Michelangelo’s Yoga

Tell me about him, (I said to Father Antonio, as we walked towards the Sistine Chapel.)

“We found him as a young boy, 10 years old, in a village at the outskirts of Florence. Even at that age, he had a remarkable interest in the scriptures. He would sit in prayer most of the day and never be bothered by the taunts of his friends who wanted him to come and join them in their frolicking in the city. Soon, he expressed an interest to enter the ministry. The Archbishop, in his wisdom decided it was too early an age for him to enter the holy path; and so he entrusted the boy in my care and asked me to take care of his learning till he became ready.”

This was after your visit to India? (I asked him)

“Yes. As you know, I had traveled around the world by then. I was in my 40’s. I wished to experience and understand the cultures of the world first-hand. I have a very open mind when it comes to learning about them. My travels had brought me to India and that is when I spent time with the teacher. How is he by the way?”

Still strict and keeping everyone disciplined, (I laughed). He sent his wishes to you.

“Thanks. I learnt a lot during my stay there. You can’t imagine the joy I feel seeing you now, after all these years. When I returned from my travels, I was considered a rebel by my brethren, for having spent time outside the boundaries of my religion. But the Archbishop accepted me. He felt any knowledge of the world and its practices can only enrich the ministry, by helping us connect with people from all walks of life.”

So, what went wrong? (I asked him, my thoughts returning to the boy.)

“The boy’s childhood was spent in Florence and I felt that he needed to see more of the world outside. Seeing his faith and popularity at such a young age, we felt he might be destined for great things someday. So, I decided to take him out of the safe, idle town he had grown up in and took him to many countries and churches around the world. The Archbishop blessed this venture. But the effect on the boy was totally contrary to what I had imagined it to be. All he saw was turmoil, pain, suffering in the world outside.

Shaken by it all, he has returned with a heavy heart and has spent his time mostly in prayer. He even fasted several times in the past few months to seek forgiveness for the wrong-doings of men. I am now tormented by doubt if what I did was the right thing for him. That is when I panicked and wrote to the teacher. I am sure you must have read my letter.”

(Gulp!)

(We entered the Sistine chapel and I paused to take in the glorious setting).

“Breathtaking, isn’t it?”,he remarked and I agreed wholeheartedly.

(We walked towards the inner chambers. Father Antonio knocked softly on one of the doors and we let ourselves in.

I saw the boy. He was probably 15 or 16 at most. He was deep in prayer. The room was sparsely furnished and there was no extravagance about his belongings, which were placed in the corner of the room.

We sat and waited for a few minutes till he finished his prayer.)

 

“Father Antonio, how are you?”, he greeted him and then noticed my presence.

(Father Antonio introduced me and told him about our conversation).

“Welcome to Rome”, he said.

Thank you, young prince (I said, bowing to him)

(He gave me a boyish grin). “Why do you call me that?”

Anyone whose heart is filled with faith, whose heart is moved by others’ suffering, whose faith is strong enough to undertake penance to try and erase the wrong-doings of others – is indeed a prince among men.

“But that is not enough”, he said, his facing becoming solemn.

What is weighing you down, prince?

“Faith is all I have. Faith is all I can teach; yet faith cannot be taught. The people I meet want to know what faith means; what is practical about it? How can it help them achieve the things they believe in life? How can it give them peace in a world shaken by tragedy and treachery, a world where powerful men choose to abuse their power, rather than use it to protect the weak? a world where the devil is creating more meaning for people than God?”

Let us not forget the scriptures, young prince. The devil you speak of has no power to create anything.

All it can do is distort the truth.

(He sat up in attention).

“Tell me more”.

You have asked very pertinent and deep questions, young prince. They are questions that have troubled many in the past who walked the path.

The crux of the issue is this: What is the difference between a life of belief and a life of faith?

To many people, the words mean the same

Yet the difference between these two words is enormous

Beliefs can be shaped; faith cannot be altered

Beliefs weaken us; faith strengthens us

Beliefs distort our perception of truth; faith clarifies our vision of truth

Beliefs lead us to error; faith leads us to truth

 

“Still, how can one communicate the difference? How can one share with others his understanding of this difference?”

