The Cat In The Hat... a Jnana Yogi and Advaita Vedantist ?

Have you have considered the Cat in Dr. Seuss's The Cat in the Hat as an Advaita Vedantist? Or dare I say, a Jnana Yogi teacher supreme right up there with Sri Nisargadatta (well maybe that's going a little too far)? If you haven't, don't worry about it. My guess is that most have not. Perhaps I have a bit too much time on my hands as of late but here's the way I see it...

The story of the Cat in the Hat begins on a dreary day at the home of two sad and hopeless children who are yearning for the weather to change so that they can go outside and play. I think we can all relate to these sentiments: "if only this or that were to change in my life then I'd be happy" or  "If only some external situation would shift, then I would be free to do as I please." But alas, unable to change the weather, the children sit and mope and wait.

Then in walks The Cat in the Hat. Why has he shown up at their door? He is searching for something (which is, after all, why we have all shown up in this world, is it not?). And what is he searching for? His "lost family credenza". Now in case you don't know what a credenza is, not that it matters much, it is like a side board that one might use in their living room. Of course it's meaning is insignificant to the story. What is important to note is that something has been lost that must be found. Isn't this the basic foundation upon which the practice of Yoga was born? Are we not striving to find our lost sense of Self - an identity that moves us beyond all duality?

So let us assume for the moment that the 'credenza' is a metaphor for this True Self. It has been lost and must be found, but how? This question is skillfully answered (in song no less) by Shri Cat in the Hat when he delivers the following teaching:

"How to the find the missing something is to find out where it's not"

How clever this cat is to explain the concept of Neti Neti or "not this not that" in a way that even a child could understand.

This practice of negation, or eliminating all that you are not looking for in order to be left only with what you seek, is based on the Advaita doctrine that the absolute can only be spoken of in terms of what It is not because what It is cannot be expressed in words.

That which is "real" according to Vedanta is that which does not change. Anything that changes, therefore, should be discarded when searching for the definition of one's True Self. Does the body change? Yes. Do our thoughts and opinions change? Yes. Do our emotions and desires change? Yes. 

If you can let go of all identity with those attributes of self that are inevitably subject to change, then you will be left only with the changeless sense of "I Am" - limitless and supreme.

And was the Cat in the Hat's search for his lost family credenza boring or dry? No, not all. In fact, the process of searching was so much fun and laced with such excitement and adventure that the once mopey children were left filled with a sense of joy and renewed energy.  The fact that they didn't  know if the credenza had been found (well, at least until 'mom' came home) was of little significance. The process of eliminating that which obscures the True Self can be half the fun.

May your search for Truth be filled with equal thrills, chills, delight!

Hari Om Tat Sat,

Sofi

Comments

[luella]

Sofi-
i read this with rapt attention and was delighted! it is always amazing to me to see the many ways in which these eternal teaching are often hidden right in front of our eyes, just waiting to be revealed to us in moments of grace. thank you for illuminating one such moment, and with such lighthearted sentiment.

love,
luella

[Tasha Goldberg]

Aloha Sofi,
It has been a while but I count you as the most influencial yoga teacher in my life. I am living in Maui and about to celebrate my 30th birthday. I would like to honor this passage with a retreat and was wondering if you could suggest anything. I would like to go somewhere the second week of October.
Thank you,
and you are always welcome to visit here in Maui!
Tasha

[Sofi]

Hi Tasha,

Send me you email and we can talk that way.

Great to hear from you,

S