Karma Yoga – Path of Dharma

You have the right to work, but never to the fruit of work. You should never engage in action for the sake of reward, nor should you long for inaction. Perform work in this world, Arjuna, as a man established within himself – without selfish attachments, and alike in success and defeat. For yoga means perfect evenness of mind.

- Krishna The Bhagavad Gita (Classics of Indian Spirituality)

Karma, as we discussed last post, means action and reaction. It is a chain of causal events that go back into some dim past that we can barely imagine. Our karmic conditioning is this backlog of events that have lead up to the present situation. Because it is self-perpetuating, it also propels us towards a future something like an equation. Fate = past events + attachment. Attachment is mental and emotional. Or, as Buddha taught:

Our experience is based on our thoughts; we become
what we think. Suffering follows negative thoughts
like the wheels of a cart follow the oxen that draw it.
The Dhammapada: A New Translation of the Buddhist Classic with Annotations

Karma is imbedded within us as the unconscious thoughts which drive us. They are rooted in avidya, “Ignorance.” Ignorance in this sense is the not-knowing of the creative power of our own minds. It is our inability to recognize our own hand in constructing the narrative that defines us. Thoughts lead to actions. Sometimes we might have angry thoughts, but we refrain from acting on them and they have nearly null karmic consequence, except that they create stress within our bodies. Sometimes the thoughts are so deeply ingrained that we act upon them “without thinking,” i.e. without reflection, and they bear their inescapable outcomes. One way or another the reality that we experience is the result of our habits of thought.

The central universal habit of thought is known as “the ego.” It is the organizing principal around which our individual realities take shape. Without it who would we be? It is the “operating program” according to Ram Das which enables us to function in this reality. There is a deeper aspect of our beings, which is often referred to as the Self, who is present throughout the karmic experiences of our lives. We might also refer to this as the inner observer, witness, or the space in which experiences take place. When we learn to practice meditation we are able to step into the perspective of the inner witnessing awareness. We are able to reflect upon our ego ideologies. The ego believes in a fixed self and reality, or at least “the way things are supposed to be.” The witnessing awareness is simply open to “what is.” They work in conjunction with each other.

Karma yoga means bringing this meditative awareness into our daily activities. This might mean a job, taking care of children, cooking, cleaning, taking care of things around the house. It includes the quality of interactions with others and awareness of what is going on within oneself. That is a lot to keep track of! Being awake, aware and present to each moment is not always easy.

The Bhagavad Gita defines karma yoga as “work without attachment to the fruits,” as in the “fruits of our labors.” If you are focused primarily what you are going to get as reward, you are probably not present with the experience. We’ve all had days where we were just watching the clock, putting in the time so we could ensure that paycheck. If you stop to think about it, the paycheck can enslave us. Instead of a loving dedication to our labors, we begrudgingly do the minimum to get by. The point of karma yoga is to extricate ourselves from the process of time: past>present>future. It is to open ourselves to the eternal Now. A “paycheck mentality” can keep us trapped in work that is unfulfilling and demoralizing. It can also make just about any task seem that way.

Karma yoga was a large part of ashram life while we were in India and at the ashram here in the U.S. Between early morning sadhana and evening satsang, there were a number of tasks assigned to us. Some of us worked at the printing press, some in the kitchen, some in the gardens, construction, etc. Teaching classes in yoga was also karma yoga. I was assigned to help hand address envelopes in which Yoga magazine was mailed throughout India and the world. At first I thought I had gotten off pretty easy. It was far from strenuous work. After a couple of weeks I would have torn my hair out if my head wasn’t shaved. Then I was reassigned to help dye cotton cloth “dhotis” and stretch them out on the open rooftops to dry. The activity and interaction was so much fun I was elated. All of it was food for more awareness to develop. I was clearly not experiencing “perfect evenness of mind.”

The attitude of karma yoga helps us to become aware of the tendencies of our minds in various situations. How well can you take directions, get along with troublesome coworkers, or pay attention to routine details? Can you stay present and focus on doing your best when confronting an endless supply of dirty dishes? These are some of the challenges of karma yoga in the ashram setting. Of course these are the same challenges that confront us in the “real world.” Most of the problems that we encounter come from within ourselves. Not always though, but we need to know ourselves on a deeper level to know the difference.

