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Date Posted: 03:20:48 09/20/03 Sat
Author: Jeannine
Subject: KARMA: The Maker of Destiny

Interview was excerpted from" Inner Quest: Yoga`s Answers to Life`s Questions" By PRT (taken here, in part, from Sacred Pathways Aug/Sept issue)

Q: The word Karma is used loosely these days. What is its actual meaning?

Pandit Rajmani Tigunait(Head of the Himalayan Institute): Karma is the law of cause and effect, action and reaction, as you sow, so shall you reap.

Q: On a practical level, how do our karmas affect our lives?

PRT:Our karmas influence not only our behavior but also our surroundings and the circumstances of our realtionships. Karmas are the makers of our destiny. This is why the scriptures say, "it is karma that brings us into the world".
It is karma that makes us feel that someone is our soulmate. Karmic factors stir the subtle realm of providence, resulting in such events as winning the lottery or becoming the victum of a natural disaster.The most satisfactory answer to the question of why one person seems to be prosperous, healthy,and lucky while another suffers from poverty, disease, and misfortune can be found in the law of karma. According to this law, everyone is responsible for their own actions. No one can reap the fruits of anothers actions nor escape the fruits of their own actions. When we do not know the exact cause of a particular event, we call it an accident--but nothing happens accidently. We sow the seed of that so-called accident in the form of our previous actions whether in this life or in a previous one. There is no reason to blame anyone for our current problems and circumstances. Whether we know it or not, we are bound by the ropes of our own karma. It is through our karmas that we reward or punish ourselves, bind or release ourselves. Our karmas are also our innate guides; they guide us in the form of our inner inclinations, tastes, and interests.

Q: It sounds like you are saying that people get what they deserve. In other words, victims of war and poverty have brought on their misfortunes on themselves. I find this troubling.

PRT:According to the law of karma, our present lives are a continuation of the eternal stream of life from the point where they stopped last time. Any significant action that we are inclined to perform is an action that gathered momentum in a previous lifetime but couldnt be completed because the vehicle disintergrated before the destination was reached. Similarly, events that have a significant effect--pleasant or unpleasant--on our life are not accidental either. The seed of karma was planted long ago, but before it could grow and yield its fruit, we migrated from one body to the next. Eventually our persosnal karma blossoms and bears fruit. When it does, we are drawn or driven by nature to reap those fruits. It is the law of karma that triggers our unconscious desires, attachments, and sentiments, and influences our freedom of choice at a subtle level. Under the influence of this law we are born into a particular family, raised in a particualr religion, and go through myriad physical, psychological, and spiritual experiences. These events do not occur in isolation. The karmic fruits we are reaping in our present life are linked with the lives of many others. As we attempt to accomplish our major goals, we undertake many auxiliary actions, which, in most cases, involve other people. When these actions bear fruit, the lives of others are also influenced. Although the person who is principal agent of the action reaps the greater part of the fruit, others will suffer or prosper along with that person. The key is putting this knowledge in the right perspective. Great teachers of the law of karma yoga do not tell us to disregard others' suffering by attributing it to their karma. It is a grave mistake to discount those who appear less fortunate by thinking, "Oh well, it`s their karma and who am I to interfere with the law of providence?" The law of karma should be applied to oneself and to oneself alone. Even then it must be done with a transformative attitude. This concept must not be used to judge others. If you judge others, the law of karma dictates that you will be judged. If you are not so affected by adverse karmas as many others seem to be, then make use of your good karmas, which have started yielding their fruits. Sow the seeds of the other good karmas for the future. One of the best ways to do that is to serve those who seem to be less fortunate than you are. Remember, do not judge anyone, for doing so is a very powerful; action which will come back to haunt you.

