Tapasya

Gentle violence
Unhurried speed
Patient action

A passion to succeed, indifference to results
Striving for perfection, embracing deepest flaws
Constancy of purpose, riding on the tide of no fixed self

The friction of these opposites
Fuels a furnace, forging liberation
Breath, mind, stillness, movement intertwined
Tempering a weapon flexible and strong

Offered in return, burnt at this altar:
Second-rate movies
Paperback delights
Lingering over dinner with a beer
Sleep
Time stolen from a comfortable life

Embraced austerities
For what?
A modicum of wisdom
The recognition that a feeling is a feeling
Release from the recursive drama playing out with “I, me, mine”
Anchored in experience
Rewiring the brain
To be a touch less harsh
A bit more kind

And sometimes, rarely
Ecstasy
Or, at least
A measure of content

It’s worth returning to this practice, time and time again