Yoga and the Power of Love over hate

FDNY Memorial Wall, Lower Manhattan, September 11, 2024

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This month, I made a trek down to Lower Manhattan on 9/11. I try to go down there each year on this date, when I can. The searing images from 23 years ago of seeing the towers fall as I gazed out of my window in midtown will be with me for the rest of my life. Being down there earlier this month at those two sacred pools which are on the footprints of the twin towers helps me to not forget. Seeing the names of the victims etched into the walls around the pools helps me to remember that these were human beings, sentient beings like you and me. Watching the commemoration ceremony on TV and seeing family members read their names – always with much emotion in their voices – helps me to remember that the loss is still felt deeply by those closest. For me, it’s good to pause on this day, and reflect on how that day’s events can provide lessons for me as I try to live my best life for the rest of my life here on this Earth.

Pema Chödrön shared this story, The Wolf That Wins:

There was a story that was widely circulated a few days after the attacks of September 11, 2001, that illustrates our dilemma. A Native American grandfather was speaking to his grandson about violence and cruelty in the world and how it comes about. He said it was as if two wolves were fighting in his heart. One wolf was vengeful and angry, and the other wolf was understanding and kind. The young man asked his grandfather which wolf would win the fight in his heart. And the grandfather answered, “The one that wins will be the one I choose to feed.”

Clearly, we see many examples currently in the outer world that show the results of people choosing to feed the wolf of vengeance and anger. But as yogis, I think, the important task at hand is to move inward and try to feed our own inner wolves of understanding and kindness. 

Having turned 65 this year and entering into my “re-wirement” years, I can slow down a bit. I’m not chasing money and fame like I was in the 1st and 2nd chapters of my life. When I’m out on the streets, most often I’m not rushing to get somewhere, but rather I can take my time. It's a luxury I wish all beings could have. 

I know that when I am in a hurry and being impatient, that’s when I can easily succumb to feeding the wolf of anger and vengeance. An example of this in my personal life is that my neighborhood in midtown west Manhattan has become crowded and almost a bit dangerous in the last few years. The sidewalks are full of people – and often e-bikes, sadly. On the streets, cars are whizzing by and e-bikes (again) are often going in the wrong direction. You really have to look left and right before you cross the street. It’s gotten to the point that I don’t use my AirPods when I’m out and about so that I can have all my senses available to me to prevent possibly being hit. A few weeks back, I was in a hurry to get home and was making my way through a crosswalk on a green light signal when suddenly a car made a quick right turn through the crosswalk and nearly hit me. I remember in that moment wanting to feed the wolf of anger and vengeance, as that car nearly injured me. And I remember those feelings stayed with me for a few hours that night. 

But here’s the point of my story – I looked inside myself to see what changes I could make so that I would less likely be in a position to want to feed the wolf of anger and vengeance when I’m out there in my little world surrounding me. The awareness that came over me was that I can start by accepting that there are people out there who, when triggered, will cause harm to others. That is their karma that they’ll have to account for it. But for me, I can slow down and move more mindfully through the world, and in so doing I can lessen my feelings of anger and resentment. Walking with more awareness and light I can put myself in a better frame of mind to be able to feed the wolf of understanding and kindness, even as I’m traversing nearby busy Times Square, which some might say is the center of the Universe.

The Buddha’s core ethical teachings were compiled thousands of years ago into a text called the Dhammapada. At this time of year, I always like going back to it to reflect on these particular verses:

"Hatred is never ended by hatred - but by love [this is an eternal rule]"
Dhammapada verse 5

and

Many forget that we here must die,
For those who remember, quarrels end.
Dhammapada verse 6

For me, with each passing year and at this chapter of my life, it becomes much easier to remember that I won’t be around forever and ever. I certainly can’t make any promises to myself or anyone else that in my remaining lifetime all my quarrels will end. But I do often contemplate the need to come to peace with any quarrels within myself. At this point, I look back and think of the mistakes I’ve made, mistakes that were made out of the ignorance of youth, so to speak. Mistakes made while pursuing fame and fortune in my earlier years. And the sheer recognition of those mistakes makes it easier to understand how others can make similar kinds of mistakes. As spiritual beings, we’re all just trying to make some sense of what it means to have a human incarnation. It can either become a trap or be a springboard to more authentic joy and happiness – and humility.

Love evokes for me feelings of light, kindness, and understanding. It’s an ever upward spiral. Hatred evokes feelings of heaviness, anger, and vengeance. It’s a downward spiral.

I realize that you yourself may be in an earlier chapter of your life than I am, and may not have the luxury of time that I have. If I could share my sense of ease with you, I would. At the same time, I wish more than anything for you that you can carve out moments of mindful and expansive awareness in your life. And I hope that these moments can evoke feelings of love for all beings that will help to obliterate some of the hatred that is out there.

In your yoga asana practice, please do remember to feed the wolf of understanding and kindness for your body and its limitations. If you do, you will surely be closer on your way towards Enlightenment.

Finally, I invite you to listen to this very moving song called Dear Hate. I have a feeling it will make love grow within you and spiral you higher and higher.

May you be happy, …
May you be healthy, …
May you feed your wolf of understanding and kindness, ...
May your Love grow to become a powerful force, …
May your Love conquer hate, … both for your benefit and for the benefit of All Beings Everywhere.

Aloha and Metta,
Paul Keoni Chun

Light rising above darkness at one of the 9/11 Memorial Pools. Simply put - Love wins.

Almost full moon illuminated the midtown Manhattan skyline on September 16th. For me, it felt like a sign that even amidst all the darkness, there is still hope. Simply put - Love will find a way to pierce through.