In Patanjali's Yamas and Niyamas,
The principle Ashteya is non-stealing.
For most of us,
Stealing in the obvious form of taking another's possession is,
I hope,
Rare.
But there are lesser,
More subtle forms of stealing that we participate in all the time.
Some of us are apt to steal others' time or attention with elements of our being that are quite unnecessary.
We steal from ourselves.
We steal our opportunities to live in the magnificence of the present by stealing time,
Our dwelling in the past and future.
So there are many forms of stealing that are not obvious to us,
Many ways in which we rob ourselves or others of precious opportunities.
We steal from the earth.
And this is not something that we explore in order to create shame or guilt or to feel badly,
Even,
But rather to be aware,
Acutely aware of the sense of lack that fuels our subtle forms of stealing.
And as we become aware of these forms of lack,
There's a transformation that can take place in us from stealing,
Which is born out of a sense of inner poverty and lack,
To an attitude,
A mindset,
A way of being that is simply generous.
And that generosity is a huge transformation.
Patanjali says that in the presence of one who's established in ashteya,
All wealth comes.
This is to say that when we embody generosity,
Our life becomes full,
Our life becomes abundant,
Maybe materially,
But first,
Before materially,
At the level of the soul,
We are filled,
We are full.
