Action is an integral expression of life. In the journey of the secular we explored efficiency in action. In the journey of the seeker we went beyond efficiency in action to renunciation of action. We saw that renunciation of action is not running away from one’s duties, but rather attaching oneself to higher level goals and actions ‘dropping away’ from consideration. In this article on the state of the ‘Seer’ we examine how a seer ‘sees action in inaction and inaction in action’. This sentiment is beautifully brought out by Sri Sri Rai Shankar in this quote below:
“When you are acting with 100% attention, something in you says, ‘I am not acting. It is just happening’. This is seeing inaction in action. When you are sitting with eyes closed and meditating, you are not doing anything, yet the vibration that you are generating from within is changing the world. This is action in inaction.”
Jñāna–Karma-Sanyasa Yoga - Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 4, Verse 18
कर्मण्यकर्म य: पश्येदकर्मणि च कर्म य: | स बुद्धिमान्मनुष्येषु स युक्त: कृत्स्नकर्मकृत् || 18||
karmaṇyakarma yaḥ paśhyed akarmaṇi cha karma yaḥ sa buddhimān manuṣhyeṣhu sa yuktaḥ kṛitsna-karma-kṛit
Those who see action in inaction and inaction in action are truly wise amongst humans. Although performing all kinds of actions, they are yogis and masters of all their actions.
In this single verse Lord Krishna brings out the essence of a perfect yogi or a realized master. The contradictory phrases of ‘seeing action in inaction’ and ‘seeing inaction in action’ make us probe their deeper meaning to unravel they mystery behind the ‘seers’.
Seeing Inaction in Action
How many times have you been completely absorbed in an action that you have completely forgotten yourself and totally unaware of the passage of time? A musician immersed in his or her music, an artist painting a landscape, a poet composing a poem, a mother taking care of her young infant, a toddler playing with their toys, a programmer developing code, a group of friends watching super bowl - the list goes on and I am sure we have all experienced periods of time when we have forgotten the passage of time. This is one type of ‘seeing inaction in action’ - we are so focused in the action that our sense of ‘time’ has shrunk compared to the external passage of time. What really was a multi-hour activity, feels like just a few minutes for us.
Similarly, a ‘seer’ is so engrossed in action - in whatever action he or she does - that it seems like inaction to him or her. Ramana Maharishi, the well known twentieth century saint, quotes Yoga Vasistha’s Supreme Yoga to describe this concept beautifully:
Steady in the state of fullness, which shines when all desires are given up, and peaceful in the state of freedom in life, act playfully in the world, O Raghava!
Inwardly free from all desires, dispassionate and detached, but outwardly active in all directions, act playfully in the world, O Raghava!
Free from egotism, with mind detached as in sleep, pure like the sky, ever untainted, act playfully in the world, O Raghava!
Conducting yourself nobly with kindly tenderness, outwardly conforming to conventions, but inwardly renounce all, act playfully in the world, O Raghava!
Quite unattached at heart but for all appearance acting as with attachment, inwardly cool but outwardly full of fervor, act playfully in the world, O Raghava!
Each of the five verses urges us to act and act playfully but inwardly peaceful, desire-less, detached, and with kindly tenderness. This inward peace, even in the midst of frantic activity, is what we should be aspiring to, as articulated below by an unknown author
Peace does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart.
While a ‘seer’ is always acting from this state of happiness, we experience these states infrequently and for brief durations of time. Unfortunately, we are sometimes so busy in mundane activity that we lose track of time - we are acting more like Charlie Chaplin in the Factory Scene from the movie Modern Times. We act from the state of boredom - channel surfing or searching the web or texting and posting messages on social media - as opposed to a state of happiness.
A more practical takeaway for us with this concept of ‘seeing inaction in action’ is to find peace even in the midst of activity; to act with full passion while still remaining detached to the outcomes of the action.
Seeing Action in Inaction
We can consider action at the physical and mental levels. When we are inactive at the physical level we could still be active mentally. Every novice meditator has experienced this state. Getting up early in the morning, sitting in a quiet place, taking deep breaths, being guided into meditation, we expect to go into this state of absolute peace, calmness, and bliss, only to be bothered by mundane activities that need to be done after the meditation or planning for your next vacation or addressing one of the infinite problems that need to be addressed!! So we can be physically inactive and yet our mind can be very active.
Let’s assume that we are able to quieten our mind and we are physically and mentally peaceful or inactive. It doesn’t mean that there is no activity; a host of physiological functions are still going on in our body. In just one minute of your peaceful meditation, you would have taken anywhere between 12-20 breaths pumping 11mL of oxygen into your lungs, your heart has been active beating anywhere between 60-100 times and pumped over 1.5 gallons of blood, and your bone marrow has produced 120 million red blood cells and your skin has shed between 30,000-50,000 cells. The video below captures everything that happens around us in a minute.
An even more expansive interpretation of ‘action in inaction’ is the level of activity that goes on in this world even when you are physically and mentally active. Just as our own physiological functions continue to perform activity there are over seven billion other humans going on with their activity and billions of other species on planet earth that continue to function. At a more cosmological level close to 288,000 stars are born!!
A ‘seer’ sees this ‘action in inaction’. He sees that the world is functioning irrespective of our own role in it. In fact, we are such an insignificant cog in the wheel if we see ourself as this limited entity or jiva. On the other hand if the entire universe is seen as the brahman or infinite consciouness, then there is no activity in that brahman and all of our activities are happening within brahman - action within inaction!!
A more practical takeaway for us with this concept of ‘seeing action in inaction’ is to recognize the innumerable contributions or actions of others in our own success. While we may be proud of our achievements and think we are solely responsible for certain actions and no one else has contributed to our success, practicing this attitude can bring a little bit of humility!!
Key Takeaways
Inaction in Action
Finding peace in the chaos
Act with mind detached
Action in Inaction
Physical inaction – but mind is still thinking furiously
Mental inaction – bodily functions still going on relentlessly
Exercise for the week
Inaction in action
Next time you have a particularly stressful day, take 60 seconds to step back, close your eyes, breathe deep and then get back to your work
Action in inaction
Pick an achievement that you are proud of and list everyone who was involved in your success and what they did; list down all the events (or environmental factors) that were conducive to your success
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