Dedicated to fostering ecological consciousness, reverence and action in the Yoga community.
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Water As Wellspring of LIfe
Water in Yogic Practice
By Christopher Key Chapple, Ph.D.
Excerpted from remarks at the Parliament of World’s Religions in Barcelona in July, 2004.
In my research, the earliest description of a
water meditation that I have found is from the
Visuddhi Magga, a fourth century Buddhist text.
Specific instructions are given to place clear water
in a bowl and gaze upon it. One is to go off to a
quiet place to focus one’s attention to water for
an extended time. As one gazes upon the water,
one repeats various words associated with water,
including water in a general sense (apo), water in
the form of rain (ambu), all liquids (udaka), dew
(vari), and fluids (salila). The purification through
this process allows one’s awareness to expand.
As part of my own multi-year training in classical
Yoga, we engaged in the process described
above over a period of several months. In gazing
upon water for about 20 minutes on a twice-daily
basis over a period of several weeks, several connections
arose. Water as sustenance for plants
became particularly immediate. At the time of the
practice, I lived on the edge of a truck farm and
walked each morning through the farm area and a
forest preserve to attend classes. At times, the water
would pool up in the furrows of the ploughed
ground. At other times, white snow would cover
the earth with water’s special solid form,
and would then give way to pools of moisture
and mud.
Having focused my gaze on water during
the sitting period, the "rising up" period
immediately following yielded wonderful
reveries on the life giving and pervasive
powers of water. As the rows of onions
sprang forth with the spring thaw, and as
the dogwoods and azaleas burst forth in
flower, I felt a special connection with and
gratitude to the water that allowed the return
of life, a return that repeats with each
yearly cycle.
Simultaneously, and spontaneously, I felt an
inner connection with water. While I sat, I felt the
inner pool of water in the form of saliva in my
mouth. This water felt at times as vast as a lake,
and resided like a reservoir within my own flesh.
Often, I would reflect during this dharana exercise
on the scientific fact that more than 80% of our
body consists of water, and truly celebrate the
times I spent with water, with the Atlantic Ocean,
with Long Island sound, and with the Nissequogue
River.
Water in Jainism
The Jaina tradition, noted for its rigorous observance
of nonviolence (ahimsa), brings unique perspectives
to the same five elements revered in all
Indic religious systems...According to the earliest
texts, water, like the other three great elements of
earth, fire, and air, possesses consciousness and
the sense of touch. In other words, when we
touch water, reciprocally, water (or any other element)
feels the intensity of our contact, the
warmth of our hand, the squeeze of our esophagus.
We need to treat all elements gingerly to
avoid causing pain or harm.
Christopher Key Chapple, Ph.D., is professor of theological
studies and director of the Yoga Philosophy program
at Loyola Marymount University. His published books
include Hinduism and Ecology, Jainism and Ecology:
Nonviolence in the Web of Life, and Nonviolence to Animals,
Earth, and Self in Asian Traditions.
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