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Satya: The Yama of Truth Telling
Want Freedom? Satya, or Telling the Truth
The Practice of coming into truth- of Truth Telling- isn't as simple as it sounds. There are layers to this- from Outer Truth, to Inner truth, to the Ultimate Truth- all of which play a role in creating a life of ease and freedom and connectedness.
Outer Truth- This is the old fashioned "honesty" kind of truth- stating that which is factual, intending not to lie. However, we all have lenses and viewpoints that color perceptions- so how do you actually know what is true- not "spun" or positioned? This is the kind of honesty you were taught as a kid. But we're also taught throughout our lives in subtle and not so subtle ways that speaking truth can beget punishments of all forms: the withdrawal of love, or of favor- maybe just for holding a belief or acting in a way that others don't approve of- or it could be solely driven from ego- we lie so as not to miss out on prizes that we really want. It may even come from a desire for freedom- not to be accountable to anyone else. So over time, we may begin to lie, or withhold, not of malice, but from self-protection or pure self-interest- and these untruths build up, they layer on and become blocks to our own evolution, and blocks to connection or intimacy with ourselves and others. The conscious practice of Satya can play a role in becoming free.
Inner Truth- This is the truth we call in our house "taking your seat": before you speak, or when you are feeling confused, you find your center, go inward, and come into a deep knowing of who you are, what you feel, think, and hold true- and then you act from that place- even when it is not condoned by society (the small society, like your own family, or the larger society). For example, my husband John once told me that he has always tried to please people, and felt that if he ever REALLY told the truth, the world would break open. Yet every time he does, he is more free, and his relationships get deeper and more real. There were times when he was punished for truth telling, but through his practice, that becomes less important than being real with himself- held together at the center, at the core.
The Ultimate Truth- Oh, the suffering that would be relieved if we all walked in the awareness everyday of the ultimate truth- the knowing beyond knowing, where there is no judgment, there just is. Where each step is taken with the conscious awareness of impermanence and permanence, perfection and imperfection- all things in one. If you faced the world with this level of Satya- the present knowledge of life and death, of everyone being made of the same stuff, the same breath and sun nourishing the each of us- how would this color your "truth"- would the false divisions we erect still be true?
The great metaphysical philosopher Alan Watts wrote about "scale" or "field of vision" as a determinant in what we perceive to be true. The same scene viewed with the Naked Eye, a microscope or a telescope are all True, but what you see through those lenses will be vastly different.
Active practice.....Telling the Truth on the Mat: Satya in Asana
A teacher once told me that how you react on the mat is how you will react off the mat. So here are some questions to consider on the mat that may shed light on truth telling in your own practice:
What stories are you telling yourself while you are practicing? What is your internal mantra or language? What's your perceptual filter? How does your asana help you settle into awareness to become conscious of your inner truth? Have you ever had a moment on the mat where a realization of a deep truth has met you head on? Where in your practice are you pretending, holding on, struggling, competing? What holds you back from being 100% truthful, going to your edge when you need it, backing off when you need it? Where does your yoga live off the mat, and where do you lose that compassionate awareness you are cultivating in your practice? How do the postures serve your meditation, and how does that fit into Satya?
I like the practice of internal inventory as a gateway to Satya- you have to know first. The practice may be just looking at where I wear masks, where I get tight, pretend- and where I am at ease and free- I find that just noticing is almost the entire answer in itself.
The Practice of coming into truth- of Truth Telling- isn't as simple as it sounds. There are layers to this- from Outer Truth, to Inner truth, to the Ultimate Truth- all of which play a role in creating a life of ease and freedom and connectedness.
Outer Truth- This is the old fashioned "honesty" kind of truth- stating that which is factual, intending not to lie. However, we all have lenses and viewpoints that color perceptions- so how do you actually know what is true- not "spun" or positioned? This is the kind of honesty you were taught as a kid. But we're also taught throughout our lives in subtle and not so subtle ways that speaking truth can beget punishments of all forms: the withdrawal of love, or of favor- maybe just for holding a belief or acting in a way that others don't approve of- or it could be solely driven from ego- we lie so as not to miss out on prizes that we really want. It may even come from a desire for freedom- not to be accountable to anyone else. So over time, we may begin to lie, or withhold, not of malice, but from self-protection or pure self-interest- and these untruths build up, they layer on and become blocks to our own evolution, and blocks to connection or intimacy with ourselves and others. The conscious practice of Satya can play a role in becoming free.
Inner Truth- This is the truth we call in our house "taking your seat": before you speak, or when you are feeling confused, you find your center, go inward, and come into a deep knowing of who you are, what you feel, think, and hold true- and then you act from that place- even when it is not condoned by society (the small society, like your own family, or the larger society). For example, my husband John once told me that he has always tried to please people, and felt that if he ever REALLY told the truth, the world would break open. Yet every time he does, he is more free, and his relationships get deeper and more real. There were times when he was punished for truth telling, but through his practice, that becomes less important than being real with himself- held together at the center, at the core.
