...I was invited to join an interfaith panel discussion at a local university--some sort of program sponsored by the White House to encourage interfaith dialogue and understanding. We had a Baptist minister, a Muslim professor, a Jewish Rabbi, a Presbyterian minister, and moi. The subject of the day was how each religion viewed service. Most of the speakers emphasized that service was a tenet and an obligation that his religion demanded.
I introduced myself more humorously than the others and said something like, "I'm here as a sort of representative of all the non-duality spiritual traditions, such as Zen, Advaita Vedanta, Taoism, Kabirpanthism, Mystical Christianity, Mystical Islam, etc." I explained that social service is not viewed in the same way from the non-dual perspective as it is in traditional religions. I said that the emphasis in non-dual traditions is self-realization, and it is understood that when self-realization occurs, one spontaneously and automatically then sees other people as part of a unified whole. We therefore effortlessly become service-oriented for two reasons. First, we know that our neighbor is ourself, literally, and second, we live in service to the vastness of what we are. However, I pointed out that this kind of selfless service does not look a particular way because how it will manifest cannot be imagined. However service manifests, there is no one who can take credit for it because it is fundamentally empty of self.
I quoted both Bunan ("Die and be completely dead, and then do what you will. It will all be good) and Christ ("Like the Centurion, I am under orders"). My point was that there is no separate person who needs to meet the expectations of either society or religion regarding ideas of service. Each human being who sees through the illusion of selfhood will function effortlessly in service to both God and man, but that service may or may not look like service from a traditional perspective. This is because there is no one doing anything who can take credit or blame for anything.
The idea that we can only be free if we act in a certain prescribed way is nonsense. Freedom means freedom.
Finally, the person who has become free of selfhood finds social approval for selfless acts somewhat distasteful and usually stays out of the limelight on purpose. If money is given to help people, it is usually given anonymously or accompanied by a story that diminishes the importance of the giver, and if thanks are rendered, they are re-directed to Source, "which is the giver of all good things."
I introduced myself more humorously than the others and said something like, "I'm here as a sort of representative of all the non-duality spiritual traditions, such as Zen, Advaita Vedanta, Taoism, Kabirpanthism, Mystical Christianity, Mystical Islam, etc." I explained that social service is not viewed in the same way from the non-dual perspective as it is in traditional religions. I said that the emphasis in non-dual traditions is self-realization, and it is understood that when self-realization occurs, one spontaneously and automatically then sees other people as part of a unified whole. We therefore effortlessly become service-oriented for two reasons. First, we know that our neighbor is ourself, literally, and second, we live in service to the vastness of what we are. However, I pointed out that this kind of selfless service does not look a particular way because how it will manifest cannot be imagined. However service manifests, there is no one who can take credit for it because it is fundamentally empty of self.
I quoted both Bunan ("Die and be completely dead, and then do what you will. It will all be good) and Christ ("Like the Centurion, I am under orders"). My point was that there is no separate person who needs to meet the expectations of either society or religion regarding ideas of service. Each human being who sees through the illusion of selfhood will function effortlessly in service to both God and man, but that service may or may not look like service from a traditional perspective. This is because there is no one doing anything who can take credit or blame for anything.
The idea that we can only be free if we act in a certain prescribed way is nonsense. Freedom means freedom.
Finally, the person who has become free of selfhood finds social approval for selfless acts somewhat distasteful and usually stays out of the limelight on purpose. If money is given to help people, it is usually given anonymously or accompanied by a story that diminishes the importance of the giver, and if thanks are rendered, they are re-directed to Source, "which is the giver of all good things."
