By AiR Copyright ©AiR Institute of Realization 2018 AiR asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this book. ISBN 978-93-5346-245-1 All rights reserved. No part of the content (of this publication except images) may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher. Printed in India by Navya Graphics No-8, 12th Main,14th Cross, Lakkasandra Extn., Wilson Garden, Bangalore-560030 Publisher: AiR Kemp Fort Mall, No-97, Old Airport Road, Bangalore-560017
CONTENTS What is “Karma”? 1 How does the Law of Karma work? 12 Does Karma actually exist? 24 The Three Karmic Accounts 38 Living with Karma 51 Karma, Death and Rebirth 59 Liberation from Karma 66 Who Manages the Law of Karma? 78 Realization can Transcend Karma 88 Methods of Realization 96 Living as an Observer 117 A True Karma Yogi 122 Our Ultimate Goal - Nirvana or Moksh 128 FAQ on Karma 133 Poem 142 About the Author 146
What did I do Oh Master! That God brought you my way? What would I be without you. Struggling in darkness every day? You caught my hand and led me On the path for Truth to find And finally to liberate me Realizing I am not the body or mind. You live in my heart forever As my Guru and God on Earth How can any words of gratitude Express what is your true worth!
GRATITUDE TO MY GURU “Rejoice!” said Dada, to myastonishment, when I went to him to share a tragedy. He smiled as he listened to me and went on to explain, “Nothing happens by chance. Whatever happens to us are our own deeds coming back to us. It is our own Karma that is returning, andnobodycan escape it.” Although my Guru has left the physical world, he is eternally present in my heart and soul. I bow down to him for his guidance and his grace, his love and his support that took me onward, forward, inward, upwardandmostimportantly, Godward. Dada himself wrote a book on Karma in which he spoke about how people sometimes think that God is unfair when something wrong happens in their life. They don't realize that there exists a universal law T H E A T O Z O F K A R M A
called Karma. God does not micromanage everything that happens in the world. Everything is managed by the Lawof Karma. I am grateful to my Guru and my Master, Dada J. P. Vaswani, for inspiring this book, while he traversed planet earth for 100 years. He was a rare saint, full of humility, compassion, love and kindness. He was a realized soul whohadtranscended Karma as he looked upon this world as a cosmic drama. I offer this little bookto myGuruandseek his blessings. T H E A T O Z O F K A R M A
PREFACE The earth is a unique place. It has over 8 billion people, trillions of insects, animals, and plants on it. It is a planet that is suspended somewhere in space, rotating on its axis, revolving around the Sun. How does this happen? Whomakesit happen? Weexist! Of course, wedo.But where do wecomefrom and where do we go? Nobody knows. There is no doubt that wearrive anddepart, but there is no proof of what happens, how it happens and who is making it happen. The cosmic drama called life is not happening randomly. It seems to be a perfectly produced show on the stage called earth by a superpower that is beyond human understanding and imagination. But life is happening. The Sunrises and it sets. Seasons change as T H E A T O Z O F K A R M A
Ego) passes on, and based on its Karma, it is T H E A T O Z O F K A R M A
reborn in a new body with a new life. This is how the worldseemsto continue its existence. Weare controlled bythe Lawof Karmauntil wedie and are reborn again, no matter how many times we experience death and rebirth. While we enjoy this beautiful world, we suffer too. There is no way of escaping suffering as welive anddie. The law states somethingvery simple–Whatwegive is what we get! There seems to be a Supreme Power that has commissioned this law. This Supreme Power is obviously none other than the one that has created planet earth and everything on it. Let us try to examine the Ato Zof the Lawof Karma.Oncewedothat, wecan live with eternal joy, peace and bliss as we transcend Karma and get liberated from the cycle of death and rebirth. T H E A T O Z O F K A R M A 1
1 What is “Karma”? The Law of Karma is a Law of Action and Reaction. According to this law, every action of ours is recorded and rewarded either through the good or evil that our action has caused. The Law of Karma is a universal law and holds good for everybody. Nobody can escape this law, andnothing can manipulate it. Even if the action is performed behind closed doors and unknown to the world,the Lawof Karmacaptures it. Such is the law. Karma literally means “ACTION”, but because of its global popularity, it has reached beyond that. Today if one says “Karma,” it means a lot more. It indicates the existence of a cosmic law. What is the relevance of this law? Imagine something terrible happens most unexpectedly andunwarrantedly. Thereseemstobenologicalreasonas T H E A T O Z O F K A R M A 2
