Guest guest Posted April 19, 2000 Report Share Posted April 19, 2000 Namaste, Some additional thoughts on this excellent essay: yaj~na, includes actions done for the fulfilment of one's desires [kaamya karma] AND those that fulfil one's obligations [R^iNa] towards others, [nishhkaama] namely, gods/deities [deva yajna], scriptures [brahma yajna], ancestors [pitR^i yajna], feeding the hungry [nR^i yajna], and feeding the animals [bhuuta yajna]. The Gita [9:27] offers one 'easy' way to accomplish this: "yatkaroshhi yadashnaasi yajjuhoshhi dadaasi yat.h . yattapasyasi kaunteya tatkurushhva madarpaNam.h .. " Whatever you do, eat, sacrifice, give, acquire through austerity, offer that to Me. Why? 9:24 : aha.n hi sarvayaj~naanaM bhoktaa cha prabhureva cha . I alone am the Enjoyer and Lord of all Yajnas. Regards, s. >Gokulmuthu N <gomu >advaitin >advaitin > Re: Karmayoga >Thu, 20 Apr 2000 15:24:50 +0530 (IST) > >Hello, > > I wrote this article a few months back for the monthly newsletter in >our office. It might find a place here. > >With love, >Gomu. > >--------- >Karma Yoga for Professionals >-- >---------- >Email: gomu >Phone: +91 80 6689904, 6780026-29 >FAX: +91 80 6688884 >Webpages: http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/1863 > http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/2973 >---------- ____ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 20, 2000 Report Share Posted April 20, 2000 Hello, I wrote this article a few months back for the monthly newsletter in our office. It might find a place here. With love, Gomu. --------- Karma Yoga for Professionals There are various definitions of Yoga. The Bhagavad Gita has definitions like "Yogaha Karmasu Kousalam" - Efficiency in work is Yoga. (II.48) "Samatvam Yoga uchyate" - Equanimity is called Yoga. (II.50) Patanjali yoga sutras define Yoga as "Citta vrtti nirodaha" - Absence of turbulence in the mind. (I.2) Thus, yoga can be considered as "Complete peace of mind, leading to the maximum efficiency in any undertaking." Everyone wants peace of mind and every organisation wants maximum efficiency of its people. Thus Yoga serves both the individual and organisational goals. Karma Yoga is the way to attain this Yoga by doing one's duties. This is the best way for professionals. The reasons for the absence of peace of mind and efficiency in work are catagorised into three: 1) Attachment towards physical pleasure or comfort 2) Attachment to material possessions 3) Attachment to individual pride These are refered to as lust, greed and ego. Every cause of lack of Yoga can be traced back to one or more of these three reasons. The three basic causes of deviation from Yoga are addressed to by three techniques: 1) Yagna - voluntary constructive activity 2) Dhana - detachment from the results of Yagna 3) Tapas - detachment from the doership of Yagna and Dhana The organisation expects every individual to do a minimum amount of work, for which the individual is normally paid for. Yagna is involving in constructive activity in the organisation, or outside, AFTER fulfilling the basic requirements in the organisation. Work is the best antidote to lust. Every individual in the organisation is paid for the work which it expects from the person, and sometimes is paid more in recognition of work done beyond its expectations. Mental detachment from the returns from work is called Dhana. To train the mind to do this, voluntary donations towards constructive activity within or outside the organisation are effective aids. Team spirit is very important in an organisation. Individual ego is a major disturbing factor of team spirit. This is addressed by Tapas. This is the most subtle and difficult part of Karma Yoga. One has to understand that every one of us is working based on the work and experience of millions of people who worked before us. Compared to the contribution of all those people, any individual's contribution is infinitisimal. If we have this global picture in mind, individual ego can be controlled. Similarly, whatever help rendered to others is only a small fraction of the actual need. No one has the capacity to even eradicate 0.0001% of the poverty or disease in this world. So, any amount of service is only small. With this mindset, the ego arising from Dhana can be countered. Thoughts on these lines will reduce the ego, increase the team spirit and thus contribute to the individual and the organisation. Just remember these three words - Yagna, Dhana and Tapas. Following them will result in peace of mind and efficiency in work. You will be happy and your organisation will be happy. --------- -- ---------- Email: gomu Phone: +91 80 6689904, 6780026-29 FAX: +91 80 6688884 Webpages: http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/1863 http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/2973 ---------- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 20, 2000 Report Share Posted April 20, 2000 Hari Om: Thanks for a well written article on Karma Yoga. This article quite appropriately reminds the practical aspects of Gita and in particular Karma Yoga. Successful spiritual, scientific, business, social and political leaders implicitly followed the path of Karma Yoga. Neovedantin, Deepak Chopra's lectures (or listening to his Audio or Video tapes) contain the essence of Karma Yoga to the tune of modern educated audience. He combines his oratorial elequance with modern poetry and messages of Gita most effectively to get attention. He forcefully argues that those who conducts their duties with unselfish motives are always rewarded with fame and fortune. Deepak Chopra himself is a good example for his proposition! Ram Chandran Karma Yoga Modern Management Courses imp --- Gokulmuthu N <gomu wrote: > Hello, > > I wrote this article a few months back for the > monthly newsletter in > our office. It might find a place here. > > With love, > Gomu. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 21, 2000 Report Share Posted April 21, 2000 Namaste, Gita: 4: 16,17 ki.n karma kimakarmeti kavayo.apyatra mohitaaH ..... .................gahanaa karmaNo gatiH .. Profound is the nature of Action. Even the wise have been confused by it. The Gita uses the pick-pocket's analogy too!! in 3:12 : ishhTaanbhogaanhi yo devaa daasyante yaj~nabhaavitaaH . tairdattanapradaayaibhyo yo bhu~Nkte stena eva saH .. ....Whoso enjoys without offering to Them(Gods) Their gifts, is verily a thief. In 4:23 : ....yaj~naayaacharataH karma samagraM praviliyate .. All actions done as a sacrifice get melt away. We are still at the stage of dissecting individual trees(verses), and not seeing the forest as a whole, so the interpretations will on the surface appear discordant. Regards, s. >Ram Chandran <ramvchandran >advaitin >advaitin >Re: Re: Re: Karmayoga >Fri, 21 Apr 2000 07:40:34 -0700 (PDT) > >Harih Om jaishankarji: > >The points that you have raised are technically >correct but Sri Gokulmuthuji's statements are with >good intentions. Every statement that we make are >always subject to ifs and buts and most of the time we >assume that others are aware of it. > >> > >--- Jaishankar Narayanan <jaishankar_n >wrote: > > > Jai: This kind of understanding of Karma Yoga is > > not true to what Gita > > teaches. Particularly "Yogaha Karmasu Kousalam" > > translated as "Efficiency in > > work is Yoga. " is incorrect. If efficiency and > > equanimity are the only > > criteria then every Pickpocket or a Thief also will > > become a Karma Yogi. The > > Pickpocket can also claim that he will take whatever > > comes of his > > pickpocketing as a Prasad in an equanimous way > > whether it is $10 or $1000 or > > being caught and handed over to Police. SO Kousalam > > here can be taken as the > > ability to do the right thing (Dharma) in any > > particular situation rather > > than efficiency, although Shankara gives a very > > different meaning here which > > the list members will see when we reach there. ______________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 21, 2000 Report Share Posted April 21, 2000 Harih Om jaishankarji: The points that you have raised are technically correct but Sri Gokulmuthuji's statements are with good intentions. Every statement that we make are always subject to ifs and buts and most of the time we assume that others are aware of it. Gokulmuthuji is quite right in his statement that those follow "Karma Yoga" conduct their duties most efficiently. A pickpocketer who steals does with selfish desire and goals and we can't label him/her doing karma yoga! Prasad is God's gift and any gift comes on voluntary basis without expectations. A pickpocketer is fully aware of the consequences and participates in a gamble with mixed outcome. Fundamentally, Gita stresses the role and importance of Dharma and I do not believe that adharma with equanimity is acceptable! regards, Ram Chandran --- Jaishankar Narayanan <jaishankar_n wrote: > Jai: This kind