Podcast Ep. 12 ~ Become Heart Present and Practice Selfless Service

This episode is based on a talk Dr. Swami Shankardev gave to Yogic Studies students on the keys to heart presence and selfless service.

This talk arose in response to a student who was struggling to practice service, an aspect of Karma Yoga. 

In the talk, Swami Shankardev discusses the following:

1. Selfless service is an important path to managing the ego and bringing it into a relationship with the highest Self.
2. How true service illuminates the mind, enabling us to connect to a higher, more conscious state of being.
3. Even in enlightened states, the ego still exists and needs to be managed. (Ego is only eradicated at the very last stage of human evolution.)
4. Selfless service is a path to purifying the chakras, allowing higher consciousness and intuition to flow into our lives. Without this capacity for giving, we remain overly attached to things that block consciousness from moving beyond the constricting influence of the ego.

The main meditation to disentangle from the selfish aspect of the ego and become centered in the highest Self is Inner Silence (Antar Mouna). This practice enables you to observe the mind and the ego, to free yourself from their negative influence, and to come back into a relationship with the highest Self.

One of the best methods for forging a path between our individual self and the universal Self is Ajapa Japa. This wonderful meditation practice charges the mind with energy and links individual consciousness with higher consciousness. We can then act with an awareness of the universal within our individual lives.

Big Shakti Podcast Links

Podcast Transcript ~ Episode 12

Selfless service is one of the great spiritual traditions. And in itself, it is a path. In fact, in terms of purification of chakras, it's probably one of the most potent methods, and true service through selfless service, the capacity to really give... is not easy.

Most of us live in a kind of dual mental state in which we want to give, but another part of us is always looking for what is in it for us. And that is the natural function of the ego as a self-preserving force. The ego's job is to protect you, nourish you, and ensure you're healthy. To go towards the things that you enjoy and that nourish you. And to stay away from things that hurt you. That's normal, that's healthy. The problem with that is that if we get caught up in that limited part of the self, then we're ignoring the other bigger part. The reason we do this is because our awareness has contracted.

Society functions at a low level of consciousness.

At the present stage of the evolution of consciousness in society, individual consciousness and individual awareness fluctuate. It's not steady. It's small, and it's fluctuating. So, it's present for periods of time, and then it goes out. You know the experience in meditation; when you sit for meditation, you become very aware of how the awareness functions. You sit down, you try to focus, and then the thoughts and mental patterns emerge. And you get caught up in those while you sleep, the two things that occur: the rajasic state of restlessness or the tamasic state of sleep. This happens because the chitta (individual consciousness) is unstable; it’s not balanced.

Mind and consciousness need to be seen as two separate things.

Through the practice of discipline and practices that cultivate consciousness and stabilize awareness. There are two things. One is mental patterns, and the other is consciousness. And these are two different things, right? You're aware of this, right? Consciousness and mind must be classified as two separate things in order that we can disentangle ourselves from over-involvement in thinking and start to reconnect back to a deeper part of ourselves, that is, the true self, that is, by nature, peaceful.

The nature of consciousness

The nature of consciousness is nothing. It has no characteristics. The nature of consciousness is totally empty. It has no characteristics. It is unchanging, and it is eternal. And you are that!!! You are that consciousness, that unchanging, eternal principle. But we've lost the connection.

We've lost identification with that and become identified with the little mind, the ego, and the body. This occurs because of lifestyle, lack of training, social factors, etc. Awareness is not stabilized. So consciousness is like a flame that flickers in and out. And what we live in is a kind of diminished awareness. It's like being in a dark room, trying to find a light.

The first step is to develop a stable, concentrated mind.

The first step in yoga is to stabilize awareness and the mind and deal with the patterns of the mind that conceal the true Self. Consciousness can be likened to a mirror when it is cleaned or like the ocean when the ripples begin to subside when the storms settle down. It begins to reflect back the truth. The mind begins to reflect back the truth of who you are and what you are.

Then, there is the expansion of consciousness and the awakening of inner light.

