KARMA #5

CORRECT INJUSTICE – HEAL THE PLANET

It is clear that all these karmic principles are interconnected especially.

Do no harm to any of the Four Beings of Nature.

(Subordinate ego to the higher Self.

Practice love.

Gratitude, being happy and savoring the opportunity of being in a sentient body.)

At the end of the day we are here to co-create with the Great Spirit by manifesting our destiny with the purpose of helping to heal the planet.

Our role on earth is to correct injustice.

 

This is also the essence of Karma yoga or service-oriented yoga - the path of action and service to others with mindfulness. This service can manifest in many ways and on behalf of any or all of the Four Beings; Talking, Wild, Growing and Still (including the planet Herself – Mother Nature – Gaia.) All these Karmic requisites should be done for their own sake, not for any reason of outcome.

 

Give without remembering,
Take without forgetting.
Give freely.
Receive openly.
Do all with gratitude.
It is the way of love.
It is the way of joy. 

Service, when embraced by love, will also create the gratitude emanating from joy. Karma yoga is at the heart of all "yogas."

 

“If I am not for myself, who will be for me? If I am only for myself, then what am I? And if not now, then when?” Hillel

 

“The worship most pleasing to God is service to others.”

L. Boff

If we take our suffering and help others by alleviating their plight our own happiness also increases. Its a paradox built into the soul as a default. The more we give the more we get...

We are here to correct injustice preferably through our God given destiny or core strength or strengths. Even if we are unsure what those are we can still help to heal the planet – whatever the service rendered.  Karma yoga helps to counter harm in the world  – the “Mother Theresa” or Schweitzer archetype or similar. 

“I do not know what your destiny will be but the one thing I do know is that the only ones among you who will be truly happy are those who have learned and found how to serve.” A. Schweitzer

 Most of us have to live in two worlds, the one that pays our bills and the other our signature strength or ideally our unique destiny. Either one should be done on behalf of the greater good. We may have to do the latter in our spare time. For example, if one always wanted to be a musician but never followed the path because of parental pressure or practicalities it is vital to again explore that talent and see where it takes one even if it is just for the sake of giving oneself and others pleasure. It is never too late to help and heal others.

 

“I slept and dreamt that life was joy, I awoke and saw that life was service.  I acted and behold, service was joy.” Tagore

 

Once our basic needs are satisfied this kind of dedication should ideally be done without consideration for any material gain. If we also get paid for it, well and good, as long as that alone is not the reason. If done with a good grace, and with altruistic intentions all the better, from a karmic view point. This service is also part of the Incorporation or Integration phase of the Hero/ine’s journey where we take the “grail” obtained during a rite of passage and then give it away.

 

“We are here to help others – what on earth others are here for – I do not know.”  W. H. Auden

 

“Strange is our situation here upon earth. Each of us comes for a short visit, not knowing why, yet sometimes seeming to a divine purpose. From the standpoint of daily life, however, there is one thing we do know: That we are here for the sake of others …”

A. Einstein

 

When lacking direction, the easiest way to manage this karmic challenge is to practice random acts of kindness. This creates Coherence within us, around us, and even distant to us and above us in the supernal realms where these acts are appreciated.

DO NO HARM

(Ahimsa)

Correcting injustice and doing no harm are inseparable. They are separated here for didactic reasons. Ahimsa is a vital part to healing the planet. If we cannot help heal it we can at least try not to harm it. When we create duality harm may follow. This has never been more clear than it is today when the planet seems to be divided into winners and losers and we seemed to have lost our moral compass. We are meant to coexist with, but not assimilate the dark. The only way to overcome evil is with good.

The breath that is in all beings emanates from this sacred wellspring making us one – not the same. 

"We interare." Thich Nhat Hahn

"The fundamental delusion of humanity is to suppose I am here and you are out there." Yasutani Roshi

 

We are all animated by the breath of the Creator, each of the Four Beings at different vibrations. We are all made of the same elements – dust to dust, ashes to ashes. The Infinite One loves all of creation.

