Sitting Near ...
The other day at the beach we sat near a large multigenerational Spanish family. There were grandparents, parents and grandkids all together hanging out and enjoying the beautiful weather.
This day we forgot to pack our knife, so we peeled Ataulfo or honey mangoes with our bare hands. It was dripping down our fingers and all over our face - our favorite way to enjoy mangos. The people around us were entertained and smiled.
Shortly after we finished eating our mangoes, the father from the large family spotted and waved down a fruit seller. This seller had very nicely cut fruit- he had mangos on a stick cut in a way that made it look like a flower. Everyone in the family got a mango on a stick (as did several other people near us).
Our desire as human beings to feel that we are a part of something is so strong. It is a basic human need.
And because of this we are easily influenced by those we surround ourselves with,
by those we sit near.
Saucha in Sanskrit means cleanliness or purity. Saucha is one of the Niyamas, or observances to hasten awakening.
The saucha practices include not only cleaning the physical dirt on our body and in our physical space, but also the mental dirt - the ignorance and delusion - that keep us unable to see the Divine in ourselves and others.
One way to clean the mind is through Satsang. Satsang means to keep good company. It comes from the root word Sat, truth and Anga - attachment. Satsang means to attach ourselves, or surround ourselves with the truth.
Traditionally Satsang means spending time with Enlightened beings
Sitting near our teachers
and allowing their openness to influence, uplift and inspire us.
But it can also mean making space in our lives for all people, places and things that inspire us and make us feel supported, expansive and connected.
By choosing to sit near those who inspire us, our ability to feel the truth of existence becomes stronger, like a muscle, until we are able to take it with us into all relationships, to all places, and into all experiences.