किं कर्म किमकर्मेति कवयोऽप्यत्र मोहिताः तत्ते कर्म प्रवक्ष्यामि यज्ज्ञात्वा मोक्ष्यसेऽशुभात् -- Even wise men are deluded on this point, what is action and what is inaction. I shall tell thee the philosophy of work, by knowing which thou shalt attain to absolute freedom from all imperfections. -- Bhagavad Gita, Ch.4, 16.

Karma Yoga means literally "skill or dexterity in work", and deals with all activity whether of body or mind. Recognizing that activity is an inevitable condition of life, that no human being can live without performing some kind of work , either mental or physical, it seeks through its teaching to show how this constant output of energy may be utilized to acquire the greatest spiritual enlightenment and to attain to perfection and absolute freedom.

There are five conditions necessary for the accomplishment of all mental or physical labor:

1. We must have a physical body, it is the storehouse of energy.
2. There must be present the sense of the ego as the doer or actor.
3. We must have the instrument with which to work.
4. We must have the desire or motive to work.
5. There must be some sort of environment.

The results of actions performed under these five conditions are of three kinds:

1. Those that are desirable because they help us to fulfill our aims in life, and bring us comfort and pleasure.
2. Those which are not desirable.
3. Those which are partly desirable and partly undesirable.

It is not possible to escape these results at every moment of our existence; since, as has already been said, the activity of our organism never ceases. Practically speaking, there cannot be absolute rest of body or mind.

If activity is inevitable and each action must produce its result, what can we do to make all such results harmonize with the highest ideal of life? To search for that which, in the midst of our varied activities of mind and body, remains always inactive. When we have found that and recognized it, we have understood the pur­pose of the philosophy of work, and can make our every effort lead us to the final goal of all religion, to the realization of Truth, and to the attainment of Blessedness. If we cannot do this, we shall be forced to go on reaping the fruit of our actions and continue in the suffering and misery which we now endure. By practicing the teachings of the philosophy of work, on the other hand, we shall not only bring freedom to the soul, but shall rise above all law and live on a plane above motion. From the subtlest atom up to the grossest material form, there is cons­tant motion. Nowhere is there rest. One thing, however, moves not; one thing is at rest, and Karma Yoga explains what it is, how we may realize it and make ourselves one with it.

That something which is beyond all activity, is called in Sanskrit Atman. It is the knower in us. If we use a higher discrimination and try to understand the nature of the knower, by observing our internal process while we are doing anything, we will know that the knower is constant. The knower is unchangeable and is not bound by the conditions which govern the changeable.

It is when, on account of our imperfect knowledge, we identify our true Self or Atman with the limitations of mind and body, we become selfish and are ready to do the things which brings us suffering and misery. Those who are living on this plane of sense perceptions, are like primitive beings. They do not believe in the existence of things which cannot be revealed by the senses. They cannot differentiate matter from spirit, soul from body, or the knower from the object known. Consequently they identify themselves with their mental and physical activity.

We must remember that the five conditions already described are absolutely necessary for any kind of work; but they can in no way influence or affect the Knower (Atman). Intellect, mind, body, and senses exist in relation to it and cannot be active if cut off from it ; but they are perpetually changing, while it is unchangeable. He who realizes this — that all things on the mental or physical plane exist only so long as they are in relation to the Atman, the absolute source of life and knowledge, sees that one which is inactive in the midst of all activity, and becomes a right worker. Such an one attains to perfection through his work.

Let the body work, then, while we remember that it is the mind and the sense organs which are working, and that we are in reality the Knower, the Atman. Anything else is not permanently connected with us. We have taken this body for the time being and are using it for the fulfillment of the highest purpose of life.

If anger or hatred or desire surge up within us, we have only to separate ourselves from that mental change and it will vanish. If passion arise, we have only to remember that we are the witness-like Knower of passion and it will subside. It is when we forget that we are the Knower, and become identified with anger, passion, or hatred, that we fall under their dominion.

Wise men work ceaselessly, being conscious at the same time that they are not working; allowing the body and mind to act, but seeking nothing in return. Those, on the other hand, who are passionate, ambitious, easily affected by joy or grief, gain or loss, are ordinary workers of the world. They are never happy, but are always disturbed, anxious, and uneasy. Yet all their wickedness, selfishness, attachment, and passion proceed only from ignorance of their true Self. ॐ तत् सत्। 

(..To be continued, 5th of a seven part series).

#doctrineofkarma #karma #philosophy #spirituality #swamiabhedananda

We know that we don’t have permanent relationship with this world. We all acknowledge this truth and yet do not remember it. If we do not get attached we can experience an unspeakable joy this very moment.

We can remain without attachment in this world but not without detachment. When we are in deep sleep we are oblivious to our relationships in the waking world. The equanimity that prevails then is more that what we get by our associations in our waking state.

It is in our nature to sleep. In deep sleep we forget the waking world. We are strained if we spend even 24h continuously attached to worldly ties (attachment has been used purposefully). The replenishment that we get from worldly ties is not greater that what we get by sound sleep.

