Karma Yoga: The Path of Selfless Action (Four Paths of Yoga)

Karma Yoga, or the path of selfless action, seeks to face the problem of ignorance by eradicating the ego. Swami Vivekananda argues that it is the ego, born of ignorance, that binds us to this world through attachment. The ego creates a dreamland of separative existence that disclaims the rights of others. It wants to achieve the impossible, and it desires the undesirable. Swami Vivekananda says that our egotistic, selfish actions have created walls around us. These walls not only set us apart from others, but they divide us from our true Self within. By performing actions in a selfless manner, we can break down the walls that separate us from the Self. The key message of Karma Yoga is: “Beat the inexorable law of karma by Karma Yoga. Release yourself from the chains of attachment by practicing non-attachment to the results of action.”