Service - The High Road to Unity
What keeps the individual bound to smallness and continual struggle? What is the reason that the perspective on life remains so narrow? A simple answer is self-absorption. The individual is concerned only about the personal interests and needs and their fulfillment or lack thereof. The ego is solely interested in self-preservation and its own survival. Because we are still unconsciously led down the road that the ego has dictated we have become absorbed in its agenda. Our eyes can only see the limited perspective of survival in the world that is always at war and dis-ease.
Service is an effective tool to step out of the agenda of the ego. Being in service to others effectively redirects one's attention to the Universal instead of the personal. One gives instead of grasps, one unites instead of separates. One recognizes love instead of fear. The choice to be humble and serve others does not give the ego any room or fuel for its struggle.
The sanskrit word "chela" means a disciple but it also means to serve. To be a student or an aspirant to higher consciousness has an inbuilt quality of surrender and service. One is willing to give up the little self-interest in order to realize the greater Self and through service one is able to get out of the way for that Self to manifest. Our choice and inner alignment will manifest either the self or the Self. Who is the master that I serve? Do I allow the ego to remain in control of its small world or do I let go and let God. Selfless service will always lead to the Self and it will help manifest consciousness that is established in the Universal Truth.
My experiences of doing service has taken on many forms but few things stand out universally. The energy to do what is required is always available far beyond what is needed, the means to accomplish the task are provided almost miraculously, the intellect is sharp and alert, Praise and Gratitude and Love are tangibly present. In short the connection with the Source of All is easily enlivened and brought forth when the "I" is out of the way. Where is the room for self-absorption when all is given freely to others?
Nataraja Ishaya
Service
"We make a living by what we get.
We make a life by what we give."
Winston Churchill
Service is joy; service is the source and goal of any thinking human's relationship with the rest of humanity. The most evolved humans have always known that the true joy comes from giving. They live for others; their thought is for others; there is nothing they would not do to further the growth of others. They have realized this one truth: there is no happiness in growth for oneself alone; all true growth is always rooted in compassion.
Service is giving back the gift of our life to the source of our life. Service is a reciprocal relationship between our self and the rest of humanity. True service is love made manifest; service relieves the suffering of everyone of the Earth by healing the root of all suffering, the mistaken belief in separation. True service is always a gift of love; it is never ego-based; it seeks nothing, it gives freely to all. Service is a natural response to the recognition that al of life is interconnected. We are all part of each other; everyone is an out-picturing of everyone else; when one sees this clearly, one dedicates one's life to healing all the sundered and scattered parts of ourselves. None are rejected, all are accepted with love. There is no "sin" that can take one away from the perfect love of the Atonement. Only the ego believes in separation; only the ego believes in the possibility of mistakes; only the ego judges and condemns. When the ego is given up, the dream ends.
The Universe is intimately connected. The smallest change anywhere changes the whole. It is not possible to change anything without changing everything, for the One Ascendant is everywhere. When life is dedicated to judgement, to the ego, to fear, the growth of the entire Universe is as if slowed. "As if" slowed because there is no real possibility of slowing the Universal Plan; there is only the false appearance of slowness. When life is dedicated to the healing of humanity, to the Holy Spirit, to unconditional love, the entire Universe responds with joy and unlimited expansion.
A wise person once said, "Give me a lever long enough and a place to stand, and I will move the world." There could be many levers that could move the world with sufficient time and trouble, but the lever that moves the world effortlessly is service in love. Where does one stand to move the world easily with the lever of service? The Ishayas have always maintained that the only true place to be centered is in the one-pointed faith of flawless commitment.
Commitment is everything. Until one has committed one's life, there is no potential for growth or progress. This is true if one is committing to anything; Nature does not support vacillation. But all of the Universe responds to and supports action in accord with the upward currents of evolution. If one commits one's heart, mind, body and soul to the Ascending River of Life, all of life progresses at lightning speed into the Heart of God.
MSI
Saving the World
It may seem impossible to change everyone in the world. Fortunately, that is not your responsibility. It is not your responsibility to change your countrymen, not your neighbours, not your friends, not even your own family. You have the responsibility to change just one person in the entire Universe! Do you know who this all-important person is? The good news and the terrible news is exactly the same - it is you. The one controller of your life and fate is you, no other than you. You have made it exactly as you willed. Perhaps your choices were unconscious until today, perhaps you did not know any better before. But those days are over now. Since you have done it, you can do it over any way you choose.
There may be others working to help everyone else change, but that need not be your concern. You don't have to see all the plan; you don't have to understand its whole operation. You don't even have to know exactly how your part fits into the whole. It isn't necessary! All you have to do is live your own part perfectly and your world will transform around you. That is guaranteed, absolutely guaranteed. If the light within you is not dark, the shadows will fly from your world.
