changing the world?

[cmorel02]

Namaste! I was reading along some Yoga/Sikh pages, and a comment or post (don't recall at the moment) suggested that one could ease the suffering of others through chanting (and/or kirtan), and meditation on peace. This really excited me, as i feel a huuuuuggge urge to help out, even though it's so hard for me to ctually feel like I am. So to the question: does chanting (kirtan) and meditations really ease the suffering of others? I really hope that it is true, then I can preform seva, even without being able to physically. I was also wondering if there were scriptural references to this phenomenon, if it true. Hope I don't sound too negative when I say that. Dhanyavadah friends! :)

[Webimpulse]

Namaste cmorel02,

While it might be possible to ease the suffering of others through prayer and meditation (I honestly don't know), the actual physical act of helping others out - seva, or service - is just as important. You can't really have one without the other. That said, physically helping others doesn't necessarily mean you have to do physical labor. It could be as easy as donating to your favorite charity. The way I help out my fellow human is through my writing - I wrote an article in Hinduism Today magazine that (I hope) can help other newcomers in their path in Hinduism. I also help out my local temple with media relations.

So in my opinion, prayer and meditation alone isn't enough...but helping out your fellow human doesn't have to involve physical labor. Got it? ;)