“See yourself in others then whom can you hurt? What harm can you do?”  Dammapada

 

Indigenous peoples always relied on one another in the past embracing the idea of non-duality. When I visited the San Bushmen in 1987 - when some were living in the old way - I thought I had dropped into a Buddhist sanga. They were non-judgmental, had an unconditional positive regard for each other and seemingly an unconditional love for the children. They were humble and there was an attitude of one for all and all for one. This was not only practical because we are communal beings and need to get along but it was also spiritual. This philosophy as well as their pure hunter-gatherer existence allowing them to attain advanced levels of consciousness, in their out of body healing trance states as well as their dreams which could be prophetic.

The native Quechua also had their philosophy of 'Ayni' originating from the Incas, meaning 'today for me, tomorrow for you' where they helped each other with life's challenges.

The Southern African Bantu peoples embrace the concept of Ubuntu; 'I am only a person though other persons.'

It is also true sometimes for some Westerners but usually only during tragic circumstance where our better angels come to the fore.

Sadly with Western influence indigenous tenets are disappearing.

KARMA #4

 “The privilege of a lifetime is to become who you truly are.”            C. Jung

DESTINY

"Kabir says; friend, there are very few who find the way."

This is an entire blog on its own so I will just summarize the main principles. For those who want more check out the earlier blogs.

It can be extremely hard to find out who one truly is and this is why we all come back again and again until we manifest our own soul's true purpose.

“Everyone has in him/her something Divine, something his/her own, a chance of perfection and strength, however small, a sphere which God offers him to take or refuse. The task is to find, develop and use it.” Sri Aurobindo

We are given a special gift by the Creator which no one else has. We are all unique in this way. Some have been given bigger destiny 'cups' to fill and to whom much is given, much is expected. Others are given smaller cups and their task may be easier.

We are obligated to fulfill our potential to the best of our abilities. We also have to carry it out with the right intention. With it, we are meant to try and help heal the planet. It also matters not only what we do, but why we do it, and how we do it. It must be with integrity and in line with universal spiritual principles. Some are lucky and know exactly what that gift is but they may fail karmically with the way they practice it.The Creator wants to co-create with and through us. There are things S/He cannot do that we can.

You are much more than you know but only what you have learned with your heart does God manifest in you.

God does not judge us by results or 'numbers' - only by our intention (for its own sake and not for reason of outcome) and the fervor of our efforts.

God most delights when you, are most you, when you are being most yourself.

If we are lucky we may be able to manifest our destiny through a Hero/ine's journey, where we obtain the grail or an aha experience.

"May the hero awaken from forgetfulness and transcend all anxiety and sorrow." Upanishads

There is a direct link in the search for the Self and the Hero’s search for his/her archetype. They are shades of the same thing. Destiny is part of the soul’s journey. We cannot separate the Soul from our destiny path.

“…put out to sea! Save your boat’s journeying Soul and your own pilgrim Soul, cost what it may.” Dom Helder Camara

“It matters not how strait the gate, How charged with punishments the scroll. I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my Soul.” William Ernest Henley

Fate differs from destiny. Fate is the cards we are dealt with in life. We cannot make excuses for what we have been given. We are meant to rise above our fate. This is another reason for the continual cycle of birth, death and reincarnation. Buddhists yearn to inherit the Pure Land (the Causal Realm) or at least return the next time where they can continue their practice at a higher level. The situation in which we are reborn might be a reflection of our prior karmic profile. We are born into a family that is best suited to teach us the lessons we need to learn. This not always fun.

If you do not be you, then whoever will be?

There are basically four original primal archetypes; Healer, Teacher, Warrior (leader,) and Visionary (artist, musician, poet, author, priest, shaman ...) Each of these can be expressed in many ways in our modern society. A film maker could be a teacher or a visionary or even a warrior. Many are gifted and have strengths in all four archetypes and for them the path can be more challenging. There is only one of these that is the main archetype. We need to fully use the power of that one! The others must serve the one.

