Labor of Love

 



Live in love, breathe in love, sing in love, eat in love, drink in love, talk in love, pray in love, work in love, think in love, move in love, meditate in love and die in love.

-          Swami Sivananda

 

In the Yoga tradition there is what is known as the path of Karma Yoga.  It is the path of “action,” of service.  While we usually think of meditation as passive, Karma Yoga is meditation in action.  In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna gives instruction in how to practice.  “Act selflessly,” he instructs, “without any thought of personal profit.”  He continues, “Strive constantly to serve the welfare of the world; by devotion to selfless work one attains the supreme goal of life.  Do your work with the welfare of others always in mind.”  We might notice some similarity here to the teachings of Jesus Christ.

Now this might seem like hard medicine for those of us raised in the modern Western world where we have been taught to put ourselves first.  Competition is the name of the game and one always questions, “What’s in it for me?”  Even with our spouse or lover we might be primarily thinking of meeting our own needs.  However this strategy insures that we continue to feel disconnected and alienated.  It is not a strategy of love, not even true self-love.

Serving others is where we find joy.  As we grow spiritually we move from a consciousness of having, to doing and from doing to being.  “Having” consciousness is self-centered and our sense of self and worth is based on how much we have.  “Doing” consciousness is less selfishly motivated but our sense of self and worth is based on our accomplishments, our sense of how important our job is or how much we “sacrifice” for others.  Having and doing in this sense are both strategies to maintain and fulfill our egos; our sense of separateness and self-importance.  However, it is possible to use “doing”, i.e. karma, to transcend the limited vision of the ego.

Being is based on the recognition of who we truly are.  It is based on the recognition of our interdependence and that we are beings of love.  Love is not an action per se, although certain actions arise from love.  Love is a state of being: “the” state of Being.  In deep meditation we transcend the body/mind and gain a recognition of our deeper Self.  Through Karma Yoga we transcend our limited ego identification.  It works best if we can practice both, sitting for meditation twice daily and working in between. 

How do we arrive at the state of being love?  In meditation we do this by stilling the body and observing the mind allowing us to go deeper than the mind into inner silence.  Through Karma Yoga we observe the mind as we engage in activities.  We remember to be aware and catch ourselves thinking of the future, or the past, daydreaming, anything that keeps us from being present and performing in the best way possible.  Ultimately it is about being present and engaged.

During my initial stay at my Guru’s ashram I was instructed to perform Karma Yoga daily.  For several weeks I was assigned to the office where we prepared envelopes for sending subscriptions to the magazine.  Each envelope was hand addressed and the subscriptions were thousands world-wide.  I struggled daily with boredom and difficulty concentrating.  A lapse in concentration would mean the possibility of writing an address incorrectly.  I found myself longing for our lunch or tea break, thinking of other things that I would prefer to be doing, etc.  Every once in a while I would remember that I was dedicating this work out of love for my Guru and for everyone on the mailing list who was waiting for their monthly dose of inspiration.  Now and then I might find myself in the “flow” where my actions seemed to be taking place effortlessly.

Ultimately we serve others best when we are present, attentive and appreciative of their being.  “We feel supported when somebody is fully present, open, nonjudgmental, available, caring, and silently attentive.” writes Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche.  We serve and support others and ourselves through our state of being no matter what we are doing.  It is not about being rewarded or appreciated.  Being present is its own reward.  Love is its own reward. 

Perhaps the best way to approach it is to simply try to be a little less selfish each day.  Remember to be present and to think of others from time to time.  Work for the sake of the work rather than simply for the pay.  Be cheerful, friendly and compassionate with others, at least now and then.  Try not to get too anxious about results.  Do your best and trust the Universe.  If you find yourself feeling resentful then take a break from serving others.  Resentment might mean that you are not taking care of yourself.  Remember that self-care is not selfish.  You cannot give to others if you are depleted.

Take a break and relax into deeper awareness.  Tap into your inner resources of faith, love and confidence.  Your true Self is bigger than anything or anyone you are dealing with in life.  Appreciate this moment with all it has to offer, whether lessons, bliss, pain or neutrality.  Life changes from moment to moment but sometimes we don’t notice because we aren’t paying attention.  Underneath it all is the spaciousness of pure presence, of love.  Know that that is who you are.