What is “Karma”? towhytheincidenthappened.Andweexclaim-“Karma!” Here, we are acknowledging the fact that the Law of Karma is executing itself in the circumstance that just unfolded. There was no reason for this terrible thing to happen. Then why did it happen? It is obviously a reaction to an action performed previously. The action may have been performed in the distant past and beyond the recall power of our memory. The Law of Karma ensures that all actions are appropriately rewarded. Suppose you have a garden in which you nd apples growing on a tree. Howdid the apples appear? Couldit be through somemagic? Is it a random act of nature? Of course not. Somebody must have planted apple seeds for the tree to blossom in the garden. It could be you, someone else or even your neighbour who threw the seeds across the compound wall. It might have been caused bythe windor the birds, but someaction has led to this reaction. You cannot reap apples unless yousow them, and if you sow tomatoes, you cannot reap mangoes. Thelaw is very simple, andwhile it cannot be proved,weknowthe lawexists throughinference. T H E A T O Z O F K A R M A 3
What is “Karma”? Can you prove that the Law of Gravity exists? You can't! You can prove that your Gmail account is yours by revealing the password and other related credentials. But the Law of Gravity is different. If you throw your mobile phone up in the air, it doesn't disappear into the clouds above. Thus, you infer that there is some force that pulls it back to the ground. You conclude that the Lawof Gravity exists. Karma is also a law that can be veried through inference. There is no doubt that the lawexists. The Lawof Karma is a complex law. It works in several ways. You may instantly get the reward for your actions, or you may have to wait several days, weeks, months or even years for the repercussions. In fact, it is believed that you cannot escape this law even after your death. Many things keep happening around us. What is the cause of all that happens? It seems that a Law of Cause and Effect is unfolding. What is the Law of Cause and Effect all about? For every effect, there must be a cause. Therefore, something that has happened in the past is T H E A T O Z O F K A R M A 4
What is “Karma”? causing whatever is happening now. What is happening is the effect of a cause. For every action, there will be an equal reaction. If there is smoke, there mustbe reor something that has causedit. The Lawof Cause andEffect can also be seen in our day to daylife. Yousee a pot, a plate anda statue. Youknow that all the three are madeout of mud.Mudis the cause. The pot, the plate and the statue are just effects of the cause. Whatever is happening around us are just effects. What is the cause? Our own Karma, our own actions or deeds of the past that were captured by the Law of Karma are unfolding as effects. Therefore, Karma is often referred to not only as – “the Law of Action and Reaction”, but also as “the Law of Cause andEffect”. Have you ever seen a boomerang? When you throw it into the sky, it comes back to you. Karma works like a boomerang. What you put out into the world eventually comes back to you. Sometimes the Law of Karma tricks us because although we do many bad things, only good comes to us. Wedon't realize that the T H E A T O Z O F K A R M A 5
What is “Karma”? good that is returning to us is the Law of Karma itself. These are our own previous good actions that are coming back as a boomerang. What about the bad actions that we are currently performing? Beware! Although it looks like a magic showanda lot of good is happening in your life, every bad action that you are currently performing is also being recorded by the Law of Karmaandwill eventually comebackto you. The world today believes that what goes around comes around. People know it, and it is not something they need to be taught. Intuitively, people feel the truth of this statement. They experience it. What goes around comes around. If someone treats other people badly, he or she will eventually be treated badly. People know that if they cheat someone in love, someday somebody else will cheat them too. They can't escape their own actions. The universe works with several cosmic laws. One such law is the Lawof Sequence and Continuity. If you see someone going somewhere, eventually, he or she will comeback. If you see someonecoming, that person T H E A T O Z O F K A R M A 6
What is “Karma”? must have gone somewhere sometime ago. People don't comefrom nowhereanddisappear into nowhere. Things don't come from nowhere and disappear into nowhere.Whatgoes around comesaround. What you give is what you get. The Karmic Lawis very simple. Even a child can understand it, but we human beings often forget this law because we ignore the existence of the Lawof Karma. Wedon't realize that the law exists. Just because the table, the chair, the cupboard, the bed, you and your laptop are all secure on the ground, it does not mean that the Lawof Gravity has stopped working. The cosmic Law of Gravity exists. It has always existed and it will continue to exist forever, and so is the case with the cosmic Law of Karma. The Law of Karma is universal. Whether you are American, Chinese, Indian or Japanese, the Law of Karma applies to you irrespective of your nationality. It does not matter whether you are a Hindu, a Muslim, a Christian, a Jain, a Sikh, a Jew or a Buddhist because the same law extends equally to everyone who is born T H E A T O Z O F K A R M A 7
