The Bhagavad Gita is a classic yogic text that has inspired people as diverse as Gandhi, Emerson and J. Robert Oppenheimer. For those with an interest in spiritual reading it is a must - no less a handbook on life at its highest spiritual(and practical )level. It's also (I noticed today)a guide for ultra runners who wish to take their running to a new level of performance. The Gita (as it's commonly called) is a conversation between Arjuna, the archer prince who is going into battle against memebers of his own family, and his charioteer Krishna who is embodyied in human form to lead his devotee into battle and bestow this holy conversation unto him. The battle itself is a metaphor for the mind and the forces that pull us to and fro - from the depths of human despair to the heights or (our potential) spiritual awakening.
But back to ultra running.
Almost any verse can be used to gain waisdom (it was by Gandhi's side constantly as a daily guide and treasure friend) but this verse stood out for me today - (The Lord Krishna is telling Arjuna) "When the sense encounter sense-objects, a person experiences cold or heat, pleasure or pain. These sensations are fleeting; they come and go. Bear them patiently, Arjuna." Now we're getting somewhere. from a marathon to 100 plus mile we will all expereince the ups, downs, pleasure and pains of a single lifetime. To get caught up in any single mind frame will only allow us to stay stuck within a fleeting moment. Yes, this moment brings pain (hills!) and yes this next brings pleasure( downhill - speed!)but neither will last and a new moment waits to be filled - bear them all patiently Arjuna ( the runner.) A common refrain among ultra runners is - it almost always never gets worse - and this is the wisdom of Lord Krishna at its finest. The moment just - is - and so is the next regardless of what has come to fill it. When beared patiently we allow a detached flow that brings us a truly greater pleasure - transcendence. It's not that we aren't affected by heat, pain, blisters, or tired legs ( and the other ten thousand things that happen in a race)and it's not that we are not elated by fast times and small hills and well stocked aide stations - we are - it's only that we no longer believe they are permenant and our true happiness is independent of their fleeting nature. This allows us to be tired with no denial and relieved of the burden of the mental load of misery at the same time. We are detached from outcome and on a singular purpose of One - and in a race it's simply - motion. So we are not stoic - we are joyful in all our expereinces. Even the ones that hurt the most.
Hell, we signed up for the damn thing, didn't we?
May you all be blessed with fleet feet and detached minds my
friends.
Eric
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