Sacred Vs. Survival Language
Lo Sagrado vs. Lenguaje de supervivencia --por Vyaas Houston*Avidya es la definición de un yo que no es el yo; con felicidad en lo que en realidad es sufrimiento; con pureza en lo que realmente es impureza; y permanencia en lo que es realmente impermanente.
Avidya describe perfectamente la naturaleza de un lenguaje de supervivencia. Un lenguaje de supervivencia está impregnado de avidya. Mientras quién soy esté definido por ese lenguaje, seguiré siendo víctima de un círculo vicioso sin fin.
La pregunta es: ¿por qué elegiríamos un lenguaje que nos mantiene en un perpetuo juicio sobre nosotr@s mism@s? El caso es que nunca elegimos el lenguaje. Siempre ha existido y, cuando éramos niños, no nos dieron otras opciones. Mientras no rediseñemos conscientemente la forma en que usamos el lenguaje, permaneceremos bajo el efecto del pasado, condicionados por el lenguaje mismo del pasado a repetir los patrones del pasado, una y otra vez.
La diferencia más destacada entre un lenguaje sagrado y uno de supervivencia es la definición, orientación y uso en el lenguaje de la palabra "yo". “Yo” o su equivalente es la fuente del lenguaje. Sin yo no hay tú, él, ella o ello. La evolución de la palabra "yo" hacia un lenguaje complejo es un proceso de creación. En el desarrollo de un lenguaje sagrado, el proceso es consciente; el lenguaje es una emanación, una creación, un instrumento del “yo”. En una lengua de supervivencia, el “yo” es un efecto de los patrones culturales ya establecidos inconscientemente por la lengua.
En sánscrito, incluso los sonidos que forman la palabra "yo" se seleccionan conscientemente. AHAM. "A" es el primer sonido hablado, así como el primer sonido del alfabeto sánscrito. Se puede descubrir respirando, dentro y con la boca ligeramente abierta, liberando el aliento con un sonido que requiera el mínimo esfuerzo. Surge naturalmente en la garganta antes de la articulación de todos los demás sonidos. "HA" es la última letra del alfabeto sánscrito. Después de que todos los patrones sistemáticos creados por el movimiento de la lengua y los labios hayan producido en perfecto orden todas las demás letras del alfabeto, el sonido final es "HA". También es el único sonido consonante que se mueve únicamente con el poder de la respiración, y la única consonante que se encuentra exactamente cerca de la “A”. La letra final “M” es el último sonido que se produce en la boca, porque se produce debido al cierre de los labios. En sánscrito, AHAM es el comienzo, el aliento de vida que produce la creación y el fin. Y esto se expresa no sólo simbólicamente con las letras A-H-A-M, sino físicamente, según su ubicación en la boca.
Preguntas semilla para la reflexión: ¿Cómo te relacionas con la noción de diferencia entre supervivencia y lenguaje sagrado? ¿Puedes compartir una experiencia personal de un momento en el que rediseñaste conscientemente tu forma de utilizar el lenguaje? ¿Qué te ayuda a tomar conciencia del tipo de lenguaje que estás utilizando?
*(Nota de la traductora) La avidya: la ignorancia. El término avidya significa “nesciencia” o “ignorancia” y es un sinónimo de ajñana, es decir, ignorancia espiritual. Según el Yogasutra, es el primero y el más importante de los cinco kleshas (las causas de sufrimiento que atan a los seres humanos al ciclo de renacimiento).
Excerpted from this article.
SEED QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION: How do you relate to the notion of the difference between survival and sacred language? Can you share a personal experience of a time you consciously redesigned how you used language? What helps you become aware of the kind of language you are using?
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9 Past Reflections
On Jul 6, 2024 Charlotte wrote :
There is a wonderful YouTube video of Fr Richard Rohr [Becoming Stillness] in which he recounts at the end of his speech that the Hebrew word for "Jehovah" is made by inhalation and exhalation, breathing in and out. In other words "God" is in our breath, the first "word" we speak at birth and the last "word" we speak at death. All in all.
