karma yoga as a way of life
Sevā translates as "selfless service." This means that one acts to benefit others and the world without any expectation of being rewarded. Such an attitude goes against human nature and all cultural expectations. So, it flies in the face of both self and society. Quite a feat, for sure! However dreamlike and unrealistic this approach may seem on first brush, you would do well to consider the fine print here. Why?
The quick answer comes courtesy of Hinduism's most sacred text, the Bhagavad Gītā (literally, God's Song). In its pages, Lord Krishna explains that the righteous, and correct, path for all beings in this world—both great and small—firmly follows the road of Karma Yoga (surrender of self and all one's experiences to the Divine). Sevā offers us all a tangible, effective way to walk this trail. Done well, such a journey eventually leads you to the Godhead (Lord Krishna and all of Light).
What’s the more detailed answer? On the journey of life, we all pass through stages, much like rest stops along the highway during a long cross-country odyssey. For most folks, attitudes and beliefs change over the years. This occurs both due to the experiences that you have but also due just to aging—over time, one’s biochemistry and even one’s energetic matrix and karma change.
This is fact: for instance, in psychology, Erik Erikson defined eight life stages (first published in 1950) which each have unique challenges and which usually lead to changes both in personality and outlook on life. While now widely accepted as generally correct, such an idea is as old as the hills for even Jyotish, around for thousands of years, has a similar model. Here’s a snapshot of how Erickson pictured it:
Erik Erikson’s Stages of Development - remarkably similar to a Jyotish model of lifespan development called the Naisargika dasha. https://www.verywellmind.com/erik-eriksons-stages-of-psychosocial-development-2795740
His wife, Joan Erikson—who collaborated with him on his work—later added a ninth stage relevant to very late life when the outlook turns rather bleak as all the dependable things we count on such as relations, health and cognition, all break down, fail and eventually completely desert us.
Such scientific theories abound and most have some very solid grounding in fact. Another prominent perspective considers the development of emotions and morals. Again, the take-away message says that change happens: in this case, the sophistication and flexibility of how one reacts to others and life. The point?
Setting the details aside for a moment, you find complete agreement between traditional approaches—such as Hindu yoga, Tibetan Buddhism, Daoism and Jyotish—and more modern, and scientifically-oriented models. All agree that both environmental impact (social and physical) and natural processes (development and aging) underscore a constant turnover of viewpoints and beliefs. As an example, even if one is born and lives and eventually dies as a fervent member of a particular religion, how this person experiences her or his faith along the way will surely have morphed this way and that over the years.
Consequently, what you think and feel now will not be the same five or ten years down the road. You will be different and tote a different story. How about a couple decades hence? Totally different: you wouldn’t even recognize yourself except for some vague physical resemblances to your younger self. Seems weird but this really plays out for most people.
On the spiritual path, you have four general periods: growing up (birth up to leaving home and striking out on your own); family and job (settling into the groove of life; finding a partner and a career); community (raising the kids; enjoying friends; making money; widening your vantage to take a more active part in the community); the greater community and retirement (reaching the height of your personal power; getting involved in social causes beyond local concerns; letting go of familiar supports; watching the kids leave home; considering the meaning of it all; facing death; devoting time to spiritual or religious practice). The value of this?
If you’re intent on growing spiritually amidst all this toing and froing, you need to capitalize on each stage of life. There are specific goals to be met and mastered:
Growing up — develop a solid sense of self; get happy
Family and job — deepen your grasp on mental and emotional health; get counseling and then go even deeper with more focused psychotherapy (this should continue for at least several years); start some body-oriented practice to follow and grow with for a lifetime (yoga, tai chi, martial arts, etc.); get happier
Community — steady as she goes: manage your life and commitments well; start to help others for free; add more breathwork into your practice; find and join a spiritual group or community (even if it’s just online most of the time); deepen your meditation a little and stick with the increased effort and time no matter what
Greater community and later life — tidy up all the loose ends of a life well-lived: finish building your nest egg; allow your kids to leave home and start their own journeys; turn your heart to the world, at large; help others but aim for wider ambits (social, global, even beyond the earth); once retirement visits you, make sure to give a much larger portion of your free time to regular spiritual practice especially meditation; age with grace as there’s more to the story than just watching everything fade away as you and your beloved fall apart; turn your heart over more and more to your spiritual teacher, community and the Divine. In the end, they are—and always have been—your best, most faithful and supportive friends.