by Gurani Anjali
In every action there is a reaction in thought, word and deed. If you watch very closely you will experience the intimacy between cause and effect, the law of life. When one is educated through the guidance of dedicated teachers, sacred writing, concentration, meditation, and internal and external purifications, thought becomes concentrated on · one’s object of desire. Then one begins to understand cause and effect.
When one knows, action is appreciated. There is joy in one’s realizing that action produces creation. Every movement is a movement of infinity. It is in action that we can go on and on and on. The realization of the infinite comes with accepting the world of action. They cannot be kept apart.
This world is a manifestation of the unmanifest. In this world there is vibration, activity, creation, sound, form and color, which all play prominent roles in our lives. We cannot stop looking. We sustain this existence through our existence. In the looking, hearing, smelling, tasting and touching there is action. Because we enjoy these sensations, we create possibilities wherein and whereby we produce more of the same, and inbountiful proportions.
Men, women and children are always reaching out of the bondage of obscurity, sometimes thoughtfully as adults, or playfully as children. The need to be free is to escape from not being known to being known. Men, women and children can never be content with just the bare necessities of life: food, shelter and clothing. So we occupy ourselves with other things. For example, we build societies, structures and superstructures that express our need to be free. Yet in the building and in the need to be free, there is the fear of destruction. We cannot bear the thought of this. Therefore, we go on through pain and pleasure, laboring through many trying circumstances because we must transcend what is, in order to become what we are yet to be. In this there is pleasure; in this there is pain.
Individuals must carry out their principles of life according to their understanding. In so doing, we go through life constantly expanding and penetrating in order to become. Sometimes in the maze of life, we become confused and lost. We lose sight of our intentions; we become afraid. However, these interruptions cannot stop us. We have to keep moving.
Our life is manifested through our actions. We live in two worlds: the inner and the outer. These worlds are interdependent. We act in the outer world and in doing so make the inner world known.
We want to live a total, wholesome life, and we can only do so if we consider the whole. To do this we have to go to the great philosophies of the past and acquire the understanding therein. Then, upon introspection, we will appreciate the outer and the inner, the manifest and the unmanifest. A joy will fill our hearts. There will be, through this understanding, a reason and a need for performing actions in the world.
The urgency of doing and becoming allows us to constantly remain on the move. This movement is wonderful only if there is joy in the completed action. Life is a flux of three moments: past, present and future. We have to balance our lives with strength and understanding; cause and effect must be respected. All our actions and reactions must be dedicated to Self-realization, which is the reason for our being. The individual and universal must be in close contact all the time. Never must the mind stray from this unity, for it is in this joy that there is ecstasy.
Unity is a beautiful thought; harmony is welcomed by all. Where can we find it? Many have yearned for this knowledge, and many have failed in the pursuit of this wisdom. This knowledge does not come by sheer wishing. However, indirect understanding is not difficult to acquire. There are thousands of books, radio and television programs on the subject. Anyone you meet is ready to give you information, opinions, and sometimes, against your wishes, they will try to help you. But there is nothing in this whole world that will convince you of the truth other than the experience of direct perception. It changes your whole life.
Fear is easily overcome by the Yoga of action, selfless action. Work on, just to keep the wheel of life moving. Give thanks and praises for the bounty of life.
When the buddhi (intellect) reasons, viveka (discrimination) is attached to the Yoga of action. Then the result is freedom, and in freedom nothing is ever stagnant. Consider the river flowing into the ocean. Watch how the day slips into the night. See the rainfall disappearing into the earth. Go into a vegetable garden which produces food for all. Walk by a flower garden. The fragrance is inhaled by all: the good, the bad, the indifferent. The same is true of the sun, spreading its rays upon all. Watch also how childhood gives way to youth, and youth gives way to maturity. The fullness of life is in the giving: giving birth, giving alms, being responsible in sustaining the continuation of birth and rebirth.
Again I must emphasize that buddhi is important for true Yoga of action to be accomplished. Selfless action requires more than merely abandoning the fruits of action. Selfless action requires reason and viveka. One must discriminate the real from the unreal, the eternal from the temporal. Time and time again, the individual who does not discriminate falls into the trap of delusion when performing worldly actions. He finds himself still lingering in attachments which give rise to desire. When desire remains unrewarded, it gives way to anger, restlessness and confusion. When this condition sets in, the reasoning capacity is weakened. We see and experience destruction all around; a restless mind can never have peace.
Yoga is skill in karma (action). One is not advised to ignore worldly duties. One can perform excellent work through the Yoga of action and come to the realization of selflessness. As a snake sheds its skin, as a skin is removed from an onion, as soap and water cleanse the body, the impressions and attachments will slip away a little at a time as the Yoga of action becomes perfected. Then surrender becomes a real and pure undertaking. Om Shanti.