The knowledge of past and future lives is revealed when the person is free from the greed of possessing. It is when one begins to detach oneself from objects and the greed to possess more and more than one realizes that all we need is within oneself and one can take a few steps forward along the long path of yoga. In this article, you will discover the meaning of this Aparigraha, what the greed of possessing causes and its correlation with happiness.
The meaning of Aparigraha
In the literal sense of Aparigraha, it is “not to grasp things.” Graha means “to grasp” and ” apart ” means “things.” We learn to eliminate or reduce the negative influence of accumulating objects, to live a healthier life by strengthening the awareness of being rather than having. It is an opportunity to explore the sense of identification we have with objects; we become free from the slavery of possession, we fight greed and deepen the path of inner research more and more. Keep reading: Tea Tree Oil for Teeth Whitening: Amazing useful Tips
Possession and greed
This Yama teaches us to have a balanced relationship with things and to deepen the sense of possessing. The essence of Aparigraha is: “All things in the world are yours to use, but not to possess.”
Whenever we become possessive, we are in turn possessed. We tend to hold with anxiety our things and wanting more, but if we learn to make good use of objects and what life offers us, then we can and enjoy peace of mind, we do not identify with the objects themselves, we do not become dependent and they-they do not exercise power over us.
This attitude is fantastic for getting rid of greed and being happy with what we have, even if sometimes it does not seem like much. It usually seems that it is not enough when your attention is directed towards what you do not have. Whenever your mind goes on things you would like to have, try shifting your attention away from what you do not have and what you want towards what you have instead.
I’m sure it will make you appreciate more what you have and will allow you to fight greed.
The lightness of the less
There is no problem in appreciating material things and enjoying their beauty, their usefulness and being grateful for all that life offers us.
Things get complicated, however, when simple appreciation gives way to greed, and we tend to want more and more, when we fill ourselves with the superfluous and invest all our energies in trying to accumulate things.
If we look at our relationship with food, for example, we often tend to eat more than we need and this also has to do with accumulating and possessing. There are many qualities of food and also in abundance, but staying healthy and pursuing the path of realization requires us to eat in small quantities and not in excess.
If we learn to content ourselves with what we have, we will avoid the chase of accumulating things, our efforts will be balanced, and we will tend to do those actions that are our duty, not for greed and possess in excess, but to carry out what we are called to do.
How can we know what is appropriate to own and what is not?
Even if someone offers us something that abounds and that we lack, we have to ask ourselves whether to own it will have positive effects for us.
If it is something that is essential for us we can accept it without problems, otherwise it is better to let it go; he will receive someone to whom he will be more useful.
One of the aims of Aparigraha is to make sure that we do not become slaves to the possession of material objects and that we reduce the influence that possessing creates in us.
If we observe our life from a neutral point of view, as we do during meditation, we notice that we need a few things: a proper home for us and our loved ones, a car, food, clothes, our yoga mat and some items of fun and pleasure.
Our tendency to possess is innate and it is not always easy to know its origin, but we do not need to eradicate it. What we can do to begin our practice of Aparigraha, is to decide what to attach to and therefore where to turn our attention, towards one direction rather than another.
For example, if we are interested in studying to be able to graduate, we will naturally put our energies and attention in this direction and then we will be less distracted by other minor interests. If instead, we are more interested in practicing a sport, we will put all our energy into the practice of this sport, and we will struggle to graduate. It is also a matter of choice!
Possession and happiness
Sometimes we love accumulating objects and things. It makes us feel better and makes us feel happy. And we do not know why.
Aparigraha teaches us that perhaps this sense of fulfillment could derive from our innate desire to be eternal as if accumulating things and objects to make us feel eternal or better still as if through possession we could reach eternity.
As you have repeatedly experienced, in reality, this sense of fulfillment lasts only a few moments or in any case for a short period.
When we feel satisfied, for a while our desires will be limited because we have been satisfied, but then it will happen that our greedy mind will lead us to have new desires and then we will start new research that will lead us to conquer new ones. Objects and new things.
After having done the experience of this mechanism over and over again, we need to stop and that through listening we learn that possession is never a source of true happiness and that the sense of fulfillment we have experienced is, in reality, fleeting, evanescent, and illusory. Not only that, sometimes possession is a source of greater problems than the momentary contentment that causes us.
So let’s stop and listen to our heart to rediscover every time that the true source of happiness and psychophysical well – being is given by the mind that is calm when we have no desires, it is given by the heart that opens to life, the beauty of nature and things in themselves and not from their possession.
Accumulate superfluous things
Some theories suggest that Aparigraha implies the concept of charity; learning to donate means fighting greed and giving the other what we believe to be ours, so getting rid of something in favor of someone who may need it.
Others suggest that accumulating less means also consuming less and therefore creating less waste and preventing the destructive consumption of ecosystems and nature.
I believe that the benefits that can derive from Aparigraha have enormous implications in different aspects of the life of each of us.
The less we surround ourselves with useless things, the more we will have spaces of silence and places where we can welcome what life brings us.
The less we will be busy accumulating, the more our attention will rest on us and those close to us. The fewer desires of possession we will have, the less we will give life to greed and selfishness that lead to small and great wars and the accumulation of negative energies around us.
Too much information
We can apply the practice of Aparigraha not only to material things but also to understand the effect that can cause the accumulation of too much information.
It is important, for example, to avoid listening to other people’s speeches that do not concern us directly, as it is important to avoid reading magazines that contain gossip of people we do not even know. Having this information will not make our life better. Instead, it will create an accumulation of absolutely useless thoughts and news.
Even accumulating information of all kinds through the Internet can be confusing and weakening.
How much time do we spend in a day to run after poorly nutritious and confusing information?
Too much information, instead of enriching ourselves, impoverishes us and takes us away from what can be enrichment and nourishment for us.
When our mind is disturbed because it is too saturated with what we do not need, we cannot see ourselves and our path.
It is important to nourish our intellect with useful information, and it is good to cultivate fields of study that will help us to take root and raise us and encourage us on our journey.
We need to simplify our life, clean up, make everything simple and ensure that our attention is supported by what is most true: the happiness and harmony that are already within us.
Relationship with things
It may be helpful to deepen the practice of Aparigraha examining your tendencies towards possessiveness.
The following questions will help you reflect on your greed and your relationship with things.
Do you take better care of an object in your possession of what belongs to someone else?
Do you acquire more than what you can use?
Do you substitute reciprocal giving and having with the need of tight control, or do you try to increase your self-esteem by gaining someone else’s love?
What happens when you donate something to someone who needs it?
Answer these questions sincerely and reflect on your answers.
I’m sure they will tell you a lot about yourself, about your relationship with objects and will also give you many ideas to cultivate Aparigraha in your life.
Conclusions
Putting Aparigraha into practice is of paramount importance to a yoga practitioner to simplify his life and to devote himself more too inner development. I remind you that Yoga does not just position on the mat but much more. If you liked this article and it was useful, I invite you to share it in your favorite social network using the buttons below. So, you can also read your friends, and it will be useful to them too. You might also read: http://trendsmagazine.net/perfect-high-firm-breast-exercises/
