Easwaran: Living in Harmony

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YA-Easwaran

This week we’d like to share with you a talk from 1986 where Easwaran speaks about what it means to live in harmony: harmony with oneself, harmony with others, and harmony with the environment.

Throughout his writings and his talks, Easwaran  places before us the loftiest of goals. For example, he writes:

Life is a trust, and each of us is a trustee whose job is to use the assets entrusted to us for the greatest benefit to all.

This idea of life as a trust seems very inspiring to us, and particularly suited to YAs, but (if we’re honest) it also feels a bit intimidating. That quote is so lofty – how can we apply it in our ordinary daily lives?

Luckily, here’s where Easwaran really shines as a teacher. He doesn’t simply hand us the lofty goals and leave us to get on with it – he gives us practical instruction on how we can live out those goals. Here at YA blog HQ, we’ve noticed that his suggestions aren’t terribly glamorous, or even necessarily visible from the outside. Yet, Easwaran is clear that working to create a life that is in harmony with the people and the world around us does have a lasting impact:

Around the world – even in some of the countries most troubled by poverty or civil war or pollution – many thoughtful people are making a deep, concerted search for a way to live in harmony with each other and the earth. Their efforts, which rarely reach the headlines, are among the most important events occurring today. Sometimes these people call themselves peace workers, at other times environmentalists, but most of the time they work in humble anonymity. They are simply quiet people changing the world by changing themselves.

YA-Easwaran

We hope you enjoy this talk and can’t wait to hear your thoughts!

We’d love to hear from you in the comments below:

  • Which of Easwaran's lofty goals caught your attention?
  • Is there a part of his practical advice that you're interested in trying?
  • Anything about the talk in general that struck you?