Karma Yoga – the Yoga of Action
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KARMA YOGA – THE YOGA OF ACTION By Yogacharya R. Maythili Sharan Graduate Thirty-Fifth International Yoga Teachers Training Course: International Centre For Yoga Education and Research, Kottakuppam, Tamilnadu, India. Question: What is Karma Yoga? Answer : The Sanskrit word Karma is translated as follows: 1. Work or deed . 2. Effect of a deed . 3. Law of causation governing action and its effects in the physical and psychological plane . The Sanskrit word Yoga is translated as Union of the Individual consciousness (Jivatman ) with the Supreme consciousness ( Paramatman or God ). Yoga is a prescribed path of spiritual life . The various Yogas are, therefore, different paths to union with God. Karma Yoga is the path of selfless, God-dedicated action . I looked up the thesaurus in the computer for synonyms of the word “selfless ” and the references that came up are as follows: unselfish, desireless, self-satisfying, altruistic, noble, gallant, dignified, humane, philanthropic, self-denying, gracious, decent, righteous, fine and good . The antonym of the word selfless is “ selfish ” and some of the synonyms that came up with reference to this word are as follows: self-centred, self-seeking, self-interested, egotistical, egotistic, egocentric, insensitive, inconsiderate, careless of the feelings of others, thoughtless, uncharitable, unkind, uncaring and careless . Karma Yoga, therefore, can also be defined as a path of action that is righteous, desireless, unselfish, non-egocentric, sensitive, caring, kind, charitable, altruistic, dignified, humane and noble . Srila Sri Dr.Swami Gitananda Giri Guru Maharaj (Swamiji) says, “ Karma Yoga is action done without the desire for reward of the action .” Swamiji also says that “acting is the key to being.” Swamiji discusses the concept of Karma as follows: Understanding the Universal Principle of Karma: The Law of Life Action/reaction is seen everywhere about us. Science accepts cause/effect in all things. Indeed, the Law of Cause and Effect is the basis upon which the Universe has its existence. The Law of Cause and Effect is known in Sanskrit as Karman or Karma . The term arises from the Sanskrit verb “to do,” or “to make” but the Law itself is not easy to understand and requires Yoga Drishti (Yogic Vision) to more fully understand its far-reaching implications. The Karmic Law Any thought or action is Karma . Conscious Karma is one where intention to act is present in the mind. We should obey any law which is not unjust or against the dictates of Inner Life. As for God’s Law, the Karmic Law, we have no other choice but to obey it. We cannot break Higher Law. If we try to break a natural law, a Cosmic Law or Law of Life, we will find that it is not possible to do so. Rather, we will “break ourselves over that Law,” or at least, be badly bent in trying to do so. Bending is sickness of all types; breaking is death . Karma can be seen in everyday life where good is returned for good and evil returned for evil. “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” is an explanation of the way this Law works. Kindness is repaid by affection, love is repaid by love. If we give of our thoughts, we will be repaid by knowledge. If we give of our labour, we will be repaid by goods. Everything we are now receiving is as a result of some prior thought or action. It may be difficult to see this at the time some calamity is taking place, but it is nonetheless true. If we could only see behind the veil of our memory into the actions of this life and perhaps, even lives before this one, then we would understand why things happen to us as they do. There is a logical continuity to the Law of Cause and Effect. It is possible to see how a specific action, going through a chain of cause and effect, molds our lives. An old Hindu rhyme runs like this: Sow a thought, Reap and action. Sow an action, Reap a habit. Sow a habit, Reap a characteristic. Sow a characteristic, Reap a destiny! Taking Responsibility for Our Actions Maturely, we can accept that “as we sow, so also shall we reap.” We are the product of our actions. Our actions are not different from us. The undeveloped, the immature, and the fool can claim they are not responsible for what they do. For those practicing integration of personality and action, no such claim can be made… Karma is not only “Acts of Commission”, but also “Errors of Omission.” The things we should have done but didn’t do have much more Karma attached to them, than the things we have done. Get