The concept of dharma is closely related to karma. On a universal level, dharma refers to the unfolding of the universal process. “Dharma is the great cosmic power which holds everything together in perfect harmony.” writes Swami Vibhooti Saraswati. (http://www.yogamag.net/archives/1998/esep98/dharma.shtml) Within the context of the cosmic dharma everyone and everything has an integral relationship with everything else. Each of us has a “swadharma,” our unique individual role to fill in this process. Deepak Chopra explains, “There are no extra pieces in the universe. Everyone is here because he or she has a place to fill, and every piece must fit itself into the big jigsaw puzzle.”

In our post-modern age the concept of dharma is somewhat different than in ages past. In earlier centuries one was pretty much born into a role in society and in life. One’s dharma, however, comes from inside oneself. It is an attunement with one’s own nature, acceptance of one’s “duty” – which may or may not pertain to what society expects of us. An example that comes to mind is Martin Luther King. King obviously had a strong inner sense of mission. He didn’t go along with the prevailing social order but followed a deeper sense of morality. True dharma means going beyond the rigid boundaries of caste and class systems, not necessarily in the pursuit of wealth or even the “American Dream,” but in the pursuit of inner and interrelated fulfillment. Swami Vibhooti futher explains:

“To follow one's own dharma is to unfold the divine within oneself. Not to follow one's own dharma is to be out of tune with existence. The right performance of duty, or right action, in any station of life, provided it is done without attachment, will bring realization, according to the Bhagavad Gita. And duty has to be performed not only in relation to family and friends, but also to society, morality, spirit and the cosmos.” (ibid.)

Meditation helps us develop an intuitive connection with our dharma. The ultimate dharma for all of us is the evolution of consciousness – moving from a self-centered ego perspective to recognition of universal oneness. It is the awakening of Love. An understanding of dharma helps us to accept others as they are. Each of us has her own path in life, swadharma, so who is to judge? It also leads each of us to examine and explore our own inner nature without bringing in artificial criteria for judgment. “You’re duty is to Be,” taught Ramana Maharshi, “and not be this or that.”

Fate, Destiny and Karma

There are two forces in the universe, one is called karma- action and reaction, and the other is called free will. Free will is not karma; you will and it happens, the will is independent of karma. But the emergence of willpower takes time in spiritual life. As a human being evolves and becomes master of his own mind, he is able to exert his will.

- Paramhamsa Satyananda Saraswati

Fate, destiny and karma are three ancient concepts. They represent ways that people of wisdom tried to make sense of the world; of why negative events can befall good people and vice versa. We forget sometimes in our glib modern superficiality that these ancient ways of thinking are the culmination of keen observation, deep thought and contemplation. In the modern age it is acceptable to believe that the universe makes no sense, that nothing happens for a reason and that we exist for no purpose other than, perhaps, to be tortured by the meaninglessness of life. The wisdom traditions worked with a deep faith in the integrity of the universe.

Fate is an understanding in which we are primarily victims. Fate is directly related to the word fatality, and indeed, we are all fated to die on the physical, material level of our beings. In Greek mythology fate is the result of the workings of the Moirae, the goddesses of destiny. In this sense, fate is an interwoven narrative. It is the overall pattern in which we as individuals are imbedded. The cosmos is the collective epic in which we all play our respective parts. An important aspect of one’s fate, however, is character; the consistency of thought and action within the individual.

Destiny is closely related to fate and these terms are often used interchangeably. I am going to follow author shaman Alberto Villoldo, however in making a distinction. The distinction is similar to the one between karma and dharma which we will explore a little later. Villoldo explains, “The early Greeks believed that fate is spun from a certain thread, and that once it is woven into an entire cloth it becomes irreversible, while destiny is a powerful force or agency that can actually intervene in the course of your life, to reweave the cloth of your fate. I believe that destiny can also happen without divine intervention. This requires that you heal your past wounds and respond to the calling you were born with. You then can steer the course of your own life.” Courageous Dreaming: How Shamans Dream the World into Being

While fate means accepting some inevitable outcome of life, destiny means engaging heroically with your own potential. There are myriads of things that happen to us in life that we have little or no control over, however our destiny depends are ability to adapt, to adjust and to overcome these limitations. It is about finding a meaningful path in life. It requires going beyond the limitations of our conditioning. Perhaps even believing in ourselves; not necessarily as the ego-identified beings we have been led to accept but the spiritual beings that we truly are. The path of destiny is the path of awakening. It is a process of raising our level of consciousness.

