Every action has an equal and opposite reaction, said one of the greatest geniuses of modern times. It rains only because water evaporates. Take a look at your actions throughout the day. How much time do you spend on yourself and how much time you devote to others? Then take stock of your life. You will be surprised to find that the time spent on helping others and saving humans and animals would be directly proportional to your good health and happiness.
To be healthy and happy is actually that easy, you just have to follow what Newton said. That is, if you don’t want to follow what the Yoga Sutras say. Or, forget Newton and follow the sutras... The result would be the same. Actually it is that easy to succeed in life, try it out.
Service or giving back to creation is the key. Service is donation of your time, for which there can be no excuse. Anyone can donate time to save animals, feed the poor, teach underprivileged kids, nurture the environment, etc.
If you look around, the cows are meeting painful death by ingesting plastic and chemicals, dogs are pelted and run down by cars, monkeys are homeless and famished, human suffering and troubles are at their peak.
Rush an injured animal or human to medical aid, report those abusing animals or humans, feed the hungry, nurse the sick, educate the underprivileged and take action against those felling trees or polluting the environment. The present times provide ample opportunity for every individual to do his/her share of service. Anyone doing service would be contended, happy and disease-free.
There are different kinds of service. Service towards Guru would lead to spiritual experiences and bliss. Service towards animals ensures a painless life. Service towards humans guarantees financial stability and good health.
If you give love, you will get love. If you serve the sick, it will ensure good health. If you feed the poor, you will always have enough. If you teach the uneducated, you will get wisdom. St Francis of Asisi also said that it is in giving that you receive, it is in loving that you are loved, it is in dying that you are born again.
The youth today is educated to achieve and collect more and more for the self, ‘the more you have, the more successful you are’. Very few understand that the more you have, the problems too become greater.
Let’s do an experiment to understand this. Fill in as much air as you can inside you and try holding it. Do not exhale. After sometime you will start feeling sick. More is not always good; optimum is what one should strive for. So the vedic rishis told us—‘achieve but also give’.
The root cause of disease is collection. The purest of waters rot when made to stand and the dirtiest of waters becomes pure when made to flow. To maintain this flow is essential for health and longevity. Economists will tell you that resources are limited and wants unlimited. When you have more than what you need, you are actually eating into someone else’s share.
Equal and opposite reaction is disease and suffering for yourself. For this reason, Yoga Sutras prescribe the yama of aparigraha or non-collection, non-collection of wealth, resources, happiness, knowledge and even time. We all have excess of something, which we can distribute. Start distributing today.
The writer is the spiritual head of Dhyan Foundation.
info@dhyanfoundation.com