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.
