As we progress down a spiritual path, we can run into some confusion about action. When we’re driven by the ego-self, it’s all about results. We set goals and plan for the future and to fulfil our desires. However, life can often be frustrating. Desires remain unfulfilled and we see undesired results instead.
However, a lot of this struggle is due to not understanding action.
As the Bhagavad Gita (Song of God) tells us:
“You have control over action alone, never over its fruits.”
– Bhagavad Gita 2.47
If we focus on the result, we’ll often experience disappointment. This is because the field of action has many influences, including many others, and nature itself, acting in a vast network. We can’t possibly calculate the perfect pathway.
“Unfathomable is the course of action.”
– Bhagavad Gita 4.17
The earlier verse continues:
“Live not for the fruit of action, nor attach yourself to inaction.”
– Bhagavad Gita 2.47
Focus on the action itself, on the process, on the journey, not the destination.
This is living in the present rather than future, which the identified ego struggles with. It wants control!
Don’t confuse not focusing on the future with not acting. Without acting, there are no results at all.
Paradoxically, we need goals to direct our action.
“No action can be performed successfully without a clear result in view.”
– The Science of Being and The Art of Living
So we start with a goal or intention and then step into the action. Don’t stay with the end, stay with what is happening now. We don’t need to change technique, just orientation.
This is like a diver. They set the right angle of the dive, then let go.
What action should we perform?
“Perform our natural duty because unfathomable is the course of action.”
– Bhagavad Gita 18.48
What is our natural duty? This is dharma, actions that support ourselves, our family, our community, and the world.
And where shall we find inspiration to act?
“Established in Yoga (the Self), perform action…”
– Bhagavad Gita 2.48
This is preparing the soil for a rich harvest. By becoming established in the Self within through transcending (samadhi), our actions are inspired from a deeper place, and we gain the support of nature.
Then we’re not acting out of frustration or unmet traumas. We’re acting from our deeper nature.
More and more, we’ll experience fruit that exceeds our dreams.
We will still experience obstacles on our path. Are they there to correct our direction? Or are they to work through? How does it feel? In time, we discover that there are no external obstacles. There are limitations we’ve brought to the process that result in that experience. When we remove our own resistance (karma), the obstacles fall away.
Buckminster Fuller described nature as working in precession. While we go about fulfilling our genuine desires, we inadvertently are supporting life itself.
We’ll know we’re in harmony with nature when actions flow smoothly and results come easily. Creative people call this being in the zone or the flow. We can enjoy this in all areas of life where we have relative clarity.
Then, even our intention behaves like an action and can achieve results.
This is why
“Even a little study of the Bhagavad Gita,
like a drop of the flow of nectar, is sufficient.”
– Shankara, Bhaja Govindam 20
Davidya
Beautiful article and reminder amidst fatherhood and a busy career.
Reminds me of Taoism. First, there is “you wei” then there is “wu wei”… First, you perform an action, then you let go to reap the benefits that the action is purported to give.
Yes, you’re certainly in the middle of it, Stephen.
Yes, same principle. Set the conditions and let go.
If you keep coming back to it, you’re attached and trying to control it. If you deeply allow, you resolve the barriers.
I am reading and rereading this. When you say ‘if you keep coming back to it’ you’re referring to the initial action, correct? Or the result?
Hi Jenifer
Ah, good point. Keep coming back to your goal or intention. That means you’re holding on. Some practices even encourage constant intention. But that can get in the way of the process, holding you at the start.
Certainly, it’s valuable to occasionally review your goals to refine direction, but also to watch for clues for how nature is responding. Not being too fixed about the form the result will come in. Allowing change.
I never would have started blogging if I’d stuck with “supposed to.” Ditto grad school.
Hello David!
This is another great blog post with such important information for people. I get questions about this topic a lot. A big misunderstanding seems to be around taking action and surrendering at the same time. How do they go together? Some people think surrender means not doing anything, but it is the opposite—doing everything and surrendering to the outcome. You describe this beautifully in this post! I will share it on my Telegram channel!
Thank you!
Eva
Thanks, Eva. I appreciate the shout-out.
Right, for the mind, acting and surrender seem to be different. But in fact, surrendered action is a single, simple thing but we can’t get to it through the mind. It takes direct experience.
We learn to trust life and support and recognize that change is inevitable but who we really are is what we can lean on. Going with the flow becomes increasingly natural. And then we begin to see how we’re being supported, where we’ve resisted, whats just stuff coming up for resolution, and whats a signal from nature. It’s not all mushed together anymore. (laughs)
Life becomes much more enjoyable when we understand the basic rules.
Great article, a reminder to focus on the process. Although I comprehend the article, I still find it challenging to determine my purpose here in this life. It appears it is simple but it is not easy. I guess like you wrote we impose our own limitation.
Hi Lynette
“Find my purpose” can often be mind wanting control. That doesn’t bring answers. When we recognize why we’re here, we can see the thread of our dharma has been running throughout our life (lives).
Many of us are looking for something special or important. But most of us are here to do our part to sustain the whole. This isn’t actually a small part but it’s not a famous part. It’s just realizing and being our true nature, then living that to help raise all boats. Simple. Learning to be.
Namaste. Universal dharma is ahimsa, satya etc.and Swadharma is action according to our natural inclination like satvik or rajasik etc. Am I right?
Hi Guru
Well, there are a few models of dharma.
