When the desire for freedom from all suffering arises, the next thought that usually comes is “What to do?” Our mind is looking for a new skill to acquire, a new problem to solve, a new practice to master.

With that, new bondage is created as we naturally transfer our old habits of grasping to a fresh and more noble goal of liberation. Can you relate to this? I can certainly see myself doing it with more courses, retreats, daily practices. But of course, this strategy (and any other strategy) can only fail.

Papaji’s transmission to the world was that freedom is neither doing, nor not-doing - it is our very nature. So what to practice then?

Papaji: “No practice. Let me give you an example. One day a dhobi [washer-man] was down by a river when a lion appeared to drink. A hunter in the bushes shot the lion. He only wanted the skin. While skinning the lion, he pulled out a baby lion and left it on the bank.

The dhobi took the baby and cared for it. The baby followed the dhobi everywhere. When it grew big enough, the dhobi put his washing on the young lion’s back, along with the donkeys. So the lion grew up carrying washing on his back and being treated like one of the donkeys.

One day, a lion was hunting and came upon the donkeys grazing and eating grass.

“How could this be?” thought the lion. “Donkey is natural, good food, and there is a lion eating grass!” So the lion jumped out of the bush and started following the herd. All the donkeys started running. The tame lion ran also. He was afraid, just like the donkeys. The hunter lion chased and caught the tame lion. He jumped on him and knocked him to the grass.

The tame lion was very afraid. “Please, sir, please don’t eat me,” he said. “Let me go and join the others”

“But you are a lion,” the one on top replied.

“No, sir, I am a donkey.”

The hunter lion took his charge back to the river.

“Look at your reflection,” he said. “We are the same.”

The tame lion looked at the water and saw too lions look back.

“Now roar,” said the hunter lion. And the other lion roared!

It is as simple as that. Don’t practice being a lion. Roar!”

Extract from dear teacher Eli Jaxon-Bear’s book “Wake up and Roar: Satsang with Papaji”

With Love,

Iri