Namaskar Oct 2012

SERENITY OR
SERENDIPITY?
Danny Pui-Lung Lau
I have been living in this neighbourhood
for five years. In the Summer, birds chirp
from 5 in the morning till 9 at night. In the
Fall, they start slightly later and finish an
hour earlier. And all Winter and Spring it
rains like a Banshee. This is Vancouver, BC
afterall! Between the rain there’s the fog,
which can make things spooky. But even
more spooky, my neighbourhood is next
to a cemetery.
Vancouver has a huge Chinese population
but my neighbourhood has only a handful
of Chinese or Asian families. I guess it is
because of its proximity to the cemetery.
Chinese people prefer not to live close to
the dead.
When I first moved here with my partner, I
was a little apprehensive of going to the
cemetery. I felt I was disturbing them when
I walked around their territory. But my
dogs, possibly the most intuitive beings on
the planet, love going into the cemetery.
They play and run like wild animals, like the
coyotes we hear howling at night.
So I thought ‘dogs are intuitive and have
heightened senses, so they would sense any
negative energy. There is nothing to be
scared about.’ Soon I learned to appreciate
the serenity of this cemetery, and realized
the people laying here were really good
souls. In fact most of them sacrificed their
lives during the wars, they were heroes.
In the Bhagavad Gita death is portrayed as
a process of rebirth. A soul does not just
go away after the physical body is gone.
That soul may have unfinished business
which needs to be dealt with on his/her
journey. Hence the soul may influence the
journey to the next life.
As a yogi, I learn to be aware of the
presence of other being. I am also learning
how to channel spirit guides when I need
to communicate with others. Every time I
am in the cemetery, I speak to “them”. I
say hello when I come across a name on the
stone. And sometimes, I sense their
presence. I watch my dogs and how they
behave when they are here.
They stop to pee of course, thankfully
mostly on the grass! I do my best to stop
them peeing on tombstones, as I find it
disrespectful. However, sometimes I sense
a spirit saying “it’s okay. They are just being
dogs”. In my heart, I apologize and thank
them for letting us pass through. From
this I have learned something of coexistence.
Just like the co-existence of wild
lives and humans in the city of Vancouver.
The role of yogis with regard to death, as
described in Bhagavad Gita, is to be
mindful of the process of dying. Our
mind can direct our consciousness to move
from our physical bodies back to our souls.
In the Yoga Sutras Patanjali says “yogis die
at will”. (Bhagavad Gita, Chapter Eight).
So we have the control.
It is serendipity I ended up in this
neighbourhood to discover the meaning
of death and to realize it is a controlled
passage. I have learned to appreciate the
serenity in death. I have also learned to
walk my path with an open mind and to be
present with my mind. I have some control
Danny’s dogs are at ease in the cemetery
of my consciousness and can direct my
mind to walk different paths. As long as
my intention is directed by my heart, it’s all
okay.
Danny (E-RYT 200,
Studio Owner, Local
Radio Personality, Dog
Lover) was born and
raised in Hong Kong;
educated in Hong
Kong, China and
Canada; and has been
in radio broadcasting
for almost 20 years, in
Hong Kong and
Vancouver. He owns
SpiRe Wellness Yoga
Studio in Vancouver. He has a Puggle, a
German Shorthaired Pointer and a husband.
beautiful world by focusing our attention on that which is centered
in harmony, peace and unconditional love. The content of our
minds during this period of transition is incredibly important:
with our collective thoughts, we have the ability to co-create a mass
evolution of planetary love, peace, unity and happiness for all
beings.
A verse from the Brhadaranyaka Upanishad is an appropriate prayer
for our times:
Om Asato Ma Sad Gamaya
Tamaso Ma Jyotir Gamaya
Mrityor Ma Amritam Gamaya
Om Shantih Shantih Shantih
Oh Lord, Lead me
From the unreal to the real
From the darkness to the light
From death to immortality
OM Peace Peace Peace
Clayton is director of Green Path Yoga. He
teaches workshops and teacher trainings
around the world. clayton@greenpathyoga.org
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