Day 4


We bumped into some neighbours yesterday when we walked to the mailbox and had a normal polite neighbourly conversation about nothing important.  I was conscious of my words and avoided anything overtly unhelpful but, on reflection, the conversation and my words also did not feel overtly helpful.  

This seemingly karmically neutral ground is a bit perplexing because I don’t think anything is actually karmically neutral.   I’m not sure how to do it yet, but I want to find a way to internally transform these mundane acts and words into a beautiful dance with the Divine.  I have observed this in a Swami friend of old who seemed to always maintain the exact same level of inner joy in all situations.  She travels for her sacred work, giving retreats all over, and 

whether she was talking about God, some practice, the weather, or engaging with a long-winded whining student, unperterbable joy!    I have also observed this, very closely, in a few Swami friends from the Himalayas, but they have always seemed otherworldly.  


My favourite verse from the Bhagavad Gita is 3:30 which is roughly 


Renounce all actions unto Me, 

keeping the Self in mind at all times, 

act without hope (of future results), 

without ego (tied to the past) 

and without fire (uncontrolled passion)


I keep daydreaming about having this tattooed on my body somewhere so I come closer to living it at all times.  Not sure if that would help, but I’m convinced a big part of the solution to my perplexity lies in bringing the subtleties of this verse to life. 

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