Action In Inaction
North America found its love. It is not like the fad of the sixties spurred by a rebellion against conforming to what is. The new found love that is diffusing far and wide is ignited and inspired by a spirit of mature inquiry into the ‘Whys and Wherefores of What Exists.’ The sidekicks are not the psychedelic drugs and loud music as in the past but deep contemplative meditation and scientific analysis. It’s happening not at the beaches or discotheques but taking place in quiet retreats away from the rustle and bustle of cities or in simple homes.
American continent is firmly embracing Advaita. You cannot miss the gentle pulsations or the tender fragrance emerging from this silent revolution, if you are tuned to it. Be it the compassionate spiritual confabulations from the Bhagavad-Gita or the complex philosophical concepts from the Upanishads, they are not any more unintelligible strange alien sounds . They are savored by the people with utmost enthusiasm and attention. From Halifax, Nova Scotia in the east to Vancouver, British Columbia in the west, there are many centers spreading the message of Non-duality in Canada. Whether it is Washington-Oregon states in the northwest, New York-New Jersey in the north-east, New Mexico-Texas in the south or Arizona-California in the soth-west in the United States, there are a number of accomplished Teachers regularly disseminating the Advaita teaching of All Oneness lifting the veil of illusory separation that clouds the knowledge of who we truly are.
Small groups of passionate individuals or friends circles developed around a specific teacher meet regularly (usually on Saturdays or Sundays) to discuss and share their understanding of Advaita. I myself have had the fortune of being associated with a few. A typical meeting starts with a short session of meditation, and then takes up readings from a Non-duality book followed by open and in-depth discussions. Or some of the meets may have an a priori selected subject matter circulated in advance to share their thoughts on. Recently “Doership” was the topic chosen for exchange of thoughts among the participants in a group in a small town in California.
The American Non-dual Teacher rolled the discussion with these words: “Consciousness/Brahman is the substratum of all conceivable things, and as such is the actor, the action and the object of the action, arising simultaneously. Whole and complete is actionless Awareness. The cause and the effect are one and the same. Nor a distinction exists between a doer and the result of an action. Anything other than Oneness would create a duality, as the cause would be other than the effect, or the action or the actor, and would suggest another witnessing consciousness present to acknowledge this difference.
As far as the jIva is concerned, only in the relative aspect of reality– mithya, is the jIva a doer. In the absolute aspect of Reality, the jIva, his actions and the results of his actions are nothing more than Consciousness/Brahman. So then the jIva, revealed as Brahman, must also be whole and complete actionless Awareness, hence (s)he is not a doer.”
Discussions:
All actions invariably carry with them some reactions or effects.
And that is simply a matter of common observation and commonsense and no philosophy is required.
Now if I claim “agency for that action”, (i.e. ownership for taking the decision to act in a particular way), I will become the “doer” of that action.
It goes without saying then, that I, as the doer, will have to face the consequence of that action. So I will enjoy or suffer depending on whether the action is convenient or inconvenient to me. My happiness and unhappiness are thus determined by the result of the action.
It is also true that no one can ever stay without taking any action in nature – after all, we have to breathe and eat to be alive and these are also actions…. So actions are inescapable. One cannot sit tight in order to avoid the consequences of taking an action.
The simple rule, therefore, to make my happiness or unhappiness not to depend on the result of actions is not to claim “agency or doership” for the actions. When I am not the ‘doer’, at least notionally, I am not the sufferer ! Like, for example in an office, if the decision is not made by me but the Boss made it, it is not for me to suffer the consequences. Whatever be the outcome, it wouldn’t bother me. I remain peaceful.
But then a question will come up – how can any action at all happen if there is no doer, if I do not act?
Though it will be unconvincing at the first shot, let us consider the following two cases:
We can see that we hardly have to do by our conscious effort or agency anything for our own breathing. It goes on even when “I” am not there (e.g. in my deep sleep).
Secondly, all actions happen in time. The movement of time happens because the earth rotates around its axis and consequently there is a change from day to night. The change is measured as time. And it is easy to understand that there is hardly any of my agency or action in the rotation of the earth. I do not push or pull the earth.
And all life and its activities take place in between these two limits – my heart beating (I am alive to do anything) and earth rotating (providing time span for actions).
How far are we then justified to think that the in-between actions happen only if I am the doer?
We are in fact sort of puppets in the game of life. There is a Bhagavad-Gita verse (Sloka 61, Ch XVIII) where Krishna says that we are all moved like puppets on a mechanical merry-go-round operated by Nature. Whether we want it or not, whatever has to happen, it will happen. We are only an apparent cause and whatever has to happen has already happened (Sloka 33, Ch XI). Further, it is because of the reason that Prakriti produced everything, the world goes round and round (Slokas 9-10, Ch IX);
Why then claim ownership for the actions that anyway happen and suffer the consequences?
Gita goes even a step further. It says only a fool (unwise man) thinks that she/he is the ‘doer’ (Sloka 27, Ch III).
Now putting this simple knowledge in philosophical terms and generalizing it further, scriptures tell us that “Act you must for, actions are inescapable in nature. The key for “unaffectedness” of the result of actions is “to give up” the claim of ownership and doership for the actions.”
So, the advice is practice “relinquishment” (vairagya) by letting all actions happen without yourself being the ‘accept/reject gate.’ Just be a mute spectator as things take place on their own without let or hindrance and respond as appropriate to all situations as they arise without an “ego” (doership).
Actions taken in such a way (without egoistic criteria of decision making) are truly inactions. Such “inactions” will not accrue merit or demerit though one acts.
