The following article appeared at the last issue of Fit Yoga magazine. The article was edited quite a bit so below is the extended version of the interview. Sakyong Mipham, the spiritual head of Shambala International, speaks about the mind as a “the rider” and living a life of calm and courage. By Vidura Barrios Before I met Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, considered by many as the reincarnation of Mipham the Great, revered in Tibet as an emanation of Manjushri himself, I was a bit mortified of encountering him for the first time with my current state of mind. It had been a particualry hectic week and I had traveled to another city to meet him and worried about finding the address and being late, Would he pick up on my stress level and react to it? Would it affect the interview? In fact, at the appointed time, I had the pleasure of being warmly greeted by an easygoing, athletic and youthful looking gentleman. Sitting down to speak with him, I was drawn into his beautiful aura of calm and kindness and I too felt completely at ease. My mind was gently brought into the present moment and the conversation was natural and exiting. I left the interview energized and inspired but most importantly I was reminded on how easy it can be for the mind turn around into a place of steadiness and calm. l Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche is the spritual head of Shambala International, a global network of Buddhist meditation centers and retreats founded by his father, renowned master Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche is a high lama in the Kagyu and Nyingma lineages of Tibetan Buddhism. On his first visit to Tibet in 2001, Sakyong Mipham was welcomed by thousands of people, not only as the rebirth of Mipham the Great, but also as living proof of the vital energy of Buddhism today. Sakyong Mipham is a prolific writer, his most recent book, Ruling Your World, is a delightful work that explores how ancient spiritual principles can be applied to every day life. Shambhala focuses on the practice of mindfulness and meditation as a means of connecting with one's Inner Self and using the insight gained as an inspiration for one's daily encounters with the world. Hatha Yoga is also often part of the curriculum. The Sakyong himself is a regular practitioner of Hatha Yoga, and was introduced to it in India by master Pathabi Jois. In his first interview with Fit Yoga, Sakyong Mipham speaks about the practice of meditation and how to live a life of calm and courage. FY Tell us about the relationship of meditation and the mind. Sakyong: Well, in Buddhism we say that if you meditate, eventually you get to your mind. Otherwise your mind is always a nuisance to you. You cannot utilize your mind if your mind is being difficult, bringing up heavy emotions and things that create obstacles. So how do you deal with that? You deal with it through meditation. You first need to develop the tools to steady your mind before you talk about more profound issues such as compassion and selflessness. FY: In Ruling Your World you speak about the direct relationship between generosity and a steady mind. Would you explain that? Sakyong: There is a fundamental relationship between the state of mind and the wind energy inside. (It is said the rider is the mind and the horse is the wind, with the wind representing the breath.) For example, when people’s minds are disturbed there is a lot of wind energy, the mind is going a lot of places. A human being needs to be able to discipline and utilize the mind. And if you can do that then you are able to be truly generous. FY: You seem to have a lot on your plate. You’re a prolific writer, you do events all the time, there seems to be constant activity around you, and yet I notice a stillness. Besides a regular meditation practice what do you recommend to help the mind relax? Sakyon: You know, for myself--and I don’t think it’s different for anyone else--I try to balance my personal life with my spiritual and meditation practice. Also there are times when I do deeper, longer retreats. FY: How do meditation and spiritual retreats help you? Sakyong: I think the main thing for myself is, when I am engaged in things, is to feel a sense of purpose. I feel like when I’m meeting with you, I’m not doing it for the sake of doing it, so there’s a quality of helping. I think when you lose that, you do become frantic. You feel like, “I need to fill the space.” And some people can do more and some people can do less. Speed is always going to be more. It’s more, more, and more. At a certain point you realize that you can’t do everything and that’s okay. It’s just not going to happen. It’s endless. So at a certain point you realize it is fine. There are people who die saying, “I need to do one more thing.” I deal with people who are sick and old and it’s amazing. They’re eighty-five years old and they’re saying “Just one more thing” and I say, “That’s it, you just have to relax now.” FY: It sounds related to the idea that we need to allow the mind to settle in the present moment. Sakyong: Yes, though I think that the mind has to want to settle. It has to find a reason to settle, because the point of settling in the moment is to learn, to appreciate and to find something in the moment. If the mind is not aware of the meaning and the learning opportunity available in the moment, then why would it want to settle? FY: The idea of “courageous warriorship” based on wisdom and compassion is central to Shambhala. How do we get to a point of courage and fearlessness in our life? Sakyong: I think you first have an inspiration. You see more of what you’re capable of, of who you are. Maybe you see that you want to be more helpful to people, or you want to be more useful. You want to do something meaningful. A lot of people feel that way, but they don’t do it. So now you need to do it. And doing it is a notion of warriorship. When you see warriors, even in the traditional sense of going into battle, there is a sense of courage, doing what they intended to do. They’re going against death and all these things. Here, it’s not aggressive, but it is still about courage, and to be willing to go out and take action. FY: In spiritual practice there is a sense of always moving forward, which implies getting out of the comfort zone and having the focus and energy to accomplish things. You talk about the vital energy as windhorse—Lungta in Tibetan-- the unlimited energy of basic goodness and inherent wakefulness available to all of us. How does one bring more of that energy into our lives and how does it manifest in a person? Sakyong: Windhorse is the energy and courage that comes from steady meditation practice. When you’re doing a spiritual practice, you’re doing something that is virtuous, strong, it is moving forward. And that energy, where you feel good and you feel like you’re being helpful and you’re taking that forward momentum, that sort of success is windhorse. When you see somebody’s leading their life in an inspiring way, it is the windhorse energy in action. The energy has a quality of accomplishment. For more information on Shambhala and Sakyong Mipham please vist www.shambhala.org For Inner Splendor site please visit www.apsari.com