busy with the things that need to be done. Live the Yoga Life. Our Thoughts and Karma Our thoughts are also real. They are as much a part of the Karmic activity as are our actions. Thoughts set in motion gigantic chain- waves of mental activity. This activity may have much more effect upon us than our actions. Actions are usually limited to a specific period of time. It is said that “a man’s act die with him.” But our thoughts are eternal! Once released into time and space, our thoughts continue forever. It is in this knowledge that our ancient Yoga Rishis taught us to control emotions and mind, particularly the subconscious mind called Chitta. “Yoga Chitta Vritti Nirodha” (Yoga Sutra of Patanjali, Pada 1, vs.2). Yoga is the control of the sub-conscious undulations of the mind: hence, we have arisen the many Yoga activities to bring about this control in a most positive sense. Control of mind is a must in the practice of Yoga . If you do not control your thoughts, your thoughts will soon control you. Thoughtlessness Much of what we do is “thoughtless.” We either do not think out what we are to say or do or oftentimes, do not care to do so. “Thoughtlessness” in word and deed is most difficult to control and usually results in a near-endless chain of hurts and repercussions. We must carefully guard ourselves against “thoughtlessness”. That we do many things knowing that we will be harmed by what we do must also be faced. We seem to “spite the Self” when angry or upset. We do not care for the consequences of our words and deeds, and act rashly, often to suffer consequences in silence and despair at a later date. Awareness and Karma To control one’s personal Karma requires total awareness… an awareness that most human beings lack, and that many do not even want. For many it is easier to turn a “blind eye” to actions of others so that no one will criticize wrong actions on their part. There is no chance for Karmic evolution in that attitude. Awake! Be Aware! Mature! Grow! Taking Our Destiny In Our Own Hands Our destiny, our fate, then, lies in our own hands. The cause is in thought, or thinking more correctly, worked out in words and actions into the plane of our phenomenal existence. We are the masters of our lives, if we only knew it by a full observance of Karmic Law . Everything that happens in this Universe, happens under Divine Law . The Cosmos is orderly. Only man seems to be disorderly and chaotic. To a chaotic mind, no doubt, life appears to be governed by fate and blind chance. But to the student of Yoga, the Adhikarin, an observance of the Law of Karma is necessary for true inner spiritual development. When one accepts the overall concept of a Universe governed by Law, or oneself in this Universe, yea, even as an integral part of this Universe, an important part of this Universe, then the observance of this Law becomes a paramount aspect of the way in which one lives. A brief Introduction to Srimad Bhagavad Gita – The Great Indian Textbook of Yoga. Swamiji says that Srimad Bhagavad Gita is “the greatest Indian textbook of Yoga.” In Swamiji’s own words, “In this Cosmic Anthem, the SONG CELESTIAL , we have the Yogic version of the BOOK OF REVELATIONS.” In Swamiji’s words, “The Gita, as it is most commonly termed is a section of the Maha Bharata, one of the classical epics of Hinduism. The story is a dialogue between Sri Krishna, who represents the super-conscious mind of each of us and the hero, Arjuna, who represents the consciousness of the human mind. The scene of this epic is on a battlefield, Kurukshetra. This battlefield is the plane of human existence and the war between sanity and insanity . A battle ensues in which Krishna tells Arjuna that he cannot win by himself, that he must use super-conscious intelligence and power for his survival. “The Gita is in eighteen chapters, each one entitled a specific Yoga. Its teachings are most practical, in that it says, ‘that which cannot be followed in day-to-day living should not rightly be called religion. Life is to be practical, simple, uncluttered, efficient, rewarding and enlightening . Anything in one’s life which tends to confuse, distort, derange, should be shunned as one’s mental and moral enemy.’ ”The whole story of the Gita is of the triumphant life which grows out of disciplining oneself as though a warrior preparing for battle, but under the guidance of the Supreme Mind. Action : Act! Act! Act! Krishna teaches that the thinker is also the doer . Krishna tells Arjuna that he is a warrior so he must “fight”. This means we are thinkers, so we must “think”.