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On Jul 2, 2024 Lisa Maroski wrote :
These questions about language and consciousness--becoming aware of our assumptions about them--have been a source of deep inquiry for the past 20 years or so. There are assumptions built into language at many different levels, from the sounds and scripts through the metaphors and logic to the assumptions of the culture that are built into its language. Because of all those layers of interdependencies, language is quite resilient--it basically allows for only neologisms. However, I think we need to question more of the underlying assumptions and devise not just new words but also new structures, ones that embrace our expanding consciousness. Thank you, Vyaas, for bringing out these issues. They are important for future humanity!
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On Jul 2, 2024 Andy wrote :
This resonates with my realisation of common use of negative language. For example, protest groups, although protesting about bad/negative issues, use negative language, whereas religious language is usually positive, i.e. hope based. Positive thinking gives rise to positive language and benefits mental health. Negative thinking will cause downward spiraling negativity and depression.
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On Jul 2, 2024 David Doane wrote :
I think the author is saying survival language is the language of the culture, the language we are conditioned into, and is the language of conditioned me, and I better understand that language to survive in the culture. Sacred language is the language of real me, the language of my truth, and I better be aware of sacred language to thrive and not be a robot of the culture. In my twenties, when I began finding out who I am compared to who the culture says I am, I began paying attention to the language I use. I see language as important. Language is the vehicle of me. Language defines me and I want to express me accurately. Language also defines the world to me, and I want language that accurately does that, which means I often dig into word etymology to get more accurate meaning. I want language that is based in truth, not disconnected from truth.
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On Jul 2, 2024 Sandy Weiner wrote :
Thank you, Vyaas, such a beautiful, heartwarming and meaningful sharing that touched in my inner knowing as truth and clarity. I am very grateful. with Metta, Sandy
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On Jul 1, 2024 Afzal wrote :
Everything is patterned on AHAM. It begins with breathing in and breathing out and then ending with closing of the mouth with no breathing. Language is what makes or mars. A sacred language is what makes the speaker's as well as the listener's survival possible.
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On Jun 30, 2024 Jagannatha Das wrote :
A-HA-M.
In-breath - Out-breath - End.
The cycle of breathing. And that this same combination of sounds „aham“ is the Sanskrit word for the pronoun „I“, is beautiful. Thank you for sharing this.
What I remember about this Sanskrit word is the phrase that goes "Aham Brahmasmi“. And knowing its etymology, makes it even more profound.
The direct translation of this term stems from three Sanskrit roots:
Aham, meaning "I"
Brahma, a name for the Hindu creator god which can also be translated as "divine" or "sacred"
Asmi, meaning "am".
(Quoted from yogapedia.com / aham-brahmasmi)
"I am the breath of life, the spirit soul emanating from Brahma (God)“.
🙏Namaste🙏
In-breath - Out-breath - End.
The cycle of breathing. And that this same combination of sounds „aham“ is the Sanskrit word for the pronoun „I“, is beautiful. Thank you for sharing this.
What I remember about this Sanskrit word is the phrase that goes "Aham Brahmasmi“. And knowing its etymology, makes it even more profound.
The direct translation of this term stems from three Sanskrit roots:
Aham, meaning "I"
Brahma, a name for the Hindu creator god which can also be translated as "divine" or "sacred"
Asmi, meaning "am".
(Quoted from yogapedia.com / aham-brahmasmi)
"I am the breath of life, the spirit soul emanating from Brahma (God)“.
🙏Namaste🙏
Post Your Reply
On Jun 28, 2024 Jagdish P Dave wrote :
There are two ways we use language. One way is for survival and the other way is for evolving our consciousness. The author of this article, Vyaas Huston, uses two different phrases to differentiate the two modes of communication: survival language and sacred language. According to my understanding, we need survival language to meet basic mundane needs such as food, water, clothing , shelter, and mate. We also need to evolve on a higher level of living, to evolve on a higher level of consciouness, from me to we, from mundane to sacred.
The challenge is how to evolve from survival to sacred. According to my experience we need the helping hands of caretakers, to not fall down and hurt ourselves and others, and to slowly and gradually move up on our own. Parents can provide good modeling to their children. I was blessed to have such elders in my life. They would provide help when needed and let me walk on my path freely.
My parents used to tell me in Gujarati, my mother tongue, 'Vic... [View Full Comment]