KARMA-REINCARNATION AND SUFFERING (Revised)

[Guest guest]

Karma, Reincarnation, and Suffering.

 

There is a great deal of misery and anxiety occupying peoples’ minds these

days about the suffering currently undergone on the Planet through terrorism,

local armed conflicts, starvation, disease and economic depression. Many

atheists and agnostics base their skepticism about the existence of God on the

observation that a benign and benevolent God of Love could not possibly exist,

or else he would not permit so much world suffering.

 

According to the Sages, the highest teachings of the world religions are

contained in the idea that we are all “One†and that we come from the same

divine source to which many names can be given. Sri Ramana used to say that,

“God is the actual form of loveâ€. So why then so much suffering in the

world? From the standpoint of our own teaching, that of the great Sage, Sri

Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi, we must first understand that this plane of existence

must be seen as a field of Karma in which the plan for human evolution is

embedded.

 

As the Bhagavad Gita, and Ramana Maharshi point out, men and women are born into

this planet with Karma or Destiny preordained by Iswara or Almighty God, for

their own spiritual development. This was stated to Paul Brunton in his dialogue

with Ramana and is fully recorded in the Book ‘Conscious Immortality’.

 

Nobody actually dies in Reality. Lord Krishna told Arjuna “Do not grieve!â€

After an interval of rest, the soul or jiva is reborn into a new life, again

chosen from its latent tendencies, accumulated in previous lives, for his or her

spiritual growth. This cycle continues until as a result of meritorious deeds

they are, then through Grace, eventually brought to this teaching which in due

course will lead them to Self Realisation. Then the whole Karmic scheme

collapses and nature of God as Love is realized.

 

Sri Ramana’s point of view is well and fully expressed in a long answer given

in Talks No. 272 on October 23rd. 1936. Also David Godman’s excellent

anthology ‘Be As You Are’ has a long Chapter , N0.20., entitled Suffering

and Mortality, and a further Chapter called Karma, Destiny and Free Will, with

all the appropriate answers to this unnecessarily vexatious question. For those

who are troubled by the problem of world suffering they would do well to read

this material. Briefly Bhagavan states that from a higher perspective the

question concerning the triad of world, God and individual should be seen as

inventions of the mind. From a lower perspective, instead of worrying about the

world, we should allow ‘He who created it to look after it’.

 

If this is accepted then the sufferings which people endure are benign in the

sense that this is their preordained karma for the soul’s spiritual

development. Bhagavan once said that all suffering leads to God Realisation.

Nobility of soul and very many virtues are only born out of suffering. This

samsara which is a time of purgation and purification uses suffering to bring

its children back to true values rather than linger in the hedonism of a

decadent and corrupt culture. As Hafiz wrote

 

“Never the greatest man that yet was born

Has plucked a rose so soft it has no thorn.â€

 

We live in a world based on the law of polar opposites, which we have to

surmount.

 

There has always been suffering on the planet. The suffering endured in the two

great world wars makes contemporary suffering almost infinitesimal in

comparison. At the same time we must never be hard hearted and indifferent to

any suffering, and always act with compassion. As Bhagavan taught, if suffering

comes our way, and in our path, we must do our utmost to relieve it. The Jnani

is all compassionate, not only to human beings but to animals and plants as

well. The greatest help we can bring to Humanity is our own Self Realisation

which mitigates world suffering both amongst believers and the faithless.

 

The question is often asked “how do I deal with suffering when it happens?â€

Primarily one must ‘accept’ that whatever it is , ultimately it is all for

the best. The human mind cannot understand the Higher Wisdom. With this form of

surrender, one gradually perceives the lesson that we were meant to learn from

our suffering. Every day living is full of stress, anxiety, loss and

disappointment. After the acceptance to which I have referred we must hand over

the whole burden of our life to God or the Sat Guru in our Heart as an act of

surrender. Then he carries our burden, and all our cares are his.

 

Ultimately we must accept that everything which happens from galaxy to atom does

not move without the permission of the Divine Will. Who are we with our petty

egotistic humanoid perception, based on personal pleasurable satisfaction, to

question the actions of the Master of the Universe, which are beyond our

intelligence to even remotely fathom?

 

Alan