Life and Karma
Many times, when the spiritualist tries to get an overview of life, he finds that there is indeed little that he can cognize through the scope of his puny intellect. When the seeker tries to get grasp of his own karmic alliances in order to get a greater insight into his own life, he indeed comes to a complete blank. Many pseudo-intellectuals feel that spirituality teaches a person cowardice; that it preaches inaction. The point of the matter is that the truth could not more opposite to the aforementioned perception. Spirituality is a way of life that necessarily imbibes the realization in the seeker’s heart; that all that he does in the life, in one or the other comes back to him. Spirituality teaches an individual that each and every thing that he experiences in life is owing to some past karma; that every effect is owing to some cause that was responsible in triggering it. Spirituality in the end, gives the seeker a complete overview of his own journey, as the soul traverses through countless incarnations; through multiple instances of life and death to come to a point where it can truly move on from that recursive grind.
However the knowledge that accompanies that realization comes to the seeker at a very advanced stage of his spiritual journey. In that one moment of blinding realization, all the veils of illusion are laid bare before the seeker’s eyes as he cognizes the complete scope of his wondrous journey. All his previous incarnations instantly manifest before his own eyes and thus he receives the entire knowledge that he once gained in each of those lives. That stage of realization however is a very advanced stage. The problem arises when the seeker, in contemplation of his previous karmas, starts to lose his bearing in the present moment. It is a state of much confusion and contemplation on part of the seeker, for he indeed sees himself in a delicate position. On one hand, through the intuitive glimpses that provide him a spiritual insight into his own life, he starts to realize that there indeed is more to life that what meets the eye. However on the other hand, the seeker is not yet matured enough to truly gain the cognition of the knowledge that resides in his past. Thus in that tricky part of the spiritual journey, the seeker spends much time contemplating on his own journey.
The master in these circumstances admonishes the seeker as he tells him to always remain in the present. The seeker on his part is always attracted to the past, but he does not realize that the past is long gone and dead. The knowledge that he would gain from that past, would not salvage his ship in the torrential seas of life. It is only in the present moment that he can truly make a genuine effort to evolve and to proceed further ahead on the path. The seeker must always realize that whatever has transpired in his life is the result of his own karma; he cannot change the past; but he can definitely secure for himself the hope of a better future. The seeker can only accomplish this through the present; by keeping his acts chaste and his heart pure.
The spiritual journey is a process of evolution. It is a process that occurs with every single breath that the individual takes. As the seeker proceeds through life, learning through his mistakes, adapting with the circumstances, succeeding with steadfast efforts, a great spiritual change takes place within him. Unknown to him, his own spirit undergoes many transformations, each of which brings him ever closer to realizing the final truth; towards attaining the zenith of evolution.In the end the seeker, must realize that his karma is like a catalyst that adds fuel to the fire. How the fire burns and to what end does it burn is a question that I shall leave to you…
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also see Chapter 3. Life and Karma in Satsang.
Tags: karma, life, spirituality
admin | 
January 6, 2010 1:20 am