Karma is similar to fate in some ways. The circumstances into which we are born are the result of the karma of previous lives. The obstacles and opportunities that come to us in life are based on our previous choices. If we remain unconscious then the pattern simply repeats, growing stronger each time. Karma is a mechanical habitual process. A tendency towards anger and violence becomes self-reinforcing, as does a tendency towards compassion and kindness. We rack up karmic debts through our self-centered actions which must be repaid at some future time. Karma can involve individuals, families, nations, ethnic groups, the human race and the planet itself. Karma and Reincarnation: The Key to Spiritual Evolution and Enlightenment  It is no wonder that the seers of old determined that the best path was to get off of the wheel of karma altogether,

An attractive aspect of the theory of karma is that it gives us some control over our destinies. Instead of being victims to a blind mechanistic process or an enigmatic God, karma suggests that we are responsible for determining the course of our future evolution. We are responsible for the quality of our thoughts and actions. The problem however is that a great deal of our thoughts and behavior are unconscious. For the most part we are asleep at the wheel of karma. The only way to master the karmic process is through waking up.

Our karma is driven by the five kleshas or afflictions: ignorance (of one’s true nature), ego-identification, attachment, aversion, and clinging to life (i.e. fear of death). As long as we are identified with our body-mind “instruments,” pushed and pulled by our attachments and fearful of death, we are bound by karma. We experience the duality of emotions: happiness and sadness, joy and grief, pleasure and pain, infatuation and disgust. However we don’t experience the transcendent joy, peace and equanimity of the soul at one with the infinite.

Based on the kleshas we accumulate karma which is stored in seed form in the unconscious storehouse known as karmashaya. These are deep memories or “impressions,” called samskaras. Our current experience is based upon the ripening of seeds of past karmas, and our current actions and reactions create the seeds for future experiences. These future experiences may not appear in this lifetime but lay the foundation for future births. As the Yoga Sutras explain, “Future effects can have happiness or sorrow as their fruit depending on merit or demerit.” Four Chapters on Freedom: Commentary on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali  Or as the Bible tells us, “As you sow; so shall you reap.”

The “Sutras” go on to point out that even good karma doesn’t  produce true happiness. As long as we are spiritually ignorant and attached to appearances we will inevitably suffer. Nothing is permanent. We can lose what we have, or perhaps grow tired of it. Cataclysmic events, such as the recent Japanese tsunami, can appear seemingly out of nowhere. Attachment in and of itself produces suffering. It is only through liberation from the karmic cycles by awakening that we can truly overcome suffering.

Meditation is the key to awakening. Karma originates in the mind although we are not generally conscious of it. Meditation enables us to go deeper into the subconscious processes and to become aware of our karmic predispositions. It also helps us to develop some control over their expression. This is the true free will of which Swamiji spoke. Through regular practice, meditation leads to a transformation of mind allowing us to free ourselves from negative karmic tendencies such as greed, anger, desire, pride, guilt, fear, shame, etc. We tend to forget that the outer world is really a reflection of our own inner tendencies. It is only when we can become aware of the depths of our own unconscious minds that we can take hold of the reigns of destiny.

Karma is completely overcome in the higher stages of Samadhi in which ego-identification is dropped and one recognizes oneself as a being of pure consciousness. The emphasis on meditation, though, does not mean one should refrain from action. Action which is not based in attachment is very powerful and through it enlightened beings serve the world in ways that we can barely recognize. Each of us enters life with a dharma, a particular path of service. While karma propels us unconsciously, dharma is the conscious acceptance of one’s personal mission in life. One’s mission may seem small and insignificant; we can’t all be great leaders, famous artists, etc. However, one person’s heartfelt contribution can create a ripple effect that uplifts many people. In my next post, I will talk about Karma Yoga: the path of action without attachment. We might call it “meditation in action.”

