Day 14 - Mindful Archer Part 2 - Supposed to be (2006)

dear friend,
How many times a day we are asked to take  wise and loving decisions, shoot the right arrows...? How many times we stop, relax and rest to clear our minds and be present to understand how to see things right, think and speak right, and have right diligence so to shoot the right arrows... it is not only about the present, nor the future arrows...
while meditating in being a mindful archer is helping me to aim right in reducing the negative effects of whatever bad karma arrows I had shoot in the past too.
I want to invite you to meditate in this imagery. And nobody better now than a short quote of the second part of our  meditation on Archery and meditation,  from Swamiji's website:

"
Arrows and Karmas: 
There are three kinds of Karma (further described  below): 

1. Sanchita, the vast storehouse of yet unseen impressions  
2. Kriyamana, those currently in front of us to decide or act on   
3. Prarabhda, consequences already playing themselves out 

Similarly, there are three kinds of arrows:

1. Quiver: Arrows in the Quiver (Sanchita karma)
2. Hand: Arrows in Hand (Kriyamana karma)
3. Flight: Arrows in Flight (Prarabhda karma)

This is a very practical tool: The metaphor of the arrows is a practical tool for daily life. The mind easily recalls the visual imagery, which serves as a reminder to do a good job of "shooting the arrows" of actions and speech. 

• Decisions: The quality of our decisions leads to the quality of our actions, which means the level of our archery ability. 
• Consequences: The aim of the arrows also determines the quality of the consequences that come back from those actions. 
• Deep impressions: Those consequences come to rest in the bed of our subconscious as deep impressions (Samskaras) which determine our Karma. 
• Recycling: These Samskaras will at some point lead to further thoughts, speech, and actions, that again lead to more consequences. 

Learn to have a good aim: Remembering to act as a skilled Archer is very useful for making decisions that will later have positive consequences on our mental, emotional, and spiritual lives. The key is becoming "a good shot" with the arrows in our hand, while accepting that some of our previously shot arrows are causing painful, unavoidable consequences that need to be dealt with wisely.  
Karma means actions: "Karma" literally translates as "Actions," and is the playing out of the actions resulting from the latent habit patterns, or Samskaras, that are stored in the depth of the mind. 
Stages of karma: There are three stages through which karma flows:

1. Impressions from past consequences: First, there are the deep impressions which come as a result of the storing of consequences from previous actions, and the natural feedback from the senses receiving input. (arrows in the quiver)
2. These impressions come forward: Second, these deep impressions come to the forefront of one's life at some point in time in the future, whether or not it comes with conscious awareness. (arrows in hand)
3. Actions and speech spring forth: Third, there are then actions and speech that spring forth, with or without the wisdom of conscious choice. (arrows in flight)"

In this meditation, the song that I am dancing is a mellow one,  Jack Johnson's "Supposed to be", which helps me not blame the circunstances around me for what is happening or what happened, then  accept what is going on now, furthermore take action here and now, if we want to. May our meditation be on creating a mindful archer inside of us so to sow only the good seeds and harvest the fruits we planted.

Namaste...


"Supposed To Be"

Maybe it’s up with the stars
Maybe it’s under the sea
Maybe it’s not very far
Maybe this is how it’s supposed to be
This is how it’s supposed to be
Maybe it’s trapped in a jar
Something we’ve already seen
Maybe it’s nowhere at all
Maybe this is how it’s supposed to be
This is how it’s supposed to be
Looking forward as we rewind
Looking back is a trap sometimes
Being here is so easy to do
If you want to