What is “Karma”? on earth. One cannot escape Karma, no matter which religion theyfollow. The irony is that we can neither escape Karma (Action) or the Lawof Karma.Canweescapefromaction? Every human being has to act – whoever they are and wherever they are. They need to get out of their bed every morning and do something. You can't escape from action. This is also a universal law. But while this is a law, it is not the law that is referred to when wetalk of “Karma”. Karma has been understood across civilizations, nations andreligions as the Lawof Action andReaction or the Lawof CauseandEffect. Peter used to live in a village with his uncle. To explore new opportunities, he left for the city and spent two decades building his career. One day, he returned to visit his uncle, and they took a walk around the farm. “Do you remember, Peter, just a few days before you left, I had asked you to plant a row of apple seeds, all around the edge of the farm?” his uncle asked. “Look at these wonderful trees now. In twenty years they have grown so beautifully.” His uncle took him around the entire farm and showed him how well the trees had grown along the border of the farm until they reached the T H E A T O Z O F K A R M A 8
What is “Karma”? northern end. Suddenly the entire farm looked like a haphazard jungle. When Peter saw the mess, he closed his eyes in shame and wept. “I had done myjob well till here, and then I remember my friends called me to play with them. Whatever remaining seeds I had, I created a pit and put everything there,” he added. His uncle laughed and said, “You can't escape Nature. Your good actions will stand forever in the farm, but your acts of compromise cannot escape.” The Law of Karma is very clear – as you sow, so shall you reap. If you are reaping something, there is absolutely no doubt that it is happening because you had sown something – when, where and in what circumstance maybe unknown to you. But if you are receiving a reward or a punishment, then the Law of Karma infers that it is your ownactions that are coming backto you. Because we don't understand the Law of Karma, we question God. “Oh God! Whydo bad things happen to good people?” The fact is bad things can never happen to good people. The universal Law of Karma will not T H E A T O Z O F K A R M A 9
What is “Karma”? permit it. Sometimes we can't gure out why something bad is happening to a good person, but we need to understand that it is their ownbad doing that is comingback to them.Sometimes wequestion Godas to why a person who is insincere and cruel is rewarded with so much success. We don’t realize that the Law of Karmais onlyunfolding as perits past records. Since we human beings do not understand the Law of Karma, welet ourselves perform bad deeds – we cheat, welie, wehurt, wekill and then wehope that in return, good things will happen to us. How on earth can goodness return to us with the prevalence of the Karmic Law? Today, tomorrow, or sometime in the future, wewill have to pay for our deeds as per the Law of Karma. Every bad action of ours is recorded andwill be repaid in full, just as every good deed will be rewarded. The Law of Karma is not cruel. It is reformative, not punitive. It helps us evolve in our ethical journey as human beings by rewarding us for every good we do and punishing us for our sins. Its objective is to reform T H E A T O Z O F K A R M A 10
What is “Karma”? us before weeventually leave the earthly plane. It is not like a policeman who is always trying to nd people whoare committing crimes. Onthe other hand, the law records both good and bad equally and it responds to every action with an equal reaction. When we don't understand the Lawof Karma, welive and die without ethics or values, and eventually, we suffer. Even if we have lived ethically, we cry in pain when bad things happen to us because we don't realize that the Law of Karma is only returning to us as per our own past actions. Rather than crying, it's best to understand the Lawof Karma and live our life with a positive attitude, accepting the consequences of our ownpast actions. Karma is nothing but the Law of Action. Whatever is our action, so will be the reaction. If we plant a tomato, we shouldn't expect a mango. What we reap is what we sow! T H E A T O Z O F K A R M A 11
Summary What is Karma? Karma is a Universal Law. It is also known as the Law of Cause and Effect or the Law of Action and Reaction. According to the Law of Karma – “What you give is what you get!” Nobody can escape from this Law. Bad things can never happen to good people. Whatever is happening in our life is our own actions returning to us. T H E A T O Z O F K A R M A 12
How does2the Law of Karma work? If I ask you to look at an apple and tell me how it tastes, canyou?Youcannotbecause the eyes are onlycapable of seeing. To knowif the apple is delicious or not, you need your tongue and taste buds to taste it. The tongue has been given the sense perception to taste, the eyes to see, the nose to smell, the ears to hear and the skin to touch and feel. We have also been given a mind to produce thoughts, a memory to record and recall and an intellect to discriminate and choose. However, we have not been given a sensory perception to understand and decode Karma. We cannot see which action of ours is being rewardedbywhichreaction. Weare unableto denethis law, andwecan only try to understandits tenets. Wecan either accept it or refuse to acknowledge it. But just because we do not acknowledge Universal Laws, they willnotstop existing. T H E A T O Z O F K A R M A 13