Prayer, Meditation and Faith

Meditation is the dissolution of thoughts in Eternal awareness or Pure consciousness without objectification, knowing without thinking, merging finitude in infinity. – Swami Sivananda

Doubt is a virus that attacks our self-esteem, productivity and confidence. Faith that you and your life is perfectly unfolding is the strongest vaccine.
– Sean Stephenson

There is a saying: “prayer is talking to God, while meditation is listening.” This is a kind of facile distinction, however. It really depends on the depth of one’s meditation or prayer and, most importantly, one’s faith. The three are interconnected. We must begin with at least a quantum of faith to either pray or meditate – otherwise, what is the motivation? “Faith in what?” is not as important as trust, willingness, dedication and surrender. Known as “shraddha” in the yoga tradition, faith means being willing to extend our sense of possibilities beyond the known; beyond the recycled precedents of our egos, cultural conditioning or the opinions of others.

Of course there are numerous instances of blind, misplaced and foolish trust. We must use reason and intuition, both the left and right hemispheres of our brains. Rather than trusting some charismatic leader who may be nothing more than a convincing, self-serving salesman, we can learn to trust our own deeper intuitive judgment. Everyone goes through a process of learning from their mistakes. Meditation helps us to deepen our intuitive connection; our ability to listen to information beyond our usual linear processing. It is not so much the thoughts in our head as the subtle feelings in our body.

Ultimately, meditation, prayer and faith boil down to faith in one’s own deeper or higher nature. For the yogi there is no God separate from one’s innermost consciousness. It is difficult and shocking when we start to learn this. It arises when we begin to let go of the ego. As Paramhamsa Niranjan advises,

“Faith will only appear when ‘I’ does not exist. Faith will disappear when ‘I’ comes into existence because ‘I’ always represents the intellect, the logical dimension, whereas faith represents the universal dimension which connects a human being with the transcendental Self, without the imposition of any religious ideology, dogma or ritual. Faith is your spontaneous connection, your remembrance.” (From Yoga Magazine, 2005)
http://www.yogamag.net/

In this sense we can make a distinction between faith and belief. While faith is a process of entering more and more fully into a non-dual knowingness, belief is primarily an aspect of our conditioned intellects. We believe things because we have been taught to believe them whether we are religious or materialist. We then construct our perceptual world around those beliefs. Psychological studies show that we tend not to perceive data that doesn’t fit our personal paradigms. Either that or we rationalize it away. The majority of beliefs that we hold on a subconscious level were imprinted on our psyches when we were too young to evaluate them critically.

“Prayer,” as many of us have learned it, tends to come from dualistic beliefs. We pray to some distant God who has wields power over our world and our lives. It comes from an egoic place, often times when aspects of life seem out of control. Almost everyone knows the adage, “There are no atheists in foxholes.” Sometimes these prayers seem to evoke a positive response, sometimes it seems as if God has not heard us. If our faith is weak, we may then conclude that prayer is a waste of time. Perhaps there is a better, less dualistic way pray however.

Meditation can take us from belief to faith. In meditation we start with what is most basic to our awareness; the sensations of the body, movement of breath, the chaos of our thoughts. Gradually we settle into an awareness of the field of consciousness in which body, breath and thoughts are contained. We sometimes refer to this as the “inner witness,” or observer. With consistent practice, abhyasa, this awareness deepens into an awareness of our connection with the universal field of love, infinite intelligence and wisdom. Instead of making demands from our limited ego viewpoints, we tune into the universal conscious and allow it to work through us and our lives. Paramhamsa Satyananda explained,

“Faith is the greatest asset of man's personality. If you have faith, you have everything. Without faith, you have nothing. A good husband or wife, a nice house, and plenty of money can cause problems and give rise to doubts. Faith is not a result of external observances, it comes by constant inner awareness, not of the senses or the turbulence and disturbances of the mind, but of the soul, the atma. As you go deeper within and face the inner light, you become faithful. Where there is faith, there is power and enlightenment.” (Yoga Magazine, July 1980)

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Sex, Tantra and the Evolution of Consciousness

All life here is a stage or a circumstance in an unfolding progressive
evolution of a Spirit that has involved itself in Matter and is labouring
to manifest itself in that reluctant substance. This is the whole secret
of earthly existence.

- Sri Aurobindo

From the Yogic perspective evolution is not just blind chance, but an interaction between immaterial consciousness and material energy. We are not talking about “intelligent design” as much as a process of creative unfolding. The Conscious Self has lost itself in objective, or objectified, substance and is gradually reawakening to its own nature. This is happening within and through each of us as human beings. The multitude of various yoga techniques are meant to facilitate and accelerate this process.

