Often we perform actions thinking ‘’how this is gonna benefit me?’’ We expect results or appreciation of our efforts. Karma yoga suggests eliminating expectations and act with an attitude of selfless service, without any anticipation of credit or result. We let go of the attachment with the sense of ‘’me’’ and focus on doing the action. This frees us from suffering because there is no expectation of how things should or should not be. There is only things ‘’as they are’’. These bring happiness and peace into our life.
Karma means Action and Yoga means Union. Karma yoga means Yoga or Union through the action. It’s one of the four main paths of yoga in Hindu philosophy, and it purifies the heart by teaching the aspirant to act selflessly, without thought of personal gain or reward.
How can Karma Yoga help you to dissolve your Ego?
By detaching yourself from the fruits of your actions and offering them up to God, you learn to sublimate the Ego. When you consistently act in a selfless way, the mind starts purifying, selfish desires are reduced, and kindness, compassion, and humility are promoted.
How Karma Yoga is described in the Bhagavad Gita?
According to Bhagavad Gita, ‘’Karma Yoga is the selfless devotion of all inner as well as the outer activities as a sacrifice to the Lord of all works, offered to the eternal as Master of all the soul’s energies and austerities’’
‘’you have a right to perform your prescribed duty, but you are not entitled to the fruits of action. Never consider yourself to be the cause of the results of your activities and never be attached to not doing your duty.’’ That means that you should never be inactive or passive in actions. Consider yourself as a tool in the hands of the supreme consciousness and dedicate yourself in selfless service as far as you can.
Which are the 4 major laws of Karma Yoga according to the ‘’Bhagavad Gita’’?
The 4 major laws of Karma Yoga are described in the Bhagavad Gita so that you can enjoy every moment of your work totally free from all stress.
1) Work with a sense of duty.
2) Work without getting intensely attachedto the work.
3) Never allow anxieties about the results to interfere with your mind during the currency of the job.
4) Accept failure and success with equanimity.
How can Karma Yoga improve our daily life and our sense of self?
As I mentioned earlier Karma Yoga focuses on the action you are doing at this moment and nothing else. ‘’When you are focusing on the now instead of the future, the joy of being flows in everything you do. The moment your attention turns to the now, you feel a presence, a stillness, a peace. You no longer depend on the future for fulfillment or satisfaction. You are not attached to the results anymore. Neither failure nor success can change your inner state of being. ‘’ -Eckhart Tolls includes that and he analyses it in his bestseller book ‘’The Power of Now.
But if the results ‘’doesn’t matter’’, what about all the external goals and achievements we want to pursue in life?
We still have the power and the ability to gain and work towards everything we want in life. Perhaps with even more clarity and focus. The difference is that we no longer have the illusory expectations that anything or anybody in the future will save us or make us more happy. No matter what we gain or achieve in the future, we are already whole and complete. With this understanding, a joyous energy derives from everything we do. Life becomes more of a game than a race for constant evolution and fulfillment.
Also, that way the goals we set will be limited to the things that we really want to achieve and are important to us, instead of being driven by fear, anger, discontent, or the need to ‘’become someone’’.
Can you give an example of a Karma Yogi?
Mother Teresa is a bright example of a Karma Yogi. She dedicated her entire life to serving the poor, sick, and marginalized. Her service was always directed towards helping others, without any desire for recognition or personal reward. She was known to say ‘’It’s not about how much we do, but how much love we put into the doing. It’s not about the results, but the love with which we do the work’’. Her selflessness and lack of attachment to material comforts showed that her actions were motivated purely by compassion. Another known quote of hers ‘’I see Jesus in every human being’’ highlights her spiritual approach to serving others.
Integration with Other Yoga Paths
Karma Yoga can be practiced alongside other forms of yoga-like Bhakti Yoga (devotion), Jnana Yoga (knowledge), and Raja Yoga (meditation). It complements these paths by promoting self-discipline and a compassionate heart.