“All the talents of God are within you.
 How could this be otherwise when your soul is derived from His genes!”  Hafiz

 

We are meant to co-create with the Divine – His/Her creation cannot fully manifest without our help.  

"Lad of Athens. Faithful be to thySelf and mystery - all else is perjury." Emily Dickinson

For those who have difficulty finding out who they are, the Four Yogas may be the way to a fruitful karma.

Karma or service oriented yoga of selfless action - the Mother Theresa archetype.

Bhakti yoga - devotional yoga - the Sufi poets, David the psalmist. Jnana yoga - wisdom, and the intellectual path of the scriptures.

Raja yoga - the most difficult - the path of the Buddha - meditation and control of the mind.

For those who are confused, Karma yoga can help us find the way - taking one's core strength and helping others can be a joyful and meaningful path and may eventually lead to one's true destiny by a process of elimination. Like the story of the three bears - when the 'bed' starts to feel like it no longer fits we advance to the next step with the knowledge gained - there is no loss.

The search for one's destiny is like a treasure hunt where we look for the clues along the way. We mostly go wrong and self-correct which is part of a tedious process. It works a bit like a cybernetic negative feedback system which is how the bodies hormonal system works - constantly self-correcting. Its also similar to a San Bushmen tracking an animal on a hunt. He often loses the spoor and has to go back to find it and start again.

The search for one's destiny is the hunt of one's life

- stay on the scent, stick to the spoor.

Finding that gift will give us meaning in our lives as well as happiness or equanimity. It is not easy - the Creator does not want us to have a copy cat destiny path. We are meant to find our own way. To dance to the beat of our very own drum and no one else's.

"To thine own Self be true." Shakespeare

The focus is on becoming more of who you are.

You must free yourself to be yourself.
Do not take on what is not yours to take on.
If you will not be you who then will be? 

By going back to our earlier, especially our teenage years, or some prior warrior journeys we may discover that the dream or that aha we wanted for ourselves was put aside because of external financial or parental pressures. That dream could well have been connected to our destiny and our heart’s desire.

The sages teach that all that happens; happens as it must.
What occurs cannot occur contrary to the conditions of its occurring or contrary to its nature.
A cedar tree does not spring from an acorn.

 

Of all the teachings the Ancestors have given us, many focus on our being true to our Self’s preordained mission. Others may want to tell you to be an "oak tree" which bears fruit rather than the "cedar tree" that you were created for.

Anything or anybody who does not make you more of who we are makes you less of who we are.

And as for your power what are you doing in the wrong circle.

We must beware of distractions especially worthy compelling attractions that may be appealing to the ego.

Are you nibbling on the apples of the Tree of Knowledge or are you nurturing whatever proud plant or humble weed which is your present entrustment? It is that which you are to make glorious.

Be patient with yourself, kind to yourself and release yourself from what you are not accountable. Do not be captive to the demands of false duty.

 

Look carefully to what you aspire, cherish and guard so as not to squander your gifts nor lose your heritage.

Many of us will have to learn to live in two worlds. The one that pays the rent and the other that is our true mission which may not sustain what modern life demands.

"We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give."  W. Churchill

 

 

 KARMA #3

Merit on a judgmental level is the balancing of evil and good deeds.
Merit is the credit we receive on the side of good.

Consequences are neither reward nor punishment, they simply are consequences – natural cause and effect, often not immediate but always inescapable. 

Karma is about spiritually attaining merit. According to both Eastern spirituality and Kabbalah everything we do is recorded in the Akashic records or the Book of Life. We get away with nothing on the other side. We will be accountable to spiritual laws whether or not we know about them, believe in them or do anything about them.

Chitragupt

who is supposed to be writing out our deeds in an account book is no other than the conscious and unconscious parts of our mind. The Lord of Law, to whom we have to render the account is the Soul within us.” Gopal Singh

Karma is built in as a default into the soul. God does not play favorites – S/He loves us all and hopes, like the prodigal son or daughter, that we will all eventually be redeemed and return to the Father/Mother. This love is not the test - karma is the test.