Ammachi: full expression of generosity and love By Vidura Barrios The first time I enter the concert hall I am greeted by an explosion of sensory input, Indian music fills the room, hundreds of people are milling about and there is a small marketplace at the back of the hall with devotees selling a wide variety of spiritual products to eager buyers. All the activity reminds me of the fabulous chaos of India and for a moment I forget I am actually at the Manhattan Center in the middle of NYC. Everyone is gathered for one purpose, to have a chance to be in the in the presence of what many consider a living saint. I find myself once again visiting the “hugging saint” Amritanandamayi, Ammachi or Amma as she is also called. Being familiar with the environment I feel at home but I am curious as to what my friend Bill, who I brought for the first time and who is not familiar with anything similar to this, will experience. The evening starts with a simple program. Amma speaks of the virtues of unconditional love and generosity, leads a group with the chanting of bhajans or devotional songs and guides us for a short meditation. The hall is surprisingly quiet considering it is a full house, but it is not to last for long. Once the program ends, darshan is announced. The Sanskrit word darshan means, “to see” and it is most commonly used as having the vision of the divine. In this case darshan includes the practice of patience, a lot of it, since most people will wait for several hours to embrace Amma. I am told that around 3000 people will get a hug that night since there are a limited number of tickets distributed. The following night is a special night called Devi bhava where no one is turned down, and more than 4000 people are expected to attend. A small crowd compared to darshans in India where gatherings of over 25,000 are not uncommon. I wonder how it is possible for a human being to greet so many people. I walk towards the front of the hall to watch. There is a lot of activity around Amma and it is hard to see, but I occasionally get glimpses of her smiling and hugging each person that comes forward. She seems full of energy and greets every individual with utmost attention and care, with a wide smile. There are no rests, no restroom breaks, for many hours on end. Where does her energy come from? I wonder. Mata Amritanandamayi was born in South India on 1953 with the name Sudhamani. Biographers describe her early life as challenging but stress Sudhamani’s remarkable ability to remain at ease, joyful and generous no matter what the situation was. Since her teens she would enter trance like states for hours at a time. As a young woman she would spend sleepless nights after a full days work to chant and meditate. In time villagers began to take notice that there was something special in the young woman and her popularity began to spread. Within a few years, Amritanandamayi went from servant of her own modest family in South India to one of the most recognized and prominent saints of India today. While waiting for darshan, videos on the big screens recount some of the philanthropic work Ammachi has established. The scope of her charitable work is impressive. Some of the projects, mostly in India, include three hospitals, orphanages, a hospice, a University, and GreenFriends--an organization to protect the environment. Along with other contemporary women saints in India, Ammachi has led a revolution in equality. Being a woman is still not easy in conservative India and the spiritual leader drew criticism in the beginning by embracing everyone who came to her, including men of all ages. Amma was the first to consecrate female priests in India, and her teachings stress the equality of all human beings. In her address to the United Nations in 2002 she said: “Which eye is more important, the left or the right? Both are equally important. It is the same with the status of men and women in society... Men and women have to support one another. Only in this way can we maintain the harmony of the world” It is 3 a.m. We have been waiting for over seven hours and it is finally our turn to meet Amma for a hug. I am filled with anticipation and can’t believe my friend Bill patiently waited for so long. What will he experience I wonder? After getting his embrace ahead of me, his face looks flushed and a little disoriented though beaming