KARMA # 3

The other five factors besides Destiny

Correct injustice – heal the planet

Do no harm

Subordinate ego to the higher Self

Love

Be in joy doing all this

These will be discussed in more detail in later blogs but included here is some wisdom for the way from the Ancestors and others.

Correct Injustice - Heal the Planet

This is the essence of karma or service oriented yoga. Karma Yoga is the path of action and service to others with mindfulness. This service can manifest in many ways and for any or all of the Four Beings; Talking, Wild, Growing and Still (the planet Herself - Mother Nature.)

“Our role on earth is to correct injustices” The Ancestors

“We are here to help others - what others are here for - I do not know.”  W.H. Auden

“The worship most pleasing to God is service to others.” L. Boff

"I slept and dreamt that life was joy, I awoke and saw that life was service.  I acted and behold, service was joy." Tagore

“Strange is our situation here upon earth. Each of us comes for a short visit, not knowing why, yet sometimes seeming to a divine purpose. From the standpoint of daily life, however, there is one thing we do know: That we are here for the sake of others …” A. Einstein

 “Give without remembering,
Take without forgetting.
Give freely.
Receive openly.
Do all with gratitude.
It is the way of love.
It is the way of joy. “ 
The Ancestors

 “I do not know what your destiny will be but the one thing I do know is that the only ones among you who will be truly happy are those who have learned and found how to serve.” A. Schweitzer

 “We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.”   
W. Churchill

Do No Harm

“See yourself in others then whom can you hurt? What harm can you do?”  Dammapada

"We are all one, though not the same." The Ancestors.

"The fundamental delusion of humanity is to suppose that, I am here and you are out there." Roshi

Ubuntu is a Bantu, Southern African concept. According to Bishop Tutu, Ubunti speaks to the essence of being human. 

"The solitary individual is a contradiction in terms. Ubuntu speaks about the importance of communal harmony; warmth, compassion, generosity, hospitality and seeks to embrace others.  You are a person only through other persons."

 “If I am not for myself who will be for me, if I am only for myself then what am I, and if not now then when?” Hillel

 “We are all in the same boat, upon a stormy sea and we owe to each other a terrible and tragic loyalty.” G.K. Chesterton

In judging ourselves, others or another we not only harm ourselves spiritually but the person we judge and others who may be listening to our judgments. Judgment is one of the three deadly sins of karma along with Ego and Desirous Attachment which will feature later.

“Love implies generosity, care, not to hurt another, not to make them feel guilty, to be generous, courteous, and behave in such a manner that your words and thoughts are born out of compassion.” Krishnamurti

Subordinate Ego to the Higher Self

“The Light of lights looks always on the motive, not the deed… the shadow of shadows, on the deed alone.” Yeats"

"God does not measure results, only the trueness of intent and the fervor of effort. This is why there is such joy in daring one's best." 

“All must be done for its own sake, not for reason of an outcome.
All is a journey not a destination and it is a continual arriving.”

“Do you listen with your heart or are you hearing with your ego.
The possible peril is not a punishment, it is a consequence.
…” The Ancestors

  Doing things for their own sake and without any personal agenda is the crux of ego subordination. Our deeds must be done for the greater good without consideration of any reward or pay back. Yoga teaches that any action bound to an ego motive will buy us another life time.

Love

"Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.”  Rumi

“Love heals people… both the ones who give and the ones who receive it.” Karl Menninger

“But I say to you; deeds of love are worth as much as all the commandments of the law… not learning but doing is the chief thing.” Talmud

The yogis say that the most difficult chakra to open is the heart chakra. Kabbalah teaches that the student who has mastered Tiferet - the heart of the Tree of Life and love - can then teach him/herself. The San Bushmen say that if you want to be a powerful healer you must love everyone, no matter what you think of them.

Joy

“Cleanse the lens, adjust the focus, rid what clutters and impedes.
Shed and shie what keeps the soul from joy.”

“Remember that you are made not for brokenness and sorrow but for wholeness and for joy.”

Where there is love there is light.
Where there is gratitude there is light.
Where there is laughter there is light. The Ancestors

“Sometimes I go about pitying myself and all the time I am being carried on great winds across the sky.” Ojibway

“Reflect on your present blessings of which every person has many, not on your past misfortunes, of which all people have some.” Charles Dickens

“In the song of the rushing torrent hold onto the joyful assurance: I will become the sea. And this is not a vain supposition, it is absolute humility because it is the truth.” Tagore

“Serenity is not a passive condition but an undisturbed peace of mind, active and aware which can be quiet joy, sometimes ecstatic joy, always deep within spirit and light of heart.” Father Toomy

 In spite of all the positive things we do and actions we take, things may not work out the way we hoped.

“You cannot decide outcomes, only your choices. You cannot control results, only your actions, so it is best that we practice non-attachment to outcome.” The Ancestors

“God’s rivers of pleasure and good are not placid waters of insipid purity. They have currents of all strengths, frequently forming into wild twists and turns alongside gentle flows, all churning and tumbling into swirling pools too deep to fathom. They are for reflecting, playing and rejuvenating and then continuing endlessly onto their source.”

We need to be able to coexist with what is around us and what happens to us and not be discouraged. The temptation is to give up hope and  be influenced by the negativity in the ebb and flow of life which may seems to be getting worse day by day. We must resist going to the dark when there is just as much light around us if we look for it. Avoid too much social media, TV and toxic movies. A regular meaningful spiritual practice, done almost daily and whenever needed is essential for maintaining harmony and balance

"If you don't want to see the shadow, turn your face to the sun."  Aboriginal saying

“Joy is not incidental to your spiritual quest … it is vital.” 
Rev. Nachman

“… Do your work, then step back, the only way to serenity.” Tao Te Ching

Research on gratitude by Robert Emmons and others has shown that a gratitude practice can have profound effects on our equanimity and feelings of joy. Check out his work on line.

Click on the link to this song Giyabonga which says thank you in English, Afrikaans, Hebrew, Venda and Zulu.
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No one said this was easy.