Forest Dweller

Reading from Tuesday, April 29, 2014 yoga class

From an article entitled "Aging Gracefully" by Deborah Willoughby, Yoga International

"...Four distinct roles as the drama of life unfolds: Student, Householder, Forest Dweller, Renunciate.

We have enough experience to realize that name, fame, possessions, and power will never be a source of lasting fulfillment, and as this realization dawns, our attention shifts from what CHANGES to what ENDURES, pulling our focus inward.

In the traditional culture that gave rise to yoga this was called the forest-dweller stage, not because people literally retreated to the woods (although some did), but because, recognizing the transient nature of external achievements they withdrew from these pursuits to strengthen their connection with the deeper dimensions of their own being.  Theirs was a civilization, stretching back beyond 2000 BCE--deeply immersed in the natural world.  The full span of life was 100 years... they ate a plant centered diet, they walked everywhere, their households were multi-generational and they had a sense of the meaning and purpose of life.  They knew that at our core we are immortal, forever untouched by decay, destruction and death.  They valued the body, senses and mind as a vehicle for making the journey of life, but they did not confuse their core being with this vehicle any more than we confuse ourselves with our cars.  The purpose of this journey is not to accumulate possessions or experiences or power or fame, but to promote the awareness of that energy that is the core of our being. They knew that to die without having accomplished this purpose is the greatest loss.  And they saw that by the time we have reached the third stage of life (the forest dweller) we have all the tools and means necessary to accomplish this goal."

She ends the article with a quote from her teacher, Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, which I just LOVE:

"As long as we remain inspired to discover why we came to this world, we remain youthful.  Old age has no power over us when we are accompanied by faith that we have something precious to experience and achieve in this lifetime.  This faith sparks a burning desire to know the true nature of the invisible force that lies at the core of our being, and when it wells up, nothing--not the lack of worldly resources, a limited knowledge of philosophy, the absence of a living guide, or even old age--can stand in the way of our inner fulfillment."