Once stabilization has occurred, which is called dharana, concentration arises, and the process of expansion of consciousness arises. And at the moment, the little flame of awareness is fluctuating. When it is stabilized, it's like a little flame, like a little candle in the darkness. But stable. When that flame is cultivated through various processes and allowed to expand, it begins to shine with much more force, revealing to you all that you are. We can only see so much if we sit in a big room with a little flame. If we have a candle, we can see a little bit. If I can turn the light on, I can see the whole room. Think of the difference in power between a candle flame and the sun. The sun illuminates all of space. And at night, when the sun goes out, we think, okay, it's better to go to bed, go into the darkness of unconsciousness. But when the sun comes up, it pulls us out of bed. The sun brings the life out. He illuminates the space.

It is the same in spiritual life. We are identified with the little mind and with the tiny body because our awareness is not big enough to reveal what we truly are. We just can't see it. We can't experience it. So even if we want to, we can't. But as this inner light becomes clearer, we begin to see the truth of who we are. That I am not just this little me; I am something greater. Each one of us is interdependent, and we interact at levels that are unseen, invisible, and hard to experience, what they call secret or esoteric because you can't be aware of them.

Awaken the flame in the heart.

This is called the awakening of the little flame in the heart. The little flame in the heart becomes steady. The little flame is your little consciousness, and it becomes connected to the infinite highest consciousness in the sahasrara crown chakra, which is like a million suns shining. It becomes increasingly more illuminating, revealing what is in the darkness. And only then can service come from a true recognition that this is really the only way to be. There is no other choice.

Until that time, and of course, even then, selfishness is there. But it's just like a voice in the background nagging, just saying, “What about me? What about me? What am I getting out of this?”

So everything that's done is calculated. And the little ego, which takes supremacy, begins to think and is always planning, constantly using all your energy and resources. So even service you do from that perspective is planned service, not selfless service. We think, I want to feel good, or I will get some benefit from this. “Yeah, I will become spiritual.” Do you follow? You might think people will look at me and recognize my spirituality. And that'd be great. So, it's constantly driven by a magnetic pull back to that center of the egoic center.

However, when the higher centers begin to operate, that egoic center is not eradicated. The good thing is that its voice and ability to dominate us are subdued and pacified by higher consciousness. The ego becomes like a shadow; the shadow is there, but the light is there. Until that time, darkness, ignorance, you know, it's very hard to have the heart open and supported, fully loving, and fully able to receive love. It's difficult. As much as we want it, we're always protecting the heart.

Fake it till you make it.

So, to do true selfless service, really practicing selfless service is a great thing. And certainly, in our tradition, one of our great sayings is, "Fake it until you can make it." Practice selfless service. Have a go. In the process, keep practicing self-analysis, swadhyaya. Notice what's really going on. Notice how invested you are in getting something back and keep moving forward, as well as self-observing and recognizing who you are and where you are in your life. And if you're beyond that point, wonderful. But for most of us, this is the stage we must cultivate. To do selfless service that is genuinely spiritually uplifting for you and others takes time to learn how. And we certainly must go through a process of growing up at that level.

Karma yoga

Karma yoga is the practice of selfless service, and bhakti yoga is the practice of devotion to something greater. These are practices we can begin studying, contemplating, thinking about, and so on. Until then, we have emphasized keeping your body healthy. We emphasize doing a routine of spiritual practice called sadhana, such as asana, postures, pranayama, breathing techniques, and simple meditation practices that are good for you.

Having said that, true selfless service is that it is a very difficult thing to do to be truly selfless is difficult. Selflessness does not mean you don't look after yourself. You must nourish yourself in order to nourish others. Therefore, when you get on the plane, you're told to put the mask on you first, then on the kid. The mask on you. You put your mask on. Even though you love your kid, you want the mask on the kid, so the best thing for the kid is to take your mask first. This is a natural principle. Nature feeds itself first before it feeds others. So the heart takes blood first, and the best blood straight out of the heart. It feeds via the coronary vessels and then spreads the blood everywhere else; otherwise, the pump stops.

So, this idea of selflessness is not a form of self-abnegation. It's simply an expanded vision. Until that time, we used different methods that allow the body and mind to be prepared. The nervous system needs to be prepared to truly handle the energy, to handle the awareness, and to support a stabilized mind so that you can look after yourself. You engage in asana, pranayama, meditation, a little practice that looks after yourself, and then you prepare to take on higher practices. One of the great practices is service, and true service awakens Kundalini. True service awakens the Kundalini. And until you practice with others in mind, your practice will never really flow. It'll always be stagnant. Remember, everything you do for yourself, you must imagine I'm doing this for the well-being of others.

Big Shakti Podcast Links