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Replies:

[> Too tired to talk much right now, but let me know what you think about this. I am not claiming whole-hearted acceptance of this explanation, nor do I think he totally answered the questions?? There is more here but he is so wordy I am tired of typing. -- Jeannine, 03:23:28 09/20/03 Sat


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[> So, this is what you were doing in the wee hours of the night! Maybe this is why I woke up about that time! Your conclusions seem reasonable to me. -- Ron (home safe), 16:32:54 09/22/03 Mon


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[> [> Hmm, I was definitely sound asleep! -- JeanClaire*, 13:05:04 09/23/03 Tue


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[> Very interesting, Jeannine! And like Ron, I was also awakened at about this time of night! How odd....Anyway, I do believe somewhat in Karma, but I also think we shouldn't be too hung up on Karma and just be the best we can be. If I am walking along and see someone drowning in the lake, do I shake my head saddly and bemoan their bad Karma? Nope...I run like the wind (well, as much like the wind as I can run...hehehe), jump in and try to help him, bad Karma or not. Did he deserve and/or need to drown? Perhaps. But that's not up to me to judge. And of course, it might be MY Karma to help him. We could go round and round with this, eh? -- Betsy, 20:22:22 09/22/03 Mon


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[> We sure could go round and round. I can't go for predestination either. Believing in that means there's no point in taking any independent action since it's been predetermined what will happen. Reminds me of the witches' trial - if they sink, they're innocent! If they float they're guilty! -- Ron, 22:12:27 09/22/03 Mon


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[> Right Betsy! Thats what he was saying...of course we dont ignore the needy around us. There is way more. come inside. -- Jeannine, 02:18:21 09/23/03 Tue

Q: Are we totally at the mercy of our karmas?
PRT: The answer is both yes and no. By virtue of being born as humans, we possess a more evolved body, brain, senses, and mind than do other creatures. Our innate abilities and intelligence enables us to build comfortable shelters, move from one place to another, and explore ways of improving the quality of our lives. Plants and animals dont have that privilege. But how we use this privilege is totally up to us. Making the best use of the unique gifts that distinguish us from the other forms of life here on Earth can free us from being the victum of our karmas, at least to some degree. However, we must not forget that our knowledge, capabilities, and resources are limited. Even the most knowledgeable, powerful, and resourceful person has limitations. No one has complete freedom to choose, change, and transform the circumstances that are the result of their own karmas. We have very little freedom when it comes to working with our karmas. The greatest limitation is that our knowledge of the unconscious mind is insuffucient and we do not have the means of attaining perfect control over it. We also lack knowldge about how to withdraw our senses and mind from the external world and turn them inward to penetrate the subtle mystery of karma-shaya, the realm of the mind-field where all karmas are deposited. Even our inclination to gain knowledge about our own mind, withdraw the senses and mind from the external world, and turn them inward is influenced by our karmas. This is the classic chicken-and-egg dilema.

Q:Can we know what our karmas are?
PRT:
No, definetly not--unless we are omniscient. Even if by some miracle we know our karmas related to a dozen lifetimes, that knowledge is just a drop in the bucket. It is impossible to know what all our karmas are, nor is it necessary. All we need to know is how to get around them.Yoga masters and texts advise against brooding on the past. Live in the present. Learn to perform actions that nullify the effects of bad karmas and activate the good karmas so that they ripen faster, making the present productive. This is the purpose of spiritual practises--the fire of knowledge that is produced by spiritual practices burns your karmas. The love and devotion that naturally unfolds as an aspirant persists in practicing a spiritual discipline protects that aspirant from the fangs of negative karmas. The spiritual practises that belong to the path of karma yoga help replace negative karmas with positive ones. Spiritual practises affect our karmic field, making our present brighter, freer, and more productive.
snip
In other words, the only thing that matters is that you are here as a result of your karmas; it is through the karmas you are creating here and now that you can rid yourself of your past. The degree and intensity of your determination is what decides how much of your karma can be worked out, how fast, when, and how.

Anyway, he is long winded, but the message is dont dwell on what you can not know, live for the here and now. Do what you can with what you have.
done


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[> [> I really like what he says here. The laws of Karma are too vast for us to comprehend, so don't worry about it. We are not bound by our Karma...we should try to be the best human we can be and all will be well. Reminds me of the line in Desiderata that states something along the lines of "No matter what we think, undoubtably the Universe is unfolding as it should." My job is not to worry and get stuck in the ideas of Karmic debt, but rather to take every opportunity to do good works, be kind and gentle and make my corner of the Earth a bit nicer than when I came. I do much better with the simple stuff than with the heady, heavy intellectual yack-yack. -- Betsy, 12:30:26 09/23/03 Tue


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[> I thought I had replied to this a few days ago but it didn't show up, drat!! Jeannine, I really enjoyed this post, very interesting and thought provoking! -- Linda, 16:26:24 09/27/03 Sat


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[> [> it ended up down below on the other post -- :o), 02:25:13 09/29/03 Mon


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