Taking Responsibility for One's Actions

“The world is as you see it” This short sentence is as profound as reading stacks of books. It comes from the great yogis of the past who knew the truth of our lives and our purpose for Being.

Another great quote is “As within so without”.  Both these quotes give rise to long discussions or quick understanding, depending on the person hearing or reading them.

Let us look at the first quote “The world is as you see it”. That means of course that our mind is in the way. We can only know what we know, and many of us know very little about the Real. We know plenty from school and university, but the yogins are not meaning that kind of knowing. The knowing is the unveiling of inner knowledge, as we already have that knowledge. It is not to be gained from outside, but unveiled and revealed from inside, by experience and expanding consciousness.

The other quote “As within so without” really means that everything is reflected. If you are happy the world is a joyous place, if you are sad then the world is alien and harsh. When we are angry our car breaks down or blows a gasket!  Have you ever noticed how your car or computer or some other mechanical device responds to your moods? So….the responsibility is absolutely ours. It means we must take ourselves in check and create our own Reality. We must simply bring peace to our mind and heart and then we can change the world. 

Yoga is a perfect way to discover the mind and heart. By stretching, twisting, and struggling with our gross physical body, putting it in all sorts of strange contortions we are opening new pathways to our brain.  Our heart also opens with the struggle and brings an honest appraisal of our weakness, and creates humility as we gain inner strength, commitment, and spiritual understanding.

There are three ways of Being or qualities of Being. Tamas = laziness, heaviness, Rajas = activity, speed, and Sattva = tranquility , spirituality.

The yogic aim is to become not lazy and not overly zealous where there is too much emotion, but to enter the realm of peace, humility and recognition that our hands, heart and feet are for service to humanity. Not to live selfishly just for oneself but to be engaged lovingly with all we meet on the street, in the work place, and in our homes.

That can only be achieved by finding that peace within. Many and varied are the ways to that, but a quick way is to take absolute responsibility for one’s actions. Quit blaming someone else!   Everything that happens has a teaching in it and is a very useful learning tool. 

So next time something goes wrong in your day, work back menally through the details leading up to it and you will see that you yourself were responsible for the result. If for instance you are blameless in that particular issue, then your responsibility is not to get angry, to soften the whole affair with a breath and a smile and a hand shake. It is truly a wonderful thing to do. Try it.