It is in our best interests to live by the ethical and moral preferences we respect in ourselves, as well as others. What is challenging is that the values within a society will not always reflect our own and this can cause some disturbance. Since most of us may need some help as to which ethical standards one may approximate, we may acknowledge Sage Patañjali’s Yoga Sūtras as a worthy authority.
Written approximately 2000 years ago, this wandering-physician cleared a path for an enlightened state of being and forthcoming, ever-lasting truth, harmony and bliss (sat-chit-anananda). We begin in our quest for knowledge of our True Self in waking life by adhering to the principles in the yamas and niyamas, moral guidelines for inner and outer conduct.
Dispelling with survival qualities will free us to co-create love, health, wealth and happiness. Struggling through the burdens of cynicism, laziness or fear to get at the heart of a physical or mental impediment will take on various and individualistic degrees of turmoil. The health of our sense organs and discriminating mind should be maintained if we are to uncover the capacity we have as human beings to become fully cognizant of our habitual tendencies and the damaging elements these samskaras, sense impressions, are creating. How we choose to end or promote our suffering will depend entirely upon us. If we relinquish our attachment to the emotive recoils that present themselves during moments of our semi-conscious existence, we may discover a more radical approach of being by adhering to our yogic path, both in theory and practice.
Choosing to address these deeply rooted samskaras—past lives, thoughts, events, or other past, present, or unavoidable future formative cognitive experiences—will free us from the ignorance that cultivates this disconnectedness. Acknowledging that we are not bound by our thoughts, emotions, occupation or marital status releases us from the fear that occurs from sustaining this image. Without embracing the pain, we cut off a part of ourselves, our spirit and, ultimately, our connection to other sentient beings and the markets. Connecting to the root of our processes in order to understand how we work, why we chose to do so and what we can do to change the elements that do not serve us well will bring us closer to our true nature, devoid of the suffering that accompanies a mind rooted in physical identity.
