Non-Judgment
On March 6, Being Yoga was honored to host an afternoon with author and lecturer Roy Eugene Davis, a widely recognized expert of Kriya Yoga. We had an excellent turnout of yogis interested in furthering their yoga practice by better understanding its philosophical roots (which is what Kriya Yoga is all about). Not surprisingly, Mr. Davis kept us fascinated with stories about the teachings of Kriya Yoga and his own spiritual growth in this tradition. Mr. Davis told us that “Kriya” means “to cause a worthwhile event,” and Yoga means “to bring together.” So, Kriya Yoga means the bringing together of something that causes a worthwhile event. And that “worthwhile event” turns out to be nothing short of “self-realization” or enlightenment.
Mr. Davis said that each of us has the ability to become self-realized in this lifetime, and he gave us many tips on how to begin moving in that direction. One of the tips he gave us seemed particularly timely given our last month’s theme of “self-study” (tapping into our own controllable internal reality to make peace with outside uncontrollable circumstances.) Mr. Davis expanded that idea of “self-study” to include being responsible for our own spiritual practice and staying impartial (or non-judgmental) to the spiritual practice of others. The act of being non-judgmental of others is one of the four attitudes or “brahmavihara” that will lead us to peace of mind and self-realization. Please read on to explore the brahmavihara of non-judgment, our studio’s theme of the month:
It was quite early in Mr. Davis’s study with Paramahansa Yogananda (author of Autobiography of Yogi) that he instructed Mr. Davis to practice non-judgment. He told Mr. Davis “Don’t let your mind be troubled by what others do or not do. Don’t look back, or to the left, or to the right—just look straight ahead and go all the way.”
Yogananda’s instructions to “look straight ahead” is profound advice to all of us. It is enough of a challenge for each of us to do the right things on our own path, let alone monitor the paths of others. By working to improve our own selves and remain non-judgmental, or critical, towards others, we can move more quickly towards our own self-realization. Being judgmental bogs us down with negativity and a false sense of control over others. As Donna Farhi writes in Bringing Yoga to Life, “By expounding on the behavior of others, we fortify our ill will and encase ourselves in bitterness.” She goes on to write “…we inflict suffering on ourselves and…manufacture our own torment by failing to detach ourselves from things that ultimately we cannot change in another.”
In Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff…and it’s all small stuff, author Richard Carlson, Ph.D. writes that “It’s tempting to focus on people’s seemingly irrational behavior—their comments, actions, mean-spirited acts, selfish behavior—and get extremely frustrated. If we focus on behavior too much, it can seem like other people are making us miserable.” His advice is to “look beyond it [the annoying behavior],” and “see the innocence in where the behavior is coming from.” He points out that “When you see the innocence, the same things that have always frustrated you no longer do. And, when you’re not frustrated by the actions of others, it’s a lot easier to stay focused on the beauty of life.”
Carlson also writes in the same book that being judgmental, or critical, doesn’t solve any problems, but, instead only “contributes to the anger and distrust in our world.” He advises everyone to take note of how they feel directly after criticizing another because “…you’ll notice that you will feel a little deflated and ashamed, almost like you’re the one who has been attacked.” Indeed, when we criticize or judge others, it is going against our true divine nature, and our gut reaction of discomfort and shame is clearly indicative of that.
Mr. Davis told us that we can “Cooperate with the operations of the universe’s enlivening power—there’s a power for good in the universe, and we can collaborate with it.” One way to do so is to work on being non-judgmental. By looking “straight ahead” at our own path and making the necessary corrections needed for our own spiritual growth, we increase our chances of going “all the way,” and becoming self-realized in this lifetime.
For more tips on making progress towards enlightenment, please join us at Being Yoga every Thursday from 8:25 pm to 9:30 pm for Kriya Yoga study and meditation, and Saturday at 6:30 pm for meditation.