Service and Tithing vs Self-Service
The word Karma means “action” and the word “Yoga” means union. Karma Yoga is thus the practice of union with the Higher soul through action. This idea of serving humanity has been one of the key teachings of all spiritual doctrines since time immemorial. In India it is Known as Karma Yoga, but this yoga has been taught in every religion under different names. While the exoteric form varies, the inner teaching is the same in all religions.
According to the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita, Karma yoga is the practice of “selfless action performed for the benefit of others”. Karma yoga is a path to reach spiritual liberation through good works. It is rightful action without being attached to fruits or being manipulated by what the results might be, a dedication to one’s duty, and trying one’s best while being neutral to rewards or outcomes such as success or failure.
Extracted and modified from Wikipedia
Alice Bailey describes service as,
“True service is the spontaneous outflow of a loving heart and an intelligent mind; it is the result of being in the right place and staying there..”
All these definitions are correct and just. Service is indeed a selfless act of kindness, something one does in order to alleviate the suffering of humanity. Tithing, which is donating a particular amount of money for charitable activities is also based on the same principle. That is to give without receiving any compensation in exchange for the good deeds or money. A very important point to remember however would be the word “spontaneous” as used by Alice Bailey. For service is not something one does deliberately with a motive. It is something that comes from one’s heart spontaneously. Any service that is offered in exchange for reward is therefore not service according to the teachings. To have a particular motive while serving is expecting a reward for one’s actions. Such action ceases to be service.
HOW IS KARMA YOGA DIFFERENT FROM ORDINARY ACTION?
The term Karma Yoga is a fancy word unless it is something that truly unites us with out higher soul. Today various yogis and organizations use the word karma yoga while having an ulterior motive behind their good deeds. That is not karma Yoga. In true form of Karma Yoga there are two aspects that makes it different from ordinary actions. Karma Yoga is the act of selfless service to humanity without any expectation of return. The return is considered to be God’s responsibility. Ordinary action is on the contrary acting with self-interest and expecting an outcome or return, the return being material or spiritual. Who receives the outcome? The “I, me and mine” or in plain simple words the self.
“Your right is to action alone; never to its fruits at any time. Never should the fruits of actions be your motive; never let there be attachment to inaction in you”
– THE BHAGAVAD GITA (2:47)
Why can’t ordinary action lead to Union?
Because when one acts with the idea of self-interest and personal expectation, one is actually creating a sense of Separate self which is separate from others. Separatism can never lead to oneness. So union becomes impossible. But, when one acts selflessly, one has the possibility of achieving Oneness with the higher soul. Through such selfless acts the very negation of a separate self takes place. This reminds us of St Paul when he said,
PHILIPPIANS 4:13 NEW KING JAMES VERSION (NKJV)
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
There are some yogis in some spiritual schools who know these teachings and yet insist in a different approach. They do good deeds and donate money, but with the aim of generating good karma and in order to be absolved of their past evil deeds. But such approach is the very opposite of karma Yoga if we look at it. Firstly God cannot be bribed. The yogis who think they can bribe God to forgive them of their sins are mistaken. Secondly the law of Karma depends on intention and anyone trying to escape karma using good deeds proves in their very attempt that they don’t have true repentance in them. Why? Because their good deeds are a deliberate attempt to escape karma. Their good deeds does not arise from the depths of their soul. They are simply trying to enjoy a good life so they are trying to bypass their misfortune using service and tithing. When we look at all this, we can understand, unless there is purity of motives even good actions can become corrupt.
To really serve humanity we must start with right motives. That is to serve for the sake of service alone. Not for the sake of Self-service which is serving with a motive to generate good karma or to give money to generate prosperity karma in return. When service is of that nature, it becomes a self-centered activity and it ceases to be karma Yoga. The ancient teachings have taught, true occultism is the Great renunciation of the self without which no spiritual progress is possible. So as long as we are concerned with our own petty selves during service, we can not enter the realm of beauty and joy.
