You are not the doer!
Question:
We strongly believe – Everything is happening. We are not doing anything. It is foolishness to think, I worked hard to achieve my current state…
On the other hand – we also say, we should do our duties. We have to make sure, we do our sadhana. We have to meditate regularly. Going by a bullock cart to realization or taking the rocket to realization is in our efforts…
What is my monkey brain missing? I couldn’t connect the dots.
Answer:
Everything is happening means that “You are not the doer”. It is not we who make decisions on our own, there is a greater force that is compelling us in a particular direction. It is not a god or devil pushing us or giving rise to a thought in a particular direction. It is actually our own (karma) impressions of the past that give rise to a particular thought in the mind and compel you to move in that particular direction. Everything is happening! You are just like a pawn on a chess board, you do not have the freedom to choose more than what that player chooses to do! That player is only your own Karma and Niyati!
Now, when the chess player moves you, you have to move. It is so funny if a pawn starts screaming and shouting on a Chess Board, saying “I don’t want to go this way, I don’t like him/her, this is not my plan”. You are unnecessarily swimming against the natural flow of events. All your screaming, shouting, fussing is of no use. You are not the doer! But you still have to move that one step that the player moves you. Now, it is up to you if you want to move sulking about life or if you want to move peacefully with a smile. Meditating and listening to knowledge helps mature the intellect and reduce this unnecessary suffering that we create for ourselves.
Are the dots connected now?
Have questions? Reach out to Ekta by clicking on the “Ask a Question” button on the left sidebar. For attending Ekta’s online knowledge sessions, click the “Gnyana Sangha” button on the left sidebar.
6 Comments
Submit a Comment
Have a Spiritual Question? Ask Ekta
I think this is one of the most vital info for me. And I am glad reading your article. The site style is perfect, the articles are really nice: Good job, cheers!
When it is our own impressions which are pushing us in a direction then why did yr guru say-you are not the doer? It is our impressions that are stored in our subconscious mind that propel us into action. How are we non-doers?
Your question is answered here in this blog post – https://ektabathija.com/if-i-am-not-the-doer-then-how-do-i-accrue-karma/
It connected the dots for me so well. Thank you so much. I accept this answer peacefully and move forward.
Very good question and as usual very good answer by Ektaji!
As a fellow student of spirituality, I have found this question and answers by masters very confusing. One master insisted “I” does not exist. From my curious mind, pat came the question “If I don’t exist, you don’t exist, what am I an illusion doing talking to you another illusion?”. Of course, I dared not ask the question.
Till we are fully one with the universe and in the state of “Aham Brahmasmi”, I think just reminding ourselves that “I” is puny. In this space time continuum, this “I” will exist for a short time, say 70 years. But the real “I” the soul is infinite and eternal. Compared to this eternal infiniti, these 70 years are minuscule.
It is our ego that has difficulty accepting this truth.