Yoga and The Art of Shoemaking
“To cover all the earth with sheets of hide-
Where could such amounts of skin be found?
But simply wrap some leather around your feet,
And it’s as if the whole earth had been covered!”
-Shantideva, “The Way of The Bodhisattva” (5.13)*
The above passages written by the eighth-century sage Shantideva is one of my favorites from the Yoga tradition because it provides clear insight into the path of Yoga. The analogy suggests that the earth has a lot of rough edges, hot surfaces, broken glass, and sharp rocks and that we’ve been walking around barefoot. Our feet are all cut up and we’re suffering. Suddenly, we have an idea: cover the surface of the whole world with leather (or some smooth vegan alternative!). This approach sounds good in theory, but it is, of course, impossible. The other approach, for which Shantideva is advocating, is to “simply wrap some leather around your feet.” In other words, if you want to protect your feet, make yourself a good pair of shoes and wear them.
The first approach is the approach of fixing everything and everyone else. It’s the path of making the world perfect for us… getting rid of all the outer causes of our suffering. This mentality goes something like this: “If only X, Y and Z happened, I’d be happy”. It’s “me-first” thinking versus the kind of thinking that says “let’s heal and help everyone, the whole situation.” The cover the whole world with leather approach fails miserably because it puts us at war with the present moment… with our lives as they are. Despite the fact that our problems can’t be solved with this approach, people everywhere take this approach anyway. And when things don’t work out many of us find ourselves, to use Einstein’s definition of insanity, “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” There are many fantastic examples throughout history, and many in our own lives I’m sure.
Sooner or later, however, we hopefully realize the futility of this approach and choose the other one, the way of making and wearing shoes. This is the yogic approach. With his Metaphor, Shantidevi is essentially saying that if you want to be happy you need to train and tame your mind, then regardless of the world’s provocations – the external circumstances – you can find, to quote the Buddha, “an unshakable freedom of heart.”
The yogic approach doesn’t have any striving or future orientation in it. We start with our present circumstances – with our own mind-body – right here, right now. We start by accepting what is. By doing this, over and over again, we are essentially saying that we are ready to work with our conditioning and habitual patterns, that we are ready to get real. While there is discipline and focus in this approach, it as well is balanced by compassion, patience and non-attachment. Does this mean that we will have all joys and no sorrows? No. However, through our courage to make and wear shoes – to train our minds from moment-to-moment – we expand our capacity to greet each joy and sorrow with more equanimity, compassion, wisdom and openness. Regardless of what arises, be it pleasure or pain, gain or loss, happiness or sorrow, fame or ill repute, we can find a certain steadiness of mind and openness of heart amongst it all. And things do get better. Healing and transformation happens. We experience more sukha (happiness or ease) and less dukha (suffering).
Sure sounds better than a thorn in your foot! Until next time, enjoy your practice and happy shoe making!!
*Translated by Padmakara Translation Group
