The Peace Pilgrim

Yoga is built upon a foundation of moral disciplines called Yamas and Niyamas. These precepts are common to most cultures: do not steal, do not harm, do not hoard, speak the truth, etc. Asteya (truthfulness) and Ahimsa (non-violence) are important aspects of any spiritual life, and readily embraced.
 
But when it comes to Aparigrapha (non-hoarding), there is less written about, and fewer examples of this in our modern culture. Many of our spiritual role models, after all, have cars or bank accounts, or at the least, an institution that provides for them, often beyond their level of need.

The best example of Aparigrapha that I have found in our modern culture is seen in the life of the Peace Pilgrim. This silver-haired Grandmother undertook a 28-year pilgrimage for peace, walking 25,000 miles, criss-crossing the United States. She carried only what she needed—a water bottle, what she had in her pockets, and a sweatshirt that said "Peace Pilgrim.” She never asked for a ride, but if a ride was offered, she never turned it down, even if they were going the 'wrong way.’  She never asked for food. If food was not offered, she assumed that God meant for her to fast. Likewise, she never turned down food if it was offered, even if she had just eaten.

Her example speaks to a deep faith in the universe. For most of us, fasting is an act of will that feeds our ego. For the Peace Pilgrim, fasting was an act of surrender to the will of God.

She beautifully exemplifies the principal of Aparigrapha. She spoke often about the relinquishment of attachments, and the need to simplify life. As she said, material things are here for our use, and anything you cannot relinquish when it has outlived its usefulness, possesses you. She also applied this to other people--living in harmony with your fellow humans can only occur if you have no feeling that you possess them. The Peace Pilgrim touched thousands of lives in her journeys across America and continues to do so, long after her passing, through the collected stories of those who met her on the road. You can learn more about this remarkable woman, and the lives she touched at www.peacepilgrim.com .
 

Upon inspection, it is easy to see that hoarding has little to do with external objects and every thing to do with our attitudes towards those objects. Attachment to objects, draws our attention away from the sacred. If our happiness is conditional upon accumulated wealth (which can always be taken away) we must protect what we have and work to possess what we still desire. In so doing, we distance ourselves from the sacred, our happiness fades and we respond by chasing more material wealth.
 
Harmony, in one who has mastered Aparigrapha is found within, not without. As the concepts of 'My' and 'Mine' fade away, we are able to loosen our grip on the fragments of the universe that we hold so tight, and in letting go of the fragments, we discover the whole. Namaste’

Thanks from Yoga.com to author Charles MacInerney, a well regarded yoga teacher in Austin, Texas. He leads yoga retreats, classes, and teacher training programs. See his website at http://www.yogateacher.com . This was published in his Expanding Paradigms newsletter.