| Cougar Press PO Box 894 Meadview AZ 86444 |
| Cleanliness |
For me to be expounding on the subject of Cleanliness is ironic. Folks who know me, family and
friends, might rather easily suggest that I am not the person to tell anybody anything about how
to stay clean.
As the first item on the Niyama list, we can't help but assume that Cleanliness is of some
importance in the practice of Raja Yoga. And it is, but the question that looms is, just what is
cleanliness? What does the word mean?
From the dictionary, I get the following:
This definition implies a strong relative quality to the word, which makes sense. When we clean
something, our car, our dog, our crockery, our home or our body, it will hopefully be more clean
when we are finished. When we decide to clean something, it is because it has become less clean
than we would like it to be. So far so good.
A brief survey of quotes on the subject takes us from the Bhagavad Gita to Adolph Hitler, from
P.J. O'Rourke to Winnie the Pooh, and from Samuel Butler to Ambrose Bierce. Butler tells us
that, "Cleanliness is almost as bad as godliness." Bierce defines a bath as, “A kind of mystic
ceremony substituted for religious worship, with what spiritual efficacy has not been determined."
We are familiar with the quote, "Cleanliness is next to Godliness." That remark is attributed to
the writings of Francis Bacon, John Wesley and ancient Hebrews.
To understand what the real meaning of cleanliness might be, we obviously need to have a good
definition of the word "clean." The dictionary starts with clean as an adjective meaning "not
dirty." This begs the question. We are left wondering whether the definition of "dirty" is then,
"not clean." Or does dirty perhaps mean the same as earthy? Earthy sounds good; dirty sounds
bad, but earth is dirt, and dirt is earth. Those who plow the earth are sometimes referred to as
"dirt farmers."
Further exploration of the meanings of the adjective clean offer repeated links to the idea of
nothing. A clean container has nothing in it. A clean sheet of paper has nothing printed or
written on it. Clean water has nothing in it, no pollutants or other foreign matter. A clean
wound has nothing in it, no dirt, germs or infection. Clean language has nothing in terms of
rudeness or obscenity.
The pursuit of Yoga, particularly Raja, does not demand perfection. The ideals that we employ to
chart our course are like the celestial reference points that a navigator uses to guide a ship across
the ocean. No one expects to arrive at Aldebaran, Rigel, Capella, Sirius, Pollux, Betelgeuse or
any of the stars and planets, the sun or the moon, that are used in celestial navigation. But
paying precise attention to the locations of these heavenly bodies in our sky does help us to get to
where we really do wish to go.
Think of cleanliness as a guide. One can always be cleaner, but practicality draws limits. Some
folks are obsessed with the idea of perfect cleanliness, while others are more concerned with the
illusion of cleanliness. The use of perfumes, scented sprays or fragrant flowers is meant to
distract the senses from the realities of filth, sweat and foul odors. Some find the natural aromas
of human bodies, barnyards or barnacles to be obnoxious, while others revel in the smells of the
sea, livestock manure, sweat and pheromones.
Myself, I find the fragrance of woods and fields, trees, flowers and grass, compost and loam to be
clean and invigorating. When, on the other hand, my nose detects a whiff of perfume, cologne,
toilet water, fragrance, body spray, body mist, balm or incense, I become alert to the possibility
that something is being masked.
Of course, perfumes and incense are pleasant. They smell good. They are best appreciated not as
features of cleanliness, but rather as positive aspects of our world. Our perceptions are always
subjective. Some think that cats, babies and boiled cabbage smell heavenly, while other find
themselves repelled and nauseated by these same scents. Even the words that are used to describe
the data that comes in via the nose are loaded: fragrance, bouquet and aroma conjure pleasant
feelings; odor, stench and stink can turn us off. The faint whiff of a wandering skunk on a
pleasant summer evening can stimulate feelings of nostalgia and well-being. Up close, the same
smell can be revolting or nauseating or both.
Cleanliness goes beyond the realm of the nose. We have five senses. In a world of solids, liquids,
gas and energy, we detect the different forms of physical existence. With our eyes we make out
the solid objects, liquids like water, milk and blood, vapors and clouds, sunshine, moonlight and
the glowing energy of distant stars.