The higher we get up the “rungs” of the Tree of Life, or the Yoga Chakras the more the challenges we will encounter, not only from the shadow, ego and monkey mind but also the tricksters or dark forces who want to sabotage our path. To them, anything of the light is a reproach to their mission which is to sabotage good.

Without light and dark, good and evil, positive and negative, the sacred and the profane, there would be no challenge. If everything was sweet and good, life would be spiritually insipid. There must be tension for perfection. The challenge is to find the balance between the polarities of the negative and the positive. Peace of mind can often be a measure of one’s karma.

We build on the experiences of our past incarnations. Without the sum total of all our prior life-time experiences we could not be where we are now, in a sentient body, hopefully facing the challenges at a higher level.

Herein also resides the Buddhist concept of Store Consciousness and our 'Soulular' memory that sometimes surfaces as a kind of de ja vu awareness. We know much more than we think we know and are much more than we believe ourselves to be. We just need to remember.

"May the hero/ine awaken from forgetfulness and transcend all anxiety and sorrow." Upanishads

The Ancestors live in the moment and teach that we should take only what we need from the past and leave the rest behind. Also that in order to remember we need to get spiritual knowledge with all our strength.

In addition, ego, shadow, and our tricksters can tempt us to do the right thing for the wrong reason. Karmically, the means never justifies the end.

 

“The last temptation is to do the right thing for the wrong reason.” 

T.S. Eliot

 

“Give all thou canst; high heaven rejects the lore of nicely calculated less and more.“ W. Wordsworth

We need to do things for their own sake and not because of any ego driven agenda – hidden or otherwise. If rewards were only immediate there would be a huge incentive to always perform correctly.

God wants us to do things for the right reasons and not out of fear of damnation and inheriting a fiery hell.

Karma depends not only on what we do, but how we do it, why we do it and how we feel about it. If it is grudgingly or because it benefits us only materially there will be a karmic consequence or it may be karmically neutral.

Emperor Wu asked, “I’ve built temples and ordained monastics; what merit is there in this?”
Bodhidharma replied, “No merit.”

However, ulterior motives can be underrated. It is better to give charity – even if it is to get our face in the media or for a tax deduction - than not to give it, but the act may not have spiritual merit depending on our intent. Merit depends on whether we subordinate our Evil inclination or Shadow to our Inclination to do Good, Monkey (Narrow) mind to Spacious mind and Ego to the higher Self. Tricksters or dark forces need to be subordinated to our Good Inclination, Spacious mind, our Higher Self, with the help of our Guides. 

Everyone is worthy of redemption no matter how heinous their action/s. We, however, have to do due diligence on our own behalf in order to be released from our malignant actions.

We need to see ourselves as the Creator wants to see us rather than those who may be more interested in our personas than our soul. The sages council that it gets harder as we advance with our practice, not easier.

The contest is fiercest when the stakes are high and so you may expect to be challenged, tempted and dissuaded in any and all manner of your weaknesses – be they physical, mental or emotional – all of which are attributes of the spirit.

 

The main principles determining karma and which challenge our free will and that will be covered in the future blogs are:

Fulfill your destiny.

Correct injustice – heal the planet.

Do no harm

(to any of the Four Beings of Nature - not just the Talking ones.)

Subordinate Ego to the Higher Self

(as well as Monkey Mind and Shadow.)

Practice love.

Be in Joy, and responsibly

Savor the opportunity of being in a sentient body.

These quotes below are all embracing guidelines.

“This is what God asks of you, only this, to act justly, to love tenderly and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah

“Fill your bowl to the brim and it will spill, keep sharpening your knife and it will blunt, chase after money and security and your heart will never unclench, care about people’s approval and you will be their prisoner. Do your work, then step back, the only way to serenity.”  Tao Te Ching