Karma Yoga

Excerpt from Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi- 643: 

"M: The Gita starts saying that you are not the body, that you are not
therefore the karta.
D: What is the significance?
M: That one should act without thinking that oneself is the actor.
The actions go on despite his egolessness. The person has come
into manifestation for a certain purpose. That purpose will be
accomplished whether he considers himself the actor or not.
D: What is Karma yoga? Is it non-attachment to Karma or its fruit?
M: Karma yoga is that yoga in which the person does not arrogate
to himself the function of being the actor. The actions go on
automatically.
D: Is it the non-attachment to the fruits of actions?
M: The question arises only if there is the actor. It is being all along
said that you should not consider yourself the actor.
D: So Karma yoga is kartrtva buddhi rahita karma - action without
the sense of doership.
M: Yes. Quite so."

Excerpt from I Am That, Talks with Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, chapter 63, pp.297-298:

"M: There is only life. There is nobody who lives a life.
Q: That we understand, yet constantly we make attempts to live our lives instead of just living. Making plans for the future seems to be an inveterate habit with us.
M:  Whether you plan or you don't, life goes on. But in life itself a little whorl arises in the mind, which indulges in fantasies and imagines itself dominating and controlling life. Life itself is desireless. But the false self wants to continue--pleasantly. Therefore it is always engaged in ensuring one's continuity. Life is unafraid and free. As long as you have the idea of influencing events, liberation is not for you: The very notion of doership, of being a cause, is bondage."

   
     The secret to awakening from the dream of life to recognize in your heart that you are not the doer and to act accordingly. Surrendering to God's will for your life rather than clinging to your personal wishes, desires and goals is the only way you will escape from the wheel of reincarnation. It is also the way to lasting happiness, when we accept the conditions of our life with grace rather than having our happiness dependent on whether life meets our expectations for how we want it to look.

     Through astrology we realize that all the major events in life have already been predetermined, and will go on as scheduled regardless of whether you would like it to or not. This is what is meant by the opening quotes suggesting that the purpose of a life will be accomplished regardless of one considers himself the actor or not, and that doership is bondage. Just as gravity does not require personal belief in order to operate, cosmic laws do not either. The planets are symbolic of the divine intelligence and timing of the universe. They are also symbolic of your karma; they do not cause events to happen to you. Their movement in the sky in relation to your chart signals the timing of different energies and themes that will arise in various periods of life. 

     It has always been you and only you who has created your karma up to this point. You are not a victim of the planets. The conditions we are born into in life are perfect for the lessons we most need to learn.  Always try your best but letting go of the attachment to controlling outcomes brings peace. We don't have nearly as much control over events as we think we do, and what appears to be choices have already been predetermined. Sometimes the outcome we want is not the outcome that is best for us. The reasons behind some experiences we have in life may never be fully understood with our limited perspective, and trust is needed to deal with these challenges to our faith.

    Your birth chart is a snapshot of the karma you are destined to experience in this particular lifetime.  You can control your reactions to your karmic unfolding and therefore create easier karma the next time around- that is your free will. Make an effort to understand the messages behind the planetary cycles you are experiencing, cultivate self-compassion, and keep a good attitude of faith. This way you will purify the old patterns of thought and behaviour (samskaras) that are keeping you bound to the world.

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