The bull of dharma is Tapas, Saucha, Daya, and Satya
Yoga talks about the Yama’s and Niyamas. (you mention Ahimsa, non-violence)
There are also the layers of dharma in rita, varna, ashrama, and swadharma
https://davidya.ca/2019/10/24/four-flavours-of-dharma/
By natural inclination, I’d lean more Vata, Pitta, Kapha. This is part of the shadbhava or birth influences, whereas the gunas are primary qualities that evolve with spiritual practice. If we base our life on being rajasic, we’ll probably amplify the tendency rather than help it evolve. That would be my take, at least.
I tend to take a practical approach – find out what we’re good at. Where is there a need for that? Then we can develop an income. And with that we have the platform for a family, then to support community, and with spiritual growth, the world.
That said, my life didn’t follow that pattern very well. (laughs)
Thank you, David!
Very informative and connected.
Very clear in the need for the right action (dharma) with a goal or intention, its purpose, and letting go of the result.
The simple directions for those of us awakening.
⚡ 🙏
It’s worth mentioning this isn’t about getting it right or wrong. Again, that’s mind.
Letting go of attachment happens naturally with spiritual development. But because of habit, we sometimes need to make it a bit more conscious so we clue in. That’s the point of articles like this.
Being unattached isn’t something we can fake. 🙂
Hi David, I’ve been thinking about something else Maharishi said: ‘knowledge is for action, action is for achievement, and achievement is for fulfillment’ and I’m curious as to how you would tie that into this article. I’m realizing the ‘big visions’ I’ve had for my life in terms of what I want to create are part of this bit from the article ‘No action can be performed successfully without a clear result in view’, and that I simply may still be confusing envisioning how I want things to be – my driving desire to see something through to it’s realization and physical manifestation – and the concept of a ‘goal’.
Does that makes sense?
Yes, Jenifer
Knowledge is for action means acting from being informed, acting from researching the right path.
But this also includes knowing how to act, partly as described in the article.
“Established in Yoga (the Self), perform action…”
When we act from our true nature, we’re acting in harmony with life and find support for our efforts. Then success comes more easily and is more fulfilling. Of course, the process of action also brings what is unresolved forward to be experienced (karma) and can reveal our resistances (stress). But again, understanding their role and how to process them means we can move through such things more smoothly.
To move forward, we need a sense of the goal, where we’re heading. But the art is in allowing life to take us where it needs. The result can be greater than anything we had envisioned. So have a goal, but as a direction, not as a fixed result we must have.
I’ve had lots of false starts in my life, where I worked towards a goal that went nowhere. But in that process we learn what is being supported and how we can contribute. Some people have clearer signals. Others have more karma to work through first.
But if we get its a process, we don’t get as hung up on “failure.” As Buckminster Fuller put it, life is an experiment, Journal your results.
This is *it* for me – ‘Of course, the process of action also brings what is unresolved forward to be experienced (karma) and can reveal our resistances (stress). But again, understanding their role and how to process them means we can move through such things more smoothly.’
Learning not to cave when resistance hits. Thank you David!!
I am curious how manifestation works into all of this, but that may be for another article..
Hi Jenifer
Yes, there’s an art to know when it’s our resistance to sit with and allow vs environmental resistance signaling not quite this way. Or not quite right now.
Manifestation is the achievement phase. That can range from just getting things moving again after a period of inertia, to changing reality. And that can range from a fast shift in perspective that changes how we see and respond to life, to plowing through resistance to change in the collective.
We actually do this all the time but often not realizing it. Doing it consciously, now there’s the charm.
‘The art to knowing when’ – I feel like this actually ties in so closely to the Self-Esteem article, because when we’re clear as children, but our parents are not and they project their fears onto us, then even when *we* know as children that we need to accomplish something – like taking action and following an internal drive or impulse to create (even if we don’t know *why* and simply know that we *must*) – and then that action or impulse gets punished, we begin to question our inherent drive for action or impulse, and assume it’s – and we – are *wrong*. Holy smokes. This feels like the root of my self-trust issue with action because like you said – ‘we actually do it all the time without realizing it’. And I really reeeally resonate with this bit ‘And that can range from a fast shift in perspective that changes how we see and respond to life, to plowing through resistance to change in the collective.’ Inspiring, wonderful insight, David 🙂
Right, Jenifer
So often, we can be confused about what we’re good at because:
a) it comes naturally to us so doesn’t seem distinctive
b) when we express, we get squelched by our family, teachers, etc who are just trying to cope.
My writing is a great example. I failed essay writing in high school as I hadn’t yet learned to express the big ideas that way. And that made a strong “you can’t write” impression. Lots of evidence contradicted that over the years, but the impression (trauma, samskara) remained.
But as it was my nature, it was happening anyway. Shortly after I woke up, I started this blog and it unleashed a torrent. (laughs)
The framing you give would be even earlier stuff in our birth family. Most of us have some of that, like competitive siblings that talk over us, or put-downs, or exhausted parents not interested in a stage play every evening. 🙂
Or inversely, we get our parents attention by being good at what they want, only to discover later that we don’t know who we are.
I continue to read and contemplate this post, so I’m glad it was added to the “key posts”. 🙂
You’re welcome, Giovanni.
I’m sure I’ll have more to write on the topic. I just finished a related course. It’s application will be sure to bring out nuances.
Saw a talk about this clip this evening. Another perspective with a similar theme.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Ss78LfY3nE
Eva did a post and video on this topic:
https://www.nextelevations.com/post/how-to-balance-surrender-and-action-on-the-path-of-spiritual-awakening