My Physical Self (Feb. 06, 2007)

“Here in this body are the sacred rivers: here are the sun & the moon as well as all the pilgrimage places… I have not encountered another temple as blissful as my own body.” -- Sahara (Mystic)

Peace to everyBODY!

What do I like most about my body? What don’t I like? And Why?

These were the questions we reflected and shared about as we tackled the theme My Physical Self at the Tuesday Inner Work Circle last Feb. 6.

Although the questions may at first sound like it came from a slum book it actually pertains to a significant aspect of self-awareness and a fundamental topic in Inner Work. Awareness, first of all, begins with the physical body—the most tangible and empirical aspect of the self that posses our most useful God-given senses.

We always say that peace begins within us… but where to begin? A yoga teacher once said, “The first step towards inner peace is making peace with your body.” It’s as simple as that. But, as shared by some of the innerworkers last Tuesday, this is one aspect of the self we most often forget about or take for granted.

We’ve read over and over the same thing from the different scriptures: “The body is the sheath of the soul.”(Talmud, Sanhedrin 108a -- Judaism). But it’s kind of difficult to always remember, and we are only reminded when we get sick, when the karma kicks in.

A part of the teachings say that this physical shell we occupy is a temporary one and it is not who we truly are. Still, the other part of the teachings say that it is a very important tool and since it is considered “the temple of the holy spirit” it is indeed right to take care of it always, revere it, and not abuse it. “Use your body as a tool to do what is right for the glory of God.” (Romans 6:13b -- Christianity)

One participant shared how she is currently “having a love affair with her body.” A certain ailment or body imbalance has recently been teaching her lessons in slowing-down—as opposed to working fast. She’s a self-confessed workaholic. Now she is learning how to take life easier and slower, and how she can still accomplish many things even by not working too hard, too much.

One striking point she made during the sharing is being able to distinguish between loving your body vs. being attached to it. These pertain to the two teachings mentioned earlier: the sacredness of the body and its impermanence.

Our Muslim brother also shared from their teachings how we shall all meet God during the judgement day and Allah will not care about how we appear but how we lived according to the Divine will. He further said that the only part of us that God will examine is the heart, because its purity of intentions and deeds are what we are to be judged on in the end.

Indeed the body is not the essence of our being, but it is essential nonetheless. We cannot accomplish what we are meant to do while incarnated in this vehicle if the vehicle itself is not well-maintained or well-respected. On the other hand, we have to be careful not to be obsessed with our body for it is just a temporary sheath.

Namaste!

-Orlan