Volunteering, the way it was meant to be

We had trekked all the way to Kedarnath and back and after a day’s travel, with our legs in pain, we landed in Uttarkashi.  We gathered for dinner, and while we all went after food, we saw this one unhappy traveller start his long and high pitched cribbing session with a Swami sitting with him listening intently with complete empathy.  Basically, this guy wanted attention.  More attention that he thought he was getting.  So, at 9.30 pm he started off for an hour.

Brahmcharis in Isha live in a special way.  The males are called “Swami” and females are called “Maa”.  From my vantage point, I think they are Superhuman.  Nothing less.  We would start for the journey, often long treks and before that we would do Guru Puja, asking for the Grace of all the Enlightened Masters in history.  These Swamis and Maas would arrange everything.  Then walk with us or faster than us and reach the destination.  Then they would arrange for the evening Satsang, which meant picking lots of heavy audio equipment etc.  And then after everyone was taken care of, they would sleep.  And get up next morning well before us to do Sadhana before they got things ready for us.

After such a gruelling schedule and work, this Swami was listening to this person shout at him.  I have seen many people in my life and I have volunteered at many NGOs, religious, social etc.  I have yet to come across such people.

One Maa had blisters all over her feet.  I wouldn’t even be able to stand on such feet, and she was running around.  Don’t ask me how.

Last 5 months or so, since it was announced that Sadhguru will have an Inner Engineering program in Houston, a lot of volunteers descended upon our city.  We have some of the most amazing local volunteers, people who happily sacrifice, even when their lives are full of tension without any additional responsibility – if they looked at it that way.  But we can today all say that those beautiful men and women of Houston got a doze of amazing grace from the Ashramites from Isha’s Tennessee Center.

These volunteers live from home to home of local people.  They have given up their own homes, even though they could afford million dollar ones in some cases.  Their grace, their humility is amazing.  It makes you want to do more and also feel humble at each moment.

A lot of people will come to the Inner Engineering program and watch magic unfold as they come in the presence of Sadhguru.  But, Sadhguru’s quiet and graceful magic was happening all these five months.  The volunteers of Isha from Tennessee and many from Houston have taught the Houstonians a lesson in grace and beauty.  I have been one of the fortunate few to have been touched by these wonderful beings.

Volunteering cannot be taught.  It is not melodramatic sacrifice.  It is not overt action.

Volunteerism is in the quiet grace.  Even though each cell of the body is tired and environment all wrought with negativity, one can still be a paragon of love and beauty.  When you LIVE Inner Engineering.

All those who will have the good fortune of being at the Inner Engineering, please don’t miss the people behind it.  When I first volunteered, I was told “Remember, how perfect your program was?  Try and give to these participants what someone gave to you in terms of experience.”

That has been the guiding principle for us all.