Fire is the element of transformation. It transforms darkness to light, cold to warmth, a forest to ash, our suffering into gold.
To craft a sword, you must gather the materials. Iron, carbon, fire, water, pressure, skill, patience. Forging the steel is intense. Refining the blade in an inferno. No small feat. A master blacksmith knows the flames, the hammer, the sharpening blade... and the cooling process... all absolutely necessary to craft a weapon that is strong, precise, deadly, beautiful, a work of art.
Last week, when we explored karma, we observed ourselves as part of an evolutionary process. This process refines, grows, strengthens, and deepens our consciousness. There is a divine timeline. There is no rush. The unfolding of our karmas, and our burning through them is a purification. (Not that there was necessarily anything "bad" before, but like a child we are learning how to walk... there may have been circumstances, behaviors, patterns that weren't working before... it's time for them to go.) The fire eats away anything old, outdated, and distorted... to reveal a clear mind, an open heart. The flames polish the mirror. So we can see with clarity... both our inner and outer worlds.
As you walk the path of karma yoga, you refine your sword of discrimination. In yoga, the discriminating faculty of the mind is called the buddhi. The more tarka (discrimination) you gain, the stronger the mind's buddhi. The clearer, calmer, and more purified the mind, the sharper your blade of tarka, to slice through distortion. What I'm trying to illustrate here, is you build momentum and wisdom as you journey down the path. You learn how to use your sword (your mind) as an instrument to align you deeper with the dharma. You learn how to take care of your sword. You learn how to wield it, to become skillful, you learn when and on what to use it. But we'll dive more into tarkas and buddhis another time. Today is all about tapas.
Tapas. Not the little Spanish dishes -- that's a different kind of fuego. Tapas translated to heat, fire, to burn. It is also fervor, passion, discipline. Tapas is one of the 5 Niyamas (Principles of self-training that help us to reprogram the mind toward an attunement with universal intelligence) of Patanjali's 8 limbs of yoga.
From my study notes on tapas I have: "Learning to keep the mind focused for the sake of practice and spiritual evolution. Tapas is the discipline required to focus the mind IN ORDER to surrender it to an experience of universal consciousness. Discipline without surrender only leads to struggle."
It takes a lot of strength to surrender. A lot. It takes a lot of skill. It takes a very evolved and devoted mind to truly trust that the flames of purification are a force of love. The good news is, you can go at your own pace. You don't need to (and probably shouldn't) try to burn everything at once. (Only destructive things typically happen quickly -- look at nature. An avalanche versus a mighty oak. Growth is slow.) Tapas is not necessarily destruction. Well, it is and it isn't. It'll destroy things. But it's destroying the limitations of your mind. It's destroying your attachments (the things that own you). And that can sometimes be pretty painful and scary. This destruction isn't "bad"... It can suck for sure. But it's not bad. It's waking you up. Sometimes tapas feels like an erupting volcano or a ravenous wild fire. Other times it is a crackling hearth or a still candle flame. Heat appears in many forms. Love appears in many forms. The question is... can you tune into what is for you?
As we spoke on last week, don't go searching for things to surrender into the fire. The kindling is already here. Whatever "problem" or circumstance is right in front of you is the tapas that life is asking you to work through.
Surrender doesn't mean giving up. It means flow with the dharma. Surrender looks like stillness in your inner world, and action in your outer world.
So engage with the tapas, with the spiritual disciplines and the things of your ordinary day to day life that asked to be forged in the fire. This is the path of the warrior, the householder, the lover. The true spiritual aspirant doesn't wear certain clothing or only enter certain environments. The true spiritual aspirant is one moving more deeply into love. That's all of us.
Part of the sword-making process involves a sanding or sharpening of the metal. This friction is an integral part of tapas. Meditation, for example, is a very direct and powerful practice to burn karma. Meditation is tapas. To enter into the state of mediation (dhyana) a lot of mental focus is required. One you are in dhyana there is no effort necessary... you're in; however, to enter dhyana, effort is necessary to keep the mind in one-pointed focus.
Because the mind wants to think of lots of things!!! It's fun (or distracting... or familiar... or what we're just used to doing). But discipline is required to do what doesn't seem that fun or familiar... just fixating the mind on "breath" or "mantra" or "heart" or "listening" or "etc."... nothing else! Just one thing. There is a mental friction that occurs when we apply discipline. The friction is the mind fighting against what doesn't seem to be what it wants. Reorient yourself to what you're devoted to... your "why"... what do you ACTUALLY want?
Tapas will clear away all the excess "stuff" so you can clearly hold what is truly precious to you. Remember what you actually want. Remember what you actually are.
Tapas are the flames ablaze upon the wheel of samsara. You are the cosmic dancer who dances your dance, plays your role, does your duty, cycles through the unfolding karmas, explores this mystery, as the wheel spins you deeper and deeper into truth.
As Ram Dass says... it's all "grist for the mill". In order for the wheel to turn, friction is necessary.
Tapas is the courage to step into unfamiliar territory... in both mind and action. A deeper dive into tapas requires deeper faith. But there is solace in surrender. And just like the yogis who cover themselves in ash as a symbol of this karmic process, we too soak in the freedom and wisdom gifted to us, as we emerge from the flames.
A finer sword. A clearer mirror. A heart that knows.
go forth in love ॐ
♡ Kat
p.s. Everything I write is a transmission of my own experience. And I owe everything I've learned to my teachers and the teachings. I am just a finger pointing at the moon. Go to the moon yourself. Experience for yourself what is true.
p.p.s. Please don't hesitate to email me or comment below with any of your own insights or questions! I'd love to hear from you :)
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