With our ears we detect the vibrations in the nitrogen and oxygen that swaddle our planet.
Liquids can be felt and tasted. All of these manifestations of physical reality can be interpreted as
beautiful: beautiful music, voices or merely the sound of the wind; lovely trees, flowers, twilights,
faces, shapes and points of light from distant galaxies; feelings like soft, smooth, sensuous or
stimulating; fragrance of flowers and flavors like chocolate and nectar.
At the same time, our perception of the universe is punctuated with concepts like ugly, jarring
and foul. Our warm, snuggly feelings are outlined by cold, fear and loneliness. The joy, beauty
and pleasure that comes to us as the world unfolds is haunted by pain and sorrow. Yet the
changing, healing, learning and growing, that can be so painful and fraught with loss, bring us
step by step to the awareness of the sublime.
Picking up the trash from the floor, the yard or the street is an example of cleanliness, but one
person's trash is another person's treasure. Big old wheels with wooden spokes and iron rims and
hubs, wheels from old buckboards and stagecoaches, are often found decorating the driveways of
modern homes. Yet, discarded tires and rims from cars and trucks, left lying in the yard or
propped up against a fence, scream "trash." Where is the line to be drawn? Discarded glass
bottles are to be thrown away or recycled, except for the ones that are collectible merely because
they are old, or obsolete, or beautiful, or blue .
We each must decide for ourselves the parameters of cleanliness, and we need also to accept that
the boundaries will change as we grow. What was a fascinating toy for a child, a car, a house or a
fortress, becomes an old cardboard box that needs to be thrown away. Clothes that were essential
for the young romantic become discarded rags bound for the thrift store. We fill the refrigerator
with succulent fruit, vegetables, meats and pastries, but when we clean it out we are removing
stale, rancid, wilted and fermented garbage.
Ultimately, the only standards that matter are our own. Our clothes grow worn, but comfortable
as well. A little dirt never hurt anyone.
friends, might rather easily suggest that I am not the person to tell anybody anything about how
to stay clean.
As the first item on the Niyama list, we can't help but assume that Cleanliness is of some
importance in the practice of Raja Yoga. And it is, but the question that looms is, just what is
cleanliness? What does the word mean?
From the dictionary, I get the following:
- clean·li·ness [ klénlinəss ]
noun
Definition:
degree of cleanness: the degree to which somebody keeps clean or a place is kept clean:
e.g. a small hotel noted for its cleanliness.
This definition implies a strong relative quality to the word, which makes sense. When we clean
something, our car, our dog, our crockery, our home or our body, it will hopefully be more clean
when we are finished. When we decide to clean something, it is because it has become less clean
than we would like it to be. So far so good.
A brief survey of quotes on the subject takes us from the Bhagavad Gita to Adolph Hitler, from
P.J. O'Rourke to Winnie the Pooh, and from Samuel Butler to Ambrose Bierce. Butler tells us
that, "Cleanliness is almost as bad as godliness." Bierce defines a bath as, “A kind of mystic
ceremony substituted for religious worship, with what spiritual efficacy has not been determined."
We are familiar with the quote, "Cleanliness is next to Godliness." That remark is attributed to
the writings of Francis Bacon, John Wesley and ancient Hebrews.
To understand what the real meaning of cleanliness might be, we obviously need to have a good
definition of the word "clean." The dictionary starts with clean as an adjective meaning "not
dirty." This begs the question. We are left wondering whether the definition of "dirty" is then,
"not clean." Or does dirty perhaps mean the same as earthy? Earthy sounds good; dirty sounds
bad, but earth is dirt, and dirt is earth. Those who plow the earth are sometimes referred to as
"dirt farmers."
Further exploration of the meanings of the adjective clean offer repeated links to the idea of
nothing. A clean container has nothing in it. A clean sheet of paper has nothing printed or
written on it. Clean water has nothing in it, no pollutants or other foreign matter. A clean
wound has nothing in it, no dirt, germs or infection. Clean language has nothing in terms of
rudeness or obscenity.
