Karma yoga: beyond results



An aspiration of every yogi is to take the practice out of the mat: that is, to cultivate a yogic spirit constantly, even when one is at work, on the tram or simply interacting with people. Thus either action becomes yoga and every gesture of meditation .

This is the path that leads to the path of karma yoga, one of the traditional ways to achieve realization. It can be called in our language " yoga of action " and consists in the scrupulous execution of one's duties in a disinterested manner, or without any attachment to the result they produce. In a few words, this is the Bhagavad Gītā (very famous text of the Hindu tradition): "We must therefore act out of duty, without attachment to the fruits of action, because by acting without attachment we reach the Supreme ". In this way the action performed will not produce karmic effects and will lead the individual to the achievement of moksa, liberation from the cycle of rebirths.

The origin of karma yoga

As already mentioned, Karma yoga is one of the teachings of the Bhagavad Gītā that is dedicated to it especially in the third chapter. Here Arjuna, the famous prince of one of the greatest epic poems of India, the Mahabharata, questions himself: if knowledge is superior to the act, why engage and act ? In fact, the hero is on the battlefield hesitant in undertaking a bloody struggle; taken by doubt, he wonders if for his spiritual realization he should not abandon his weapons and refrain from fighting. He thus exposes his hesitations to Krisna (manifestation - Avatāra - of the god Viṣṇu) in a clarification that does not take long to arrive.

The deity explains to him that there are men who seek self-realization through philosophical speculation while others through action, but the two paths are not incompatible. Also because, inevitably, all men are inclined to act and this should not be repressed: " Action is better than inaction ", what makes the difference is to do it according to the noble principles of karma yoga.

Act in a detached, disinterested and conscious way

Action, therefore, to be valuable and to lead to liberation must be characterized by some important nuances that Krisha minutely explains to his disciple. Here we report only a few simple notions that can give the reader an idea of ​​the meaning of the speech.

  1. The action must be detached and disinterested : the one who acts does it as fulfillment of his duty without expecting rewards or praise. The karma yogi is equidistant with respect to all possible outcomes resulting from the act thus obtaining liberation from alternation between desire and aversion which is nothing but a mirror for the larks, an echo of a transient and illusory world. Man must do what is prescribed to him, according to his state and at that moment of his life, regardless of the blame or approval that will follow. On the contrary, both should transcend them to free themselves from the chains that they have imposed on him.
  2. Action must be accomplished in awareness by becoming complete meditation, constant attention to the object, the agent and the act that become one.

Karma yoga proposes a way for empirical and practical liberation, which each of us can apply in his life by embracing his daily tasks with devotion, whether they like it or not, without seeking applause and approval from them that they would only cuddle and increase the ego.

Swami Vivekananda, an Indian mystic , maintained that this was yoga for the active man engaged in work. He says: " Karma yoga teaches us how to work for the unattached, without worrying about what is done, it also teaches us why we should work. Karma-yogi works because it is his nature, because he feels it is good for him to do so, and he has no goal beyond that. His position in the world is that of a donor, and he never worries about receiving anything . He knows he is giving, and he asks for nothing in return, and therefore avoids the gripping of suffering ”.

Daily karma yogi!

Do you remember Arjuna, our doubting hero about taking up arms on the battlefield? Did you then start the fight or did you leave the field?

We do not reveal the answer to the curious reader, we only report a particularly inspiring verse:

" Dedicating to Me all your activities, in full awareness of Me, free from the desire for profit, from claims of possession and from indolence, struggle, or Arjuna!"

And with the combativeness and confidence that inspire these words, we continue or begin our work, in full karma-yogic spirit.

> What is the connection between karma and illness?

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