with a smile. As I approach, my mind is racing: Should I say something? How long should the embrace last? Then she hugs me firmly, I feel my face on her chest and my hands around her waist. My mind is still racing. Embarrassed, I ask myself: Is this appropriate? When is a good moment to pull back? And suddenly as Amma rocks me with brisk but gentle movements and whispers to my ear, MA, MA, MA, my mind stops. I feel at peace as I am being enveloped by.... nothingness, It is like holding a vast vessel of emptiness but paradoxically it is completely alive, loving and vibrant. As I sit down, feeling little euphoric and energized, Bill narrates his experience, which is uncannily similar to what I felt. And over time I sense the meeting touched my friend and myself deeply, and was a catalyst to some clear and wonderful transformation. The mystical wisdom reminds us how we are all interconnected and like a pebble hitting a pond, every action one takes ripples out and affects everyone around us. It is estimated that Amma has hugged over 12 million people all over the world; thinking of this I am humbled and awed, and I feel such respect for her, her people and everyone else who through their being and actions are making this world a divine place to be. The following excerpts of Amma’s words are from the book Awaken Children! volume VIII by Ammachi publications. On the art of relaxation: “Children, learn to be relaxed in all circumstances. Whatever you do and wherever you are, relax and you will see how powerful it is. The art of relaxation brings out the power that exists within you; through relaxation you can experience you infinite capacities. It is the art of making your mind still, and of focusing all your energy on the work you are doing, whatever it may be. Thus you will be able to bring out all your potential. Once you learn this art, everything happens spontaneously and effortlessly. For example, you want to memorize a speech or a poem; so you sit down and relax, dropping everything else form your mind, and you go through the subject just once—not a hundred times while forgoing food and sleep—and you get it, once and for all. It stays with you forever. Within the human mind infinite capacities lie hidden. It can accommodate the entire universe and all the knowledge in it. But we haven’t learned the art of tapping into that infinite power of the mind.” About blaming circumstances “The natural tendency in human beings is to find fault with the situations in life. We always complain about the circumstances, blaming the world for our sorrows, suffering and fear. This habit of ours to complain and find fault with the outside world, and the circumstances it creates, is due to our ignorance of our true being, that we are the Self (Atman). The Atman is beyond all limitations, untouched by anything that happens to us, whether good or bad” On love and freedom “So, children, love and freedom are interdependent. Complete freedom from the bondage of mind and ego will create a flow of love within. People are bound by the past and the future; that is why it is so difficult to find true love in the world. In order to really be able to love, both the past and the future must dissolve and disappear. You will then experience the present moment as it is; and living this moment in a state of total openness, you then pass on to the next moment, remaining in that same state. When you live in the moment, you are completely here—the next moment doesn’t matter at all, it never enters your mind. You do not worry about anything, you have no fears of preconceived ideas. Similarly, as you continue on to the next moment you let go of the previous one. The past doesn’t matter to you anymore; you forget it. Nothing can bind you—you are ever free. To truly be able to love, you need to be free of everything. But at the same time, if you are to be completely free, you must have love within…Only when you learn to love everyone and everything can we truly be free. Only then will the night of ignorance come to an end and the day of Supreme Realization begin.” For more information on Amma and her work please visit the official website: www.ammachi.org Also we are having a fundraiser and meditation event in NYC July 21st at Integral Yoga! Link to invite is: http://innersplendor.com/index3.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=6&Itemid=6