The Ultimate Truth- Oh, the suffering that would be relieved if we all walked in the awareness everyday of the ultimate truth- the knowing beyond knowing, where there is no judgment, there just is. Where each step is taken with the conscious awareness of impermanence and permanence, perfection and imperfection- all things in one. If you faced the world with this level of Satya- the present knowledge of life and death, of everyone being made of the same stuff, the same breath and sun nourishing the each of us- how would this color your "truth"- would the false divisions we erect still be true?
The great metaphysical philosopher Alan Watts wrote about "scale" or "field of vision" as a determinant in what we perceive to be true. The same scene viewed with the Naked Eye, a microscope or a telescope are all True, but what you see through those lenses will be vastly different.
Active practice.....Telling the Truth on the Mat: Satya in Asana
A teacher once told me that how you react on the mat is how you will react off the mat. So here are some questions to consider on the mat that may shed light on truth telling in your own practice:
What stories are you telling yourself while you are practicing? What is your internal mantra or language? What's your perceptual filter? How does your asana help you settle into awareness to become conscious of your inner truth? Have you ever had a moment on the mat where a realization of a deep truth has met you head on? Where in your practice are you pretending, holding on, struggling, competing? What holds you back from being 100% truthful, going to your edge when you need it, backing off when you need it? Where does your yoga live off the mat, and where do you lose that compassionate awareness you are cultivating in your practice? How do the postures serve your meditation, and how does that fit into Satya?
I like the practice of internal inventory as a gateway to Satya- you have to know first. The practice may be just looking at where I wear masks, where I get tight, pretend- and where I am at ease and free- I find that just noticing is almost the entire answer in itself.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Barbra Brady on -
Thanks for the reminder and inspiration, Christine...
I am smiling (rather than admonishing myself) in remembering what goes through my mind each day as I Sit to do my japa/guru mantra...
Is it not just about every day, every round of malas, that I try to tell myself I was *completely one with my mantra* each and every of the 108 beads of each round (currently 14 malas a day, that's a lot of moments of potential asatya!).
Tomorrow morning, as I Sit, I'll recall this post...
and start by telling the satya...
Truth be told...'tis a rather round of mala that my mind has not strayed during my japa!
But when I am one with the mantra...
there is nothing but Truth.
Truth!
Peace,
Babs
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Permalink Reply by Jayanta on
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Namaste,
What a beautiful and profound thread. Satya does certainly have layers as do each of us. Babs mentioned asatya or "that which is not" satya. While in that ultimate state of union there is no distinction between the two we have to begin where we are. We have been given a wonderful instrument to help us understand when we are in a state of asatya. This instrument is the beautiful, powerful, unique, sensitive and mystical body that you carry around your light of perfection.
As we cultivate awareness of the physical body in the practice of yoga we are honing this instrument that is designed to alert us each and every time we stray from our satya. This manifests as a contraction, subtle or sometimes painful in our abdomen or heart center, third or fourth chakras. A contraction represents an unconscious reaction and reaction is the road to realization. More often than not reaction leads us to distraction because we do not want to be with the discomfort of the present moment. Distraction to an extreme becomes an addiction...you get the idea. Contraction to Reaction, Reaction to Distraction, Distraction to Addiction.
To practice Satya Yoga is to find the courage to be present with that moment of contraction, to be honest with ourselves. The mystic remains aware that everyone and everything in our life is a manifestation of Sacred Unity. To practice Satya Yoga is to put an end to the blame game. To be present with your contractions, reactions, distractions and addictions is to practice Satya Yoga. Be grateful for those moments of asatya because they are great teachers; with awareness they each provide another step towards loving ourselves unconditionally.
Love and Victory,
Jayanta
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Permalink Reply by Christine McCaull on -
"This manifests as a contraction, subtle or sometimes painful in our abdomen or heart center, third or fourth chakras. A contraction represents an unconscious reaction and reaction is the road to realization." I love this part because it is exactly how it feels when off course- tight, even sometimes sick in the belly. And the entire idea of asteya as the teacher is beautiful.
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Permalink Reply by Barbra Brady on
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Jai! (Victory) indeed!
Thanks, Jayanta, your mere (?) mention of the word contraction...I recognized that human feeling, and right away felt a resulting...expansion!
Hmmm....the feeling that we are inherent (satya) expansion, and that the *temporary* feeling of contraction is asatya...
makes it easier to relax into the expansion--if that makes sense?
Yes, Thanks,
Babs
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