Do you know someone with a perennial dark cloud over his or her
head? You're thinking: "I want to avoid negative people, not
waste my time helping them out." What if this person is a family
member, or loved one, who has turned bitter for some reason? You
care deeply for this person and want to help.
Helping people is an example of selfless service, without
seeking a reward of any kind. We also know this as Karma Yoga.
Mahatma Gandhi is a classic example of a Karma Yoga practitioner.
However, how many of us can be as kind, or as enlightened, as
Mahatma Gandhi? You really don't have to; all you have to do is
your personal best. Isn't this what Yoga, or "Unity," is all
about? We accept that we have limits in our Yoga practice, but
we are persistent in our efforts to do better next time.
Some of the most negative people I have met - have everything,
but they don't see the "field of diamonds" in their own
backyard. Everything is always better somewhere else. No matter
how much love they get, or how many possessions they acquire,
they are never happy. Some of these people create their own
environment and cannot see it. Through observation, you will
notice that "money cannot buy happiness." The saddest people on
this earth are the extremely poor and the extremely wealthy.
This is not a rule, and there are exceptions. Some of the
extremely wealthy people practice Karma Yoga, by helping, and
giving, to the less fortunate.
Jesus once said, "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye
of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of
God." Why is this philosophy so close to Karma Yoga? There is a
simple answer: We are obligated to help the less fortunate
because it is morally right. This is a universal principle in
every religion.
Helping the poor, and giving to the poor, will make the wealthy
person sleep better at night. If you follow any religion, you
will notice that there is a price to be paid in the next life,
or in the after life, for gluttony. However, the price is being
paid now, in this life, and on this earth.
How can I say this? The only people of great wealth who are
happy are the givers. Those who do public service and help
others have found a way to put their status and money to work
for the common good.
As Andrew Carnegie once said, "Surplus wealth is a sacred trust
which its possessor is bound to administer in his lifetime for
the good of the community."
© Copyright 2005 - Paul Jerard / Aura Publications
About the author:
Paul Jerard is the director of Yoga teacher training at Aura in
RI. He's a master instructor of martial arts and Yoga. He
teaches Yoga, martial arts, and fitness. He wrote: Is Running a
Yoga Business Right for You? For Yoga students wanting to be a
Yoga teacher.
http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org