One of my favorite places to visit upstate is Ananda Ashram, which is in Monroe, one hour north from Manhattan.  Below is a short article I wrote where Joan Suval speaks about the inner life.  Hope you like it!


JOAN SUVAL ON INTUITION AND VISIONS
By Vidura Barrios


Joan Suval is one of the main disciples of the late Guru, Shri Brahmananda Sarasvati, founder of both the Yoga Society of New York, Inc., and of Ananda Ashram, a beautiful retreat site in upstate New York. Joan divides her time between her family and teaching the universal principles of meditation, yoga and Vedanta. She regularly teaches at Ananda Ashram and once a month at the Jivamukti Yoga Center in NYC. Joan also leads a few extraordinary weekend silent retreats at the ashram throughout the year. During one of the silent retreats the participants were asked to submit questions for Joan to answer and this is one of the responses.

Question: What is intuition and how do I know when I am having a true intuitive feeling? What is the importance and meaning of the visions I sometimes have in meditation?

Joan Suval: When you speak about intuition, and visions I can tell you what we heard from our Guru. Shri Brahmananda told us that our intuition is our wisdom; it is our direct understanding. What is understanding? He said that understanding means standing-under, to go below the total problem and with that understanding you see not just one part of it but you are able to see the whole of it. You are not in the level of the problem which is what happens when you look at it with the mind. That is not in language, it is something you feel. When you are voicing a complaint about someone and you are passionate about it, if you stop for a moment to just feel what you are feeling, you realize it is maybe just your perception. Suddenly you get the feeling, “maybe I am not right, maybe I have to hear what the other one is saying”. Sometimes you have to hear what the other one is saying and it opens up a whole new field. So intuition isn’t something mysterious. It is our ancient wisdom that is there anytime we move away from our thinking mind. It is there and we have to be open to it. Sometimes, if we have an intuitive sense not to do something and not to react, it is best to just pause for a moment and see if it is an intuition or a fear. Sometimes it is a reluctance to get into a confrontation. If you pause and recognize you don’t have the symptoms of fear, you don’t feel contracted, instead you feel very clear about that intuitive sense, then that is intuition.

In regard to visions, Guruji would say they are very fine because they get rid of other things that are not so fine. They remove other thoughts and memories. It is nice to get visions and revelations but he always reminded us that you can’t have anything that is separate from you, meaning anything we can see, point or describe. The vision had to come from some previous experience, previous contact we had. It is like an extension of a dream, symbolic of something we have already experienced. It is very nice when your dreams start changing instead of dreaming of relative things going on, when you start dreaming of climbing the mountains or start to see the face of the Guru or start to see yourself in a very spiritual situation. That means that the meditation is deepening so the images are changing the visions are changing. Shri Nasargadatta from I Am That said very clearly. “Whatever you come across in meditation or in your dream state whatever you come across, go beyond. It is a stepping stone don’t make it a stopping stone”.


To learn more about Ananda Ashram or one of Joan’s silent retreats please visit the ashram’s website at www.anandaashram.org
To check out our cool meditation music please visit
www.apsari.com