An interesting question

[Guest guest]

Hi,

 

> I have a question regarding Hinduism and how it relates to the idea of

> bringing balance to one's life. I am currently researching religions of the

> Asian region for a small publication dedicated to Asian studies. I am

> seeking information about Hinduism and how this religion promotes or

> encourages its followers to attain a sense of balance in their lives.

> Any information regarding this issue would be helpful and greatly

> appreciated.

 

The following articles, which appeared long back in

philist

may answer the question to an extent. Though the articles does not

mention

anything about religion or Hinduism explicitly, the philosophy and means

are

from Hinduism.

 

Article 1. Aim of Life

Article 2. Karma Yoga for Professionals

 

With regards,

Gomu.

 

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Aim of Life

 

Several people have asked me if there is any aim of life. This aim has

to be

irrespective of the concept of rebirth and God. Any aim in life must be

achievable

here and now.

 

Let me question myself: " What is that I want in life? Even if I say that

I donot

have any aim in life, the very fact that I am moving around doing so

many things

show that I AM looking for something. What do I want in life? I go to

work

everyday. Why? What do I want from it? I go to movies. I go to my

friend's house.

I go to places of worship. Why? What do I expect from all these things?

Nature

shows me a beautiful scenery and says, " Look " and I stand awestruck.

Why?

Nature shows me a starving child. I feel a pang. I drop a coin into her

bowl. Why?

What do I expect from the act? " The answer to all the questions I ask

myself is

the same : " If I donot do it, I will feel unsatisfied. " This makes me

look as if I am

very selfish. Even my act of dropping a coin into the beggar's bowl is

for

self-gratification; but this is the fact.

 

That leaves me with this : " Every thing I do is to make me feel more

satisfied,

complete and perfect. " This I find is the driving force behind all my

actions. This,

consciously or unconsciously, is the driving force behind the actions of

everyone.

A thief steals to be more complete. A labourer works to feel more

complete. A

person gives money in charity to feel more complete. The whole world is

driven by

a craze for perfection and completeness.

 

Man is a multi-faceted being. We see him as a physical, intellectual and

emotional being. Let us see what " perfection " means in these different

facets.

What do I mean by prefection at the physical level? The first thing that

comes to

our mind is a healthy body. The body must be free from diseases. The

sense

organs must be sensitive for the body to maintain itself and to enjoy

the sense

objects. The organs of action must be strong and dextrous. Then, body

must be

pleasing to look at. At the intellectual level, the memory must be good.

The power

of discrimination must be sharp.

 

Before we step into the emotional plane, let us see if perfection is

possible at

these planes. How perfect can the physical body be? How much can a

person

take care to keep away from diseases? Even if that is possible, the body

will be

subjected to infirmity, old-age and death. Who can escape them? So,

perfection

at the physical level is a myth. How perfect can man be in the

intellectual plane?

How much can one remember? How sharp can the discriminating capacity be?

To

what level can logical thinking reach? The inherent limitations of logic

and rational

thinking have been realised and expressed by both Western and Eastern

thinkers.

 

Now let us look into the emotional side of man. Let me portray my idea

of a man

who is emotionally strong. He has tremendous faith in what he is doing.

This

results in perseverance. He faces the obstacles that stand in his path

with

courage and confidence. He is able to take decisions quickly. He is

fearless. He

has mastery over his feelings. He is not carried away by sentiments. He

can face

any situation in life with a cool head. Elbowing down others is

irrelevant to him.

His strength doesnot depend on anything external. He is totally

self-contained.

He is emotionally stable.

 

Now, can a person be absolutely stable? What can move a man who does not

depend on anything external to himself? What can touch him? Nothing. He

IS

absolutely stable. This is perfection. This is completeness. So,

perfection in the

emotional level IS possible.

 

Now let us see what perfection at the emotional level means at the other

two

levels. How does a man who is emotionally perfect look at his physical

and

intellectual planes. Based on our previous arguments, even the body of

the

" perfect " man cannot be perfect. How will that affect him? If he is

bothered about

it, he is not emotionally perfect because he is not satisfied. So, the

imperfection

of the body makes no difference to him. Similarly with the intellect.

Satisfaction is

a concept in the emotional plane. So perfection there reflects at all

the planes.

Thus we find that the emotional plane holds the key to all the other

planes.

 

So, the only thing worth striving for is emotional stability. Man's

pursuit of

happiness can be fulfilled only by his emotional development. This

perfection can

be achieved here, in this body itself. One neednot think of any heaven

or future

birth. There IS an aim in life and it is as real as one's own existence.

 

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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

2) Attachment to material possesions

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.

 

 

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