Guest guest Posted December 30, 2003 Report Share Posted December 30, 2003 This question has bothered me for quite some time. Please read this and provide your enlightened perspectives...please Our human body is inhibited and hindered by karmic forces that we bring to our current life from previous lives. The good, bad, ugly deeds from lives before have to play out in our current life - after all it is all a path, a journey - that we need to pass through. Thus, the destiny - astrological stars - that we are born with - enforce their will on our lives - seemingly dictated by these very karmic forces. For spiritual growth - for us to progress in our journey, it seems clear that we shouldn't mess with these karmic forces, but bear the consequences - accept unequivocally the good and the bad. That is the key for our progress But, in case we attemtp to fix the bad because we are unable to bear the 'pains' - through mantras, stones, rudrakshas, poojas etc etc. - does it postpone the karmic play, to maybe our next life? Does this still play out in some other form in our current life? Are we hindering our progress by trying to fix the bad? I do feel quite strongly that our karma should be left to play out and that will help lead to spiritual growth. Please do share your experiences in this... Shiva Bhakta http://www.jyotirlinga.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 30, 2003 Report Share Posted December 30, 2003 Om Namah Shivaya, It is my understanding that malefic effects and suffering caused by our past actions (and reflected in astrological influences) can be prevented or minimized by the grace of Guru and by spiritual practices. I have personally found that when I am undergoing malefic planetary transits, it can be very challenging to resist the temptation to fall back on my old vasanas. I've come to realize that it is very important to increase spiritual practices during these periods, though resistance to doing so can be quite strong. Amma has been helping me to recognize how the negative events which befall me are directly related to my own past actions, and this realization makes it much easier for me to surrender to what arises. In the video "In the Footsteps of the Holy Mother" (thank you, Jyotsna!!, Amma speaks about the issue of karma. Question: Do great spiritual teachers have the capacity to take the sins or the conditionings of their devotees? Amma: "All the sins can't be taken, however, some can be. Sometimes Amma suffers the sins of Her devotees in Her own Being but emphasizes that the devotee must do the rest. If necessary, She can burn all the conditionings away, but this She does only for devotees mature enough." I came upon the following while doing a search on Astrology and karma at http://www.amritapuri.org/ "The malefic planetary conjunctions are the phases in one's life when one's aura gets darkened. Such a person is like one groping in the darkness. His thoughts and activities are misguided. The vibrations radiating from him displease others. It is possible to reduce the suffering due to the unfavourable position of planets through sincere reliance on God, the One who controls the planets. The Indwelling Lord cannot turn a deaf ear to a soulful prayer said with an open heart." ~ Amma "A great deal about the events and influences of life can be predicted through the science of Jyotish (Vedic astrology). The malefic effects due to befall us can be averted, or their effects reduced a great deal, by the grace of a Guru, our sincere prayers, selfless service and performance of specific pujas. The happiness we create in the lives of other people and Nature as a whole, results in brightening of our aura. The body, mind and spirit are purified and harmonised by the concentration, devotion, prayers, mantra and japa performed during the pujas." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 30, 2003 Report Share Posted December 30, 2003 - Shiva Bhakta Shiva Bhakta ; LordShivaDevotees ; Ammachi ; RamanaMaharshi ; Lord_Shiva ; Tuesday, December 30, 2003 5:50 AM Karma - play and progress Namaste, I did not delete any of your post because I am struggling with the same issues; it all seemed relevant to me. I have seriously wondered about the effect of karma also and how we actually are to interpret "good" and "bad". When I received my mantra, swami made it clear that there would be situations and people apeparing in my life that would be "unwelcome invitees" - invited by Mother to help me grow and that "bad" was actually "good" because of the potential contained within it. There's another school of thought that expresses the opinion that good and bad don't exist - as part of the leela, they just are - and almost all gurus, Mother and Yogananda included, indicate that we should accept both with evenness of mind and spirit since what we are given is what we are to have/what we need. And, without inciting another major barage of umbrage, I am still not clear on the function of karma or even its basis in "reality" (wow, language fails us here, doesn't it?). Yogananda seems to say repeatedly that while karma does move with us, the true issue is faith, devotion, and the ability to achieve union with the center of "Christ consciousness", or spritual eye. Amma tells us to serve humanity well, to try to commute our "bad" habits to better ones, but also says that grace is the final key and that there is a "switch" which can be flipped to achieve immediate enlightenment but that we must have a guru's help to find the hidden switch. This part, and several things said by Yogananda lead me to question whether, at the end of this, we find there was no journey, no karma, no things to be accomplished before the self is realized. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE: do NOT bomb me with replies that no efforting is the lazy way out, etc - I am NOT talking about a path of no effort because from my perspective, the "switch flipping" path or spontaneous enlightenment is the path of MOST effort and greatest faith because it would require the dropping of ALL desires, attachments, beliefs, preferences, etc. It may well occur within the twinkling of the proverbial eye, or the flipping of the switch, but listening to Christ say that with faith, we could the mountain to the sea and Mother following later with the comment that we want the cuddling and sweet Mama, but not the "real" Mother, I suspect that They realize very, very few of us can even fathom the effort (read willpower) involved in this path. How many of us could be in Iran today, perhaps having lost an entire family and village and stand firm in our request that "Thy will be done?" - and meeting that challenge with the same evenness of mind that we would bring to winning the lottery? Is this the faith we need - and if so, does karma just fall away in the face of such steadfastness? I have also wondered about karma since Amma and other gurus have made it clear that, under certain circumstances, they can carry karma for another or relieve it completely - how does this work since it is no longer an individual's burden on his/her private path? I hope stronger minds will respond for both of us - Yogaman, will you help? Ragged, but deeply dedicated and always at Amma's feet, Snehalata This question has bothered me for quite some time. Please read this and provide your enlightened perspectives...please Our human body is inhibited and hindered by karmic forces that we bring to our current life from previous lives. The good, bad, ugly deeds from lives before have to play out in our current life - after all it is all a path, a journey - that we need to pass through. Thus, the destiny - astrological stars - that we are born with - enforce their will on our lives - seemingly dictated by these very karmic forces. For spiritual growth - for us to progress in our journey, it seems clear that we shouldn't mess with these karmic forces, but bear the consequences - accept unequivocally the good and the bad. That is the key for our progress But, in case we attemtp to fix the bad because we are unable to bear the 'pains' - through mantras, stones, rudrakshas, poojas etc etc. - does it postpone the karmic play, to maybe our next life? Does this still play out in some other form in our current life? Are we hindering our progress by trying to fix the bad? I do feel quite strongly that our karma should be left to play out and that will help lead to spiritual growth. Please do share your experiences in this... Shiva Bhakta http://www.jyotirlinga.com Aum Amriteswarayai Namaha! Links Ammachi/ b.. Ammachi c.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 30, 2003 Report Share Posted December 30, 2003 Namah Shivaya, My understanding, and my personal experience is that we have karmas that can be mitigated or taken away by the Guru, stones, pujas, etc., and we have karmas that we have to serve out. Mother has said She can take such karmas away, but then the deciple will have to return in another life and serve the karma and that it will be worse. If the karma is not to be removed, it will NOT be removed by any means other than God/Guru. So, in my understanding, the reason Mother has made pujas, astrology, etc available to us is so that some karmas may be taken away or lessened. At Her Feet, Prasadini Shiva Bhakta wrote: > This question has bothered me for quite some time. Please read this > and provide your enlightened perspectives...please > > Our human body is inhibited and hindered by karmic forces that we > bring to our current life from previous lives. > The good, bad, ugly deeds from lives before have to play out in our > current life - after all it is all a path, a journey - that we need to > pass through. > > Thus, the destiny - astrological stars - that we are born with - > enforce their will on our lives - seemingly dictated by these very > karmic forces. > For spiritual growth - for us to progress in our journey, it seems > clear that we shouldn't mess with these karmic forces, but bear > the consequences - accept unequivocally the good and the bad. That is > the key for our progress > > But, in case we attemtp to fix the bad because we are unable to bear > the 'pains' - through mantras, stones, rudrakshas, poojas etc etc. - > does it postpone the karmic play, to maybe our next life? Does this > still play out in some other form in our current life? > > Are we hindering our progress by trying to fix the bad? > > I do feel quite strongly that our karma should be left to play out and > that will help lead to spiritual growth. > > Please do share your experiences in this... > > Shiva Bhakta > http://www.jyotirlinga.com > > > > > > > > > Aum Amriteswarayai Namaha! > > > ------------------------------ > Links > > * > Ammachi/ > > * > Ammachi > > * Terms of > Service. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 30, 2003 Report Share Posted December 30, 2003 Namah Shivaya, When I went to Amma's Jyotishi, he told me that Thursdays held bad karma for me. He suggested I take on some kind of austerity, like extra selfless service, a vow of silence, or meditating more on that day. I understood this as an opportunity not to avoid karma that is coming to me, but to sort of "spend" those karma points on something I can control lest they add up and something larger and more painful happens. So, since a vow of silence or another austerity is difficult, impractical in my life, and not necessarily "fun", it uses up some of that negative karma coming my way. Jai Ma! Anumati Shiva Bhakta <shivabhakta wrote: This question has bothered me for quite some time. Please read this and provide your enlightened perspectives...please Our human body is inhibited and hindered by karmic forces that we bring to our current life from previous lives. The good, bad, ugly deeds from lives before have to play out in our current life - after all it is all a path, a journey - that we need to pass through. Thus, the destiny - astrological stars - that we are born with - enforce their will on our lives - seemingly dictated by these very karmic forces. For spiritual growth - for us to progress in our journey, it seems clear that we shouldn't mess with these karmic forces, but bear the consequences - accept unequivocally the good and the bad. That is the key for our progress But, in case we attemtp to fix the bad because we are unable to bear the 'pains' - through mantras, stones, rudrakshas, poojas etc etc. - does it postpone the karmic play, to maybe our next life? Does this still play out in some other form in our current life? Are we hindering our progress by trying to fix the bad? I do feel quite strongly that our karma should be left to play out and that will help lead to spiritual growth. Please do share your experiences in this... Shiva Bhakta http://www.jyotirlinga.com Aum Amriteswarayai Namaha! Ammachi/ Ammachi "A real yogi is one who can maintain a peaceful mind in the midst of any crisis." - Mata Amritanandamayi Devi Find out what made the Top Searches of 2003 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.