World of Philosophy

Author(s): Christopher Key Chapple, Intaj Malek, Dilip Charan, Sunanda Shastri, Prashant Dave
Publisher: Shanti Prakashan

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into a place that feels risky. We're simply asking to know the next step, and the step after that, and the step after that, to be led from the darkness of fear into the light of courage.
The physical practice of our Hatha Yoga also served as a place to open to the light of courage. As we moved through spine-limbering exercises, Tanuja reminded us of the relation of the word "backbone" to courage. "We say someone is spineless, implying that they have no courage. By limbering the spine we give ourselves physical capacity for a strong backbone, for courage." Our Hatha Yoga practice can be a source of strength to us when we are feeling fearful. The upright stance required during asana practice helps to instill a sense of courage and grounded determination.
As Tanuja also noted, "Fear holds us back and tightens our bodies, whereas courage opens us up into a place where we can move." The practice of asana helps to open the body and to experience the freedom of cour age in our cells.
During a labyrinth activity led by Tanuja in the second retreat, Ben had become aware of strong resistance to his fear. Ben wrote in his final reflections, "I am grateful to Tanuja who helped me explore fear so deeply and to express that learning in a class. I have seen anew how my fear is at fear of surrendering control, letting go into the wild." The trust we are called to is to trust the ways of the wild, which may lead us to places where we do not necessarily wish to go. Courage does not mean having no fears, but rather having the strength to go deeper than the fear, to trust the ways of the Spirit, and to move forward when the way seems right.
Self-Transformation
Principle Three: Action is about self-examination and self-transformation. Action is about working on oneself first. This means that it is not about trying to get others to change. Mahatma Gandhi, one of the great karma yogis of all time, did not focus first on getting others to change. Rather, his strongest attention was always on self-purification, on self-change. Gandhi wrote:
Identification with everything that lives is impossible without self-purification; without self-purification the observance of the law of Ahimsa must remain an empty dream; God can never be realized by one who is not pure of heart. Self-purification therefore must mean purification in all the walks of life. A purification being highly infectious, purification of oneself necessarily leads to the purification of one's surroundings. (Gandhi as quoted in Shinn, 2000, p. 222)
Gandhi inspired high standards of ethical action in others because he
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