Try, try again for a fine balance

Jan 23, 2010, 12.00am IST
RAVI M GUPTA.

One of the greatest struggles of our lives is in achieving balance. We find ourselves being constantly torn between family, friends, workplace and our desires.


According to the American Psychological Association, two-thirds of Americans are likely to seek help for stress. The National Institute of Mental Health says that one out of every four adult Americans suffers from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year. Indian stress levels are probably not far behind.


How does one find a fine balance? “Life is like a bicycle,” Albert Einstein said. “To keep balance you must keep moving.” Although supercharged stress levels may be a modern phenomenon, the search for balance is not. From earliest times philosophers and spiritual leaders have debated the question of how best to orient oneself to ensure a satisfied and well-rounded life. The dilemma could be described as the search for balance between the head, heart, and hands or reason, emotion, and action.


Some Greek philosophers felt that reason was the distinctive characteristic of human beings, requiring us to rise above emotions, transcending our lower nature. In Christianity, the debate was often of faith and work. Which is more important? Indian tradition expresses this in terms of three paths: karma , j nana , and bhakti . The Mimamsakas argued that the only important parts of the Vedas are the injunctions – when they ask you to do something (such as sacrifices). What they say about God or us is not very significant. The Vedantins disagreed that self-knowledge and God are the most important ingredients for happiness and liberation. The Upanishads ask: Who are we? Why are we suffering? What is the purpose of human life?


All three human dimensions play a role in our lives. We just have to find the right balance between them. The head asks: “What to do?” The heart asks: “Why does it?” And the hands ask: “How to do it?” The head is concerned with methods, the heart with motivation, and the hands with mechanics.


Stress is often created at the level of the hands or the head. We may be stressed with too much work. We say: “Things are getting out of hand.” Or we are stressed because we are overwhelmed by ambition, or a sense of inadequacy. We could overcome stress if we move the problem up one level.


One might ask can I trust my heart? What if my heart leads me in the wrong direction? What if my priorities are out of order and my motivations are selfish? This, indeed, is a genuine danger. The hands can err due to greed, the head because of pride, and the heart out of selfishness and envy. This is why in the Bhagavad Gita , Krishna asks us to purify our heart and intelligence through the process of yoga, or linking with God. He asks us to remain detached to the results of our work. Strive to act without selfish motivation, without desire for gain. It is not that we don’t create goals or try our best to achieve them. But when the results finally roll in, we are neither arrogant about success, nor envious of another’s success. We accept success or failure, victory or defeat, with equanimity.


Then why should we act? What will motivate us to do anything, if not for personal gain? Krishna tells us, “Whatever you do, eat, offer or give away, and whatever austerities you perform – do that, as an offering to Me.” When we act in devotional service, keeping the Lord in mind, we achieve peace. In yoga, we find the perfect balance.
The writer is with the Bhakti Vedanta College, Belgium.