excerpts from the preface (2)

When the soul is naughted and transformed, then of herself she neither works nor speaks nor wills, nor feels nor hears nor understands; neither has she of herself the feeling of outward or inward, where she may move. And in all things it is God who rules and guides her, without the mediation of any creature. And the state of this soul is then a feeling of such utter peace and tranquility that it seems to her that her heart, and her bodily being, and all both within and without, is immersed in an ocean of utmost peace.... And she is so full of peace that though she press her flesh, her nerves, her bones, no other thing comes forth from them than peace. - St. Catherine of Genoa

The interior person lives his life according to these two ways; that is to say, in rest and in work. And in each of them he is wholly and undividedly; for he dwells wholly in God in virtue of his restful fruition and wholly in himself in virtue of his active love.... This is the supreme summit of the inner life. - Ruysbroeck

This is the only kind of inaction the Gita recommends. It is not possible to do nothing, Krishna says; the very nature of the mind is to be active. The Gita's goal is to harness this activity in selfless service, removing the poisonous agency of the ego.

Either one must learn to have God in his work and hold fast to him there, or he must give up his work altogether. Since, however, man cannot live without activities that are both human and various, we must learn to keep God in everything we do, and whatever the job or place, keep on with him, letting nothing stand in our way. - Meister Eckhart

G. K. Chesterton once said that to understand the Sermon on the Mount we should look not at Jesus but at St. Francis. To understand the Gita I went to look at Mahatma Gandhi, who had done his best for forty years to translate those verses into his daily life. Seeing him, I understood that those "who see themselves in all and all in them" would simply not be capable of hating others. (Augustine said daringly, "Love, then do as you like": nothing will then come out of you but goodness.) I saw too what it meant to view one's body with detachment: not indifference but compassionate care as an instrument of service. I saw what it means to rest in the midst of intense action. Most important, I grasped one of the most refreshing ideas in Hindu mysticism: original goodness. Since the Self is the core of every personality, no one needs to acquire goodness and compassion, they are already there. All that is necessary is to remove the selfish habits that hide them.

These are not separate paths, separate ideals. All three passages describe one person: vital, active, compassionate, self-reliant in the highest sense, for he or she looks to the Self for everything and needs nothing from life but the opportunity to give. In brief, such a person knows who he is, and in that knowing is everything.

This is not running away from life, as is so often claimed. It is running into life, open-handed, open-armed: "flying, running, and rejoicing," said Thomas a Kempis, for "he is free and will not be bound" - will never be entangled in self-doubt, conflict or vacillation.

One of the most appealing features of the Gita for our times is that it clears up misunderstandings about the spiritual life and shows it for what it is: active, joyful, intentional, a middle path between extremes that transfigures everyday living.

... but shraddha means much more. It is literally "that which is placed in the heat": all the beliefs we hold so deeply that we never think to question them. It is the set of values, axioms, prejudices, and prepossessions that colors our perceptions, governs our thinking, dictates our responses, and shapes our lives, generally without our even being aware of its presence and power.

Our lives are an eloquent expression of our belief: what we deem worth having, doing, attaining, being. What we strive for shows what we value, we back our shraddha with our time, our energy, our very lives. Thus shraddha determines destiny. As we think, so we become.

Like our thinking, therefore - like us ourselves - shraddha evolves. The purpose of karma is to teach the consequences of shraddha, so that by trial and error, life after life, the individual soul acquires the kind of faith that leads to fulfillment of life's supreme goal.

"Whether you like it or not, whether you know it or not," said Meister Eckhart, "secretly Nature seeks and hunts and tries to ferret out the track in which God may be found." The whole purpose of every experience, every activity, every faculty, is to turn the human being inward and lead us back to our divine source.

Life offers no fiercer battle than this war within. We have no choice about the fighting; it is built into human nature. But we do have the choice of which side to fight on:

Remembering me, you shall overcome all difficulties through my grace. But if you will not heed me in your self-will, nothing will avail you. If you egotistically say, "I will not fight this battle," your resolve will be useless; your own nature will drive you into it. (18:58-59) Therefore, remember me at all times and fight on. With your heart and mind intent on me, you will surely come to me. (8:7)