True Karma Can't be Taught

While there are many meanings assigned to the word "Karma," one of them is selfless service, which is recognized as one of the four main paths of Yoga. When we study classical Yoga, we are taught that service to others leads us closer to realization of the Truth via transcendence of the individual ego. There are myriad opportunities for selflessness, whether it is through formal volunteerism, donations to charity, or just helping a woman take her baby stroller up the subway steps. While I have practiced all of these approaches, none of them has taken me to a state of mind equal to that of Jorge Munoz.

Mr. Munoz, "The Chicken and Rice Man," was profiled in this weekend's NY Times. He is a Colombian immigrant who lives with his mother and sister in Queens, driving a bus during the day and spending each night, as he has for the past three years, feeding dozens of homeless and/or unemployed immigrant workers in Jackson Heights with food he and his family prepare. EVERY NIGHT. He also provides Saturday breakfasts for 200 at seven locations, and 40 ham-and-cheese sandwich dinners on Sunday, his "day off." He does little else -- few friends, no hobbies. This kind of devotion to service can't be taught. I don't know what the majority of his life has been like, or what his relationship to his friends and family has been over the years, but somehow, Mr. Munoz came into this life with an intrinsic need to serve. Is he closer to the Truth? That I can't say. But as far as karma is concerned, I think I'd call him a Yogi.