tuesday 12.00 yogaculture oerlikon

we tend to define our ability to love according to conditions that arise and pass away.

the natural world offers itself generously. abundantly. it’s in our nature to give ourselves.

but because we identify with conditions, we hold back. we need to change that. we need to set up in order to practice. we need to practice in order to love.

tension. resistance. gripping. fear. are all opportunities to purify the loving heart.

Everything arises in conditions, Ananda, and those conditions are not separate from us. We need to embrace suffering, Ananda, embrace difficulty. We need to let go of grasping. We need to stop and experience the cessation of craving. And we need to act. We have to do something. The vibrancy of our life is not passive, it‘s active. We can be mindful of the body as just a body, soft and vulnerable, strong and vigilant, and we can be mindful of breathing as breathing, generous and impersonal. The more intimate we become with our body, the less personal it gets. We begin with our own perception: How are we perceiving the world?

Conditioned things break down, Ananda, treat the path with care. Everything is unreliable, breaking down, so take care of it. Take care of the path.

And what is the path?

It‘s not separate from us. It‘s not separate from our life. Take really good care of your life, because it‘s so fragile. Human beings are so fragile.

From a Dharma talk by Michael Stone (1974-2017)

the star lit night sky. the clear cold whirling water. the wind in the grasses. and the golden evening sun. constantly recall the present moment. and remember the body to soften and to breathe.

„Life and death are of supreme importance
Time passes swiftly and opportunity is lost
Let us awaken, awaken
Do not squander your life“
– Evening Gatha as recited in various Zen communities.