Taking Action with Karma Yoga

A poor child begs for food. A crippled man lies on the muddy road. A dying puppy shivers...

One can't fully engage in an exploration of India without feeling some sense that something needs to be done.

Karma Yoga: the path to divine union through worldly action. This is one of the practices given a big emphasis at the recent Dharma gatherings that I've attended. And the teachers don't just preach, they walk the talk too.

In Bodh Gaya, we were invited for a closer look at some of the charity work that Christopher Titmuss and friends have started over the last 36 years.

The afternoon after the end of the Bodh Gaya retreat, a group of us went to the nearby Prajna Vihar School. Every year, the school puts on a dance recital with performances from all grades - one through ten - for the benefit of the co-founders (including Christopher, and a big-hearted catholic nun from India named Sister Mary.) There is a video of the school online, if you want to see more. It is an inter-religious school for the poorest of the poor children in Bodh Gaya.

The dance recital was great fun, and a couple of the kids had some real talent! They were all very cute. The whole event ended with the Indian national anthem, and then a Bhangra dance party.

Only $40 (US) pays for one child's education for an entire year. There is very little infrastructure, no middle man, and the money goes right to the school. So, it's worth mentioning that if you have $40 to spare, then you can practice your Karma Yoga too. Info about donating is on their website.

We were also introduced to some other organizations: People First International, and also a young man who uses his physical therapy skills to help victims of polio in the village.

The next day, we came back for a tour into the nearby village land, to see some of the work that Sister Mary does through her organization, The Center for Women's Awakening.

Four Jeeps drove us to the outskirts of town where first we visited a small coaching center where local girls received tutoring for their high school certificates. Two girls had already gotten high school certificates and a handful more were working their way through the program.

Next, Sister Mary took us to the home of a local woman where we had a little cultural exchange gathering with about 30 local village women. It was a typical lower class village and the women told us that a typical wage might be about $2.00 (US) for work in the fields.

This small local women's movement was growing in strength. They were smiling over a small victory - they no longer refer to their husbands by the Hindi term that translates to "husband-god." They dropped the "god" and seemed quite happy about that.

When Sister Mary asked if any of them could read or write, about 4 of the women raised their hands with big grins. Apparently, these women were recently taught to write their names for the bank, and that was it.


Most of us agreed that despite the harsh conditions, these villagers had a certain dignity in their clay huts that was missing from the trash and cement of the city.

So, where to start with all the problems to solve? Throughout it all, I still feel my calling for solitude right now. I know the action will come. I'm taking one small action just writing this to you now. And, perhaps it fuels your karma yoga as well. From the stillness comes action, and in the action comes stillness. Now is my time for quiet retreat (rather than down and dirty action), but perhaps I can simply walk through the world just a little more open, a little more ready to share a smile. The little bits add up.

The photos are from the various outings, if you point your mouse over the photo, you can read the caption for each one. Enjoy!