Yoga Wisdom

Yoga Sutras II.39 “Understanding of why births occur is founded in non-possessiveness.”

Possessiveness leads to attachment and aversion.  Before the actual realization dawns that all is consciousness and we are all of that, it may be helpful to imagine that happiness and peace are not achieved by the possessions we can gather and hold on to.  Neither is it had by acquiring something that appears to make another happy.  The down side of possessiveness is the great propensity it can create to disturb the mind.  It also greats an inertia towards desiring more and so worrying more in the event of losing what is gained. 

Traditionally speaking, the reason births occur is due to the presence of desire in the soul.  When there is a desire, the universe creates an opportunity for that desire to be had.  If that opportunity requires a new experience to be birthed, then that is what occurs.  The yama of non-possessiveness is extolled so that it is easy to relate to objects and people without attachment, and also to end the tedious wheel of rebirth.  Contrary to popular belief, we are not here to see how much we can “get into”, but to exhaust our desires so that we can direct our attention to what really matters, figuring out who we really are.