of understanding of Karma Yoga is > not true to what Gita > teaches. Particularly "Yogaha Karmasu Kousalam" > translated as "Efficiency in > work is Yoga. " is incorrect. If efficiency and > equanimity are the only > criteria then every Pickpocket or a Thief also will > become a Karma Yogi. The > Pickpocket can also claim that he will take whatever > comes of his > pickpocketing as a Prasad in an equanimous way > whether it is $10 or $1000 or > being caught and handed over to Police. SO Kousalam > here can be taken as the > ability to do the right thing (Dharma) in any > particular situation rather > than efficiency, although Shankara gives a very > different meaning here which > the list members will see when we reach there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 21, 2000 Report Share Posted April 21, 2000 namaskaaram. karmayoga culminates finally in the release of the concept of a doer. thus doing such a thing or not misses the final point. one's actions thus aren't free; one's attitude toward such actions are. our prarabdha is to do such actions; our choice lies in whether or not we're victims of such actions. to believe that we are is the primal judgment...it's what launched our hypnotic spell in suffering since time immemorial! the word and idea of "judgment" is farcical. there is no possibility in it. the roles alotted to souls in manifestation are vital in their process of unfolding...meeting the format and script designed with such care and precision by isvara--*far beyond* the intellect's relative capacity to understand. the world is a Play...brahman's Sport (leela) and it *requires* all kinds of people to work. how else could it be? the jnani finally sees this and has no more misconceptions about judgments. judgments about others or himself. adharma is finally merely an appearance, *as such*; and without it dharma could not exist...leela could not exist. whatever one's behavior has been, is and will be, has been, is and will be vital for the role alotted. we are in fact all already Self-realized and the persona needs only to recognize it is so. all our actions are inscrutable therefore. they cannot be judged. this is the way for the transformed soul. it stands undaunted in the face of morality. it stands islandlike and undefiled. it stands beyond categorization. it stands like ice amidst flames. it soars in love beyond hope! it is OM unveiled. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 21, 2000 Report Share Posted April 21, 2000 Dear Friends, Gokulmuthu N <gomu wrote Karma Yoga for Professionals There are various definitions of Yoga. The Bhagavad Gita has definitions like "Yogaha Karmasu Kousalam" - Efficiency in work is Yoga. (II.48) "Samatvam Yoga uchyate" - Equanimity is called Yoga. (II.50) Patanjali yoga sutras define Yoga as "Citta vrtti nirodaha" - Absence of turbulence in the mind. (I.2) Thus, yoga can be considered as "Complete peace of mind, leading to the maximum efficiency in any undertaking." Jai: This kind of understanding of Karma Yoga is not true to what Gita teaches. Particularly "Yogaha Karmasu Kousalam" translated as "Efficiency in work is Yoga. " is incorrect. If efficiency and equanimity are the only criteria then every Pickpocket or a Thief also will become a Karma Yogi. The Pickpocket can also claim that he will take whatever comes of his pickpocketing as a Prasad in an equanimous way whether it is $10 or $1000 or being caught and handed over to Police. SO Kousalam here can be taken as the ability to do the right thing (Dharma) in any particular situation rather than efficiency, although Shankara gives a very different meaning here which the list members will see when we reach there. Karma Yoga also is not just doing social work or doing work without taking money. Before Bhagavan talks about Karma Yoga he says "vyavasAyAtmikAbuddhiH ekeha kurunandana....." in Chapter 2. SO vyavasAyAtmikAbuddhiH - "An understanding born out of Discriminating the means and ends in this world" is very important. One has to choose that one's only and primary pursuit in life is to seek Moksha. Then Karma Yoga - a Yoga of attitude helps such a person to grow so that one becomes eligible to receive the knowledge that one is seeking is possible. Otherwise however exalted one's social service might be it is just karma. with love and prayers, Jaishankar ______________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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