Nov 23, 2017
A key concept in Yogic scripture
and Ayurvedic practice is the four proper goals or aims of a human
life. The four puruṣārthas in order are
(1) Artha: roof over your head,
money in the bank
(2) Kama: feeling good, having
fun
(3) Dharma: awake to a
bigger purpose
(4) Moksha: perpetually getting
out of your own box
I rap with Acharya Shunya of Vedika Global about the
dynamic pulsation between moksha and dharma in the modern
age:
- Why The concept of life purpose (purushartha) in
ayurveda and why that matters for health
- How
is dharma changing with technology, and societal freedoms?
What you’ll get out of tuning in:
- To
live your dharma, you need regular access to moksha, your freedom.
Acharya says, “if you don’t claim moksha, which to me is
moment-to-moment claiming of our selves, then you start living a
script, and scripts are toxic.” Today we have such a gift of wealth
of tools and choices for pulsating between “the moksha moment” and
what we are called to do next. Tune in to hear Cate and Acharya rap
about moksha and dharma in the modern age with our abundance of
technology and cultural habit of trying to push through murkiness
rather than sink into it. Tap in to acknowledging your deeper
desire for spiritual freedom from listening to their discussion of
how dharma is changing with technology and societal freedoms and
how moksha creates inner space for decrystalizing our illusions and
boundedness.
Links:
If
you want to watch Cate teach on this - she has a video on YouTube.
Start it at minute 3:09. The video is a quick dive into an innovative practical
interactive approach to the 4 Aims of life teaching – the
purusharthas.
Show Highlights:
- 14:00—Acharya breaks down the
Sanskrit of moksha to show the process of finding where we are
“bound” by beliefs or culture or some other lack of tuning in
inwardly.
- 20:10—Can we honestly confront
the sleepwalking behaviors of modern society within ourselves? Are
we living in right relationship to the technology and tools
available to us today?
- 27:30—Looking at Oprah’s life,
we get to realize how many models are out there who are tuned in to
self-invention as a regular practice.
- 30:12—We can tap our intuition
to lean in to always being a bigger version of ourselves by letting
go of our selves and what we think we already know. Cate and
Acharya rap about their personal exponential growth through
decrystalizing the illusions and boundedness.
- 34:30—Cate and Acharya explore
the discomfort around pausing to accept that being unclear can be
okay, and trying to push forward through obligation is trying to
follow a script. There is a bridge to explore between knowing and
not-knowing.
Favorite Quotes:
- “There’s a stress that comes
from when moksha isn’t experienced and dharma
is” --Cate
Stillman
- “From a moksha place, what will
dharma do with me next?” --Cate Stillman
- “Moksha is not an event. It’s a
journey, and we can’t have a one-time episode of remembering our
spiritual bigness.” --Acharya Shunya
- “With more moksha, there’s more
potentiality for what’s possible.” --Cate Stillman
- “I’ve become a first-class
passenger through life, and I’m still waiting and pausing to
decrystalize that illusion as life keeps presenting itself to
me.” --Acharya
Shunya
- “Trying to push through the
darkness is inefficiency. I’m slowly learning to recognize when I’m
not clear and waiting for the moment to present itself for when
movement is ready.” --Cate Stillman
- “Do your work with utmost
sincerity. Leave the results up to the God principle. It enables me
to be a free actor on the world stage.” --Acharya Shunya
BIO:
Acharya Shunya is an internationally
recognized lineage-based spiritual teacher who awakens health and
consciousness with Vedic spiritual teachings and Ayurveda
lifestyle. She is the founder of Vedika Global, a wisdom school and
spiritual community in California, and President of the California
Association of Ayurvedic Medicine.
She is a designated advisor to the Government of India, Ministry
of Health (AYUSH), on Yoga and Ayurveda. She was named amongst the
top 100 Ayurveda and Yoga trailblazers by Spirituality & Health
Magazine. Acharya Shunya is a sought-after speaker, delivering
keynote addresses to audiences including: World Ayurveda Congress,
National Ayurvedic Medical Association, University of California,
Berkeley.