Karma Yoga is desireless action undertaken for the sake of the Supreme. Karma Yoga is man’s genuine acceptance of his earthly existence. Karma Yoga is man’s dauntless march across the battlefield of life.

Karma Yoga does not see eye to eye with those who hold that the activities of human life are of no importance. Karma Yoga claims that life is a divine opportunity for serving God. This particular Yoga is not only the Yoga of physical action; it includes the aspirant’s moral and inner life as well.

Those who follow this path pray for a strong and perfect body. They also pray for a long life. This long life is not a mere prolongation of life in terms of years. It is a life that longs for the descent of the divine Truth, Light and Power into the material plane. The Karma yogins are the real heroes on the earthly scene, and theirs is the divinely triumphant victory.

A Karma yogin is a perfect stranger to the waves of disappointment and despair in human life. What he sees in life and its activities is a divine purpose. He feels himself to be the hyphen between earthly duties and heavenly responsibilities. He has many weapons to conquer the world, but his detachment is the most powerful. His detachment defies both the crushing blows of failure and the ego-gratifying surges of success. His detachment is far beyond both the snares of the world’s excruciating pangs and the embrace of the world’s throbbing joy.

Many sincere aspirants feel that the devotional feelings of a Bhakta and the penetrating eye of a Jnani have no place in Karma Yoga. Here they are quite mistaken. A true Karma yogin is he whose heart has implicit faith in God, whose mind has a constant awareness of God and whose body has a genuine love for God in humanity.

It is easy for a Bhakta to forget the world, and for a Jnani to ignore the world. But a Karma yogin’s destiny is otherwise. God wants him to live in the world, live with the world and live for the world. (→ Quelle)

Meditation und Hatha Yoga

Question: Most of us in the Western world who are not familiar with Yoga and meditation tend to associate the two with someone standing on his head or doing particular exercises. How are these exercises related to spirituality?

Sri Chinmoy: Right now many of us are physically very restless, no better than a monkey. We cannot stay still for more than a second without getting restless. These physical exercises and postures, called Hatha Yoga, relax our bodies and give us peace of mind for a short period. But these are only the preliminary stages. What they do is help the seeker enter into the true spiritual life. In the true spiritual system, the beginners in Hatha Yoga are like kindergarten students. From kindergarten we have to go to grammar school, high school, college. In fact, one can easily skip kindergarten. There are many aspirants who can just sit and make their minds calm and quiet and enter into the deeper regions of their being without ever doing any Hatha Yoga…

…I must emphasise, however, that Hatha Yoga exercises are far superior to the Western system of exercises, which are often done abruptly, vigorously and, to some extent, violently. Hatha Yoga exercises are done calmly, quietly, in a meditative mood. They strengthen the nerves and calm the mind, unlike most Western exercises. (→ Quelle)

Question: If you want to meditate as well as do Hatha Yoga, should you meditate before doing the exercises?

Sri Chinmoy: If you do Hatha Yoga exercises, it is better to do them before your meditation. After the Hatha Yoga exercises please rest for about fifteen minutes, lying down, and then meditate. But if you do Hatha Yoga exercises, please do not do more than five or six each day. Those who are meditating daily should not spend more than half an hour or so in Hatha Yoga. Every day you can do some basic exercises and some different ones, but do not go on for more than half an hour. If you do Hatha Yoga exercises for an hour and a half and then want to meditate, it will be extremely difficult for you to enter into meditation. (→ Quelle)

Examiner*: Praktizieren Sie selbst die Körperübungen des Hatha Yoga, oder gehört das nicht zu Ihrem Yogaweg?

Sri Chinmoy: Nein, Hatha Yoga ist nicht Teil meines Weges. Aber ich rate meinen Schülern zu körperlicher Bewegung und Sport. Körperliche Fitness hilft uns beträchtlich auf unserem spirituellen Weg, daher bitte ich sie, zu laufen oder zu joggen. Vor kurzem** sind circa hundert meiner Schüler den New York City Marathon mitgelaufen. Ich lege ihnen das Laufen sehr ans Herz. (→ Quelle)

* aus einem Interview mit der Zeitung „San Franzisco Examiner“

** das war im Jahr 1980 – später waren es zunehmend mehr