In memory of Yogacharya Shri BKS Iyengar

Our beloved Guruji died August 20th,2014.

 
It is with deep sadness that we share this with you. His cremation has taken place. All of us are sad at this time and hope that his transition was peaceful.
 

The cremation

IYNAUS sends us some reports from India
Guruji’s obituary published by IYNAUS
A sketch of Guruji’s life
An account of the day of the funeral by Lou Hoyt

Guruji as dignified as ever. Thanks John Leebold for the photo.

In this time of grief and remembrance, it would be good to put Guruji’s passing in perspective through his own words: “The sadhaka (seeker, practitioner, student) perceives that there is no difference between life and death, that they are simply two sides of the same coin. He understands that the current of self, the life-force, active while he is alive, merges with the universe when he leaves his body at death…….In realizing the oneness of life and death there is an end to ignorance in the aspirant, and he lives forever in the flow of tranquility.” Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, II: 9.
And: “Discover what does not die, and the illusion of death is unmasked. That is the conquest of death. That is why I did not cry for my wife, in spite of all my pain, for I will not cry for an illusion.” Light On Life
And finally: “I am old, and death inevitably approaches. But both birth and death are beyond the will of the human being. They are not my domain. I do not think about it. The complexity of the life of the mind comes to an end at death, with all its sadness and happiness. If one is already free from that complexity, death comes naturally and smoothly. If you live holistically at every moment, as yoga teaches, even though the ego is annihilated, I will not say, ‘Die before you die.’ I would rather say, ‘Live before you die, so that death is also a lively celebration.’” Light On Life
(Thanks to John Schumacher for the above)