a life of learning

Verse 4.17: The intricacies of action are very hard to understand. Therefore one should know properly what action is, what forbidden action is, and what inaction is.

In Chapter 2 we discussed at length what karma (action), vikarama (forbidden action) and akarma (inaction) are. For anyone who would like a refresher, you can check it out here. Today, however, I'd like to talk about the real life application of these concepts.

Before getting to that, I'd like to share a beautiful quote from one of my favorite bhakti yoga mentors since it relates perfectly to this topic of application.

"It's very important to practice spirituality for practical application of spiritual knowledge."

Let's meditate on that for a moment, shall we? What does it actually mean? It means that we may hear lots of beautiful concepts and ideas but unless we actually try to implement that knowledge in our daily lives, it won't actually translate to wisdom. That's because wisdom is "the art of converting an experience into learning."

If we don't strive to apply what we've heard, then chances are we'll never really learn.

That's what our lives can become if we choose to live a life of learning. Since we are constantly performing actions, whether consciously or unconsciously, we get the perfect opportunity at every moment to tune into our motivations. Why are we doing something? Is it for our own satisfaction? Is it to make ourselves feel better? Is it really helping others? By posing such questions, we are forced to evaluate what is driving our actions. And trust me, if we actually attempt to do this even a little bit, it's amazing how introspective we'll become of our own thoughts and motivations.

Of course, we'll find that many times we'll skip out on checking into our motivations and you know what? It's ok. After all, for some of us this may be a slightly foreign concept to first reflect and then act. And like any habit, it takes practice and time. Even if we are starting to reflect after the fact, that's a step in the positive direction.

If and when we do reflect afterwards, it won't be uncommon to look back and perhaps cringe. Yes...that too is part of the process. It's may be uncomfortable to recognize what motivates our behaviour and distorts our consciousness. But that too is part of the learning process.

If we are unable to see the obstacles that prevent us from acting in positive and selfless ways, then we won't learn how to overcome them.

Life is all about the journey and in it there is the potential to learn so many lessons. Karma is one of the ways these lessons are dolled out. The Gita gives us practical knowledge as to why we face our current situations (i.e. results of our past actions). Equally important, the Gita teaches us how our reactions to these circumstances will impact our future. So...are you ready to live a life of learning?

i'll have no karma with that, thanks

Verse 4.14: There is no work that affects Me; nor do I aspire for the fruits of action. One who understands this truth about Me also does not become entangled in the fruitive reactions of work.

The laws of karma have been discussed extensively in the 2nd and 3rd chapters of the Gita. There, it was highlighted that both good and bad karma are unwanted. We also learned that all actions result in karma.

It was at this point that the Gita introduced the concept of akarma, or performing actions that do not incur any karma. The secret to performing akarmic work was given. Anyone remember? If you said a transformation of consciousness...you're right!

Any action that is performed with the attitude of offering it in gratitude to the Divine results in no karma.

If you've ever wondered why that's the case, today's verse gives the answer. The Divine Himself is not subject to the laws of karma, nor is He responsible for the karma that all of us incur. Although the King or President of a country is responsible for their citizens, there may be laws that do not apply to them due to their position. Furthermore, if their citizens break those laws, the King or President is not responsible for their actions. Those citizens have free will and have chosen to exercise it.

Since the Divine is not subject to the laws of karma, when our consciousness transfers from being self-centred to offering our best to the Divine, our actions are also not subject to karma.

The Gita is prompting us to imbibe a culture of gratitude and reciprocation.

Instead of succumbing to the overwhelming ethos of "mine, mine, mine!" which is pervading our society, we can instead be instruments to help elevate it. By recognizing the gifts we have been given as those coming from the Divine, the greatest happiness can be experienced when we act as instruments of grace and offer our actions, and whatever results that come from it, on the altar of love for the Divine.

lift the weight off your shoulders

Verse 2.47: You have a right to perform your prescribed duty, but you are not entitled to the fruits of action. Never consider yourself the cause of the results of your activities, and never be attached to not doing your duty.

Prescribed duty. How do those words make you feel? Personally, when I hear those words, I feel a sense of dread. I associate adjectives like responsibility, burden and weight, which although honourable and necessary, can feel overwhelming sometimes.

You'll be happy and relieved (if you're anything like me!) to find out that the meaning of prescribed duty, as per the Gita, is as follows - performing those activities that are in line with one's nature. That is, those activities that we perform in order to ensure our livelihood, which are based on our qualities and proclivities. Once again, note how the Gita is so practical. We come with a particular mentality and are gifted with particular talents which can be used to meaningfully contribute to society, so why fight against that?

However, most of us face another challenge. Whenever we perform any action, whether it be at work, in our personal lives or as a service for society, we expect a result. Thing is, we not only expect that result but feel entitled to it and want to be identified as the the person who was responsible for that result. A little confusing? Let's give an example.

Say I make a sandwich for friend. I go about putting the pieces of bread together with some fresh veggies and spread, arrange it nicely on a plate and present it to her. What's the result that I'm expecting? Well, firstly I would hope that she likes it! But my expectation is that she appreciates the time I took to make it for her and will thank me. Whether we realize it or not, we always expect some result.

The secret of applying bhakti yoga in our everyday actions and receiving no karma (Remember! Every action results in good or bad karma and binds us) is to be unattached to the results of any work that we perform. Our expert bhakti guide, Prabhupada, puts it best: "One who is attached to the result of their work is also the cause of the action. Thus they are the enjoyer or sufferer of the result of such action."

Now for some, this may sound odd and for others, you may like the concept but maybe thinking "How in the world do you actually go about doing this?"

To my dear skeptics, it sounds odd because we have been inculcated with the need to take credit for or feel entitled to the result of any action that we perform. But if you think about it, it's a tad bit selfish to go through life like that, no? By living this way, it becomes all about "me". I invite you, instead of dismissing this idea completely, to instead think about it. By performing an action for the pure joy of doing it or out of a sense of giving without expecting anything in return, we are getting the opportunity to practice selflessness.

For those who may like the concept but are confused...it takes practice! It's not something that comes overnight. One thing that does help though is gratitude. When we consciously think of all the things we have been given in terms of talents, facility and faculty, it reminds us that these are gifts that we have received. By performing our prescribed duties without the "I'm entitled to the results of my work" attitude, we're getting an opportunity to give back the results of utilizing those gifts we've been given, to the one who gave them to us in the first place.

In this way, we can genuinely live and experience the appreciation we have for all that we have been given. Simultaneously, we will also experience a wonderful freedom - the freedom of throwing off the overwhelming weight that always comes with having expectations and feeling entitled.