Guest guest Posted June 17, 2008 Report Share Posted June 17, 2008 Namaste! Someone recently asked me this question: " Should we be selfish, & meditate for hours, when it only helps us, or should we be kind & spend that time helping others, donating time & money, feeding the poor, helping orphas etc " . What is the best answer to this? with love Shantnu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 17, 2008 Report Share Posted June 17, 2008 , shanracer <no_reply wrote: > > > " Should we be selfish, & meditate for hours, when it only helps us, or > should we be kind & spend that time helping others, donating time & > money, feeding the poor, helping orphas etc " . > > everybody is general has some duties to perfrom in daily life cycle and also we find time for meditation and seva depending upon our individual nature. While most of us spare more time for meditation and do the seva whenever find a chance. Just like we have chalked out our wordly duties and it becomes our " svabhava " , similarly SEVA, and SATSANG can be made our " svabhava " . I think when there is svabhava, there remain no duty at all. Meditation leads us to exploration of SELF and seva is our basic nature deeply embeded in the self. Its a very tricky question to answer but i beleive seva is more important. One cannot be very much sure about the outcome of meditation but in seva the amount of satisfaction and bliss experienced is instant. It has been said that to know god you first try to develop god like qualities, and seva serves the purpose. so hum... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 17, 2008 Report Share Posted June 17, 2008 , shanracer <no_reply wrote: > " Should we be selfish, & meditate for hours, when it only helps us, >or should we be kind & spend that time helping others, donating time > money, feeding the poor, helping orphas etc " . Dear Shanracer, It is again a question of fuelling the ego by doing this or doing that. Doing meditation is not a selfish act and donating and helping is not reallly that self-less job, as it boosts one's ego beyond limits I think Gita's exmaple again works here... Arjuna fought and vidura left the war...and both were right in their dharma. meditation and helping others works both ways. When one reaches a height in spirituality, automatically he desires to help and when one helps without ego... it leads to purification which leads to meditation. We have to see what Dharma God has fixed for us. I do not go out in the streets looking for needy and poor to help... but i help anyone coming to me with love always Aum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 17, 2008 Report Share Posted June 17, 2008 , aumji <no_reply wrote: > > > We have to see what Dharma God has fixed for us. I do not go out > in the streets looking for needy and poor to help... but i help anyone > coming to me babaji, if we are doing seva without any ego, without looking for anything good in return for physically, mentally and spirirually and not performing any meditation, then what outcome will be there? will it be like the results we get in meditation? so hum... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 17, 2008 Report Share Posted June 17, 2008 , " so hum " <jigyaasuu wrote: > babaji, if we are doing seva without any ego, without looking for > anything good in return for physically, mentally and spirirually and > not performing any meditation, then what outcome will be there? will it > be like the results we get in meditation? > > so hum... > Dear Sohum, as i wrote earlier these good deeds lead to purification of mind which in due course turns towards meditation. Selfless service does help us in clearing our karmic debts, our negative energies and awakens positive energies in us.... this may lead to some results achieved in meditation, but the progress is not that fast by selfless service alone. Sadhna comes automatically when one is free from negativity and karmic debts.... We can make this service to poor as our sadhna by treating all whom we help as Narayan and our help as our service to the God... then this is equal to any regular and powerful sadhna done. With love Aum PS: Many years ago a gentleman from Karnataka came to tribal areas of Pithoragarh ( a deep Himalayan district) and seeing the pitiful condition of the people...settled there and started an ashram. He imparted free education to villagers and used his own pension money to help them in case of illness etc.... He called everyone Narayan and served God by helping them... since nobody knew his name he became famous as Narayan Swamy. Only by this selfless service, he became a siddha and gyani... and left the body as a great saint. His ashram is still running in Pithoragarh (on way to Kailash Mansarovar)... and is still vibrant with the energies of that great Karama yogi. I could not reach that Ashram during my last visit...but aspire to reach there some day Aum Namo Narayana Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 17, 2008 Report Share Posted June 17, 2008 , shanracer <no_reply wrote: Dear Shantanuji, Namaste! On your question i am reminded of what Shri Ramakrishna Paramahansa said, GOD WORSHIP MAY OR MAY NOT ERADICATE EVIL TENDENCIES OF MIND BUT WORSHIP OF MEN GOD IS SURE TO