You, I, and the whole world are like beads strung on a mala. Each day in practice we realize the one single thread that holds us all together. Of course, we typically think everything exists divided and separate. All too often, we feel cut-off and isolated. This is because we fail to realize the one thread, the one sutra, that binds us together. That each bead is unique and different is what makes the mala so beautiful. So in your day-to-day life, do not look for uniformity. Count on every being, every moment, every encounter, each passing thing to be different. At the same time, realize the one thread on which all this is strung. We say, “on the inside be one, whole and entire; on the outside be part of the many”. This is a key lesson on the path of yoga. In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna says, “Nothing is outside of me, I am woven through everything like the strand on a mala of pearls”. What is the one thread that ties everything together? And what is it like to be a single bead in the company of all beads?
The only way the mala works is if each bead has an opening. If your bead is blocked, the thread of life, the thread of breath can not pass through. So when you sit quietly in the morning, be the open space for the one great thread to pass. And each day, count the many beautiful beads that come into your life. Adorn yourself with the mala of creation and know deep down that you are already threaded—already yoked—by the one cord that has no beginning and no end.
Photo: Alexey Demidov for Unsplash
