ways of depriving others of what is rightfully theirs-honor and repu
tation for example.
Before I deal with the fourth yama, continence, I will say a word
on the fifth, which links to the third, non-stealing. The fifth is non
covetousness, modesty of life (aparigrahah). It means living without ex
cess and obviously the two ideas contained there are that one's own
excess might lead to deprivation for another and that excess is in itself
a corrupting force. It leads to the bondage of sensuality and a desire
through possessions to expand the ego. It is me, me, me by means of
my, my, my. If that is your attitude, the Inward Journey is reduced to
farce from its outset. That does not imply that the creation of wealth
is an evil in itself, simply that we must not hoard it like a miser. Wealth
that is not redistributed will stagnate and poison us. Wealth is energy,
and energy is intended to circulate. Look at your car. How much elec
trical energy is stored in the battery? Not much, just enough to start it
in the morning and switch on the headlights. If the car is just left in the
garage, the battery runs down and the energy is dissipated. But when
the car moves, it generates great energy, replenishes the battery and
fulfils all the needs of the car to function, including the heater, air
conditioner, windshield wipers, and radio. Energy needs to flow, or its
source withers. By covetousness or miserly clinging on, we stop energy
from flowing, from creating more energy, and eventually, by this offence
against a natural law, it is we who are impoverished and poisoned by
our own hoarding of life's riches.
I come lastly to the fourth yama, continence or celibacy (brahma
carya), because it raises such strong reactions among the public. To most
people, brahmacarya simply means that if you want to be a spiritual
person then you should be permanently celibate. However, since it would
presumably be a good thing if the whole world wanted to become spir
itual, we would soon have a planet populated only by dogs and cats and
cows. If God has intentions, I cannot believe that this is one of them.
Sexual self-control is something else. I always wanted a wife and
II K S I Y I' N (; II I\