Setting us free

T.K.V. Desikachar writes of the capacity of the world to set us free in his discussion of the last four limbs of ashtanga yoga. (See The Heart of Yoga, pp. 107-123) This notion is counter-intuitive to the understanding that many have of the spiritual life, but it is actually a fundamental principle of a mindful spirituality. Desikachar's premise is that we are captive to the stimulation of our senses and to the habit of our mind to hunger after this stimulation. We can gain release from this captivity--achieve a state of pratyahara, or "withdrawal from that which nourishes our senses--if we can establish a different kind of relationship to the world, a meditative or mindful relationship. If we can learn to concentrate on one thing in the world (practice dharana) so that we can truly see it, then we can connect to that thing (practice dhyana), and perhaps reach a state of real relationship or union with it (samadhi). In this process, our senses don't go to sleep. They are often that through which we focus and connect with the subject of our mindful awareness. But they do cease to distract and dissipate us. They instead become tools of relationship and peace.

What drives this sensory transformation is the wonder of the world about us. Its capacity to transfix us, to fully occupy our mind with the rich depth and mystery of its existence, this is what we open ourselves to through a mindful, focused awareness of the world. The wonder of the world can free us from the cravings often elicited by our senses, if we would only relate to it aright.

This reminded me of Bonaventure's discussion of the contemplation of creation in his mystical treatise,  The Soul's Journey into God. In this treatise, the 13th century saint speaks of the potential to contemplate God not only through the created order, but also in it. To contemplate God through the created order is to allow the creation to point us to the creator, so that creation becomes only a byway leading us to our ultimate goal. But to contemplate God in creation is to stay with a mindful awareness of the natural world, recognizing that God's fullness is present there. God's fullness is at the heart of the mystery of the world that surrounds us. God's fullness in this sense isn't an added extra that we look for in the midst of the world around us. It's not a spiritual "Where's Waldo." Rather, we simply open ourselves to the world, allow it to occupy us with its richness, and trust that in our awareness we have been touched by God.