myolam.org

“God give me work, till my life shall end
And life, till my work is done.”
~Epitaph of Winifred Holtby

Hinduism propounds that Moksha or salvation can be achieved by serving the supreme in four ways – Karma Yoga or working for the almighty, Jnana Yoga, understanding the almighty, Raja Yoga, meditating on the almighty and Bhakti Yoga, devoting oneself to the almighty.  Yoga as we popularly know it, involves the practice of asanas.  This is Hatha Yoga, an extension of Raja Yoga.

“In Karma-yoga no effort is ever lost, and there is no harm. Even a little practice of this discipline protects one from great fear [of birth and death].”  Bhagawad Gita.

Karma Yoga or the yoga of action is the first step towards Moksha. Karma Yoga entails dedicating all your actions and their fruits to the almighty.  It involves selfless service to humanity.  It is futile to pursue Jnana Yoga or enlightenment without first practicing Karma Yoga.  Because it is Karma Yoga or selfless action in the name of god that ultimately prepares the mind for enlightenment by purifying it.  In other words, when you devote your life in service and do everything in god’s name then you would be pure enough to merge with the divine. Mahatma Gandhi puts it beautifully: “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”

Work leads to emancipation, but only selfless work.  Work that is done for the self binds, while work dedicated to the almighty liberates.  Lord Krishna says in the Bhagawad Gita, “By this attitude of complete renunciation you shall be freed from the bondage, good and bad, of Karma.  You shall be liberated, and come to Me.”

Work can really make life worthwhile.  And if you have a lofty purpose to pursue then you can’t hope for a more fulfilling life.  There is so much to be done in the world; so many wrongs to be remedied.  There are so many people who need us.  Not just people but all the beings – animals, plants, mother earth herself. God has sent each of us with a purpose.  It is for us to find that purpose and live it out.  And that is life well spent.  Emily Dickinson says it all:

“If I can stop one heart from breaking,
I shall not live in vain;
If I can ease one life the aching,
Or cool one pain,
Or help one fainting robin
Up to his nest again,
I shall not live in vain.”

Welcome to My Olam. In case you are not near a google search box, olam is Hebrew for world.
Through this site, we hope to bring you a perspective on your everyday life and help you find inner fulfillment based on local philosophies and religions from around the world – Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism to start. This is also a family affair. My wife and sons will contribute often. The baby may only grunt and squeal today, but eventually his advice will sound like a perfect song. Initially we will bring you this knowledge in the form of blog posts. Then we will add other media including video and music. We hope you come often and look forward to your feedback. We are still working out some of the technical kinks, so please be patient.

-Adam, Ilana, Noah and Jordan