The pursuit of Yoga, particularly Raja, does not demand perfection. The ideals that we employ to
chart our course are like the celestial reference points that a navigator uses to guide a ship across
the ocean. No one expects to arrive at Aldebaran, Rigel, Capella, Sirius, Pollux, Betelgeuse or
any of the stars and planets, the sun or the moon, that are used in celestial navigation. But
paying precise attention to the locations of these heavenly bodies in our sky does help us to get to
where we really do wish to go.
Think of cleanliness as a guide. One can always be cleaner, but practicality draws limits. Some
folks are obsessed with the idea of perfect cleanliness, while others are more concerned with the
illusion of cleanliness. The use of perfumes, scented sprays or fragrant flowers is meant to
distract the senses from the realities of filth, sweat and foul odors. Some find the natural aromas
of human bodies, barnyards or barnacles to be obnoxious, while others revel in the smells of the
sea, livestock manure, sweat and pheromones.
Myself, I find the fragrance of woods and fields, trees, flowers and grass, compost and loam to be
clean and invigorating. When, on the other hand, my nose detects a whiff of perfume, cologne,
toilet water, fragrance, body spray, body mist, balm or incense, I become alert to the possibility
that something is being masked.
Of course, perfumes and incense are pleasant. They smell good. They are best appreciated not as
features of cleanliness, but rather as positive aspects of our world. Our perceptions are always
subjective. Some think that cats, babies and boiled cabbage smell heavenly, while other find
themselves repelled and nauseated by these same scents. Even the words that are used to describe
the data that comes in via the nose are loaded: fragrance, bouquet and aroma conjure pleasant
feelings; odor, stench and stink can turn us off. The faint whiff of a wandering skunk on a
pleasant summer evening can stimulate feelings of nostalgia and well-being. Up close, the same
smell can be revolting or nauseating or both.
Cleanliness goes beyond the realm of the nose. We have five senses. In a world of solids, liquids,
gas and energy, we detect the different forms of physical existence. With our eyes we make out
the solid objects, liquids like water, milk and blood, vapors and clouds, sunshine, moonlight and
the glowing energy of distant stars.
With our ears we detect the vibrations in the nitrogen and oxygen that swaddle our planet.
Liquids can be felt and tasted. All of these manifestations of physical reality can be interpreted as
beautiful: beautiful music, voices or merely the sound of the wind; lovely trees, flowers, twilights,
faces, shapes and points of light from distant galaxies; feelings like soft, smooth, sensuous or
stimulating; fragrance of flowers and flavors like chocolate and nectar.
At the same time, our perception of the universe is punctuated with concepts like ugly, jarring
and foul. Our warm, snuggly feelings are outlined by cold, fear and loneliness. The joy, beauty
and pleasure that comes to us as the world unfolds is haunted by pain and sorrow. Yet the
changing, healing, learning and growing, that can be so painful and fraught with loss, bring us
step by step to the awareness of the sublime.
Picking up the trash from the floor, the yard or the street is an example of cleanliness, but one
person's trash is another person's treasure. Big old wheels with wooden spokes and iron rims and
hubs, wheels from old buckboards and stagecoaches, are often found decorating the driveways of
modern homes. Yet, discarded tires and rims from cars and trucks, left lying in the yard or
propped up against a fence, scream "trash." Where is the line to be drawn? Discarded glass
bottles are to be thrown away or recycled, except for the ones that are collectible merely because
they are old, or obsolete, or beautiful, or blue .
We each must decide for ourselves the parameters of cleanliness, and we need also to accept that
the boundaries will change as we grow. What was a fascinating toy for a child, a car, a house or a
fortress, becomes an old cardboard box that needs to be thrown away. Clothes that were essential
for the young romantic become discarded rags bound for the thrift store. We fill the refrigerator
with succulent fruit, vegetables, meats and pastries, but when we clean it out we are removing
stale, rancid, wilted and fermented garbage.
Ultimately, the only standards that matter are our own. Our clothes grow worn, but comfortable
as well. A little dirt never hurt anyone.
| Yoga for Carnivores by Jay Dyck |