I see your hair is burning

What a glorious day! Really, Kevin, glorious? Sure, even when you take into consideration that I didn't get a massage, have profound tantric sex, go down a bitchin' water slide, or eat a warm and buttery piece of fried dough. The weather was magnificent, the creatures of nature came alive as if it were mid-June. Had a satisfying day at work. Read from Autobiography Of A Yogi at work and plan on doing some more later. Yup, today - heck, I'd say the last several days - have been quite alright.

The section from Autobiography Of A Yogi that I read about today concerned The Tiger Swami. In his youth, Paramhansa Yogananda and a friend visited him hoping to hear tales of his legendary battles with tigers. It had been said that his prowess was due to his strong build and enormous will.

When they arrived at his home, a servant let them in and they were led into The Tiger Swami's bedroom, where he was sitting on his bed clad only in a tiger skin loincloth. The youths, barely able to contain themselves, pressed him about his former life as tiger fighter.

"My sons, it is nothing to me to fight tigers", he said. "You look upon tigers as tigers; I know them as pussycats". He then stressed the overarching importance of the mind over physical force.

"Mind is the wielder of muscles. The force of the hammer blow depends on the energy applied; the power expressed by a man's bodily instrument depends on his aggressive will and courage. The body is literally manufactured and sustained by mind.

"Outward frailty has mental origin; in a vicious circle, the habit-bound body thwarts the mind. If the master allows himself to be commanded by a servant, the latter becomes autocratic; the mind is similarly enslaved by submitting to bodily dictation."

His father believed it was wrong what his son was doing and begged him to cease fighting. The swami was stubborn and refused in youthful arrogance. As a last resort, his father reluctantly told him that a Yogi had once intimated to him that his son would be mauled if he fought again. And that it would take him six months to heal. Once he was mended, he would devote his life to spiritual pursuits.

Even though it was unwise to not heed the word of a Yogi, the swami refused to listen. Not long after, while visiting a nearby city, he was instantly recognized on the streets. The prince caught wind of his presence and had him summoned to the palace, where he called upon the swami to fight his prized Bengal tiger. If he won, he would be showered with riches. If he lost, he would be ridiculed and shamed for the rest of his days.

The swami accepted the prince's offer and walked over to the tiger, who had not been fed in days. He would be hungry for blood. At once he lunged at the swami and mangled his hand.. The swami managed to fight back and battered the tiger with his good hand. A fierce battle ensued until finally the swami was able to knock the tiger unconscious. Or so he thought. As he was leaving the cage, the tiger attacked him from behind. Fortunately for the swami, he was able to deliver one final blow that put the tiger to sleep. He left the palace, his reputation intact.
The Yogi's prophecy came to pass, though, and the swami, suffering from his infected wounds, staved off death for six months. When he recovered, he sought out the Yogi and began his spiritual quest.

And I'm going to continue mine and meditate.

Peace.