Lord Jesus taught the same when he asked his followers not to worry about the reward.
“Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?”
– Matthew 6: 27-30; New King James Version (NKJV)
When Lord Krishna spoke about Karma Yoga to Arjuna, about not expecting a reward for oneself, he was speaking of Selflessness. Only in Selfless Service, only by forgetting oneself in service, union or yoga becomes possible. So instead of thinking about generating spiritual profit out of our good deeds, we should focus on alleviating the suffering of others,
“Reward does come, but expectation never brings reward.
Did Christ, crucified, think of the salvation ot His soul?
Even in the smallest measure try to be as He.”
– Agni Yoga, The Call, 331.
The Bhagavad Gita is the text that explains Karma Yoga or Selfless service most scientifically. Reading that book can help every spiritual aspirant grasp the inner meaning within the teachings of Selfless Service. One beautiful translation made by Torkom Saraydarian is highly recommended for every spiritual practitioner. Another equally powerful book is Serving Humanity by Alice Bailey. It is also worth read.
We live in the 21st century and commercialism and materialistic impulses have corrupted every spiritual teachings one can possibly find today. As seekers of the truth, it should be our duty to go to the very essence of the teachings and derive the Truth from it.
Lord Krishna has taught us in the Bhagavad Gita, selfish service is spiritually lethal. Much later Lord Jesus during the dark ages showed us examples of selfless service. He demonstrated us how service is sacrificial in nature. Today some pseudo-esoteric healers who do not follow these teachings say they can selfishly give money to others because the higher beings do not care about motives. Energy healers of pseudo-esoteric type today believe in concepts like if one pays more one will receive more healing. But Jesus healed for free and yet he performed miracles. While it is just for a professional healer to charge a reasonable amount of money for their service, it is totally absurd to claim the more one pay the more effective the healing will be. Healing does not depend on coin, it depends on true faith and God’s grace. And in the 21st century a healer can definitely charge a reasonable rate as long as they do not make absurd claims about their services. Healing is a sacred art and healers must maintain the standards of healing science.
Good deeds, healing, tithing and all other helpful activates must be performed with the idea of offering welfare to the people. As Torkom Saraydarian says,
“A good deed offered for self-interest brings good results to those to whom it is offered but bad luck to the one who offered it. In such a case the good work was paid to the person as a past debt for which the debtor has no right to expect reward. Because his good deed was contaminated by self-interest, the contamination came back to him and caused various troubles in his nature. And he innocently thinks, “I have done so much good, but I face misfortune and no one gives me any recognition.” Good thoughts, good actions, good words, and good service can bring reward only when behind them exist selflessness, detachment, compassion, and self-sacrifice. Otherwise the scales of karma measure them as dangerous efforts to hurt the victims of ego, vanity, and self-interest.”
-Torkom Saraydarian
Esoteric Science of Healing
Many of us have goodwill and we aim to serve humanity through our actions. All that is good as long as our motives are pure and we really want to help others. Because to serve with and ulterior motive is to sabotage our good deeds and create a very complicated karma for ourselves. The very primary goal of all esoteric systems is the denial of self-centered activity. Service and tithing which is sacrificial, selfless and done with a motive to serve others, and not with an ulterior motive of serving oneself is Karma Yoga. And only through such sacrificial service we can become free.
”236. The Higher World is incorruptible, but instead of self-purification through thought and labor, people still try to bribe the Higher Grace. In such ignorance is expressed a complete unwillingness to reflect upon the essential nature of the worlds. The history of prayer shows that at first hymns were chanted, then prayers were spoken for all beings, and only later did man dare to importune with demands for himself. Sufficient evidences have been given as to how worthless for evolution is everything engendered by selfishness. One cannot purchase favor and justice. Is it not shameful that such words must be repeated?”
– Aum, Agni Yoga Teachings
