CHAPTER 29 A Step-by-Step Guide to Help You Effectively Deal with Your Karma BY SATGURU BODHINATHA VEYLANSWAMI he concept of karma has spread beyond the confines of the asian religions that conceived it to become a core concept of today’s yoga and New Age movements. It T is now mentioned regularly on American mainstream television programs and in the movies. Last year in discussing the concept with a junior college class in Hawaii, a student ex- pressed contemporary culture’s astute definition of karma as “What goes around comes around.” Unfortunately, most individuals’ understanding of karma is at best limited to thinking about it as an abstract principle without applying it to their own life. This is equivalent to a student’s learning and understanding all the laws of nutrition, being able to get an “A” on any test on the subject, but following a personal diet of junk food three times a day. What he learned is not influencing how he lives. The study of karma is effectively approached in a three-step process: 1) dispelling common misconceptions about karma; 2) acquiring a correct intellectual un- derstanding of karma’s key concepts; 3) managing your own karma by utilizing the correct understanding of karma to refine your actions and reactions in life. Two Misconceptions YouYou hahaveve nnoo doubdoubtt heard ththehe momostst commocommonn ffalsealse concconcepteppt ababoutout Therefore,Therefore, thatthat has become thetheh entireentire ffocusocus ooff mmyy relireligiousgious lilifefe aatt karmakarma on a number ofof occasions.occasioi ns. It ggoesoes sosomethingmething likelike this:this: “Noth-“Noth- thistht is time.”time.” The fallacyfallacy ofof thisthis attitudeata titude is that, yes,yes, karmickarmic difficul-did fficul- inging butbut badbad thingsthings happen to me. It’sIt’s my karma,karma, andand eveneven whenwhen tiesties indicatedindicated by your astroloastrologygy can bbee mitigamitigated,ted, bbutut nnotot ssimplyimply I strivestrive toto do better,better, my striving has nnoo eeffectffect uponupon it.it. So whywhyy shouldshoh uld by payingpaying a priestpriest to do SaniSani puja.pup ja. IfIf thatthat is all you aarere doingdoingn toto I evenevene trytry toto make mymy life amountamount to anything?anything? It’sIt’s trulytruly hopeless.”hoopeless.” workwoork withwith yoyourur ssituation,ituation, that’sthat’s notnoto enough.enough. InIn workingworking throughthrough thethe ThisThis misconceptionmisconception mustmust be rejectedrejected fforor two importimportantant reasons.reeasons. tryingtrryingn timestimes ofof life,life, youryour primaryprimary powerspowers are willpower, devotiondevotion a manivel TheThhe firstfirst is thatthat youyou cacann acactuallytually cchangehange your karma tthroughhroughh tthehhe andand understanding.understanding. SuchSuch karmakarma cancac n be mmitigateditigated tthroughhrough sspecificpecific principlesprincic ples ofof effectiveeffective karmakarma management.management. TheThe second is thatthat howhow actionsacctions peperformedrformed by tthehe individindividual,uau l, ssuchuch as those outlineoutlinedd below, youyoou livelil ve inin this lilifefe createscreates the kakarmarmma you will ffaceace in your ffutureuture llives.ives. butbut notnot merelymerely byby givinggiving overover suchsuchh dutiesduties to others.others. So,So, whwhyy notnot consciouslyconsciously ususee the lalaww ooff kkarmaarma ttoo crcreateeate a ffutureuture that iiss A secosecondnd reason this misconceptionmisconception mustmust be rejectedrejected is thathatt it aat-t- filledfillled witwithh plpleasanteasant eexperiencesxperiences ratherrather ththanan ppainfulainful ones?ones? tributestributes thethe causecause ooff our prproblemsoblems ttoo ththee plplanetanet SSaturnaturn ratherrather than A second commoncommon falsefalse concept aboutabout karma,karma, whichwhich youyou to our own actionsactions in thethe past. It is like pleadingpleading with thethe jailerjailer to Karma is Self-Generated: A man’s actions havehave probably alsoalso heard,heard, goesgoes likelike this:this: “My“My lifelife isis in a statestate releaserelease you fromfrom youyourr cecellll simplysimply becausebeb cause beingbeing incarceratedincarcerated isis create his future karmas to be experienced, ofof cchaos.haos. EverythingEverything isis goinggoing wrong,wrong, and it allall startedstarted threethree an unpleasantunpleasant experience,experience, havihavingng fforgottenorgotten about tthehe cricrimeme you just as if he carved himself out of a stone monthsmonths agoago when SatuSaturnrn enteredentered TaurusTaurus andand my karmakarma changed.changed. I committedcommitted ththatat put yyouou in prisprisonon in thethhe firstfirst place.place. PlaPlanetsnets don’tdon’t dede-- with his own hands—as the man in the havehave beenbeen adviseadvisedd ththatat iiff I can susuccessfullyccessfully appappeaseease SSaturnaturn throthroughugh teterminermine youryour karma,karma, andand neitherneither do thethe actions ofof others.others. It is seself-lf- painting is doing. In the background, Lord havinghaving a ppriestriest ddoo rregularegular SanSanii puppuja,ja, my proproblemsblems wiwillll go awaway.ay. created,created, and yyouou areare the ssourceouurce ofof it all—good,alll—good, badbad andand mixed. Ganesha, the Lord of Karma, confers 246 hinduism today----november, 1996 blessings with His raised right hand. chapterc h apter 29:29: karmakarma managementmanag e ment 247247 comprisedcomprised of rewardsreward and punishments from many Ten Correct pastpast liveslives thatthat havehav yet to manifest, and are yet to be rresolved.esolved. Ten Principles for Concepts SIX: ThereThere are three types ofof individualindivid karma. Effective Karma Management Our individualind karma is of three types: ONE: Karma means act or deed. sanchitasanchi , prarab dha and kriyamana. Let’s begin with the word karma itself.tself. SanchitaSanch is the sum total of past kar- BY SATGURU BODHINATHA VEYLANSWAMI What does it mean? Karma means “action”ion” mas yet to be resolved. Prarabdha few years ago, i was one of two or “deed,” such as in the common phrasease is thatth portion of karma sanchita A speakers at a lecture in perth, australia. karma yoga, “union through action.”n.” scheduledsch to be experienced in the presentpre life, shaping its events and i spoke on enlightenment, stressing that it is a TWO: The law of karma is the conditions,con including the nature of gradual process, a deepening of the ability to law of cause and effect. ourou bodies, personal tendencies experience God, starting with seeing God as When we say “the law of karma,” wee andan associations. Kriyamana is the light in the eyes of everyone you look at. refer to the law of action and reaction,n, karmaka you are presently creating. The second speaker, a prominent Malaysian also called the law of cause and effect.t. WhileW some kriyamana karmas Hindu leader, made the point that a modern This law states that what we sow wee bearbe fruit in the current life, oth- shall reap in this or future lives. Benev-v- erser are stored for future births. trend of Hindus is to consider the traditional olent actions (punyakarma or sukar-r- wisdom given by swamis as old-fashioned and ma) will bring loving reactions. Selfish,h, SEVEN:SE Astrology indicates not lend it much weight. Instead, many Hindus hateful acts (papakarma or kukarmaa) thethe patterns of karma. are fascinated with the modern, secular self- will bring suffering. Every action thathat PrarabdhaPra karma determines one’s improvement-seminar approach, which quite we perform in life, every word we speak,ak, timetim of birth, which dictates one’s often takes its principles from Hindu thinking even every thought that we think, has its astrology,astr which in turn delineates reaction. the individuali life pattern by influ- but gives them a modern packaging. So, today encingene cin the release of these karmas. we are taking that modern approach to karma. THREE: Karma is just and self-governing.ing. Thus,ThT us, an individual will experience You’ve heard of stress management workshops? The law of karma is a divine, self-gov-elf-gov- certaincertain astrological periods as difficult Well, this a karma management program, de- erning system of justice that automaticallymatically andand otheroto he periods as auspicious and pos- signed for workshops, in which we will learn creates the appropriate future experiencerience in itive.itive. AstrologyAstro does not dictate our karma, the ten principles for effective karma manage- response to the current action. However,owever, uun-n- ratherrather ourouru karmak determines our astrology, like the justice systems of a country,y, which onlyonnly so understandingundn erstaandiin our horoscope helps us knowl- ment, drawn from the teachings of Satguru punish the misdeeds of those who arere caught,caught, ttriedrieded edgeablyedgeabbly mmanageanage our karma as it arises to be faced. Sivaya Subra muni ya swami (Gurudeva). This and found guilty, karma punishes misdeedsmisdeedds anaandd rerre-- fulfills the third step of learning about karma, wards good deeds whether they are knknownown oorr nnot.oot. FoForor exex-- EIGHT:EIGHT: KarmasKarmas are eeitherither active or inactive. which is to apply our understanding of karma ample, if a man robs a bank and is nevernever caught,caught, nono punishmentpunin shment SanchitaSanchiita, prarabdhaprpraarabbdha andand kriyamanakriyam karmas can each be divid- to our own life and thus refine the way we is received through man’s law. However, he will inevitably face