Wednesday 25 May 2016

Freedom from Karma

Karma is action, its impression which feeds on to further actions. The source of action, the action itself and the seeds for future actions are all Karma. These are termed as Sanchita, Prarabda and Aagami Karma respectively (past, present and future Karmas) . As long as you are bound by the action and its results you are held within the limits of Karma.When you are acting on the strongest impulse in your mind, you are bound by Karma.Good Karma brings you heaven and bad karma hell.

What is Moksha or freedom
it is the state free from Karma. The purpose of life is freedom, but the repetitive cycle of birth and death is to exhaust the Karma baggage.

How to exhaust Karma
Both Sancthita and Aagami Karmas (past Karma and seed of future Karma) can be eliminated. The methods prescribed are
  1. Going through the Karma - the commonest way which most people follow - takes many lifetimes to exhaust
  2. Going through Karma with full awareness
  3. Dropping the I - Most actions originate in the ego - the sense of Me and mine. at times when this is dropped, Karma is burnt. this happens during dreamless sleep, during meditation, singing and dancing.
  4. Service - you eliminate bad karma through accumulation of good Karma. Service helps to accumulate good karma. any action that brings comfort and relief to others brings good Karma.
  5. Yagya - any action that is done as a group for the upliftment of the whole. Yagna has three components - the actual ritual, Daana or charity and Sangatikarana - getting together for a noble cause. Meditating together, listening to knowledge and chanting together are all Yagyas
  6. Grace - a moment of grace can burn away lifetimes of Karma. that is why the company of the enlightened is SOOO……. important
  7. AKarma - non doing or non attachment to the action or results. Being of witness rather than the participant in the action; Staying with the experiencer rather than the experience.



Who is Iswara (GOD)?

Patanjali in the Yogasutras gives methods to overcome the tendencies of the mind. 

One way is the way of Action - by Abhyasa (practice) and Vairagya (dispassion). Practice is that stabilises you in the present moment and Dispassion is the ability to let go, to not to be perturbed or attached to the results of the action.

The second way is by devotion or surrendering to the Lord or Ishwar.

Who is Lord?
That consciousness which is free from Karma and Klesha (suffering) is Ishwara

How do you experience the Lord? 
through the Turiya
we usually are familiar with three states of  consciousness
  • Waking - mind fully awake and dominant, world is prominent and real 
  • Asleep - mind absent ; absence of the world
  • Dreaming - mind weakly awake,  experience a different world

There is a fourth level which is a neither awake nor asleep or dreaming OR it is a bit awake, a bit asleep and a bit dreaming. This state of transit is called Turiya - the fourth state. This is also the state of meditation/ Sudarshan Kriya. It is said that you meet GOD in this state. This state is also experienced in the few twilight moments just after waking up or just before slipping into sleep. Also if fully alert, this can be experienced at the transit between inspiration and expiration.

How do you address the Lord?

By chanting the soundless sound that indicates and includes the infinity within it - AUM