Monthly Archives: August 2023

The Seed and the Tree

A beautiful teaching in this tradition and many others is that of the seed and how it holds the potential for a tree to sprout, grow, blossom, fruit, and create more seeds. The Chāndogya Upaniṣad has a story of a father who asks his son to bring him a fruit from a giant banyan tree. The father asks the son to break open the fruit and then to cut into one of the tiny seeds. He then asks his son what he sees inside the seed, and the boy, looking at the viscous material, says that he sees nothing. Then his father explains that this apparent nothingness holds the potential of a giant tree.

Think of a fig, whose seeds are very tiny. Yet somehow within each seed, there is potential for a giant tree. The seed can barely be seen—it is almost invisible—and looking inside, it looks like nothing. Yet when nurtured, the seed will ultimately sprout and yield fruit. The seed contains the potential for the tree.

This teaching applies to many aspects of the journey of yoga. For example, a yoga class I took in college planted a seed that laid dormant for several years. Then when my life was blown apart, somehow I intuited that yoga could be of use, and I began to nurture that seed.

We are constantly planting seeds, and reaping the harvest of seeds we previously planted. As we study the teachings of yoga, we are planting seeds into our awareness. Those seeds are nourished with the nutrients of sādhanā/assemblage of practices, including the study of the teachings, as they reverberate and grow in awareness, and as well by the input from teachers and conversations with fellow students.

REFLECT AND EXPLORE

Contemplate the teaching of the seed and the tree.

How have you experienced it manifesting in your life?

Can you discern how “seeds” you planted later sprouted and bore fruit?

What are other interpretations of this teaching?

The Role of Judgment

Something one hears quite often in the contemporary yoga scene is “Don’t be so judgmental.” This has some level of truth, but quite often it’s used inappropriately. In fact, the ability to make judgments is a not only a human tendency but a gift. We’re always making judgments, probably due to an evolutionary impulse to evaluate whether something in the environment is going to eat us or if it’s something we’d like to eat. We are always scanning our surroundings and making flash judgments about safety and threat. This expands to judgment of good and bad and the value of things; ultimately it aids us in making wise decisions.

From this perspective, judgment is useful for us. One needs it to effectively function in the world, and increased ability to do so enhances householder life. We need to judge whether the skillet is too hot to handle, the food is spoiled, or whether some particular course of action will be of benefit. And the broader concept of viveka, or discernment, is highly valued in the yoga tradition. The increased ability to be discerning and use good judgment is a hallmark of progress on the path of yoga.

Judgments are used to discern what is problematic, bad, or unacceptable in the world. At a societal or political level, for example, we use judgment to evaluate a person or policy and decide whether the associated words, actions, or likely results are uplifting, true, useful, and good—or whether they’re false or detrimental, and therefore problematic. In general, we need to use our judgement and then set boundaries around words and actions that are harmful, untruthful, and damaging.

This is by no means easy! It is a human tendency to quickly judge something as good and then attach to it. Likewise, when judging things as bad, there is a tendency to push them away. These are two of the kleśas/hindrances outlined by Patañjali in the Yoga Sūtra (YS 2.3). We must be aware of how judgment is operating in our lives, since thoughts are the result of innate human tendencies and saṃskāric patterning.

Judgment isn’t necessarily bad, just like the citta-vṛttis/fluctuations of the mind aren’t all bad. Judgments are simply thoughts that are more or less accurate and refined. One must learn to discern when thoughts are aligned with the Highest and when they are detrimental saṃskāric patterning. Meditation clears out the obstructions to the wisest Self so spontaneous judgments eventually become more accurate.

REFLECT AND EXPLORE

Notice how often you use your capacity of judgment. Does it feel like a gift or a hindrance?

When is judgment a good thing, and when is it problematic?