Gita Group Discussion #8: Action and Actionlessness - What is it?

In today's discussions 'from seekers to seekers' we discuss the topic of 'action' and 'actionlessness'. Finding action in actionlessness and being actionlessness in action is difficult. This is a concept where it expresses the Pure Awareness as the non-doer, non-enjoyer entity. People misinterpret this and think that they want to drop all actions and take up sanyasa - renunciate. But Krishna says this is not the solution. When we act without selfish desires, then we are not 'doing' the work and so are not the 'enjoyer'. This is what it means by seeing action in actionlessness and actionless in action - we continue to do actions but the desires for selfish benefit is not there. And Karma Yoga is the first step to do to 'reduce the impact' of 'selfish desires'. Karma Yoga is the first qualification, the preparatory step, that one needs to learn to develop the attitude of equanimity and reduce our mental attachment to external world successes.