At First Glance

At first glance: 

what I most love is the richness and complexities of the terms, how the meaning is never what it seems at first glance or even after a longer period of study, not completely so, it's as if the message is too subtle to be read and must be given a lifetime of contemplation, or perhaps more so, expressed through our commitment to fully live its every revelation. That's the mystery of the yamas and niyamas, not being merely a code of ethics or personal morals to base our lives around, no, there's something deeper here, a reasoning beyond mere rules of conduct - these are secrets of self-realization, concepts that continue to expand through consciousness until we truly understand exactly who we are. 

it's never what it seems at first glance. 

santosha is a Sanskrit word that means contentment, or satisfaction, that's the literal definition and it's pretty straightforward in what it's asking, accepting our present situation, being content with what we have and continuously striving to have more. Yet that's only at first glance, deeper, on a more subtle level, we're being asked to explore the nature of our needs, to discover the truth of what we wish for, and if our most cherished dreams will really make us happier once achieved. We're not told to abandon anything, to surrender our wishes for a better world - again, the yamas and niyamas are simply guidelines, suggestions, and that's the importance of giving them a deep study. 

they're never what they seem at first glance...

nor even after. 

these suggestions are meant to be lived, 

explored through the process of a lifetime.

santosha sees the complete picture, that being content means our dreams, and yes, their fulfillment, belong here, being part of the complexity of the whole. Nothing is really off limits, we're not restrained by these guidelines at all. We're only asked to explore things a bit more deeply, tracing our desires to their root cause and seeing of they're truly what we're wishing for. Santosha isn't mere contentment, it's not accepting things as they are without questioning. It's so much more dynamic, deeper, being content with how things appear, yet knowing that conditions are never what they seem at first glance, placing our faith in the motion of the world and it's ever changing, fluid nature. 

santosha covers it all, our dreams and striving for their fulfillment, our struggles to improve as well as accepting ourselves exactly as we are. What we're asked for is to be content with motion, change, and not base our happiness or sorrow on anything that isn't of our true nature. Santosha takes us to the root cause of our joy and suffering, and further still - to the purity and openness of our existence. Contentment is our true and real nature because everything belongs, nothing is out of order, misplaced, or beyond its time. There's only this moment of our perfect acceptance...

and it's never as it seems at first glance. 

~

Peace, Eric