“He who seeth inaction in action and action in inaction, he is wise among men; he is a yogi and performer of all actions,”(4.18) According to the swami who taught me on my Sivananda yoga teacher training, this is one of the most important verses in the Bhagavad Gita. It’s very cryptic — what exactly is action in inaction and vice versa? Well, after reading the commentary in my Sivananda version of the Bhgavad Gita, I surmise that it’s all to do with the idea of the doer. Most people identify with their thoughts, and the actions which are a consequence of these thoughts. However, the yogi is able to be a silent witness and sees his thoughts as separate from himself. it’s as if he sees his mind as a blank screen and the thoughts are external images that pop up now and again and disappear.
For action in inaction, I think this means that someone can be totally physically still (inaction), but their mind is very active and identifying with their thoughts (action).
The most profound experience I’ve had in meditation (and I’m no great meditator) has been when I’ve felt I was a silent witness. The thoughts didn’t stop, but I didn’t get involved with them. I could watch them appear on the screen of my mind, and if I didn’t follow them, they would die away.
This idea of being aware of your thoughts and not paying attention to them if you don’t want to is a good philosophy to extend to everyday life as well. Indeed, it’s the basis of the book Stop Thinking and Start Living by Richard Carlson. He believes that most of the things that we think, if they are not involved in the here and now, are pretty useless. Furthermore, decisions aren’t made by consciously mulling over things, but instead come from the unconscious when the time is ready. I’m not sure whether I really believe that, but I wish it were true.