CLEAR THE MIST. Another saint put it that even if one person meditates and succeeds the air touching him and moving forward can help thousands of people. Personally i feel a balance should be maintained wherein you give your time in meditation and indulge at the same time in helping other people in a good charitable cause. Neither meditation nor charity should come in between each other. Neither act should be done at the cost of each other. With warm wishes, Sudhakar HARI OM TAT SAT! Cheers! ) > Namaste! > > Someone recently asked me this question: > > " Should we be selfish, & meditate for hours, when it only helps us, or > should we be kind & spend that time helping others, donating time & > money, feeding the poor, helping orphas etc " . > > What is the best answer to this? > > with love > Shantnu > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 17, 2008 Report Share Posted June 17, 2008 Dear Shantnuji, Aumji, Sohumji, Sudhakarji, Anupamaji, Farahji, Anusuyaji and other friends, I see very interesting discussion on yoga sadhana and unselfish service. Value of nishkamakarma/unselfish service is indeed truly great, it is one of the principle 'method' to wipe off our karmas. In fact great sage Veda Vyasa declares with great aplomb :shlokardhena pravakshami yaduktam grantha kothibihi/I will tell in half a sentence what has been told in billions of volumes; he says. What is that?; paropakaraha punyaya papaya parapidanam/helping others is virtue, hurting others is sin! This much for the value of serving people. Yet, I can give/serve only what I have and I must, then, develop my resources first before embarking on serving others. Honesty demands that not only I give what I have/can but also what I have is needed by the other. Otherwise whole thing go waste! It is here yoga and sadhana comes into play. Discover true self, the unique qualities of us which the nature has endowed in each one of us - probably for His purpose in Creation! -, develop that uniqueness and put/apply that to the good of others. This way, self development and development of others take place together for the good of all. On the other hand, having developed my true talents/uniqueness and use it to my advantage only, the satisfaction derived from it is either short lived or wrought with misery.I (- with my developed qualities- )am not for myself, I am meant for others ( - unselfish service - ). Only then I have served God's dictates and He will take care of all my needs, not otherwise! Or, if God need not be brought here, if everybody follow this Principle/Order of helping others, automatically, everybody is taken care This is what I feel on the topic of selfish/self-development/yogic sadhanas and service/unselfish acts. What would you all say Sirs and Madams? Please spare some moments in commenting on it! Regards, M.S.Thimmappa. , shanracer <no_reply wrote: > " Should we be selfish, & meditate for hours, when it only helps us, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 17, 2008 Report Share Posted June 17, 2008 > It is again a question of fuelling the ego by doing this or doing > that. Doing meditation is not a selfish act and donating and >helping > is not reallly that self-less job, as it boosts one's ego beyond Yes Aumji, this is the best point. Most of these " social " workers are the biggest egotists around- remember most of imperialism was started with the desire to " help " the backward Asians & Africans. The key point is- Karma Yoga is living under Gods Light, & doing Gods will(to know which you have to meditate & raise your conciousness). So a person cleaning the toilet maybe a better Karma Yogi than someone distributing food to starving African children. Yet ordinary people are more impressed with the 2nd type. Karma Yoga is doing the duty god has given us without complaining, or worrying about the results, or worrying about facing humilation, not doing that which makes us popular, that which gets us in the news! Going back to my post on the ocean & wave, the only way to help the wave is to help it merge back in the ocean- & we cant help others till ourself have felt the ocean. Helping people materially will only help them this life, but helping them spiritually will help them in every life. And by meditating, we are not only helping ourself, but the world as well. The world is a collection of all the souls that live here. The more peaceful souls there are, the happier Earth will be. with love Shantnu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 17, 2008 Report Share Posted June 17, 2008 , " M.S.Thimmappa. " <thimmappams wrote: Dear Thimmappaji, Namaste! Everybody has answered in their unique way. Ofcourse your post was brilliant. The one sentence that said it all, " Yet I can give/serve only what i have " .... With warm wishes, Sudhakar HARI OM TAT SAT! Cheers! ) > Dear Shantnuji, Aumji, Sohumji, Sudhakarji, Anupamaji, Farahji, > Anusuyaji and other friends, > > I see very interesting discussion on yoga sadhana and unselfish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 18, 2008 Report Share Posted June 18, 2008 Hari Om!  I have been feeling a sense of want to participate in the discussion. But the discussion is so interesting that I cannot help joing in.  