Friday, February 24, 2012

If there is nothing right or wrong, how are the bad Karmas accumulated?

A friend has asked if there is no right or wrong how do we accumulate these bad karmas and when we talk about mind being the culprit and not the external situation – by believing that "its not others fault and we are paying for our own karmas" – are we not conditioning our mind towards hope, to get us out of the suffering. Are we not resorting to mind again to reduce our suffering?

Your questions are beautiful! These questions bother everyone who cares to think. A brief background before I venture into answering these.

Those who know say that everyone and everything which we can perceive and also that which we cannot perceive is manifestation of that ONE (Consciousness or Parmatma). Science also says that everything is manifestation of ONE (Energy). When everyone and everything is manifestation of ONE, so intrinsically there is nothing right or wrong (everything and everyone having come from the same source).

The question that naturally arises is that if nothing is right and wrong, how can one do a wrong and how can one accumulate bad Karmas?

Further as discussed in my post on the blog titled, “Reactions are ours – we can transcend them”, we suffer because of our reactions to situations and not because of situations as such – the mind is thus the cause of all our sufferings. If it is so, another question arises, “can we use this mind to get out of suffering?”

It is fascinating to note that these questions arise and survive despite clear answers by the seers! This happens because of different levels of consciousness of the questioners and the seers.

Seers are established in that ONE and in their state duality does not exist – at that level nothing is right or wrong – for this reason it is said that rules of social conduct do not apply to Yogis. A seer, therefore, does not accumulate any Karmas, good or bad.

Whereas we (having no experience of that ONE - very few sadhakas have a faint glimpse) perceive through discrimination on the basis of inputs received through five senses. Sense organs alone are the instruments we are capable of using to know the world (persons and things – those with Naam and Roop). Obviously then these perceptions involving opposites (beautiful or ugly, harmonious or jarring, palatable and not palatable, rough or smooth, cold or hot) appear to be real. These perceptions then lead us to an understanding that certain things are desirable and considering others as avoidable (giving rise to Raag and Dwesh). Social conditioning (value system) is another very powerful input in creating preferences and prejudices in us. We thus get established in duality and consider things as good or bad, right or wrong and moral or immoral.

This duality is an illusion created by the mind (based on perceptions and conditioning) – it exists only in the mind – intrinsically everything and everyone is manifestation of that ONE. Only problem with us is that we have not worked for and have not experientially known that ONENESS.

Now coming to the concept Karma, one can try to understand it by considering as if there is some recording mechanism in us where whatever we feel (desires and reactions) or do intentionally (act done with a sense of doership – Karta Bahav) gets recorded (mun ka Sanskarit ho jana). And that we are born with a software (Mun which has a set of instructions – prakriti ke niyam). When the software runs on Sanskars, it (Mun) creates situations and relationships which could be pleasant or unpleasant depending upon nature of Sanskar. Isi ko kaha jata hai ki Jiva apne karmon ka phal bhogta hai – one reaps the consequences of one’s Karmas.

It is fact that a Jiva [Linga Sarir – consisting of Atma covered with Mun, Buddhi, Ahankar (ego – sense of ‘I’) and five senses] undergoes consequences of his Karmas through bodies which it acquires birth after birth. For a Jiva – Atma identifying itself with body and mind – right and wrong bring their consequences.

Now there are two ways of going through a situation, one way is the way of acceptance and another way – a way of reaction.

When there is acceptance for every situation (knowing that it is a result of our own Karmas - an automated output given by the software consequent to the the input in the form of Sanskars), we are at peace with others as well as ourselves. We do not blame anyone for our circumstances and go through the life without anger, guilt, jealous, greed etc. In other words we are not aiming at avoiding an unpleasant situation or trying to create a favourable one. When our actions are not accompanied by reaction or desire, these are not Karmas (known as Nishkaam Karm - there is no recording of these actions) and will, therefore, not bring any further consequences – there will be no creation of Karmic Baggage (creation of fresh Karmas is called as Agami). Prarabdhas (quota of good and bad Karmas released for this life) are thus lived through and no Agami is created. As for the old accumulated Karmas (called as Sanchit Karmas), they may not have to be lived through as they can be burnt by sadhana or Guru's Grace (and one has to make oneself eligible for Grace by sadhana and devotion). Free of Sanskars, Jiva is liberated on exhaustion of Karmas - Atma becomes one with Parmatma.

