Lots of us are familiar with the concept of karma – action and its consequences. Or to put it in
bumper sticker fashion, what goes around comes around. But the Hindu concept of
karma isn’t just a tit for tat, moralistic concept –
its really a much deeper description of how we create the reality that we experience, including what
we experience across multiple lifetimes.
Generally our actions bind us to the world. We weave
ourselves into the warp and woof of what we see around us by wanting, always
wanting – be it things, people, attention, fame, love, whatever – and our
actions moving us toward those things go out and create a net that comes back
and wraps us as tightly as a chain. We are trapped in a destiny of our own making. Think of
each desire as a tendril of industrial-strength kudzu:
a tree might grow strong and beautiful in the sunlight; then one tendril of desire-kudzu begins weaving up the trunk, then another,
and another and another, each growing wildly, until the tree is totally covered.
That’s you, Mr. or Ms. Tree, encased, enclosed and totally
encumbered in your desire-kudzu. The
question is, how do you get unencumbered again?
Karma
yoga, the spiritual path to which Krishna calls Arjuna, is all about unencumbering.
It’s about taking control of our destiny – by letting go of our desires.
Ironic, huh?
Each yogic path has a primary action or focus, and for karma yoga it
is about being active in the world through doing good.
But here’s the catch: you do this with the understanding that you, little ol’
karmicly screwed up you, aren’t doing the good work here: it is Brahman, God,
working through you. No credit at all to you; i.e., get your ego out of the
way.
Every selfless act, Arjuna, is born from Brahman, the
eternal, infinite Godhead. He is present in every act of service. All life
turns on this law…
Chapter
3.15-16
You do the good things, the right things, because they are
the right things to do, not because of anything good that you’ll get out of it.
Not a “my, aren’t you a wonderful person,” not a cosmic pat on the head, not
the promise of spiritual treats, not even necessarily a good feeling.
Act selflessly, without any thought of personal
profit.
Chapter
3.8-9
Gives a whole new meaning to “Just Do It”, doesn’t it?
In doing all of this you work 180¡ away from where you’ve been in terms of
gathering karma. In fact, karma yoga is all about undoing karma, slowly
but surely pulling off those strands of kudzu you’ve been
using for lifetimes to bind yourself to this world:
Those who live in accordance with these divine laws
without complaining, firmly established in faith, are released from karma.
Chapter 3.31
Like I said, taking control of your destiny by learning how to let go of your
desires.
More next time on how undoing karma and acting selflessly
helps us take control of our destinies.
Image found at
Image found at
http://www.jjanthony.com/kudzu/sculptures.html
