SACRIFICE

My mind and body are imbued with love for the Lord.
I sacrifice everything for Him (sggs 108).
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Spiritual path is difficult to tread in the sense that it demands annihilation of the mind, which requires constant discipline, commitments, sacrifice, and so on. What kind of sacrifice? Currently, our actions, thoughts, and words are done with self-interest and self-comfort (Haume or ego). But when all our actions, thoughts, and words are performed without regard for personal interest or comfort is a sacrifice. In other words, anything done as an offering to God for the benefit of the Creation without the sense of "I, me, mine, you" is a sacrifice. Normally we forget that the practice of good actions, good conduct or good qualities is also an integral part of worship or devotion!

So sacrifice (Tiyaag) does not mean to sacrifice innocent animals etc. as an offering to God. Since it's difficult to act without regard for one's own interest or comfort, people in many religions opt to sacrifice animals etc. instead. This is not the sacrifice scriptures and Mahaatamaas (Great Souls) talk about. The noble sacrifice involves giving up one's false ego-sense or Haume, along with all its negativity such as lust, anger, greed, attachment, pride, enviousness, stubborn mindedness, and so on. But our minds do not want to do that; for as the Gurbani says, our minds are asleep fascinated by Maya (illusion of the worldliness, relativist consciousness,duality etc.). Although we think our minds to be in our full control, but nothing could be farther from the truth — the majority of us have been completely defeated by our minds and we are unaware of it! The false ego-sense is very subtle and it can even creep in while doing pious things or sitting in the "Saadh-Sangat" (Holy Company).

Spiritual life is the life of selflessness. When we surrender the ego-mind to God, then comes the power to selflessly serve others (Nishakaam Sevaa). Such spiritual lifestyle (Gurmukhtaa) comes when we are able to see our self in others and see their pain, suffering and sorrow as our own. This is why the path of spirituality is likened to walking on a "double-edged sword" or a "razor's edge". It's easy to talk about it but difficult to live. Our egoistic minds are the hurdle. It's difficult for us to come to the aid of another person unless we see some personal benefit. It's difficult for us to forgo our own convenience for a benevolent purpose. Giving selflessly is thorny. It's easier said than done. Chances are even one's own family will not approve of it. If you were to give selflessly, they would think you are gone crazy and good for nothing. This is what happened when once Baabaa Nanak's father gave him some money to buy some goods for his shop, and on his way, instead, he selflessly spent that money to feed some hungry Saadhoos. Just imagine the mood of his father when he heard that! The actions of Mahaatamaas (great soul) remind us that sacrifice alone is not enough, selfless love and compassion are also necessary.

If there is no selfless love, the attitude of sacrifice will not be automatic. With selfless love comes the true spirit of sacrifice automatically. The merit of sacrificing one's comforts and self-interest for the welfare of others has been hailed in the spiritual tradition. It's through such selfless actions one enters the realm of God (Sach Khand). Other actions done with the attitude of "mine and yours" lead only to repeated suffering. So the spiritual practice is not meant to be performed for one's own sake, it's to work to ease the suffering of others (Nishakaam Sevaa). One's mind and faith in God is strengthened in the process. A person devoid of true love and compassion for the sufferings of others cannot be a true spiritual being.

False ego (Haume) is death. It's of the nature of limitedness and self-centeredness. Thus, naturally anything done in ego ought to be limited, selfish or self-centered. Our giving is generally limited to "Langar" or Gurdawaaraa buildings funds. Even for that we usually have a long list of things we want from God, and we like that list to be read aloud by a Bhai (priest) during Ardaas (prayer)! As if God is limited and unable to hear or know what's cooking inside our deluded minds! If donation is made for a buildings fund, we want to make sure our name is published, announced, engraved in the building stone, and that we are made a permanent member of the board (although the Gurbani reminds us that there is nothing permanent in this world)!

In addition to giving for "Langar" or Gurdawaaraa buildings funds, sacrifice also include renouncing and abandoning the ego (Haume), bad qualities (negativity, Bikaars etc.), company of wicked people, worldly attachments or bondage, evil passions (lust, anger, greed, attachment, pride, enviousness, stubborn mindedness and numerous variations of all these such as slandering, selfishness, animosity, hatred etc.), love of Maya, ignorance, desires (of this world and the next), restlessness, selfishness, sense-slaver, too much of sleep and food and talk, falsehood, evil habits, intellectualizations of the mind, desiring other's women, conflicts, cleverness and trickery, etc. But the ego-mind does not like to sacrifice these and other negative habits or tendencies!

Thus, Tiyaag does not mean to renounce family or world and then go dwell in the forest or mountain-tops. It's to live the spiritual principles (Gurmukh Lifestyle), not just in talk but in action (Karnee). One automatically drives joy (Anand) and contentment (Santokh) from acts performed with the spirit of sacrifice. His life benefits others. As indicated in the Gurbani, such selfless (Gurmukh) beings are very "rare" in this world. The life of such selfless beings is in itself a form of Satsang others can emulate. They are one with God. They act with their mind completely surrendered to God. Needless to say it requires immense inner strength.

— T. Singh
www.gurbani.org

To read Gurbani verses in Gurmukhi, click here to download Gurmukhi font.

Updated on Friday, August 1, 2008 11:39 AM (PST)

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