Michelangelo, the great Renaissance artist, from your hometown of Florence, had the same question. As you know, he was a very religious man and his skills were much in demand; he was not comfortable seeing the extravagant ways and authority of the church in those days, and yet, most of his works were commissioned by the church. So, through the paintings and art he did for the church, he left clues to his own understanding of faith.

The reason his works have endured through the ages is because they captured moments of faith in a way that all people intuitively understood.

“It will be really helpful if we can understand how he did it” (he said with interest)

Michelangelo realized he could not directly communicate faith. So, instead, he focused on the state of mind of one who lives in faith; and he chose those moments from the scripture which conveyed that state of mind.

While other artists merely sculpted their beliefs, Michelangelo sculpted faith.

That is why people who see his 3 clues on faith look at them with a sense of awe.

“Please tell me more. What clues are you referring to?”

 

Let’s start with his first masterpiece, created in AD 1500. Do you remember the pieta’?

(He closed his eyes and recalled it). “How can I forget?”

You know the significance of the moment. Many artists and sculptors before him, focused on the grief, suffering and anguish the mother of Jesus felt. But Michelangelo saw a different moment.

Look at the face of the mother. There is only beauty and serenity.

But, how is it possible for her to have serenity in a moment like this? A moment when her precious son is lifeless in her arms?

It is easy to be serene, when you are in pleasant surroundings, with pleasant people, enjoying pleasant experiences. But faith doesn’t visit you then.

Faith visits you in moments of pain, loss, adversity – when our natural response is to lament ” Oh! why couldn’t things have turned out some other way?”

Michelangelo provides the answer. In this moment of faith, we see her unconditionally accepting both – her son’s glory and her son’s destiny.

For, to deny one would be to deny the other.

Through this moment, he communicated the state of mind of one with faith, when faced with pain, loss and adversity.

In that state of mind, man accepts events as they unfold; for to deny them would be to deny faith; to deny reality itself

 

Now, for his second clue on faith;

Try and remember his next masterpiece, created between 1501 and 1504. David; Standing tall in your hometown of Florence.

You know the story. As Goliath the giant, clad in armor and a coat of mail, holding a spear and shield throws a challenge for combat, David, the young shepherd boy, steps forward. He has with him, only his slingshot and 5 stones taken from a brook. No armor. No sword. No shield.

“Yes. he said that the Lord does not save with sword and spear.”

All sculptors and painters focused on the moment after the battle was won; when David stands over the body of the slain Goliath, victorious.

But Michelangelo’s David stands apart. Again, because of the moment he chose to sculpt.

The moment that Michelangelo focused on was the moment when David faced Goliath.

His body is very relaxed; his sling held casually over his shoulder. But look at the expression on David’s face. It is a moment of single-minded attention, his vision unwavering, determined, ready to do his duty selflessly, no doubt, no fear of the powerful giant facing him, no anxiety about the outcome, no selfish thought about “what is in it for me?”, no second thoughts like “Oh boy! what have I gotten myself into?”.

Unlike other artists before him, Michelangelo did not even bother showing the face of Goliath; He could have been even 100 feet tall and a 100 times more powerful. But Michelangelo couldn’t care less.

To Michelangelo, it was this moment that decided the outcome of the battle.

Through it he communicated the state of mind of one with faith, as he faces a moment of duty.

In that state of mind, man faces his duty with calm confidence, focusing all awareness, skills and energy on the duty that must be performed and nothing else.

It is a state of mind where man dissolves in the moment of duty

 

“And the third clue? Now I am really curious.”

Ah yes, the third. Will you walk with me young prince? I will show you personally.

(As we moved towards the main hall of the Sistine chapel, I continued talking to him)

This came much later; in 1508; he probably realized by then, that the two clues he left did not convey completely his understanding of faith. He needed to share a third clue about faith;

So, lying on his back, hosted on a scaffold, over a period of 4 years, Michelangelo painstakingly painted the ceiling of this chapel.

 

His last clue is right here – in the creation of Adam.

 

No one expected a sculptor like him to create such a masterpiece in paint. He himself was not happy working in the new medium of paint and colors. Yet, he made his mark.

