Ahimsa in action

[Guest guest]

Dear Harshaji:

 

You echo my thoughts and I am sure the thoughts

of many of us on these lists. It has been heartwrenching

to read of the many losses, almost too great to even

comprehend so many miles away. Just today, I saw

for the first time some footage on TV, which I normally

do not watch, which brought tears to my eyes.

 

And yet, another thought remains with me,

reminding me that one tragedy, huge as it is, should

not be my only concern in this world where so many

are in need. One moment of charity should not be

limited to one moment of charity, in this world where

so many are in need.

 

While we can talk endlessly about how there

will only be peace without if we find peace within,

that surely does not mean that we become immune

to and ignorant of the suffering of others under the guise

of non-attachment.

 

While we can talk endlessly about how this is all an illusion

and never really happened, that surely does not mean

that we stand by mutely, our hearts cold with the illusion

that it never really happened.

 

While we can talk endlessly about why it all happened,

pointing to one lesson or another to be learned, that

surely does not mean that we chalk it all up to someone's

karma or prarabda, aloof in our intellectual towers, far

above the din of disaster.

 

Instead, we remember with humility, the following,

which you quoted in your own post...

 

 

"I am the Self, O Gudakesha, dwelling in the heart of all beings.

I am the beginning, middle, and end of all beings."

 

So, yes, Harshaji, we reach out the best we can to those

who are in need, and we accept what happened without

ascribing reasons as to why it happened. We look into the

eyes of everyone, and see our Self. Not just when there is

some tragedy to force our focus, or even just at some special

time of the year, but each day, each moment that we breathe.

 

Love,

 

Joyce

 

 

Let my every word be a prayer to Thee,

Every movement of my hands a ritual gesture to Thee,

Every step I take a circumambulation of Thy image,

Every morsel I eat a rite of sacrifice to Thee,

Every time I lay down a prostration at Thy feet;

Every act of personal pleasure and all else that I do,

Let it all be a form of worshiping Thee."

>From Verse 27 of Shri Aadi Shankara's Saundaryalahari

 

>

> Dear Friends:

>

> I had some time tonight and am catching up on all the e-mails. Over the

> last week we have all been watching the tragedy of the Tsunami unfold in

> South Asia and the horrific suffering associated with that. Whole families

> have been lost, parents have lost children and many children are left with

> parents. Several questions have come up which I summarize as two

> questions.

>

> 1. What should those of us sitting 10,000 miles away do and what is our

> responsibility in the context of the philosophy of Ahimsa (nonviolence)?

>

> In Hinduism, the Goddess Lakshmi represents the symbol of prosperity.

> Money is a form of energy and how it is used with intention can make a

> difference in our lives and that of other people. At a practical level,

> most of us can donate some money to the worthy and noble organizations

> that are acting to help the victims. My personal favorites tend to be

> UNICEF and the Red Cross but there are many others as well. So give to

> charity of your choice according to your means and inclination. By giving

> we learn to give more.

>

> 2. In this very conflicted and seemingly unfair world where there is much

> confusion, what is the proper way to live and conduct ourselves with

> clarity?

>

> It is not easy. Sri Krishna answered this in the Bhagavad-Gita Gita by

> telling Arjuna that one should conduct oneself according to one's dharma

> (sense of duty that comes from one's position---for example, the dharma of

> the parents is to protect, educate, and raise their children, dharma of a

> soldier is to protect the country, dharma of a scholar or a priest is to

> share or teach wisdom, etc.). Sri Krishna has said that without attachment

> to the "fruits of action" and whether these will be pleasant or unpleasant

> one should faithfully do one's duty. This is also known as Karma yoga.

>

> Below, I give few of Sri Ramana's favorite verses of the Gita (from the

> collected works).

>

> "I am the Self, O Gudakesha, dwelling in the heart of all beings. I am the

> beginning, middle, and end of all beings."

>

> "The faith of everyone is according to their nature O' Bharata. Man is

> essentially endowed with faith. What his faith is, that indeed he is."

>

> "Surrender unto Him with all your heart, O Bharata. Through His grace, you

> will attain supreme peace and the perennial abode."

>

> May all being be free from sorrow.

>

> Love to all

> Harsha