Is Selfless Service Possible?

 

Is Selfless Service Possible?

Read this article for some ideas about reflection on this question! For discussion when we return NOVEMBER 28.

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/cui-bono/201305/selfless-service-part-i-is-selfless-service-possible

     The primary premise of equity theory is that people are, at the core, selfish, that is, they generally strive to maximize outcomes (where outcomes = personal benefits minus personal costs). However, societies encourage individuals to engage in equitable relationships (relationships where all participants are receiving relatively equal outcomes) and punish individuals who refuse to engage in equitable relationships. Therefore, most of us understand that we are more likely to maximize outcomes by engaging in equitable rather than inequitable transactions. Equity theory predicts that people feel exploited when they give more than they receive, and they feel uncomfortable when they receive more than they give. Research supports these predictions.

    recipients of charity are not always happy to receive something for nothing. People actually prefer gifts when they are able to give something in return as opposed to gifts with no strings attached Just as people do not really want to give without receiving, people generally do not want to receive without giving. Both violate the desire for equity.

    people who selflessly serve feel good about themselves. They may also receive gratitude from those they serve and admiration from society at large. (Charitable organizations such as THON rarely hide the light of their good deeds under a basket; instead they seek positive publicity by broadcasting stories about the good they are doing.) If religious and spiritual leaders are correct, selfless service will result in much more than good feelings or social recognition: It might actually bring you salvation or enlightenment (but remember, only if you are not expecting salvation or enlightenment!). Some folks see no need to be evasive about receiving benefits from "selfless service." For-profit organizations recognize and openly discuss how doing good is good business and therefore strategically associate themselves with charitable work. Malcolm X is said to have quipped, "Doing good is a hustle, too."

    persons in power who want free labor or free money—not because they need it, but because they can get away with it. I'm thinking of preachers who fleece their flocks, becoming ultra-rich by preaching the virtue of charitable giving. I'm thinking of war-lords who gain power by exaggerating external threats and convincing patriotic young people to sacrifice their lives in unnecessary wars. 

 
and then read this!!!!!!
http://www.dailygood.org/2014/03/07/a-25-year-old-s-stunning-talk-on-selfless-service/

do you buy this?

All the above incidents have no cause-and-effect or action-and-reaction
relationship but all were drawing me towards one opportunity and that of
getting active in work for the society. I was ‘pulled’ by the ‘destiny’ and not ‘pushed’ by
the seemingly un-related events. This is called synchronicity, destiny, Law of
Karma and ‘attractor principle’.

Bhupendra Madhiwalla, Mumbai, India

and then….yup, you got it…these!
http://www.sanatansociety.org/yoga_and_meditation/karma_yoga.htm#.VA9urEtCbwI
http://www.ramameditationsociety.org/karma-yoga-selfless-giving

a "how to"?
http://www.yogamag.net/archives/2009/dapr09/selfl.shtml

what about?

https://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10/19/is-pure-altruism-possible/

Karma yoga basically consists of entirely selfless service, in which the Ego is given up to the desire to serve God in every thing, be it man, animal or plant. Karma Yoga is also the path of doing the right thing, of following ones' personal Dharma and accepting destiny as it comes. If the Karma Yogi is a householder, he will accept that role as much as he would accept the role of a servant to any in need, without seeking any remuneration in the shape of wealth, satisfaction, name or fame. Karma means action, including all acts done by the individual from birth to death. One who is not attached to his actions and performs actions because they are unavoidable, performs karma with a disinterested interest and does not adopt wrong means. Karma performed by right means does not harm anybody and is in accordance with the law of dharma. That is karma yoga. Some people think karma has something to do with karma sutra, but such a thing does not exist. Only the kama sutra exists, with the Kama being the god of desires. That is an entirely different story. Is it possible to have no personal agenda???

and finally?…
http://goldenageofgaia.com/the-global-currency-reset/selfless-service/practicing-selfless-service/
http://yogamodern.com/categories/culture/karma-yoga-serving-others-or-ourselves/

To find relief from the burden of karma accumulated until now is the desire of every spiritual aspirant. Paramahamsa Satyananda has said that you have to remove the thorn with the thorn. How do you remove a thorn with a thorn? He says it is simple: by performing selfless service for others the selfish karma is exhausted. First we have to know what our karmas are, and if we can apply those karmas in a selfless way then we have a hope of exhausting them. Ultimately karma yoga is yoga, and in order to achieve purity of mind we have to develop a selfless attitude. It is our ultimate purpose and sooner or later we will get on that path more and more.

In chapter five of the Bhagavad Gita it says karma yoga, the yoga of action, is superior to non-action, and by performing actions selflessly the sadhaka can become detached from the fruits of action. This is sannyasa. Renunciation by the quality of detachment is not a decision, it is a point in the evolution of the personality from which the sadhaka can live without the fetters of attachment. The tool for removing these fetters is karma yoga.

The simplest form of karma yoga is to donate to worthy causes, to give your own money, which you are attached to, for the service of those whom you do not even know. After that you can collect money from others in order that the poor can find relief. After that you can perform some service yourself, giving not only your money but also your time, effort, energy and mind. Ultimately the highest form of karma yoga is to give your hopes and ambitions, your wants and your desires so that when others receive what they want and need you become satisfied and your needs are met in this way without creating ongoing or subsequent karma in you.

• Many take ruthless advantage of the good intent of karma yogis. 
• Some karma yogis are so intent on performing selfless works that their ambition to succeed in this particular aspect of yoga blinds them to the possibility that their actions are not needed or suited. Everyone has heard of the young man who was so keen on performing his good deed that he insisted on helping an old lady to cross a busy road, despite her telling him not to bother. When they reached the other side she said to him “Thank you young man, but I really did not want to cross.”