2 8 S p i r i t ua l i t y S t u d i e s 4 - 2 Fa l l 2 0 1 8 5 Īśvarapraṇidhāna Finally, the last component of Kriya Yoga is, Īśvarapraṇidhāna, the surrender of our personal desires to those yearnings springing from the heart of humanity, which is the heart of God incarnate. To fully dedicate one’s life to the wellbeing of others, requires a realization that all is gift, given to us not for our benefit alone but to share in a manner that will move all of creation forward. A life fully dedicated to the common good requires us to surrender to the will of God, and to align ourselves wholly with the Divine creativity that permeates and animates the entire creation. A key element in an act of surrender is humility, the laying aside of one’s ego so that we can serve others selflessly. Saint Benedict placed such importance on humility that the topic is by far the longest chapter in the Rule (RB 7). As an aid to his monks in their practice of cultivating humility, Saint Benedict turned to the Psalms, and admonished his monks to “always keep the fear (presence) of God before your eyes” (Ps 36:2). We remain humble, teaches Saint Benedict, by resting our attention always on the omnibenevolence of God. And as we ascend the steps of humility he lays out in the Rule we will “quickly arrive at that perfect love of God” (RB 7.67; 1 John 4:18). It is important to note that when Sri Patañjali and Saint Benedict speak of self-surrender as central to the spiritual life, they are not only referring to the putting aside of our personal interests. The ability to surrender requires embracing a practice of obedience, and the concurrent habit of reflection and interiority that is fundamental to allowing oneself to defer to the will of a higher authority – abbot, guru, God, humanity, universal love, etc. Recognizing the human propensity to resist deferring to someone else’s will, Saint Benedict cautions us that our obedience should be “free from grumbling” and not “sluggish or half-hearted” (RB 5.14–15), thereby burning away the impurities Sri Patañjali speaks of. This is a key point in the practice of Kriya Yoga because for Sri Patañjali, Tapas, Svādhyāya, and Īśvarapraṇidhāna, weren’t to be cast in a negative light, as if they are a grim burden for us to carry. No, the practices of Kriya Yoga are to be welcomed, for through them we are able to begin burning away the inner obstacles that prevent us from unlocking our fullest potential. By removing these obstacles we begin to discover the joy that arises when our actions are purposeful, meaningful, and intimately immersed in the lives of others. At the conclusion of his chapter on obedience, perhaps to lighten things up a bit, Saint Benedict reaches into Corinthians (2 Cor 9:7) and adroitly writes into his Rule that “obedience must be given gladly, for God loves a cheerful giver” (RB 5:16). For a monk (or anyone else) following Benedict’s Rule, nearly each of its 73 chapters can be seen as sādhanā. For Saint Benedict, a monk’s life is to be devoted to prayer and work – ora et labora. Prayer and work is what monastic life revolves around, and imbedded in these activities is the potential to draw closer and closer to God. Thus chapters of the Rule provide instruction on how to pray the Divine Office (chap. 8), how to maintain reverence in prayer (chap. 20), how to engage in manual labor (chap. 48), how to be a kitchen server (chap. 35), and how to receive guests (chap. 53). For someone trying to live the Rule, sādhanā is weaved into the rhythm of his or her day. The Rule is their sādhanā, their sādhanā is the Rule. 6 The Middle Way is the Sattvic Way Saint Benedict’s way is the middle way, a path where he sets down for his disciples “nothing harsh, nothing burdensome” (RB Prologue 46). Because he understands just how challenging the Rule can be, Saint Benedict is mindful always of the disciple who may need some extra encouragement, who is perhaps a bit slovenly, or occasionally remiss in meeting their obligations. So to those who require a little more consideration, Saint Benedict softens and declares, “Yet, all things are to be done with moderation on account of the fainthearted” (RB 48.9). His approach in the Rule is, like Patañjali’s in the Sūtras, sattvic –balanced, pure, always aiming to nurture and bring out the best in his followers. The sattvic way of Saint Benedict and Sri Patañjali takes notice of people’s strengths not their weaknesses and starts from there. So in his chapter to abbots Saint Benedict offers them this advice on caring for their flock: “the abbot must accommodate and adapt himself to each one’s character and intelligence” (RB 2.32). The sattvic spirit that Benedict expects from all his monks is nurtured by an abbot’s dedicated practice of Kriya Yoga. A practice that becomes fruitful when it is enthusiastically attended to without interruption over a long period of time (Yoga Sūtras 1.14). As we are purified by the practices of Kriya Yoga, we are able to live life with greater depth, from a place of peace and
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