Is Working Out Greedy?

If you have the desire to work out, is it greedy? If you want to get stronger and gain more muscle, are you being greedy?

 

GurjitJ ji

Why don't you give this some thought? What do you think are some possible answers to your question?

 

No.

Every Sikh must keep mentally and physically fit (as well as spiritually).

This is the doctrine of Miri Piri, Shakti Bhakti and is about keeping your mind and body in balance.

The Chinese call this Ying and Yang.

 

Yes, I agree. My advice would be to learn to pay attention to the thought patterns that arise when you think about things, working out or anything else.

I think getting rid of the 5 Vices is the highest of all states. and when you are in that state you will be drawn to those in that state. So if you get married, you will not need to admit any sort of lust because the other will not have any desire to hear it. (If you are not then you could lie or try and bring them out of their five vices) It's only those who are still trapped in 5 Vices that need to hear those things, that want approval. Those who are free need no such approval.
Not to say that sex wouldn't be awesome without lust. It would probably be more so because you are not wearing any thought/judgement filters over your senses. However, paradoxically you would never want any because you would feel fulfilled/happy even without it.

I do not think the 5 Vices are a medicine or like alcohol at all; Naam is the medicine. The 5 Vices are like the auto-pilot in air planes, a 100,000 year old auto-pilot in humans.

 

Yes Harry ji, I am not speaking about perfection at all. Without the 5 Vices in my accounts would be like 70-80% without. The rest is 5 Vices but is never really acted upon. As you get older you may reach 95% (your Indian parents will still not be happy with you though. They don't want to know what would happen at 100% )

 

You are thinking about it too much about this, and probably thinking a lot in general. Relax your thinking muscles, and just learn to be more and more aware of things, of the world, of life,of your thoughts even.
Know that the truth cannot be realized through thought or intelligence anyway.

ਸੋਚੈ ਸੋਚਿ ਨ ਹੋਵਈ ਜੇ ਸੋਚੀ ਲਖ ਵਾਰ ॥
सोचै सोचि न होवई जे सोची लख वार ॥
Socẖai socẖ na hova▫ī je socẖī lakẖ vār.
By thinking, He cannot be reduced to thought, even by thinking hundreds of thousands of times.

ਚੁਪੈ ਚੁਪ ਨ ਹੋਵਈ ਜੇ ਲਾਇ ਰਹਾ ਲਿਵ ਤਾਰ ॥
चुपै चुप न होवई जे लाइ रहा लिव तार ॥
Cẖupai cẖup na hova▫ī je lā▫e rahā liv ṯār.
By remaining silent, inner silence is not obtained, even by remaining lovingly absorbed deep within.

ਭੁਖਿਆ ਭੁਖ ਨ ਉਤਰੀ ਜੇ ਬੰਨਾ ਪੁਰੀਆ ਭਾਰ ॥
भुखिआ भुख न उतरी जे बंना पुरीआ भार ॥
Bẖukẖi▫ā bẖukẖ na uṯrī je bannā purī▫ā bẖār.
The hunger of the hungry is not appeased, even by piling up loads of worldly goods.

ਸਹਸ ਸਿਆਣਪਾ ਲਖ ਹੋਹਿ ਤ ਇਕ ਨ ਚਲੈ ਨਾਲਿ ॥
सहस सिआणपा लख होहि त इक न चलै नालि ॥
Sahas si▫āṇpā lakẖ hohi ṯa ik na cẖalai nāl.
Hundreds of thousands of clever tricks [ ਸਿਆਣਪਾ = intelligence], but not even one of them will go along with you in the end.

ਕਿਵ ਸਚਿਆਰਾ ਹੋਈਐ ਕਿਵ ਕੂੜੈ ਤੁਟੈ ਪਾਲਿ ॥
किव सचिआरा होईऐ किव कूड़ै तुटै पालि ॥
Kiv sacẖi▫ārā ho▫ī▫ai kiv kūrhai ṯutai pāl.
So how can you become truthful? And how can the veil of illusion be torn away?

ਹੁਕਮਿ ਰਜਾਈ ਚਲਣਾ ਨਾਨਕ ਲਿਖਿਆ ਨਾਲਿ ॥੧॥
हुकमि रजाई चलणा नानक लिखिआ नालि ॥१॥
Hukam rajā▫ī cẖalṇā Nānak likẖi▫ā nāl. ||1||
O Nanak, it is written that you shall obey the Hukam of His Command, and walk in the Way of His Will. ||1||

 

Sat Nam, Ji! No, it is not greedy to wish to work out in order to maintain good health. However, if one is working out so that one may merely look better, well then that might be something different.
One will of course look better when one is keeping good health, and that is OK, but when one is relying on one's looks to as they say, "get ahead", now, that may be bordering on pride, in the inappropriate way.
You see, the 5 vices are things-out-of-balance. Here is an example:
It is fine to eat when you are hungry. Ideally you will want to eat healthy food, of course. However, it is not good to over eat- not only is that not good for health, but it could be depriving someone else of food. Gluttony: something that is muchly out of balance!
It is fine to want to be at your best health, and it is nice that you look - and most importantly in this arena- feel- your best when you are in your best health, but when you start to depend on how you look rather than on keeping God and Guru's word in your heart and mind, then that goes from healthy self-respect into pride- again, something very out of balance!
Hope this helps!
Wahe Guru Ji Ki Ka Khlasa
Wahe Guru Ji Ki Fateh!
KulwantK

 

Personal salvation and spirituality are simply accepting and living in harmony with God's will as written in that pauri. I take this as 1. accepting that which has happened, the past, as a gift. However, do not dwell in the past because then you are missing the gift you are receiving now. 2. Accepting what is happening now, noticing > paying attention to > accepting it as it is without judgements > finally dwelling in the gift that is unfolding this very moment. 3. Accepting anything that will arise in the future, being ready to face things without judgement. However, do not dwell in the future either because then again you will miss the gifts that you receive now, also because you don't know what will unfold. This is not possible with thinking or using the intellect, the mind.
That seems to me to be the underlying essence of all meditation techniques and practices, and it makes sense why it's stated so early in Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji. So e.g. paying attention to the repetition of naam will put you in touch with the God's hukam as it unfolds. Try it sometime (there's no other way to know), when talking to your wife, perhaps, or when you are working out (instead of counting reps) just get that inner voice to repeat "waheguru" "waheguru". Then pay attention to the words as well as the moments around the words.

Yes, your mind will tell you it's at 60% or 50% or 80%, or that someone else is at 60% or 50% or 80%... don't buy into that. The mind, the intellect does not know the truth. It's thinks it does, it may even have a bare bore skeleton of the truth, some words, some theory, but not the truth itself. The truth is only available to the God inside you, that which makes all perception, understanding, thought, intellect possible.

Do not dwell on these words either, do not think about them, they are not the truth.