Inquiries Into the Absolute: Digest 171, How to give up doermentality?

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Digest 171, June 6th, 2006. Answers by His Holiness Romapada Swami Maharaja

**You are welcome to send in your questions to HH Romapada Swami at

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How to give up doer mentality?

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Q: How should we understand that ultimately we are not the doer of our

activity? How to keep this understanding always and work, because many times

when we work we often get carried away thinking that actually I'm the doer (and

it appears to be so)?

 

Answer: With some introspection, guided by spiritual intelligence from

Bhagavad-Gita, we can recognize that we are not the ultimate doer. We discussed

this in a previous digest,

(http://www.iskcondc.org/cgi-bin/renderphilo.pl?digestname=digest78):

 

"In Bg 18.14, Krishna explains that there are five factors of action, only one

of which is our self, the others being the senses and instruments, the field of

action, the different endeavors and ultimately the Supersoul. As said above,

everything required for performing an activity, including our own intelligence

and strength comes from Krishna. Our independent will constitutes one of the

factors, but we are miniscule and dependent on the Lord for every movement and

can act only under His sanction. Thus, with a little introspection, we can

understand that we are not the cause or doer. We may be an immediate or

intermediate cause, but the ultimate doer is Krishna.

 

See also BG 5.14 ("The embodied spirit, master of the city of his body, does

not create activities, nor does he induce people to act, nor does he create the

fruits of action. All this is enacted by the modes of material nature.")

Material nature is creating the fruits of all material activities, not the

soul. We have the capacity to perform work, we make various endeavors, material

nature creates results...and material nature works under Krishna's direction

(BG 9.10)."

 

To maintain this consciousness while working in the field of our activities,

however, takes devotional practice --- by increasingly recognizing our

insignificance and cultivating a mood of dependence on Krishna in doing our

activities. When we practice doing every activity in the mood of a servant,

simply as an order-carrier of Guru and Krishna - from simple things as chanting

or cleaning to executing occupational duties, discussing philosophy or

interacting with colleagues - this internal cultivation strengthens the

realization of our totally dependent position.

 

While doing so it will become increasingly evident that the result derived from

work done in such a mood of surrender and dependence is perceptibly much

different from the result obtained by acting in the mood of doer, in terms of

what effect it has on our own consciousness and also upon the environment and

others around us. When acting according to scriptural direction, under the

guidance of the Lord's representatives, and for the purpose of pleasing the

Lord - you will begin to see that such actions are uplifting, liberating and

beneficial for all, while you are simply being an instrument, personal

qualifications/disqualifications notwithstanding. In contrast, when acting

under the impression that 'I'm the doer', under the influence of false-ego,

what is really happening is that we are being completely conducted by the modes

of nature - be it goodness, passion or ignorance(Bg 3.27

http://vedabase.net/bg/3/27/en); consequently the results are also completely

controlled by the modes, not in our control. This

personal realization reinforces our recognition of the fact that we are not the

doer but simply an instrument, fully under the control of either the modes of

nature or the internal potency of devotion, depending upon our desire or

freewill disposition.

 

In summary, by acting in a mood of service under the guidance of realized

devotees, we can become free of the false sense of doer-ship. By adopting the

mood of humble service, Krishna provides us with ample yet gradual realization

of this important spiritual reality.

 

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This digest on the web:

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All previous digests in one file (with responses to about 450 questions):

http://iskcondc.org/cgi-bin/renderphilo.pl?digestname=digest00

 

Responses to Some Frequently Asked Questions (Karma, free-will, demigods, Lord

Siva, why are we here, how to control the mind, Deity worship, marriage, Jesus

Christ, spiritual and material relationships and morality of Lord Krsna's

conjugal pastimes, spiritual master, spirit soul/jiva/living entity):

http://www.iskcondc.org/cgi-bin/renderphilo.pl?digestname=digest999_faq

 

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