But as I may have said in some earlier mail, faking will not do. This acceptance has to arise – trying to accept situations through the conscious mind alone will not do – trying to accept itself points to non-acceptance within.

On the face of it, it appears to be difficult situation since we can only try and if that will not do, what are we supposed to do? Situation is, however, not as bad and there is no reason for despair as through the processes of satsang, meditations (includes chanting) and reading of shastras; acceptance will gradually but surely arise.

On the other hand when one chooses path of resistance – actions are done with reaction or desire – these are seeds of new Karmas which will bring their own consequences. Vicious and unending cycle of Karmas and their fructification (both bad and good) will continue.

So it is not a question of one or others being right or wrong. It is a question of living one's life as it comes (a natural unfolding of Prarabdha) without reactions and desire – knowing that all one gets (good as well bad) is what one deserves – there is no injustice in the existence. Nothing then touches one (Jyon ki tyon dhar di ni chadaria – as Kabir says).

To make it a little more explicit – a judge, policeman or army personnel may, in the performance of their duties, cause death of a person – it is not a Karma as it is not done with any motive. There will no consequence. But if one kills a person out of greed or vengeance, it becomes a Karma and consequences will follow. Similarly physical contact between two persons out of friendliness will just be an act with no consequence but such contact on account of seduction or force (rape) will be a Karma.

In fact, so called 'Good Karmas' are also not considered as good as they also bring their own rewards and by continuation of the process, in due course, one gets opportunity to do more bad Karmas resulting in suffering.

Established in knowledge that one gets what one deserves, one can very well enjoy one’s poverty or even confinement in jail - one's body may be in discomfort or pain but there would be no suffering.

So, in reality, there is nothing right or wrong in absolute sense (everything and everyone having come from the same source) but they appear to be so because of our preferences and prejudices caused by our perceptions and social conditioning. In one sense, one may call an act done without reaction or desire as right (OSHO ise hosh poorvak jeena kahate the) since it does not bring any consequences and others as wrong.

Actions propelled by reaction and desire thus are the cause of accumulation of bad Karmas (as the good ones are also not good, as mentioned earlier).

As to your second question, the process of acceptance is a process of de-conditioning of mind (not of conditioning of our mind towards hope) – removing its preferences and prejudices and notion of duality. For this purpose we need to disengage the mind from the outside and turn it inwards (and for that we have to use it – to lead it to its dissolution / transcendence) as I said in the article "Asakti in Paramatma Liberates".

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

We are not what others think of us

To a friend who felt hurt on being pointed out deficiency in his work in the presence of his sub-ordinate.

I can understand the feeling of hurt which you may be experiencing because I have gone through similar experiences in my life.

Later, after reading material on spiritual matters and taking to meditations, gradually I realised that how can opinion of others define me? Am I a product of others opinions? I continue to be what I am, irrespective of perception (good or bad) of others. So, I slowly grew confident (as a consequence of spiritual effort) and while trying to do my best, did not attach much significance to the opinion of others. My unusual attire is also a reflection of that.

Another thing I understood was that if someone else is unreasonable (and there will always be unreasonable persons around), why should I punish myself by feeling hurt for his fault? Punishing oneself for the fault of others does not stand to reason!

In my life, I have not humiliated anybody before others. May be, through this unintended incident (blunder), I am being made to serve some higher purpose. May be it is wake up call for you (from the slumber of taking this worldly existence as the reality) – a person with rare blend of sincerity, hard work, intelligence and constructive approach in life!

Our sincerity and devotion should be our strength, give us confidence and not make us vulnerable to opinion of others [as such opinions depend on the mental make-up of others (which has nothing to do with us), their information base (which could be inadequate) and even motivated] and make us suffer.

Recently our batch mate was given a 'Good' report by the Member (because of a frivolous complaint and having no information about the sincerity and integrity of the officer) and the officer felt as if everything in life is gone for him since in his view he had earned nothing other than reputation in the department (it was his only possession) and it was gone. He became very depressed.

One has, therefore, to acquire emotional strength and enable oneself not to get disturbed / carried away by the opinion of others.

If reading this, rings some bell or touches some corner of your heart, you may patiently and slowly read first four (from the bottom) articles on my blog.