Human sexuality is central to understanding this process as it occurs on an unconscious, biological level. Sexual energy is at the basis of our beings. As Freud noted, it drives a substantial amount of our behavior whether we are aware of it or not. According to Tantra Yoga, sexual energy is the basis of consciousness evolution within us. It is a power which can either liberate or enslave us depending upon how we approach it.

On the unconscious, instinctive level, sex can inhibit spiritual development. It can keep us fixed and fixated at our particular stage of development. As such, when frustrated, it leads to numerous destructive outlets. The sexual inhibition almost universally enjoined by religion is a two-sided sword. On one hand, we need to overcome mindless indulgence. On the other hand, the shame and guilt that religion engenders creates its own breed of pathology. The poet William Blake wrote, “As the caterpiller chooses the fairest leaves to lay her eggs on, so the priest lays his curse on the fairest joys.”

Unlike most of our mammalian forebears homo-sapiens do not enter a seasonal estrus. Instead women ovulate monthly throughout the year and men think about sex constantly. There is a story of a man who went to see a psychiatrist. The doctor decided to try a Rorschach test to find out about his unconscious motivations. He showed the man the first inkblot picture and asked him what he saw. “A man and a woman having sex,” the man replied. On viewing the second picture he reported seeing three people having sex. Another revealed bestiality. Finally the doctor stopped. “Well, it is clear that you are obsessed with sex!” “Me?” cried the man, “You’re the one with the dirty pictures!”

A study done in 2007 (http://www.ehbonline.org/article/S1090-5138(07)00069-4/abstract) seems to indicate that we have some of the same unconscious instinctual behaviors associated with animals. It followed a sampling of lap-dancers and found that on the average they made more money when they were ovulating than at other times during the month. This belies theories that estrus has been lost or “buried” in human beings. Instead, like with many of our unconscious behaviors, we have learned to rationalize our sexuality. It is not hard to notice how many puritanical public figures end up in trouble over their hypocritical sexual discrepancies. Although we are definitely more than just “naked apes,” there is a certain amount of truth in this assessment. Of course, we now have the benefit of technology to make pornography, a uniquely human form of sexuality, available to all.

Homosexuality is somewhat of a different story although not entirely separate. The subject is beyond our scope here suffice to say that it is an authentic, if not fully understood expression of human sexuality. There is a swami that I studied with, a medical doctor no less, who claimed that homosexuality is all but unknown in India. Studies, however, show that the percentage of homosexuals in any given population is generally the same. Unfortunately, I don’t know any particulars of a “Gay Tantra.” The overall message of Tantra though is, “start from where and who you (apparently) are.” Accept yourself, tune into Divine Love and Wisdom and recognize them as aspects of your deeper being; your authentic Self.

Tantra yoga is an approach that encourages us to develop self-love, acceptance and respect. Rather than identifying with our chronically insecure egos, we can consciously identify with our sacred Self. The ego is the seat of judgment, insecurity and need to control. Rather than judging our sexuality negatively, we can learn to explore its transformative energy. This path does require self-discipline, but it is a positive self-discipline not based in notions of sin, guilt and shame. It is not a path of complete license, compulsive or abusive behavior. It is first and foremost a path of love.

Sexual energy is an aspect of kundalini, the transformative energy at the base of our psyches. Tantra yoga utilizes various means of awakening this energy and guiding it through the chakras which are centers of psychic energy within the body. This science is outlined in detail in Swami Satyananda Saraswati’s Kundalini Tantra. This work is essential reading for anyone interested in this path. There is a great deal of misinformation out there on Tantra. Swamiji’s book is true to tradition and his own experience as an awakened being. In it he lists various ways of awakening kundalini. One of them is the sexual ritual practice known as “maithuna.”

Maithuna is part of a ritual which involves five “ingredients”: meat, fish, alcohol, sexual intercourse, as well as mudra. These, however, do not have to be taken literally. They have a symbolic significance which can be experienced either outwardly through the ritual or inwardly through meditation. It is up to the practitioner and depends on his or her level of consciousness. To practice this properly requires training in hatha yoga, meditation, mantra, etc. Sexual activity is not absolutely necessary and periods of celibacy are helpful in raising one’s energy level as well as consciousness level. The practice is meant to help us grow beyond our neurotic obsession with sex.

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