Centered -Self centered

I was gifted a pilgrimage to Sri Lanka and India from a yoga student in 2015. Here, I was sitting in Bodhgaya participating in the Kagyu Monlam. What a spectacle! It was magnificent. Practising for hours beside people from all around the world. Many chanting, prostrating, camping, meditating, and circumambulating the temple and grounds. Drums and bells ringing at random and also in rhythms. Garlands of yellow and orange marigolds hung everywhere. People tucked in corners of gardens meditating and contemplating the experience.

I set myself up on the marble exterior of the temple and began my practice, looking at the cool white texture in front of me. No doubt, self-conscious, until my mind settled. I had been there for a few hours when it came to me, as clear as the bells. When you’re in the centre of the mandala, be wise. Move off centre to the edges, to the peripheral. Be on the edges with a centred self rather than self centred. 

When I find myself spinning in self-absorption, this message returns to me. I move off to a more centred-self that rides the edge of the merry-go-round rather than holding onto my position in the centre. It's often a wild ride! Experiencing wildness from a centred-self, rather than a self-centredness: that’s my path.