Karma Theory and Managing part 1

[Guest guest]

INSIGHT Karma Management

The concept of karma has spread beyond the confines of the Asian religions

that conceived it to become a core concept of today's yoga and New Age

movements. It is now mentioned regularly on American mainstream television

programs and in the movies. Last year in discussing the concept with a junior

college class in Hawaii, a student expressed contemporary culture's astute

definition of karma as " What goes around comes around. " Unfortunately, most

individuals' understanding of karma is at best limited to thinking about it as

an abstract principle without applying it to their own life. This is equivalent

to a student's learning and understanding all the laws of nutrition, being able

to get an " A " on any test on the subject, but following a personal diet of junk

food three times a day. What he learned is not influencing how he lives. The

study of karma is effectively approached in a three-step process: 1) dispelling

common misconceptions about karma; 2) acquiring a correct

intellectual understanding of karma's key concepts; 3) managing your own karma

by utilizing the correct understanding of karma to refine your actions and

reactions in life.

Two Misconceptions

You have do doubt heard the most common false concept about karma on a number

of occasions. It goes something like this: " Nothing but bad things happen to me.

It's my karma, and even when I strive to do better, my striving has no effect

upon it. So why should I even try to make my life amount to anything? It's truly

hopeless. "

This misconception must be rejected for two important reasons. The first is

that you can actually change your karma through the principles of effective

karma management. The second is that how you live in this life creates the karma

you will face in your future lives. So, why not consciously use the law of karma

to create a future that is filled with pleasant experiences rather than painful

ones?

A second common false concept about karma, which you have probably also heard,

goes like this: " My life is in a state of chaos. Everything is going wrong, and

it all started three months ago when Saturn entered Taurus and my karma changed.

I have been advised that if I can successfully appease Saturn through having a

priest do regular Sani puja, my problems will go away. Therefore, that has

become the entire focus of my religious life at this time. " The fallacy of this

attitude is that, yes, karmic difficulties indicated by your astrology can be

mitigated, but not simply by paying a priest to do Sani puja. If that is all you

are doing to work with your situation, that's not enough. In working through the

trying times of life, your primary powers are willpower, devotion and

understanding. Such karma can be mitigated through specific actions performed by

the individual, such as those outlined below, but not merely by giving over such

duties to others.

A second reason this misconception must be rejected is that it attributes the

cause of our problems to the planet Saturn rather than to our own actions in the

past. It is like pleading with the jailer to release you from your cell simply

because being incarcerated is an unpleasant experience, having forgotten about

the crime you committed that put you in prison in the first place. Planets don't

determine your karma, and neither do the actions of others. It is self-created,

and you are the source of it all—good, bad and mixed.

Ten Correct Concepts

One: Karma means act or deed.

Let's begin with the word karma itself. What does it mean? Karma means

" action " or " deed, " such as in the common phrase karma yoga, " union through

action. "

Two: The law of karma is the law of cause and effect.

When we say " the law of karma, " we refer to the law of action and reaction,

also called the law of cause and effect. This law states that what we sow we

shall reap in this or future lives. Benevolent actions (punyakarma or sukarma)

will bring loving reactions. Selfish, hateful acts (papakarma or kukarma) will

bring suffering. Every action that we perform in life, every word we speak, even

every thought that we think, has its reaction.

Three: Karma is just and self-governing.

The law of karma is a divine, self-governing system of justice that

automatically creates the appropriate future experience in response to the

current action. However, unlike the justice systems of a country, which only

punish the misdeeds of those who are caught, tried and found guilty, karma

punishes misdeeds and rewards good deeds whether they are known or not. For

example, if a man robs a bank and is never caught, no punishment is received

through man's law. However, he will inevitably face the consequences of his

crime through the law of karma. Similarly, the good deed of giving money

regularly but anonymously to a charity will be rewarded, even though no one

knows the giver's name.

Four: Karma is our teacher.

Through understanding the consequences of their actions, individuals sooner or

later learn to refrain from committing a particular misdeed. Any good system of

justice does not want repeat offenders. It wants individuals to understand the

error of their ways and reform their behavior. You've heard Alexander Pope's

famous phrase that to err is human, to forgive is divine. Well, we can adapt his

adage and say to err is human but to err only once is divine, meaning those who

are striving to live a religious life are self-reflective and learn quickly from

their mistakes. This is what we mean by saying " Karma is our teacher. " It

teaches us to refine our behavior—hopefully sooner rather than later. One way

to tell a young soul from an old soul is to observe how quickly he learns

karma's lessons in life.

Five: We each have our individual karma.

Karma also refers to our individual karma that we carry from life to life,

both the karma to be resolved in this life, and the karma to be resolved in a

future life. To understand this better, let us reflect again on the criminal

justice system. Justice is known for moving slowly. It can take a number of

years before a convicted criminal receives his punishment. The law of karma is

even slower. The consequences, or fruits of actions, known as karmaphala, may

not come for a number of lifetimes. Thus, the karma we are born with is

comprised of rewards and punishments from many past lives that have yet to

manifest, and are yet to be resolved.

Six: There are three types of individual karma.

Our individual karma is of three types: sanchita, prarabdha and kriyamana.

Sanchita is the sum total of past karmas yet to be resolved. Prarabdha is that

portion of sanchita karma scheduled to be experienced in the present life,

shaping its events and conditions, including the nature of our bodies, personal

tendencies and associations. Kriyamana is karma you are presently creating.

While some kriyamana karmas bear fruit in the current life, others are stored

for future births.

Seven: Astrology indicates the patterns of karma.

Prarabdha karma determines one's time of birth, which dictates one's

astrology, which in turn delineates the individual life pattern by influencing

the release of these karmas. Thus, an individual will experience certain

astrological periods as difficult and other periods as auspicious and positive.

Astrology does not dictate our karma, rather our karma determines our astrology,

so understanding our horoscope helps us knowledgeably manage our karma as it

arises to be faced.

Eight: Karmas are either active or inactive.

Sanchita, prarabdha and kriyamana karmas can each be divided into two

categories: arabdha, " begun " or " undertaken " karma that is sprouting; and

anarabhda, " not commenced, " " dormant, " or seed karma. An analogy can be drawn to

a garden in which a variety of seeds have been planted. Some types of plants

will sprout in a few days, others will take weeks and still others lie dormant

for months. Similarly, some of our karmas will manifest in the next few years,

some toward life's end and others in a future life.

Nine: We create our own future.

Our actions in the present are creating what we will experience in the future,

even in future lives. The point here is that when we think of karma, we tend to

think of the past. We reflect upon the rewards and punishments from the past

that are now manifesting and what we must have done to create them. However, we

must also think about our future in this life and lives to come. Our actions in

the present are influencing that future, making it pleasant or unpleasant.

Therefore, before acting, a wise person reflects on that action's karmic

consequences and thereby consciously molds his future.

Ten: Life is all about resolving karma.

The ultimate future to consider is liberation from the cycle of birth and

death, samsara. As long as we have karmas to resolve, we will be reborn on

Earth. Thus, individuals who are intent upon spiritual progress take the

creation and resolution of karma quite seriously. Not only do they strive to act

wisely in the present, they perform extra religious practices to rid themselves

in this life of karmas that would normally only manifest in future lives. This

is a profound practice performed by sagacious sannyasins especially.

to be continued ....2..

Being lengthy so I breakt into 3 parts.

Regds.

K.V.Vighnesh.

 

 

 

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