To go Up you have to go Down!
Sivarama Swami: In cities there are hundred-story buildings being built. But one thing that small and tall buildings have in common are foundations. In other words, before going up, you have to go down. It may appear contradictory, but that’s construction. And the further up you want to go — the taller the building you want to build, the deeper has to be your foundation.
Foundations are what hold up the building and its the same thing in life. If you have a goal, you have to set a foundation for it. If you want to be a surgeon, you have to invest in years of study and medical training. If you want to be a successful entrepreneur, you need to apprentice under one, learn the ropes and be patient.
These are the foundation.
So to go up to where we want to go, we always have to go down. And going down takes us to places that don’t always resemble our goal. Still,
that’s the foundation. And it’s the same with Yoga and with self-awareness. To really connect with the Supreme, we have to dutifully practice self-discipline, lead a regulated life and systematically study the truths of transcendence. These are foundations that will help us go up and connect with divinity.
To try to go up, without going down, is a waste of time. And to make an alternative to the authorised process… well its like building a house and
ignoring standard construction practices that are based on standard laws of physics and math. The result will be that the building will collapse and the builder will have wasted his time and money.
So remember, whatever your goal or goals in life are including selfawareness you need to do the standard, accepted methods of preparation.
Before going up, you have to go down.
– HH Sivarama Swami