Karmas and Dharmas -JohnR

[Guest guest]

Hi John R.

Continuing the dialogue, it is true as you state that a certain action begets

a similar reaction. However, this has been the case since the beginning of

time not jut the Bush presidency. Karmic roots sprout since "the battle between

the Kauravas and Pandavas began." The Bhagavad Gita starts with two armies

gathered and poised for battle. At that point it's still "potential" karmas

waiting to be played out. Once the battle begins, karmic laws kick in and we

find

ourselves deeply into a long ongoing complexity.

 

Iraqis, Afghans, Americans, Brits, Poles, Aussies and all others are equally

involved acting out their karmas, knowingly or unknowingly, since beginning of

time. And from one point of view everything is probably exactly as it should

be.

 

But from the point of view of a person who believes in a separate self that

is able to act independently, it's a mess impossible to be understood and even

less controlled towards a specific outcome. Which does not mean that we throw

up our hands and give up acting. We all have our dharma to adhere to. Some of

us are warriors, others are teachers, servants or merchants, others yet are

still confused…

 

War, life, birth, death, sickness, triumph, good and bad are part of the play

of the relative field of existence. Like a jungle with animals eating each

other, plants decaying and making compost for other plants, there never was

meant to be a time of "more" peace, "less" death or anything other than what

actually is.

 

To presume to know better what the ultimate purpose of creation and life

"should be" is rather ambitious. To the degree that we see ourselves as a

separate

entity independent from the larger order, we suffer. This is what we call

suffering from our human, ego-based perspective. To overcome this form of

suffering (which is probably the only form of suffering that exists) we need to

understand that in reality that which we call a separate self/person/ego, i.e.

the

stuff of the three gunas, merely responds to the laws of karma and dharma that

have been at work since forever and we can only see the tip of this iceberg.

 

Our individual freedom or liberation comes from rendering the three gunas

transparent, not abolishing or changing them.

 

The big mistake most people make is to fall for the Marxist ideology wherein

the gunas is all there is and we "better distribute them fairly," that's

usually referred to as utopia. Another mistake, somewhat less big, is the

capitalist notion that an individual can achieve private utopia by hard work and

effort. Look around. There is not much of either utopia to be seen; but given a

choice which system is better, I would opt for the one permitting a larger

degree of freedom. You figure out yourself which it is for you. Change yourself

to

adapt to the world, or make the world adapt to you.

 

Jola