If I may share the wisdom of Johannes ~ Sevaji ~
Understanding Karma
Everybody has heard the word “karma” at some point but few truly spend time reflecting on the word and its implications. Any word used in the lexicon of yoga is significant and should not be overlooked or underestimated. Words like “guru” (spiritual teacher), “ahimsa” (non-violence), moksha (liberation), or “satya” (truthfulness), and so on, are concepts that were highly valued as observances that should be adhered to and understood for any person who wishes to embark on their spiritual journey in earnest.
The premise of Karma is so fascinating and thorough that it is not just a concept but an actual law, and just like any other law – be it of physics or man made – if you obey the rules you’ll be fine, but if you try to break them you will make your life miserable.
Karma can be described as an action and the result of that action and is derived in four ways:
1. Sanchita Karma, the sum of all karma’s done in all your lifetimes. Yes, it is presupposed that you had many lives before this one.
2. Prarabdha Karma, the karma that you were born with. This includes your skin color, racial background, the geographical location and family you were born into, and the tendencies and skills you were born with, as a few examples.
3. Agama Karma, the actions that you contemplate in this lifetime for even they have karmic affects.
4. Kriyamana Karma, the actions that you do in this lifetime.
We are blessed with the gift of free will which is really is the gift of being able to choose how we deal with that which is unchangeable in our lives (Dridha), that which takes effort to change in our lives (Dridha-Adridha), and that which is easily changeable (Adridha).
There are some karmic results are set in stone and cannot be modified, which is known as Dridha or fixed karma. Due to your past actions the “fruit” of that action has been created and you experience them today. It cannot be modified, it cannot be undone, it is what it is.
Once an action has been set into motion it cannot be recalled. It’s like shooting an arrow into the sky; once it has left the bow it cannot be called back. The arrow will fly and eventually land and hit something, and it may or may not be the target you intended.
Think of it this way, with every action you initialize you are tossing seeds that will eventually ripen, this is your future. Because you have been tossing seeds everyday since you were born your life’s experiences have been the result of all the past seeds you’ve planted – your past. Your present is the sum of all ripened karma’s that you’ve created.
So while you will always be a person of a specific gender, with specific eye and hair color, with basic physical features that may change gradually over time, who has had a difficult past with some happy moments, there are things that are moveable and changeable depending on what karmic seeds you sow today.
If a friend yelled at you and you yelled back there will be hurtful feelings between you and these feelings can linger for a lifetime, ultimately destroying the friendship. If you take the step to heartfully apologize, those hurtful feelings will disappear and the friendship can be rekindled. This is an example of karma that was changeable, known as Dridha-Adridha karma. Karma that takes effort to change is called Dridha-Adridha. Another example, are your personal tendencies and habits that you find difficult to break. You may have had a bad temper since you were a child but with a lot of work you may be able to overcome this tendency and become more patient and compassionate.
This is the whole point of Yoga, Buddhism, Zen, Inner-Alchemy, and even Shamanism – to utilize the concept of Dridha-Adridha and change those elements within us that are malleable and direct them towards all that is good, pure, and beneficial – transforming the base metals into precious metals, transforming base instincts into divine intention.
The key is to make karma work for you. You don’t have to be a genius to realize that sowing bad seeds – of anger, jealousy, greed, and so on – is going to lead to bad results. We all know that and we all get it. So why is life so challenging? Why isn’t life always beautiful? Perhaps it is because that even while you intend to plant only good karma you inadvertently mixed in a little anger, a little jealousy, a little greed. So instead of getting a beautiful bumper crop of peace, love, and joy you got a field of weeds with only a few rose flowers. In the world of horticulture it’s called cross-contamination.
What can be done? Well, as I said you are constantly planting and replanting your fields. So today at this very moment sow with awareness. If you continue to wander through the fields of weeds, that is you dwelling in your past and you will miss the opportunity to plant divinity into your heart in this moment. If you dream about how beautiful your fields will be one day, you are living in the future and again you are missing the opportunity to be here-now. Be present, be aware, be in your heart-center, and let all your thoughts, words and actions be inspired by the divinity within you. In this way, the future tales care of itself and you can live this moment fully, ecstatically, consciously, rejoicing in the beauty of even one single rose surrounded by a field of weeds.
If you can rejoice in the beauty of a single rose surrounded by a field of weeds you have discovered the true meaning of life.
Sat Nam,
Johannes ~ Sevaji