In fact, it was me who in my earlier post referred to the accusation of men of other religion that we prefer shutting our eyes in meditation to helping others in distress. I had received a satisfying response then and this discussion is further enlightening to me.  The Hindu Society, till recently before it was corrupted by the Western civilisation due to the arrival of the colonial masters, was based on dharma. Dharma was practised not in our temples and puja rooms, but in our entire day-to-day activities. A family supported the elders and the invalid, besides nurturing the young ones born to all the members of the extended family. There was no need for an old age home nor for orphanages. In the villages, no body cooked food only for the inmates of the house alone. A host of dependent members of the society were fed on a daily basis. The strangers and travellers in transit would easily be welcomed at any point of time and be fed. The family was the focal point of this dharma. Nobody had to go out somewhere to do any social work. Supporting the society was so much ingrained in our system. All that is now gone and the venerable system of family is fast crumbling.  In the face of the decay that the family system has suffered in the modern days, what then must be doen to remedy the situation, lest there are more and more old age homes and orphanages? My teacher once took me along with others to an Old Age Home to offer them our kind words of solace and certain material presents that we could gather for them. I could not gather the courage to sit with them even for five minutes. I could not imagine myself in their place. Had I been reduced to their situation of impoverishment, I would have spurned all the show of charity, even if that amounts to my continued poverty and helplessness. The warmth and love of a family life can never be substituted by the orphanages and old age homes. I fimly believe that we need to go back to our basic values. Sustaining the elders and the young ones in the family itself is an imperative need of the society. Now, our young men go all over the world leaving their old parents to fend for themselves. They have to finds ways and means to take care of them wherever they are. Charity should begin and remain at home. All the social service activities are mere humbug and they cannot really substitute for the support that a traditional and value based family can offer.  Besides, there is yet another reason why meditation is superior to the so-called social service which others trumpet about. Through meditation, you will achieve 'shanti' not for yourself, but for your immediate neighbourhood and ultimatley for the entire universe. If there are a good number of sadhus and sadhaks who could send out the positive vibrations throughout the world, that will do a world of good to all of us. All the material and the physical ills that we suffer are primarily due to a lack of 'shanti'.Much of our ills of today is due to our spiritual inadequancy and much of our glory in the past was due to our spiritual tradition. We need to do all that we can to sustain that tradition. Let all of us learn and practise sadhana in the most vigorous manner. ulaganathan p Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 18, 2008 Report Share Posted June 18, 2008 , ulaganathan p <apunathan wrote: Dear Ulaganathanji, Namaste! That was beautiful version of yours specially " charity should begin and remain at home etc., etc., but ALAS! it will always remain a pipe dream except in a few pockets of Indian civilization. I really wish we could turn the clock back believe me that is the need of the hour now. Regarding meditation what you said concurs with my opinion. I had said, a person who succeeds with his meditation, the air flowing, touching him/her could benefit lots of people. With warm wishes, Sudhakar HARI OM TAT SAT! Cheers! ) Â > I have been feeling a sense of want to participate in the discussion. But the discussion is so interesting that I cannot help joing in. > Â Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 18, 2008 Report Share Posted June 18, 2008 Dear Ulaganathanji, Yes, I agree. Sadhana and Service must go together, hand in hand. It will bring wholesomeness and greater peace. Regards, M.S.Thimmappa. , ulaganathan p <apunathan wrote: > I have been feeling a sense of want to participate in the >discussion. But the discussion is so interesting that I cannot help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 18, 2008 Report Share Posted June 18, 2008 Dear Sri Ulaganathan , If you are worried about the destruction of family ,I am equally worried.. Now I am more worried about the loss of sanctity in the holy institution of marriage. Youth migrating abroad forget their parents in India and disrespect spouses in US , UK , etc. We need New brides and grooms as Sadhaks. OMNAMONARAYANAYA ijswamy ~SWAMY http://gjnanaswarup.spaces.live.com/blog/ --- On Wed, 6/18/08, ulaganathan p <apunathan wrote: ulaganathan p <apunathan Re: Re: To be Selfish, or unselfish? I have been feeling a sense of want to participate in the discussion. But the discussion is so interesting that I cannot help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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