Hello Kate,
Thank you for the Satsangs.
I read about karma yoga again and my notes on Sadhana which have both got me thinking. I was off to the gym after reading about karma yoga again and it made me realise how I say I hate the gym but I go anyway. So I thought of gratitude and that instead of hating the gym I am grateful for the fact there’s such a lovely empty studio there to practice in, I’m so lucky to have somewhere so close I can walk to it and I’m so grateful for it’s pool and sauna! So no more ‘hate gym’ and instead gratitude.
Sadhana gave me pause for thought. My notes talk about a disciplined practice that (amongst other practices) involves surrendering the ego. I need to work on this, so much! I appreciate this takes time and so much practice. I think perhaps catching oneself and letting it go? Recognising the Self and that I am only that, nothing else is real?
But putting it into practice is hard, before I know it I think I have to be right about something, or be seen to be a ‘good person’. I am beginning to realise that my point of view is not important and that in social discussions if it doesn’t come across it doesn’t matter, that does feel like a good release.
No worries about answering if you are busy Kate, as always, but next time we’re online I’d love to hear more about this.
(I have ordered Rory’s new book which will arrive today and look forward to being deep in it! )
Loads of love as always,
Kate: Great to read your words! A positive shift to gratitude, so much nicer for the systems, takes the “chore” feeling of everyday life. My mother is excellent at this.”Isn’t it great to be able to do it!” She would say for duties, washing up, gardening, painting you name it. It took me some time to really adopt karma yoga sincerely, now I’m even seeing Isvara ‘doing’ my actions, I take my lead from Isvara and manage the gunas accordingly (remember you can always say ‘no’ to Isvara!) This leads me into your questions which I think we can tie in…
My notes talk about a disciplined practice that (amongst other practices) involves surrendering the ego.
I would say it is the ego that needs practice. The Self is already pure and perfect. It’s for the sake of the Self you do anything. Think about it. Every action you do is to remove some sense of limitation. Eat to remove hunger. Work-out to remove lethargy. Read a book to remove boredom. Of course you can see it as adding energy and stimulation to the body/mind. It’s a both/and not an either or, a ‘no-sum’ reality. You see duality play out, ‘see how the pendulum swings’, therefore it can’t be real. For every gain there’s a loss and every loss there’s a gain, but what’s real, Me, the Self never changes.
However I understand where you’re coming from with surrender. One should surrender the mind / the ego to the teaching. These words are Isvara’s words, they don’t come from humans, they come to humans, they haven’t been corrupted and don’t have an agenda other than ‘suffering is bad’. All Isvara is saying is you’re totally great, just as you are. Follow the logic the teaching presents, pretty soon you’ll see it makes perfect sense! You can trust knowledge. Let it take care of your life. I think what you’re catching is the ‘knower/doer split’. It’s like Jekyll and Hyde. The knower knows what is good for oneself, the doer has all the clever justifications to procrastinate or sabotage. Everyone experiences this.
Recognising the Self and that I am only that, nothing else is real?
Yes and if you continue to take a stand in your true nature you’ll see how silly the jiva’s fancies and fusses are. Standing in your true nature you know wholeheartedly ‘I am what is good in every time, place and circumstance’ This heals the past and takes care of the future. See all beings as Isvara, this mighty reflection of myself, although most albeit temporarily bewitched by ignorance – not knowing the difference between what is real and unreal, they suffer endlessly in the ocean of misery.
I am beginning to realise that my point of view is not important and that in social discussions if it doesn’t come across it doesn’t matter, that does feel like a good release.
Yes good for you, so what if I’m ‘understood’ or not, how are we ever to know what goes on in anyone else’s mind, the best we can do is infer what they think or feel and even then, caring what others think of you is a waste of time. There are no ‘others’. If I see you as me, I won’t injure or hurt you in any way. Or fear you for that matter. That being said, no good deed goes unpunished or keeping in mind the law of unintended consequences. Say what you gotta say and let go of the need for any certain outcome. “All beings follow their nature. What use is control?” Karma yoga all the way, acting in accordance with my nature, appropriate and timely, with the right attitude. My words, deeds and thoughts need to be in yoga, harmony, less room for conflict. You want to make your jiva happy here, it’s a beautiful reflection of You after all. Let the sadhana, the truth be the centre of your life and ‘life’/worldly stuff on the periphery, not the other way round. Otherwise the tendency is to run off the old program which sees itself as separate and inadequate and doing lots of actions to complete itself.
Waking up as the Self, you wake up fresh every day. You’re the boss! No formula or prescription for the ‘perfect spiritual person’, (which there aren’t any by the way) you’ve affirmed, confirmed and validated – I’m already perfect as the Self! By default my program/jiva tunes in to what’s best to make myself happy, to my environment and its needs, I trust Isvara implicitly to unfold my journey every step of the way. Things may not always be smooth, no worries! I don’t feel obliged to do or not do. I don’t feel guilty if I do or don’t. Letting the teaching transform your life is the gateway to constant steady bliss. If anything practice doesn’t feel like practice anymore, but just a natural outpouring of love of the Self. Everything is a blessing. Truly. See this marvel of life here. It says in the Bhakti Sutras – the Yoga of Love something like this ‘How amazing Isvara is. How great the teaching, the teacher, that led me back to Me and freedom. How great I am for all my efforts, perseverance and understanding.’ Differences cease and I relax into is-ness, pure Being.
Hope this helps, let me know.
Always a pleasure to converse with you,
Love,
Kate
