The Paths of Meditation and Action Reach the Same End
A hundred years ago a wise old professor recommended that I read The Bhagavad Gita. I put it on my list but only just read it. The reading was prompted by another, The Razor’s Edge, in which a pilgrim finds his way through books to enlightenment. Among them was the Upanishads, of which the Gita is considered a beautiful and accessible work.
The Gita is the story of Arjuna, an Indian prince the night before battle. A powerful army has gathered to deny his rightful claim to the throne. He does not want to fight because the army contains members of his family. He receives counsel from Krishna, an apparent charioteer but in fact Lord Vishu, greatest of the Indian gods. The battle is a metaphor for the spiritual struggle, and Krishna provides personal guidance on the paths to enlightenment.
Krishna explains that there are two main paths, one of knowledge and meditation for the few who prefer a life of solitude and contemplation. The other path is that of love and service, the path of action suited to most of us who prefer to live among others in the world. The two paths reach the same end.
A core theme of Eastern philosophy is the impermanence of the ego. “The ego’s job is to go on incessantly spinning the wheel of the mind and making new karma-pots: new ideas to act on, fresh desires to pursue.” Meditation teaches insight into egolessness while action exhausts the ego, yielding the same result. It is this path of action that Krisha recommends to Arjuna, faced with his difficult situation. Conditionality is our existence and Arjuna cannot escape the battle that is before him.
Arjuna must face his fears, but that is not the last word. A recurring theme in the Gita is to renounce attachment to the outcomes of our actions. We choose only our actions, and should make each act with care, an act of worship, an offering, but the results are beyond our control and should not engage us.
Last Updated on May 15, 2025 | Published: June 4, 2011