The Macrocosm's one desire is to liberate all living beings, and meditation helps to fulfill it. On what true service is, its four kinds, and why service must suit the place and the time.
According to the fundamental philosophy of yoga, the Macrocosm differs from the microcosm in that the microcosm has many desires but only one capacity. That is, at any given moment the microcosm can do only one thing. Of course, history gives us examples of multitasking personalities. Julius Caesar, for example, could do several important things at one and the same moment. But such an ability is like the so-called virtual multitasking that is implemented in computers. This property is based on a phenomenon called process interruption: the processor handles one task, then temporarily breaks off to carry out another task, and so on. So in fact, at each moment a computer is solving only one task. Our mind is built in a similar way. It can jump between tasks, but it can work on only one task per unit of time. Let us return to the Macrocosm. It has many functions, a countless number of operations at every given moment. It controls every atom in this universe, but all these many operations are carried out with only one aim: to liberate all living beings. Its only desire is to return all living beings to the state of cosmic consciousness. Helping people to realize their true goal is service. And helping the Macrocosm to realize Its only desire is serving the Macrocosm. Thus, through regular meditation a person fulfills the desire of the Macrocosm: to bring everyone back to the state of freedom. At the very least, a person helps themselves to evolve and come closer to fulfilling the task the Macrocosm has set. This is true service. That is precisely why many people, when they meditate, feel a response in their soul. Deep inside they feel that they are on the right path.
Meditation affects the outer world as well. When a person meditates, they begin to overflow from within with spiritual bliss that cannot be held back. It spills out in the form of actions, in the form of service, and everyone around benefits from it. One could say that meditation is both direct service and indirect service, in the form of inspiration to serve the world and people.
Service is assisting evolution. This must be understood correctly, because to serve does not always mean to do something pleasant. Sometimes a person will be upset if you point out their mistakes, but taking the remark the right way will lead to the development of their personal qualities. Or, for example, by giving money to people who drink, you encourage their way of life, since the money may well be spent on alcohol. Better to buy them food. Helping with money will not be service; on the contrary, you will contribute to such people's degeneration. Help based on sentiment is often unwise. It is not grounded in knowledge and only leads to mutual degeneration. Service should be based on knowledge and a clear understanding of what action will be right in the given case.
Meditation inspires selfless service. This should be backed up by rationality and intellect.
There are 4 kinds of service:
- shúdrocita sevá: service through physical labor and action, caring for the sick.
- kśatriyocita sevá: protection, helping the weak; administrative service. It is also a warrior's service. A warrior's duty is not to allow those who have power and strength to abuse it against the weaker.
- viprocita sevá: passing on one's own knowledge, experience and wisdom gained through spiritual realization. Spreading moral principles and spiritual ideology. This service is done by teachers in schools and universities, and by spiritual teachers. The most important knowledge is spiritual knowledge. It is a very rare and precious thing, and if the knowledge is genuine and sincere, it must be shared. It transforms life all around. There is a saying: give a person a fish and you feed them for a day, but give a person a fishing rod and they will be fed for life. This applies to all the fruits of knowledge, but especially to spiritual ones, because spiritual practice is like the philosopher's stone, which turns everything it touches into gold.
- vaeshyocita sevá: economic help; material service to those in need, including help with money, food, clothing, housing and medicine, and also paying for education. It also includes help to the victims of natural and technological disasters.
All four kinds of service are of equal value. But the fruits of viprocita sevá, spiritual-intellectual service, are the most significant and long-lasting.
It must also be understood that every kind of service should suit the place and the time. Being in the flow of service means judging correctly when and what kind of service is needed.
For this it is important to give up your selfish desires and to give up attachment to the results of your actions. True desires come from within. They can be felt in meditation: a clear awareness comes of what needs to be done, changed or said, and when. Meditation tears a person out of the egocentric state and returns them to the divine. At every moment one should strive to understand what the will of the Supreme is, what kind of service He needs. This becomes possible when selfish desires are given up and one attunes oneself to the divine. Service whose wish arose in this state bestows true, boundless bliss.