Yoga and Buddhism

Yoga and Buddhism: The Practitioner and The Practice

Those who decide to learn and practice either Yoga or

Buddhism, or in some cases both of them, are involved

in dealing with two sets of experiences.

One is what they, the student of them, many times

referred to as the “practitioner”, brings to their

practice.

The other is what the practice of them involves.

What we as individuals bring to the practice of either

Yoga or Buddhism is in many ways similar to what

others bring, and in many ways different.

We commonly refer to this as being our “conditioning”,

or those things and the results of those things, that

have made us think, feel, speak, act and behave in the

way that we do.

Buddhist teachers will refer to this conditioning in

terms of having at times been “wholesome”,

“unwholesome”, “positive, “negative” and “confusing”,

among others.

Ways in which our conditioning is similar include the

fact that we come from the same country, society and

culture and have been for the most part exposed to the

same things in our education system, on television and

in entertainment and through the various means in

which our language communicates things.

Ways in which our conditioning can be different have

more to do with our personal experiences and what may

have happened in our family, the quality of our

upbringing and the quality of our interactions with

others.

Sometimes we do not fully see or understand that some

of the activities we have been involved in have

conditioned us in a way that leads to feelings that

are troubling and disturbing.

Some unwholesome conditioning is easy to identify such

as having been neglected and emotionally, physically

or sexually abused, as both a child or as an adult.

Other conditioning is harder to identify as being

unwholesome, such as perhaps if we are taught to

believe that our system of government, way of life and

cultural and religious values, practices and beliefs

are somehow better or superior then another or that we

should have everything that we want and need, or that

life should always be perfect and pleasurable.

There are messages in all cultures and societies that

teach us these things.

As this writer has mentioned frequently in previous

writings, it does not take much examination of or

reflection on the daily news in any country or society

to see that people who live in comfort with material

wealth and social status can be just as troubled,

selfish and greedy as those who are not in the same

situation.

And when one is involved in teaching either Yoga or

Buddhism, he or she will most likely meet or teach

people that come from a wide range of social and

economic situations and circumstances.

The Buddha recognized that suffering in life was a

human condition and that factors such as personal

wealth and security, or positions of power and status

did not alleviate it in people.

Both Yoga and Buddhism address those aspects of who

and how we are that lead us blindly into further

experiences of conditioning that could be unwholesome.

They remind us that within the soft pillow of pleasure

can be the hard and sharp arrows of pain and that when

we are blindly engaged in our pursuit and enjoyment of pleasure, we may be sowing the seeds for long - term and chronic pain

and problems.

In our youth, we do not always see this, but later, we

may see that our promiscuous sexual behavior lead to

shallow relationships, lost opportunities for love and

growth and in some cases sexual diseases and death and

a lack of understanding and respect for people of the

opposite gender.

We may find that a few harmless tokes on a joint or

drinks led to a daily need for such an experience that

became an addiction.

We may find that from the habit of eating without

mindfulness or snacking on every treat available at

any time we now have a problem with high blood

pressure or obesity.

All of these things are the conditions and

conditioning that some of us may be bringing to our

practice.

But what about the practice itself, what does it teach

us and ask of us.

Basically it asks that we attempt to structure our

thoughts, words and actions along certain lines, lines

that will make us more mindful, concentrated and pure

in what we think, say and do.

Both Yoga and Buddhism ask us to do certain things

each day or on a regular basis that require an extra

effort, outside of what we do already.

In Yoga, this will be the practice of postures and

meditation while in Buddhism, the focus will be more

solely on meditation.

And both Yoga and Buddhism ask of us to make an extra

effort to look at our daily enjoyments, tasks and

chores in a more mindful way, looking at what our

intentions and thoughts are behind doing them and as

we do them.

They ask us to go about and perform our daily

routines, duties and responsibilities with what for

some of us may be a different attitude.

They may ask of us that we think about making changes

in some areas of how we live, perhaps regarding diet,

sleep and leisure times, or in what we say to others

to their face and behind their back.

They certainly do not ask of us that we become

mindless robots who should join a cult or follow one

man or woman as if he or she was a chosen one.

In fact, they ask of us that we a more investigative

in a non-fearful, suspicious and judgmental manner

about the people, situations and circumstances of the

world.

If we can understand and see clearly that the

experience of learning and bringing Yoga and Buddhism

into our lives is a combination of what we as

individuals are and consist of, as far as common and

individual feelings and conditioning, and that such a

personal life phenomenon can fluctuate and change our

approach to learning more about living life within the teachings of Yoga or Buddhism, the whole embracement of these

teachings may be something easier to grasp and entertain.

We may also see and understand that the teachings of

Yoga and Buddhism are unchanging and can assist us in

seeing our current conditioning and past and present

life experiences in a new light.

A light that may for some change an experience and

feeling of confusion or suffering into one of insight

and wisdom.

(John lives and teaches in Bangkok, Thailand. He can

be reached at johnckimbrough@yahoo.com)