“I feel I have to look beyond the obvious; only then will I see what he intended”

True. What is this painting about?

“It is supposed to be the moment when God’s finger touches the finger of Adam and brings him to life.”

That’s what it’s supposed to be. But look at the fingers closely. They don’t touch.

“But they are so close. I am sure they are supposed to have touched?”

Don’t suppose anything, young prince. Do they touch or do they not?

“No.

There is a gap. Maybe just a millimeter, separating the two; but it is still a gap.

It is a moment to show God approaching Adam to touch and endow him with life”

In my humble opinion, looking at this moment alone, we cannot say if God is moving towards Adam to create him or God is moving away from Adam, after creating him.

(I could sense the boy and Father Antonio hold their breath. The tension in the air was heavy.)

 

So, I asked myself, why did Michelangelo choose this moment to describe the moment of creation? Obviously, an artist as talented as him could have made the fingers touch or shown a spark of electricity or a breath of life connecting the two fingers. Everything would be clear then.

(The boy contemplated it.)

It gets more mysterious. In 1990, a German doctor came up with a fascinating theory: that the cloud seen around the figure of God is in the shape of the human brain.

“What???”

Yes; and so, readers got excited. They said “cool. We now understand the moment that Michelangelo was trying to capture”

One group felt Michelangelo was saying the idea of God is just a creation of the human brain; an imagination; Others said that Michelangelo was showing the moment when God created the human intellect.

 

(The boy stiffened and looked me directly in the eye). “And…what do you feel?”

I feel both are wrong.

I believe, by drawing the image of a brain around God,

Michelangelo was referring to the mind of God. For, as you can see, it holds all beings in it.

“Ah!”

And then, I understood the moment of creation that Michelangelo wanted to convey

The moment of creation is the moment when man’s self-will is created

For in that moment, man is separated from the mind of God

But in that same moment, man also finds himself separated from the mind of all other beings;

and lives and acts alone, with an incorrect knowledge of himself.

 

“But how can the fingers touch? There is still a gap. Who or what can help?”

That is what religious institutions try to do. They step in to help bridge the gap; thereby trying to save man from loneliness and separation

But Michelangelo provides his own answer, based on his own understanding of faith.

Look carefully at the two fingers. There is a natural way in which the gap can close.

(The young boy contemplated the space for a long while, and then suddenly gasped).

“All that is needed for the gap to close is for man to move his finger. He just has to direct his self-will to close the gap. To unite his mind with the mind of all beings.”

Yes, young prince. I believe that Michelangelo’s final clue was for a man of faith to direct his self-will, not to endlessly pursue his own selfish desires, but to use it to connect with and serve all beings.

“For, selfish thoughts can only arise in a man who feels separated from everything else.

Only by understanding his connection with all beings, can the man of faith receive revelation – and understand the mind of God.”

Yes, prince. Without revelation, faith would be blind. A man blinded by faith, could be led astray; and end up performing harmful acts in the name of duty

 

After a long silence, the boy spoke in his sweet voice “Father Antonio. Come. I have to resume my studies. Time is precious. There is much work to be done. But first, let us pray.”

(Father Antonio nodded. As they began walking toward the chambers, the boy turned to me)

“Will you join us in prayer?”, he asked hesitantly.

It will be an honor, young prince.

 

An hour later, I stepped out on to the streets. It was a bright sunny day and a lot of tourists were walking around, taking pictures. I was surprised to see such a large holiday crowd on a weekday, and then remembered it was Thanksgiving day.

I gave a silent word of thanks to Michelangelo for carving and painting faith in stone.

The religion of faith – revealed through moments of serenity, divine works and revelation.

The state of mind of one with faith – revealed as images of choicelessness, relaxed attention and connection.

The practice of Yoga for one with faith – Bhakti, Karma and Gnana.

“What’s in a name anyway? (I shrugged and hauled my backpack, ready to continue my travels.)

One day, I hoped, the prince will stand as a man of faith on the balcony, to address the faithful. His words would reveal his faith in a way that he himself experienced it;

..and the people then, would understand.