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Karma - Destiny and Free Will
When we combine an understanding of karma with yogic practice (karma yoga), we consciously begin a journey toward enlightened living and higher consciousness.
Karma is one of the most basic concepts at the heart of Indian philosophy. Karma means action and reaction. It refers to the entire cycle of action and its consequences. Actions can be divided into two broad groups: those with a selfless motive, which are rare, and those with selfish motivation, which are common.
Selfish actions can result in joy or pain, or a mixture of the two. They always create more karma, complication, and bondage because worldly desires tend to keep us stuck in worldly, karmic existence.
Authentic spiritual endeavors, those that awaken higher conscious, carry us to a more liberated spiritual existence. We gain merit from selfless actions, which, when performed consciously, form karma yoga.
Karma yoga ultimately frees us from the bondage of karma and worldly attachment. Karmic theory reveals how destiny and free will operate together.
Destiny has two aspects:
- Sanchit Karma - the result of past actions that accumulate and await fruition.
- Prarabdha Karma - action manifesting in our lives in the present moment as a result of past actions.
Similarly, free will has two aspects: (1) Kriyamana Karma - how we act and react in each moment in response to prarabdha karma. (2). Agama Karma - long-term planning.
Understanding this metaphor allows us to manage our karmas as they arise ins our life and to create a better, more conscious and creative life.
The root cause and nature of our karmic patterns can only be fully understood through meditation, which is the most important yogic tool for managing karma.
Meditation develops awareness which allows us to clearly see our karmic patterns in action and to respond to them more appropriately and effectively. Meditation gives us a calmer, less emotionally reactive mind and nervous system, so that we can respond with more peace and wisdom and with less fear, anger, or attachment.
Ultimately, we can aim to reduce the number of karmic patterns we are bound by and achieve greater freedom through practicing karma yoga and developing the capacity to give to others. This reduces our narcissistic obsession with our own problems and gives us a higher, more universal perspective on life.
Karmic Patterns and Managing Karma
God created Karma and retired.
Mahatma Gandhi
There is no end to our karma. However, we do have choice in how we react to our karma.
Our thoughts, emotions, memories, feelings, desires, expectations, beliefs, speech and actions all have a way of repeating themselves and developing into karmic patterns. They become our motivating impulses, drives, habits and idiosyncraSies, and are based on nervous and chemical patterns.
Some of these patterns are inherited and we create many more over the course of our lives. A karmic pattern can be a strength e.g. good eating habits, or a weakness e.g. an addiction. Some patterns may be easily changed, while others are more difficult.
Yogic Tools to Manage Karma
We can take a hand in creating a better life for ourselves and for others.
Becoming aware of our karmic patterns can positively influence our karma. Through self-study (swadhyaya) and meditation we become more aware of our patterns over time. Once we identify a pattern, we can make a resolve (a sankalpa) to deal with this pattern with more awareness and skill. We can then apply appropriate yogic techniques to change this pattern.
Yoga has a vast array of techniques ranging from external physical practices to subtle internal processes that increase our vitality, calm and balance us. The aim is to combine a range of methods that empower us. For example, if we are dealing with a karmic pattern of excessive worry, we employ yogic techniques that calm the mind and create a new positive pattern of internal stability and courage. We may use yoga nidra, relaxation-meditation techniques, as well as gentle asana to bring us back into our bodies. If we are dealing with depression, we may use techniques that help us face up to our issues, and at the same time, increase our energy using practices that ground and strengthen our inner core.
Sometimes yoga alone is not enough. We may need the help of a qualified yoga teacher, counselor or therapist if we feel unable to implement change alone. Some changes are almost impossible to alter without assistance, in the same way that brain surgery cannot be performed easily on oneself.
Acceptance of a weakness is in itself a great strength and the basis for inner change. Acceptance is an outcome of authentic meditation, arising from the cultivation of self-knowledge, self-love and wisdom.
Meditation on Karma
We cannot fully understand our karma through the intellect alone. The root cause and nature of our karmic patterns can only be fully understood through meditation. Meditation is the most effective yogic tool for managing karma. By developing awareness, we can clearly see our karmic patterns in action and respond to them using whichever methods we have learned.
During the process of meditation we aim to disentangle ourselves from our karmic patterns for a short time, to gain distance and objectivity. Objectivity creates the space for insights that allow us to make better decisions and to deal more effectively with karmic patterns. Insight allows us to come back into life from the introverted meditative state, into the complex interweave of relationships and karmic patterns, with a more conscious and helpful way of interacting. We begin to take a conscious hand in our own destiny. Through study and practice we can forge a life based on wisdom that leads to greater happiness and enlightenment.
Consciously Creating Karma
Regular practice of meditation is an example of a helpful karmic pattern, in which we aim to gain self-knowledge and insight. Another good karmic pattern is learning to listen to people with empathy and a generous spirit. These patterns lead to greater happiness for all beings.
Consciously creating better karmic patterns engenders a more playful interaction with life. Rather than feeling afraid of life we can interact with greater knowledge, skill and joy. When the process of meditation integrates into our daily lives, we become co-creators with the divine.
Reducing Karmic Patterns
Reducing both the number, and the intensity of negative karmic patterns creates greater freedom. This is achieved through practicing Karma Yoga, and by developing the capacity to give to others without the need to receive something in return. We give to alleviate a little pain, to bring a little joy, or to improve some aspect of another's life. Through these small acts, we develop a karmic pattern of selflessness. This reduces our narcissistic obsession with our own problems and gives us a higher, more universal perspective on life. Ultimately, this releases us from karma.
About the Author(s):
In 2004, Dr Swami Shankardev and Jayne Stevenson decided to pool their talents to create Big Shakti. They co-create various seminars and workshops, which Swami Shankardev presents throughout Australia, USA, Europe and India.
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