Karma or God

[Guest guest]

silentsoul<br><br>Your friend seems a little

confused a few points:<br><br><<If one does good

Karma, one will get good fruits and if one does bad

karma it will bring bad results.>><br><br>Here,

there is a confusion between actions, their intention

and their result. 'Karma' means 'action' (and

'action' includes 'intention' or 'thought'). So every

action or thought is an example of karma. Each action

not only has its direct effect but it also an effect

'in kind' on the doer of the action. 'Karma' also

refers to this result in kind for the doer of the action

or thought. This is the 'karma' to which your friend

refers. These karmic fruits are neither good not bad,

they are intended to either maintain the doer on the

sattwic path to Brahman or they directly show the doer

how unsattwic and unproductive in terms of

God-Realization those prior actions were. To view these karmic

effects as 'good' or 'bad' is to have an ego reaction to

them and thus incur more karmic

consequences.<br><br><<Even progress in spiritual path is determined by

our

past karma.>><br><br>This is not so. Whether

your friend will 'progress' or not toward

God-Realization is due to his/her reactions to the karmic events

in their life. If you have dispassion, 'vairagya'

toward the events of your life and even toward your life

itself based on 'viveka' or discernment between the Real

and the unreal, Self and self, then you incur no

additional karma. If you have viveka, vairagya, faith in

guru and a burning desire for God, then you will see

all of your actions as sadhana and eventually will

receive the grace of God and guru that bring you

moksha.<br><br><<If karma are so powerful, then where does God fit

into this?>><br><br>God created the system of

karma. God also gave your friend a choice of performing

actions that entail karmic consequences or performing

actions that are egoless, grounded in Himself, and thus

not subject to karmic consequences. God's grace

descends on those who perform actions (karma) without ego,

without expectation (without the seed of karmic

consequence). It is throught the grace of God and guru that you

attain Self-Realization.<br><br><< Why should I

worship God when he has no role to play as my karmas are

deciding everything.>><br><br>As above, karma does

not decide anything. Your friend's reaction to karma

decides whether he/she stays attached to the earth or are

attached to God. You worship God and perform all manner of

sadhana to purify your mind, body and consciousness and

make them fit vehicles for being presented to

God.<br><br><< Why should I do Sadhnaa, why not only good

Karma?>><br><br>To try and do 'good karma' is not possible. As soon

as you have an intention, a personal motive for

action or thought, you incur karmic consequences, what

some call 'bad karma'. Sadhana is performing actions

without personal motive, without expectation of reward,

and for the benefit of others. <br><br>Such selfless

actions reap no karmic consequences and also 'burn off'

previous karmic consequences. If one's actions are

selfless with not the least hint of ego or desire, there

is no need for all past karmic consequences to come

to fruition. The only karmic consequences that still

have to faced is the prarabdha karma that is to come

to fruition in this life.<br><br>Hari Om Tat

Sat<br><br>Omprem