How does the Law of Karma work? Universal cosmic laws rule the world. There are several such laws. The Law of Opposites has created so many opposites in the world – day and night, pleasure and pain, loss and gain, summer and winter, north and south and birth and death to name a few. These opposites exist, and we have no choice but to accept them. There is also a law called the Law of Cycles. Everything in this world is cyclic - the cycles of spring, summer, autumn and winter; day and night and the cycle for a woman's ovulation. These follow each other without anyintervention as perthe law. All the cosmic laws have been set in motion by a Power – the Creator and thereon they work automatically, requiring no intervention. Samsung makes a program that makes our mobile work. Every time you decide to change the size of your font in your mobile, it doesn't mean that the chairman of Samsung will appear and heed to your request. All Samsung mobiles have automatic updates and software that make the device function efciently. The cosmos is no different. Everything on earth is programmed and managed by cosmic laws – one such being the Law of Karma. The T H E A T O Z O F K A R M A 14
How does the Law of Karma work? Creator does not micromanage our actions, neither does the Creator sit in a cosmic court passing judgements on what should happen to whom or what should not. Everything unfolds as per the Law of Karma. The Law of Cause and Effect, popularly known as the Law of Karma, ensures that nothing happens by chance. Everything has a before and after relation. Our own actions become a cause for our future. Therefore, our present actions will determine our future, just as ourpast actions determine ourpresent circumstances. Karma is a law that prevails throughout our life. The Lawof Karmastates that whatyougive is what youget. As you sow, so shall you reap. We are not being micromanaged. Why are some of us happy and some unhappy? This is because of the Law of Karma. The Law of Karma decides who is happy and who is unhappybasedon their past actions. All our actions receive corresponding reactions. Not only do we receive reactions during our current life, T H E A T O Z O F K A R M A 15
How does the Law of Karma work? but our actions are compensated even in our future lives. It meansthat based on our actions, not only dowe receive rewards or reprimands during our lifetime, but we also carry it forward to the next life. Our next life will depend on our Karma or our actions of the present andthe past. There are over 8 billion people on earth, and each person can think up to 50,000 thoughts a day. These thoughts lead to feelings and ultimately, actions. It means that trillions of actions are being performed every day. Can you imagine the scale of a computer required to record these actions and to ensure that every debit is credited with a corresponding debit just as every good deed is rewarded and blessed? The Karmic Law is beyond human comprehension just like the universe itself is. You are one among 8 billion people, among trillions of other living creatures, inhabiting one in over 200 different countries of a planet called Earth. The Earth is like a tiny speck in a galaxy called Milky Way, which is an insignicant part of the divine cosmos. Can youeven imagine the scale of creation? T H E A T O Z O F K A R M A 16
How does the Law of Karma work? While we cannot comprehend the cosmos and its laws, we have been blessed with the intellect to understand its existence. It is up to us to make the best of our life as per these cosmic laws and live happily with contentment and fullment. Those who don't understand the cosmic laws, particularly, the Law of Karma, try and object to everything that happens in their life. They live without understanding life's meaning and purpose till this gift of life is eventually consumedandcomes to anend. As intelligent human beings, can't we see the Law of Karma in action? Don't we understand that if we plant tomatoes, we will not get mangoes? Doesn't our common sense tell us that good will be rewarded by good and bad by bad? What would you do if someone came andoffered you owers with a smile? Wouldyou kick them in return? On the other hand, if somebody gave you numerous punches, would you return the gesture with a gift or a smile? We human beings know that our behaviour, attitudes, and reactions are impacted by the actions of other people. We return good for goodandevil for evil. The Lawof Karma is no T H E A T O Z O F K A R M A 17
How does the Law of Karma work? different. The only difference is that this law records ourpast actions even from our previous lives, andthus, it is sometimes difcult and even impossible to comprehendthis law. Sometimes, we see bad things happening to good people and we forget that it is nothing but the Law of Karma in action. The law is unfolding as per our own past actions. Andthe bad things that are happening are only our own bad actions coming back to us. Maybe these actions are of a distant past – forgotten and unknown, but the Law of Karma makes no mistake. It doesn't know howto reward bad actions and to punish the good ones. It is a perfect cosmic law, and just like the Sun does not forget to appear in the morning, the Lawof Karma doesn't forget its duty. