We all use the word, karma freely and frankly. It is used world over and can be considered part of 21st century vocabulary.

What is karma? Want is what we call desire, and when we wish for something, it becomes the first step of thinking how to progress on this path. Then we act on it and this act has a thought behind it. Every thought has a desire and an act behind it. Action, thought and desire are the three threads which form the Karma cord. Our actions make people around us happy or unhappy. Now let us examine what we have done. We have sown a seed of happiness or unhappiness. Both will reflect upon us and our acts come around full circle. This is our Karma.

Let us reflect upon our actions. Each action has a thought behind it and this develops our character, the kind of nature we have. If we have negative thoughts in our mind we become toxic. This then continues to be reflected in our next life. However, if we behave in a neutral way, it enables us to progress on our karmic path. Many of us want to know why our past actions affect us in our ongoing lives. It means that we are hopelessly entangled in the consequences of our past deeds.

Liberation and freedom from karma

There is a method and we have to understand that we are constantly changing and acquiring new experiences. This results in us changing our process of thinking. It is a complicated process, but we can do it and it happens by us going to the source of our behaviour pattern. We have to constantly remind ourselves that wanting makes us greedy and greed leads to dissatisfaction which preys on the desires more intensely. Liberation and freedom from karma comes from lack of desire and rewards.

Know the Self, the chariot owner, the body the chariot; know Reason the charioteer, and the mind as the reigns; they call the senses the horses, the sense-objects their province. The self-joined to the senses of the mind (is) the enjoyer; thus say the wise. Whoever is ignorant, always with mind loose, his senses (are) uncontrolled, like bad horses of the charioteer. Whoever is wise, always with mind tightened, his senses (are) controlled, like horses of the charioteer. Whoever is indeed ignorant, thoughtless, always impure, he does not obtain that goal (but) comes again into Samsaras. – Kathopanishad,1, III, 3–7

Samsaras are experiences which we undergo and they then color our future expectations.

The solution here is to love, serve and give, to practice atmabhava and karma yoga, without expectation.

Aim Hrim Klim