Transcript Karma Yoga - Practical Philosophy and Rational Religion

Karma Yoga
Principles and Practices
Different Kinds of People
• Taamasic – Lazy, without motivation, complaining,
escapist
• Raajasic – Active
– Aarthi – A suffering personKarma
who wants
to free
Yoga
is himself from the
suffering – afraid of stick, works to avoid punishment and
for these people.
inconvenience
– Arthaarthi – A person who is hankering after different things –
wants carrots, works to achieve goals and ambitions
• Saatvic – Thinking
– Jijnaasu – A person who is beyond sticks and carrots, looking for a
nobler reason to work
• Guna-atita – Wise
– Jnaani – A person who attained the knowledge of the Truth of this
existence
Karma to Karma Yoga
• Results of work
– Artha – removes wants,
gives security
– Kaama – gives comfort
and luxuries
– Dharma – gives social
benefit, peace of mind
– Moksha – gives inner
growth and emotional
freedom
By products
Focus here.
Work for these.
Overview
Karma Yoga
Right Action
Right Attitude
Avoid harmful
Iswara arpana
Reduce selfish
General duties
Increase selfless
Particular duties
(swadharma)
Deva yagna
Bhuta yagna
Manushya yagna
Pitru yagna
Rishi yagna
Yagna (give back)
Daana (give more)
Tapas (stretch yourself)
Iswara prasaada
Physical tapas
Verbal tapas
Mental tapas
What is Karma Yoga?
• Right action
– What should I do?
– What should I avoid?
• Right attitude
– How should I work?
– How should I face the
results?
Actions
• Actions
– Taamasic – harmful
– Raajasic – selfish
– Saatvic – selfless
Avoid
Reduce
Increase
• Saamaanya dharma – general duties
• Vishesha dharma (swadharma) – particular duties
What Should I Avoid?
• Don’t do anything that
you cannot proudly
tell to your mother.
• Don’t do anything that
you will not want
others to do to you.
• Don’t do anything that
will increase your
identity with the body.
What Should I Reduce?
• Some selfish actions cannot
be avoided
– Brushing teeth, bathing, eating,
etc
– Information update like
newspaper
• Some selfish actions can be
reduced
– Some entertainment like cricket
match
– Some luxuries like ice cream
– Dependence on servants
What Should I Increase?
• Saamaanya dharma (General
duties)
– Yagna – repaying our
obligations
– Daana – charity beyond
obligations
– Tapas – stretching our limits
• Vishesha dharma (Particular
duties)
– Swadharma – duties based on
our position in life
So Far …
Karma Yoga
Right Action
Right Attitude
Avoid harmful
Iswara arpana
Reduce selfish
General duties
Increase selfless
Particular duties
(swadharma)
Deva yagna
Bhuta yagna
Manushya yagna
Pitru yagna
Rishi yagna
Yagna (give back)
Daana (give more)
Tapas (stretch yourself)
Iswara prasaada
Physical tapas
Verbal tapas
Mental tapas
Yagna – Paying Back
• We have already taken a
lot from environment,
parents, society, etc.
• We are under a huge debt
already.
• Nature will not let us go
free.
• Give willingly instead of
being robbed forcibly.
Five Kinds of Debts
1. Deva runa – Debt to
inanimate nature. We
are made of the gross
and subtle elements.
Earth gives food. Sun
gives heat and light.
We need air to
breathe, water to
drink, etc.
• Preserve nature and
support people doing
it
• Plant trees
• Avoid pollution
• Conserve water,
electricity, paper, etc
Five Kinds of Debts
2. Bhuta runa– Debt to
other plants and
animals. Plants give
food, clothes, etc.
Trees give so many
products. Animals are
used in agriculture, for
milk, honey, silk,
wool, etc. Dogs, cats
serve as pets.
• Pay for services
• Treat animals kindly
• Give comfort to
animals
• Plant trees
Five Kinds of Debts
3. Pitru runa – Debt to
parents and ancestors.
We have got our body
from our parents and
ancestors. They have
fed us and taken care
of us. They have
spend so much energy
towards what we are
today.
• Don’t hurt the feelings
of parents
• Take care of old
people and children
• Don’t scold them
unnecessarily
• Donate towards old
age homes,
orphanages, etc
Five Kinds of Debts
4. Manushya runa – Debt
to the society. We
avail the services of so
many people in the
society like farmers,
masons, weavers, shop
keepers, drivers,
mechanics, police,
soldiers, etc
• Pay for services
• Treat other people
with due respect
• Help others
• Donate towards relief
work
• Donate towards the
development of
underprivileged
Five Kinds of Debts
5. Rishi runa – Debt to
teachers. Man is
different from an
animal because of the
scientific and cultural
heritage, which is
inherited through
teachers, authors of
good books, makers of
good movies, etc.
