This blog is dedicated to all the priceless entities.

Vipassana meditation retreats that I keep mentioning in my blogs are free – they are run on a pay it forward or donation basis. You pay with what you can and pay only if you want – a lot of people come back and volunteer for another course as it is a completely volunteer run retreat.

The reason I mention this is because in one of his discourses Goenka Ji says, “What price will you pay for this teaching? This teaching is invaluable.” And I am beginning to realize more and more how invaluable it is. It helps us get out of the suffering that comes from being in the human predicament. If Buddha hadn’t figured a way out we would have to do it on our own. Buddha went through lifetimes to find this invaluable jewel – it is truly priceless.

Similarly, if you have gone to yoga class – the sequence of asanas has a reason behind it. And the asana itself – why lift your leg only this way, why not do only the right side – there is a lot of science and art behind it. Imagine coming up with a yoga sequence, be it Ashtanga – Iyengar – Bikram.

Ashtanga Yoga is a system of yoga transmitted to the modern world by Sri K. Pattabhi Jois (1915-2009). This method of yoga involves synchronizing the breath with a progressive series of postures—a process producing intense internal heat and a profuse, purifying sweat that detoxifies muscles and organs. The result is improved circulation, a light and strong body, and a calm mind.

How would we ever put a price on yoga?

Creativity is another example. We recently went to a Taiko performance by a Japanese Group Dadan.

There was a moment during the performance where I had tears in my eyes and I am not the sentimental type. But the energy and the creativity is so pure that you connect with it at such a deeper level that it stirs your soul and you experience a glimpse of the ultimate peace – that is priceless.

If you think about even the other items that have a price tag on it – for example a carrot – some farmer somewhere put the seed in, mother earth brought up the carrot along with little help from the weather elements like rain and sun. Someone plucked it, put it in truck, cleaned and through many other change of hands it ended up in the grocery store. Does the price tag take into account all that?

Another movement which is picking up some speed is the pay it forward movement. Pay it forward is an expression for describing the beneficiary of a good deed repaying it to others instead of to the original benefactor. An example of this is the Karma Kitchen – Imagine a restaurant where there are no prices on the menu and where the check reads $0.00 with only this footnote: “Your meal was a gift from someone who came before you. To keep the chain of gifts alive, we invite you to pay it forward for those who dine after you.”

This blog is my namaste to all these priceless items which have helped me in my life and without these it would be incomplete.