How impossible a task, saving the world. How possible a task, saving yourself. Cleanse your own heart and the world's heart will be cleansed.
MSI
Trotakam
Trotakacharya was one of the most outstanding of the four chief disciples of Sankara. The atmosphere around Sankara was always vibrant with waves of wisdom emanating from the conversations of his most learned and enlightened disciples, Padma-pada, Hasta-Malaka and Vartika-Kara.
Trotaka, moving among them, provided an innocent foil to all that brilliance and, amid those tidal waves of knowledge, his mind and heart floated in the divine radiance of his master, preferring to enjoy it rather than annalyse it through the prism of discriminatory logic. The vast intellects of his fellow disciples tended to disregard his less cerebral virtues, but the one-pointedness of his heart and mind was unaffected by their less than full appreciation of him.
At that time Sankara was writing his commentaries in his cave at Jyotir Math. A single motive animated Trotakam's actions: that he should do all he could to save his master's time from being spent on organizational matters of day-to-day living, so that he could reproduce the maximum of himself in his commentaries. Through these acts of timely prudence Trotakam responded at the feet of his master to his most pressing needs. He was a man of practical outlook and held fast to one thing - service to the master. He did not join in the other disciples' intellectual discussions with the master, but in full sincerity of purpose, undertook such duties as would justify his engagement in accordance with his nature - cleaning the floor, cooking meals and washing clothes. This freed the other, more learned, disciples from domestic duties and gave them more time to serve their master on an intellectual level.
One day Sankara returned to his cave after bathing in the Alakamanda river, accompanied by his three learned disciples. Trotakam had been left behind. It had taken him an unusually long time to wash his master's clothes and so he was late in returning. The other three disciples grew uneasy about the delay caused to Sankara's discourse. Sankara wondered, but continued to wait for Trotaka. Whispers went around: "The master is waiting for a disciple who is not interested in the discourse anyway." Just then a tuneful voice was heard from far away, thrilling the air and purifying the whole valley of Jyotir Math in praises of the Guru. It was sweet and richly harmonious, sung in a previously unheard and unknown meter. There came Trotakam singing the praises of his master in words overflowing with wisdom and heart-melting melody. He had gained instantaneous enlightenment and a most refined state of intellect through the instrumentality of his love for his master and the love of his master towards him.
Whatever be the shape or quality of the timber, once it comes to the carpenter's bench, he spares no effort to increase its worth and usefulness to the maximum. This shows that all that is needed on the part of the aspirant is sincerity, unwavering devotion and love for the master; then, spontaneously, life gains more and more fulfillment.
Seva
A few years ago, I traveled through India for 3 months. That’s where I first heard the word “Seva”. Seva is a Sanskrit word meaning, to serve, to wait or attend upon, to honor, or to worship. Seva is often translated as “selfless service”. Seva is any action performed without any thought of obtaining advantage, gain or payment. Seva is love in action; Seva is an offering.
Upon entering an ashram in India, everyone who stays for even a single day is asked to sign up for Seva. You might be asked to sweep the temple floor, wash pots and pans, any number of things. They usually suggest that you spend at least one hour per day in your assignment. No one checks up on you. You may do it or skip it. Often, no one would be the wiser.
I was surprised at the pure joy that I had while sweeping the stairs of the living apartments. The broom was very poor, didn’t sweep very well. I had to get down on my knees for the broom to touch the floor. But, I experienced such joy and love as I performed my task. But back in the USA, how easy it was to be too busy for “selfless service”. Or, even to become proud of a service that I chose to perform.
I copied this from a wall at one of the ashrams, “Seva [selfless service] is a way to purify our minds and hearts, develop compassion and deepen our connection to God.”
The Dalai Lama speaks of selfish altruism, compassionate action done not for others, but with others, for ourselves. It grows our souls, and fulfills our life purpose. Selfless service is necessary for self-transformation. The sole purpose of service is to fulfill your longing to merge with, and into, the Truth.
MSI said, "True Service and true Worship are the same.” I have heard him quoted as also saying “Service is the high road to Unity”. Without the willingness and the ability to be in pure service to all of humanity, there would be no grounds for enlightenment. And, without guidance from someone that is fully enlightened, it would be next to impossible for anyone to know when, how, or what to do that would be their appropriate service that would support their transformation process. For true enlightenment, one would be in Selfless Service in every moment of every day, not just one hour per day.
Jyoti Ishaya
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This is the 22nd edition of the Ishaya Foundation newsletter.
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