us. Despite the reality of plastics abuse being widely reported you would not know it by looking around American society. We act as if we don’t know, but we do know. We still accept the straw.
How does American society make the shift to do something as simple as using a lot less plastic? How do we reverse the scenario of drowning in plastic straws? How is Sutra 2:39 — The Fifth Great Vow going to help resolve this imbalance?
How do we reverse the scenario of drowning in plastic straws?
“Aparigraha —The Art of What is Needed” is an article by Paul Dallaghan, and in it he says “The essence of this sutra is to reduce selfish behavior and do what is needed to get things done.”
Photo by Amanda Phong
Plastics use is a form of hoarding and the unconscious habit of saying yes to the plastic bag, to the straw, to even buying a beverage or product that is in a plastic container needs to be consciously shifted, through applied wisdom, drop by drop, until new habits are created.
I follow a non-profit called Plastic Pollution Coalition. This is a network of scientists, advocates, and concerned citizens who give their time selflessly to improve the world for themselves others. They do not know if they can succeed, the task at hand is so enormous, and yet they still apply their time. PPC is aparigraha in action, it is a real respect for others and nature.
This is the fifth yama, remembering that the Yamas are the most essential bedrock of our journey to true knowledge of self.
The Yogi can be the Change. Swami Satchidananda emphatically states in his commentary of Sutra 2:31 that the first five Yamas are the great vows and must be embraced and embodied by yogis in all things without excuse or exception. This means a yogi must be vigilant in his or her use of plastics - or, more precisely their non-use.
The Yogi can be the Change
To return to where we started: using the sutra as a gateway to unencumbered living, turns what might be seen as an arduous and insurmountable process - the re-wiring of a deep cultural habit - into a joyful giving back to society through mindful living. It becomes a tool to relieve yourself from material bondage and brings you closer to true liberation of the spirit.