I'm in a particularly contemplative mood this morning about various ongoing things. Life is full of surprises and changes. One verse that gives me incredible peace at these "interesting times" is from the Bhagavad Gita,
"You have the right (agency) to act,
but no right at all to the fruits (outcomes) of your actions.
Do not set your heart on the fruits of action (outcomes, rewards)
nor become attached to inaction.
With Oneness of mind (l"yoga"), do what needs to be done,
Renouncing attachments, Dhanamjaya! (another name for Arjuna)
Success or non-success become the same,
And that sameness is called, "Oneness".
The performance of action is but a step
toward enlightened Oneness, Dhanamjaya!
Find your refuge in this enlightenment,
sad are they who set their heart on rewards.
Endowed with enlightened Oneness,
cast aside concepts of "good" and "evil".
Devote yourself to Oneness,
Oneness is found in natural action."
(Bhagavad Gita 2:47-50, my translation.)
These verses inform me of an idea, an approach towards things in front of me, be them work related, faith transition, or even personal challenges. The bottom line is this idea that "detached action" leads to Unity of mind, the idea that the poles and opposites we perceive in our reality are all part of a single divine continuum, and that we are part of something much bigger, the unity of all that is.
But in wrapping my mind around the "unity of all that is", the here and now, the present next thing I need to do, often seems so mundane, so distracting. Events happen, or are pending happening, creating a sense of anxiety, a sense that something has to be DONE to make for better outcomes...
Bullcrap.
If I have learned anything that helps me in "these interesting times" is accepting the serenity of being able to focus on the next right thing, and as Gandhi said, "leave the rest to god."
"You have the right (agency) to act,
but no right at all to the fruits (outcomes) of your actions.
Do not set your heart on the fruits of action (outcomes, rewards)
nor become attached to inaction.
With Oneness of mind (l"yoga"), do what needs to be done,
Renouncing attachments, Dhanamjaya! (another name for Arjuna)
Success or non-success become the same,
And that sameness is called, "Oneness".
The performance of action is but a step
toward enlightened Oneness, Dhanamjaya!
Find your refuge in this enlightenment,
sad are they who set their heart on rewards.
Endowed with enlightened Oneness,
cast aside concepts of "good" and "evil".
Devote yourself to Oneness,
Oneness is found in natural action."
(Bhagavad Gita 2:47-50, my translation.)
These verses inform me of an idea, an approach towards things in front of me, be them work related, faith transition, or even personal challenges. The bottom line is this idea that "detached action" leads to Unity of mind, the idea that the poles and opposites we perceive in our reality are all part of a single divine continuum, and that we are part of something much bigger, the unity of all that is.
But in wrapping my mind around the "unity of all that is", the here and now, the present next thing I need to do, often seems so mundane, so distracting. Events happen, or are pending happening, creating a sense of anxiety, a sense that something has to be DONE to make for better outcomes...
Bullcrap.
If I have learned anything that helps me in "these interesting times" is accepting the serenity of being able to focus on the next right thing, and as Gandhi said, "leave the rest to god."
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