We are used to taking regular sleep from birth but we cultivate attachment while growing up. Attachment to toys, games, later money… in all these stages sleep remains dear. After marriage we develop attachment towards family. Some become monk. All enjoy sleep equally and renounce all worldly tags in that state be it monk-ship or a family. We make elaborate preparation for getting comfortable sleep. Mattress, pillow, fan, noiseless environment! We relish in a lot of worldly activity but when we get sleepy we want to put all of them aside.

There is a saint’s poem -- “बैरिन हो गई निन्दरिया” – sleep has become an enemy! Because her desire is to stay in a trance remembering the lord. We are willing to give up, nay, call sleep an unwelcome guest, when we find the one true, constant, eternal relation! The fabricated attachments in this world is transient and it is destined to be severed.

In Gita -- “कर्मणयेवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन” – We have the rights to perform our duty not on the fruits thereof. And mind should not be inclined towards non-working either. With full attention, dexterity, we should do our duty. Why? Because the primary purpose of this human body is to be utilized in service not for sense indulgence. Human form is not merely its physical manifestation – it is the discrimination, Vivek! This supernatural power is bestowed on us to develop rightful detachment. By doing duty with discrimination we practice karma yoga and use it to our favor in developing detachment.

We must serve our family, our parents, this world, everyone – and yet stand aside! The peace that is there in identifying as the doer of such duty is less than the satisfaction and peace obtained by exercising discrimination to stay detached from such identification!

Reference: Hindi Magazine क्लयाण Year 87, volume 10. Article by Ramsukhdas ji titled “साधकों के प्रति” on page 15-18. The above article is a selectively edited much shorter translation of that article in English.

#kalyan #ramsukhdas #spiritual

Waking up early is good habit. We have been told this very often. Why? What doe it matter if we sleep till eight or nine in the morning instead of waking up at six or seven? To exactly answer that question to ourselves we must try it out. Arguments and counter-arguments do not go a long way. For me the answer is that I feel happier, I get more time to do things like reading, exercising, meditating, cooking and eating. If i do not wake up early I feel less enthusiastic at work. The morning rays of the sun are very good stimulator. They awake us gently and make us ready for the day ahead.

Does that mean that people who are forced to wake up early like our newspaper man or the milkman are happier? I doubt that supposition! Yes, the sun would not discriminate, we still get the benefits but not in its full measure. It is a joy to wake up naturally at daybreak. It is the same difference when we study because we are forced to sit with our book and when we study something out of our own interest. And where does that interest come from? It comes when we appreciate the purpose behind the act ourselves, without being prompted each time. It is a rare privilege to be in a position to wake up early out of our own interest.

There are a few simple things to make it happen. The single most important thing is to get a good sleep. Waking up early and refreshed is a direct consequence of it. How to make it happen? How to have a good night’s sleep? There are a number of factors and the correct answer will differ for each one of us. There is no one-fits-all solution. We need to observe our sleep pattern and what affects it for a few days to get the most appropriate solution. However we can make certain common observations. We will discuss some them here.

Preparing to go to sleep. It is best to be calm and do some light activity immediately before you go to sleep. The point is that you should not be agitated or your mind preoccupied when you lie down to sleep. It is certainly a helpful habit to do prayer. The more regular you are in your habits the more effective they become. One important remark that I have here is that music does not necessarily help us have a good sleep. We should be able to fall asleep naturally without the music still on.

The body has its own clock. The body clock tries to keep a routine for us. It becomes easier to wake up early each time you do it. Another very important scientific fact to understand is about the body temperature. When the sleep is complete and we are about to wake up the body temperature rises a little. It is difficult to wake up if you are cold. Sleeping without bright lights around us and a quite environment helps us have a good sleep. It might seem revolting to some who are habituated to sleeping on their belly but we can get a more relaxing sleep if we sleep on our back or side. When we sleep on our belly our natural breathing is obstructed.

When we wake up it is best to be exposed to the warmth and light of the sun. It is the best stimulant to feel awake and alert. Artificial light is not as effective. The point is that we cannot awake comfortable in a dark and cold room. The sunlight also sets our body clock and helps us follow a healthy routine.

Immediately after waking up it is most helpful if we do a little exercise which will help the body temperature rise. Light breathing exercises are very effective in doing so. If we sit down to read some book or browsing the internet or watching the TV we still remain sleepy. Simple breathing exercises are good to energise us. It is important to keep the back straight. We can immediately see the difference when we sit erect and we slump. When we sit erect we feel more confident and alert. The point here is that we should engage in some physically stimulating activity in the morning to keep us fit and active. Sitting down to some mental work immediately after waking up is not advisable. Taking a light shower is perhaps one of the simplest physical activity to do in the morning that will immediately remove the sleepiness.

Thank you for reading this, if you have a comment you are welcome to write it. Your views are most welcome.

#clock #daybreak #environment #habit #lights #music #prayer #spiritual #stimulant #temperature