27 Apr 2008 Essen, Germany
Category: Yoga
I want to continue writing down yesterday's lecture about karma yoga for you.
In Karma Yoga you offer to god whatever you do and therefore do not have expectations on the result. We all know that any kind of disappointment comes from expectations. If you want something back from your actions there is the possibility to be disappointed. Additionally you will develop ego. "I did this for you so you have to do that for me. How much did I give you and how much will you give me?" This will raise the ego. You are convinced that you are the doer. The one who acts and the one who should have benefit from the result.
Gyan Yogis want to dissolve this ego of being the doer. And this is the connection between Gyan Yoga and Karma Yoga. In both ways the actions are offered to God and the result is not expected by the person who acted. These Yogis do not keep expectations on the result. Of course, in our everyday life it is normal to have expectations. Parents for example, who raise their child with much love, who give lots of time, effort, feelings and love, will expect the child to treat them with respect and take care of them when they are old. However there is always the possibility that these expectations will not be fulfilled and the parents will be disappointed.
Maybe there are also Gyan Yogi or Karma Yogi parents who do their duty, raise the children and do not keep any expectation and will not be disappointed. However this attitude is very difficult to achieve. If you give much love and effort to something you will naturally have expectations. What you can do is reduce your expectations. Offer whatever you do to God.
Somehow I feel that here in the western culture parents are already Gyan Yogis. In India parents expect from their children to care for them and they normally also do. If they don't, the parents will be disappointed. But in the west, parents need to live in Gyan Yoga without expectations to their children because they might not take care of them here. Parents need to think themselves about how they will live when they are old because their children leave them when they are old enough to take care of themselves. So parents in the west do not build up so high expectations. Of course they will always keep a little hope but when children neglect them they will not be as disappointed as Indian parents. In India, parents will be very disappointed because their expectations were so high! This was a little comment on my own lecture and I will continue this topic in the next days.
Purnendu told me on phone that in India it is already very hot, it is 45 centigrade in Vrindavan. Today's food there was sponsored by a woman from Wiesbaden. She actually did not especially give a donation for food but for the Kindergarten and for the children. And when I was sitting together with Thomas we talked and said that we can use it for the food because it is so important. Any donation that we get is used for our projects, for children's food, their clothes or books. And she wished to do something for the children so we made this for her and them. I also talked to Kanu, the two-and-a-half-year-old, and he is very talkative now. He wanted to know how it was in Germany and asked how Yashendu, Ramona and even how her sisters were. It is now quite a while ago that they left but he still thinks of them.
Click here to see photos of food for a day from Ashram in India
Tags:: Expectations, Lectures, Western culture, Yoga, Ego, God, Disappointment , Parenting
5 Comments
Posted By Swami Balendu
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I like the idea of Gyan yoga. It is a good practice to give for the sake of giving. Even if you have expectations of what you will get in return (which are hard to prevent), you will always have your good intention. And if your expectations are disappointed, then you can still have peace with yourself because you did the right thing! Giving for the sake of giving means having integrity about your actions, and this is something to be proud of even if no one returns the favor.
Reply By M on October 11, 2011 12:24
This goes well with the previous day's post, good karma is selfless karma.
Reply By Tim on December 28, 2010 02:05
The ego of doing is always there in me, I can't imagine what it would be like to not have that.
Reply By Drew on November 08, 2010 11:04
I'm confused by this idea of ego. Because when I think about it, seems all things could be labeled as ego. Maybe that means I am all ego? Maybe that means I don't understand.
Reply By Harry on November 04, 2010 11:09
"Disappointment comes from expectation" that is the key. I have often found myself thinking that marriages (in the "western" world at least) often end poorly because each partner is expected to fill certain roles that have nothing to do with their true desires or the specific functionality of their relationship. Once a couple enters into marriage, often certain expectations come into the picture that wouldn't have in the first place, it make for disappointment, then anger and division.
Reply By Laura on October 20, 2010 02:34
Today was the last day of the school year 11/12. The children got their report cards, the olde...
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SourcePeople are not sensitive for their own feelings anymore. Come down from head to heart, from thinking to feeling. Switch off the mind from time to time and listen to what your heart says. Then you will discover your true feelings.
SourceNo difference in faith and superstition - lose the faith in your faith!
SourceIt is difficult to believe in a God who sits in heaven, whom you cannot see, who doesn’t talk to you, whom you cannot touch, who is adorned with silver and gold in the temples and decorated with flowers, who sometimes gets stolen by thieves, which he cannot do anything about. If he cannot protect himself, how would he protect you?
SourceI don’t believe religion was previously good and pure. On the contrary, I believe it was made with the purpose to manipulate and control people. When religion was created, people were afraid of things they could not understand. Religious people gave explanations and could thus control them, taking their fear like a leash. That is not pure, that is not good!
SourceI love the flexibility of religious belief! You can say any nonsense you like and you will definitely find religious arguments for it, proving your point.
SourceYou should not trust god completely because if you do, you will die, waiting for him to come and help you! Fool god, tell him that you believe in him and have full faith while you would never actually trust him that much!
SourceDon’t be afraid, there are no such things as Siddhis! Speak out without fear and don’t let gurus cheat more people by claiming to have supernatural powers!
SourceIf you forgive yourself a mistake, why don’t you forgive others for the same? Forgiveness will give you satisfaction and peace.
SourceFor many people the happiness of others is a bigger reason to be sad than their own problems.
SourceYou cannot bargain with God and give a big donation for a big wish and a few coins for a small one. You give it to the temple, not to God. God doesn’t care about money.
SourceReligious people chose religion out of fear that religion could be right and they could really go to hell. They are fearful from the root and religion adds fuel to this fear, presenting guidelines to just narrowly escape eternal pain.
SourceIs God trustworthy? Should you really have faith in someone you never met?
SourceHow much would Patanjali, the author of the Yoga Sutras 3000 years ago, charge you for becoming his franchisee and using his name and Sutras?
SourceInner changes need time, even in a fast food culture.
SourceI won’t have a problem with your god if he doesn’t take bribes from praying criminals and doesn’t encourage them by giving them success.
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