My teacher, Mr. Ramaswami, told me this story in an advanced training program with him a few years ago. Whenever I tell it I try to get out of the way and imagine the students are hearing it directly from him.
Born Owing Three Debts
Another beautiful day in our Shiva Yoga training! Today is our last day of the first week. It's been busy. Long days, with barely time to eat and rest. At the end of the day, I feel very satisfied and fulfilled, though. I love sharing these teachings. It is our responsibility to share what we are learning with others. That way everyone can benefit from the teachings. There's a story I shared with my students, that my teacher, Srivatsa Ramaswami, told during my training with him--
We are all born owing three debts... The first debt we owe is to our mother and father for giving us this vehicle for our soul to use for this lifetime. The way we repay this debt is to lead a good life, and, if it's part of our karma, provide a vehicle for another soul, by having children of our own. The second debt we owe is to the sun. Without the sun, none of us would be here. We repay this debt, by thanking the sun each morning for another beautiful day. The third debt we owe is to our teachers, and to their teachers. It is so incredible that we have (and can make use of) the teachings of our teachers. The way we repay this debt, is by sharing what we have learned with others. We pass on to others the teachings, the same way the teachings were passed on to us. Everyone can use this incredible yoga technology to find peace and achieve Self realization.
