APARIGRAHA: A PATH TO INNER PEACE
I love the Urban Dictionary. You get to figure out things like what does “WAP” mean (don’t look it up if you do not know) or anything else that you hear the kids seeing nowadays. It is interesting how words can be created, but also adopt a new meaning. You know that a noun is succeeding when it can also become a verb. Uber was not always meant to be a verb, but now you can say “I need to order an Uber so I can Uber to the Uber office in the city, that would be uber cool.” My favorite noun that has gained verb usage is not a business, but a person. Shoutout to Marie Kondo because I have heard the phrase “I am about to Marie Kondo my whole entire house” more than a few times. That is beautiful and it just sounds like Asian success. I do not think it is an accident that Marie Kondo swept the world literally and figuratively.
Kondo was obsessed with creating clean spaces to enrich the lives of the inhabitants. Whether it was a house or a kondo (I had to)\, she made massive changes by just getting rid of a few things and getting to the bare minimum needed. Her book “The Secret Magic of Tidying Up” first helped influence people to learn her principles of keeping a house clean and how that affected your well-being and even people around you. Her book did so well, that she even had a Netflix show where she cleaned people’s homes. Even though I only saw the beginning and end of every episode (since I would flash forward to their reaction), she really helped people. Marie Kondo is from Japan, but these teachings of non-possessiveness and getting rid of the clutter is a big part of yogic teaching as well. However it is not called “Marie Kondo”, but Aparigraha.
Aparigraha means “non-possessiveness” or “non-greed”. It refers to just holding on to what is necessary and letting go of what is not. As a photographer, this is a constant struggle for me because there are so many cameras you can get, then there are the lenses, then the lighting, then any other accessory that you might need. There is an acronym in the photographer/videographer community that describes the never-ending search for more things that make you marginally better as a creator. The acronym is GAS, which means gear acquisition syndrome. I absolutely have that and have bought way too many lenses and even camera bodies. This past year, I have one camera that I typically use for photo shoots and I honestly have a single lens, but I have had more fun on these shoots with one lens than I have ever in the past. My 35mm lens makes me feel like I have all that I need.
Aparigraha is a path to peace because it helps you know and believe that what you have and who you are is more than enough. I think it is a very important value to hold onto and to live by in this consuming culture. Here are some of the ways to value Aparigraha in your life.
TRY RENTING
Every thing in this life is borrowed. Deepak Chopra talks about non-attachment as a spiritual law of success. One thing that he was mentioning is that with your possessions, nothing is really owned. Every thing that we have in this life is borrowed for this time that we are here on earth because you can lose it any time. An interesting analogy he mentioned was when you compare how you feel about “owning” a car vs just renting one.
Imagine going on vacation then renting a car, but you got in an accident. Yes, you would be a little stressed about insurance (hopefully you made the decision to pay the extra $17/day to get insurance). But you would not really care about the car, you would probably be more stressed about the inconvenience then the damage to the car. But if you were driving your own car and somebody rear ended you or side swiped you, then it would probably make you want to throw hands or start yelling at the other person. When you own something, you might be tempted to hold onto it too tightly. However when you are just renting, things can come and go as they please.
Applying Aparigraha to your possessions can lead to you holding onto things less tightly. So if somebody hit your car, it would not affect you as much. If someone took your sunglasses it probably wouldn’t hurt too much.
MORE MINIMALISM
I would say that my style is focused on minimalism. I really do not have a ton of colors in my closet and it makes me happy to know that over time I have bought pretty expensive items, but many of those such things I have had in my closet for years. When it comes to fashion, minimalism looks like basic styles, neutral colors, and multi-purpose clothing.
Capsule wardrobes are one of those newly mainstream ideas. A capsule closet is when you have a small wardrobe, but you are able to wear all of the pieces together in different combinations. That means that you are making the most out of what you have and using your own creativity to try and piece outfits together. I love this because it proves to you that what you have is already good enough.
One of my favorite recipe websites is the Minimalist Baker. She has all these great recipes (many of them vegan and gluten-free) that consist of only a few items. Some of her recipes will have 3-5 things, but they still taste better than most other recipes out there. She is the minimalist baker because wants to prove to you that what you have is already good enough and that you do not need excess.
TRUSTING IN THAT THING
California is such a beautiful place and one of the reasons why so many people think so is because of the diversity that exists in this state. There are so many types of people here in California and it is a beautiful thing, but one thing that you notice after being here for years is that spirituality differs so much depending on where you live. Los Angeles is the home of the Church of Scientology, San Francisco probably has more people going to “Burning Man” than going to church, and we have all other types of religion scattered throughout the whole entire state.
I would say that I still identify as being a Christian, but I would not say that I really associate myself with mainstream Christianity. I believe in God and that he/she created this universe that we belong to. I also believe that Jesus was God, but I also believe in the teachings of the Buddha and that I can learn from so many other religions. My core belief is that God created this world with love and intention and that God wants the best for all of us in this life. Learning to trust God has been a focus of mine, but also an intention. I want to live a life believing that God will one day work things out for me.
This might be one of the harder ways to practice Aparigraha, but it can also be the most important. Trusting in God, the universe, or whatever name you call your source is believing that you do not need more to earn your value or to find joy. But that you are enough as you are and that you, with all your imperfections, are a beautiful creation.
Aparigraha is a key to finding peace because you will realize that you never had to find out, but it was always there and you do not need anything else.