• Study well
• Keep the scientific and
cultural heritage a part
of your life
• Learn music, art, etc
• Buy good books
• Teach others
• Donate to schools
Five Kinds of Debts
• Pancha runa
–
–
–
–
–
Deva runa
Bhuta runa
Pitru runa
Manushya runa
Rishi runa
• Paying them back brings
our account back to
balance.
• It is ok to overpay. It will
be credited back.
So Far …
Karma Yoga
Right Action
Right Attitude
Avoid harmful
Iswara arpana
Reduce selfish
General duties
Increase selfless
Particular duties
(swadharma)
Deva yagna
Bhuta yagna
Manushya yagna
Pitru yagna
Rishi yagna
Yagna (give back)
Daana (give more)
Tapas (stretch yourself)
Iswara prasaada
Physical tapas
Verbal tapas
Mental tapas
Daana - Charity
• Contribute more than you
consume
• Bhagavad Gita – 17:20
– Give as duty and with humility,
not as a favor and with
arrogance
– Give to people who cannot
give back in any form to you
– Give at a place where needed
– Give in time when needed
– Give to the deserving people
Tapas – Austerity
• Stretching ourselves
exposes our limitations to
our conscious view so that
we can analyze them and
try to improve ourselves.
• The world is a gymnasium
to develop ourselves.
Physical Austerity
• Bhagavad Gita – 17:14
– Bow down to God, cultured people, teachers
and wise people
– Maintain everything neat and tidy
– There should be perfect alignment between
your intention, knowledge, words and action
– Maintain decent and appropriate attitude
towards the other gender
– Do not cause injury to others
Verbal Austerity
• Bhagavad Gita – 17:15
– Speak softly
– Speak only that which passes the triple test
• Truthful
• Pleasant
• Useful
– Maintain a habit of studying good books
– Discuss good thoughts with others
Mental Austerity
• Bhagavad Gita – 17:16
– Be free from stress in the form of anxiety about
the future and brooding about the past
– Be calm and cheerful
– Have pleasant and gentle thoughts
– Observe silence for sometime everyday
– Do not perpetuate unhealthy thoughts
– Have noble intentions. Wish good to everyone.
Yagna, Daana, Tapas
• Bhagavad Gita – 18:5
– These three:
• yagna (fulfilling the five debts)
daana (contributing more than consuming)
and tapas (stretching the limits)
should always be performed
– These are needed to purify the mind and
maintain purity in life
Swadharma
• It is God who has placed us in the position where
we are
• Doing full justice to the position by doing our
duties is His worship
• Whatever comes our way and whatever is
expected of us in our current position is our
natural duty
• Bhagavad Gita – 18:46
– Him from whom the world has arisen,
Him who pervades everything here,
By worshipping Him by doing one’s duty,
Man attains perfection.
So Far …
Karma Yoga
Right Action
Right Attitude
Avoid harmful
Iswara arpana
Reduce selfish
General duties
Increase selfless
Particular duties
(swadharma)
Deva yagna
Bhuta yagna
Manushya yagna
Pitru yagna
Rishi yagna
Yagna (give back)
Daana (give more)
Tapas (stretch yourself)
Iswara prasaada
Physical tapas
Verbal tapas
Mental tapas
How Should I Work?
• Remember the purpose
– To pay back
– To improve ourselves
• No shortcuts
• Working hard and being
fair is more important than
achieving the immediate
target
• Introspection and
stretching our limits is the
way to grow
Iswara arpana – Do everything as an offering to God (9:27).
How Should I Face the Results?
• Face the logical and
illogical consequences
• Success or failure, learn
the lesson and go ahead
• Face success with
humility and failure with
dignity
• Remember the purpose
– To pay back
– To improve ourselves
Iswara prasaada – Accept everything as gift from God (9:28).
Karma Yoga – Summary
•
Final Goal – Inner emotional perfection
– Security, Happiness and Peace
– Fulfillment
– Purposefulness
•
Intermediate Goal
– Moral perfection
– Detachment
•
Means
– Avoid harmful and reduce selfish actions
– Perform Yagna, Daana, Tapas
• Pay back the five debts
• Give more than you take
• Stretch limits to grow
– Perform Swadharma
•
By product or side effect
– Prosperity
– Achievement
•
Pursuit of artha and kaama should be subservient to
the pursuit of dharma and moksha
What Should I Do?
• Do my duty
– Whatever comes my way and
whatever is expected of me in
my current position is my
natural duty
• Clear the five debts
• Make sure I give more than I
take
• Stretch myself by austerities
What Should I Avoid?
•
•
•
•
Lethargy
Shortcuts
Self pity
Blaming others or the
environment
• Over consumption
• Anxiety towards the
immediate target
What Will I Get?
• Peace of mind
• Maturity to ask
further questions like
“What is the ultimate
purpose of life?”
• Calmness to involve
in meditation and
scriptural study.
Questions and Answers
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