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I had a particular question about karma. I'm still confused about karma and the way it works. I understand that karma is for us to learn to take responsibility for our actions but there is one part of it that I don't understand. Let's say someone is born blind or is crippled from birth because of negative karma they accrued from past lives. Does that mean that they will always be like that from lifetime to lifetime until they reach enlightenment?
Michelle (Name changed), USA |
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Definitely not. Every Karma has a definite start and end. The effect is obviously equivalent to the action. Generally (for an average individual) blindness or crippled effect should end with current life. But consider a terrorist who has blown off several people in the previous life. Obviously he will struggle for several lives until the Karma seed is destroyed completely (by consumption). In this situation the disabilities may be over several lives (it is not necessary but it is a possibility). Instead he may also live perfectly normal lives but end several lives in the way he blew off other people. Hard to tell. Mysterious are ways of Karma - says Lord Krishna in Bhagvad Gita.
As individual nears the enlightenment two things have to happen - His/her desires get fulfilled quickly. (the objective is to destroy the source - mind, that creates the desires). His astral body will get more and more purified (that is absolutely must. In fact enlightenment = 100% pure astral body), which will obviously purify his outer, physical body too. Such a person is having a very healthy body and possibly a happy life. The person who is close to enlightenment has generally lived a full life and that person is running away from that fulfillment and desires of any kind.
Another important thing that happens for such a person is his/her karma fruits come very quickly in last few lives. The karma cycle is shortened substantially. Because divinity is helping him to release from the cycle of karma, birth and death.
Hope this helps.
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Follow-up question:
So you're saying that the "terrorist" who blew people up once his karma is finished, his body will go back to the same shape it was in before he hurt himself or others. Is that what you are saying? In other words, karma is linear and once it is consumed it disappears like it never existed?
Michelle
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Follow-up answer:
Yes, if you consider only that particular action he performed. Unfortunately he is performing action every moment – good or bad both. There is an action where there is an intention or thought. Total Karma-impression-map is a collection of millions of actions (seeds) that individual performs continuously. Astral body is collection of millions of Karmas. There is never only-one, if there is only-one then such individual is close to enlightenment. Any action performed with involvement (ego & attachment of expectation of desired results) produces a seed. Seed will convert into a plant and tree when it gets appropriate environment (soil and water of material world) mostly in the next life. This plant or tree (that initial seed produced) potentially has ability to produce similar seeds in the future.
Karma – good and bad DO NOT cancel each other. Every karma creates a seed, and every seed created must be consumed. That is why soul goes through infinite number of births facing consequences of karmas, where apparently there is no end.
The amounts of seeds that are destined for this birth is called "Prarabdha Karma". Generally, the distribution is balance of good and bad consequences in one life. But if someone has mostly bad karmas he gets higher portion of that in one life. Reverse is towards good karmas.
Once "a" Karma seed (good or bad) is consumed (with good or bad consequences in one of the lives) that particular seed is destroyed. At the same time individual carries millions of these seeds that have to fructify. A person with bad tendencies mostly creates bad seeds – so his sufferings have no end - apparently. Person with purified tendencies will mostly create good seeds – this individual has rising map of success in life after life.
The liberation is beyond Karmas (good and bad both). As desires diminish Karma seeds count diminishes. The day there are no karma seeds left is the day of enlightenment. At the same time enlightenment is not a "on and off" switch. It is a process like a dawn when light spreads slowly as son (knowledge) rises.
The liberated souls do not even have a desire to see the Divine because he himself is the One.
Hope that explains...at the same time the water of karma is extremely deep. " Karmano Ghana Gatihi” - Mysterious are the way of Karma (deliverance) – says Lord Krishna.
Hope this helps.
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Follow-up comment:
Thanks for answering my questions. I was never sure about karma since I had heard it could never be taken away, I assumed that meant it lasted forever until liberation, but your explanation makes a lot more since.
Thank You.
Michelle
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Follow-up answer:
When they say "could never be taken away" what it means is "there is no escape from Karma once done" (it is like an arrow in motion, it cannot come back). Karma, once performed, must be consumed (by going through equal amount of consequences) at some point of time (for ordinary people) OR it must be burnt (for those on the higher steps of ladder of liberation). Once consumed (or burnt) that Karma it is over...but there are millions of seeds waiting to be consumed while we continue to create new Karma ever moment.
Thank you. Mahendra Joshi
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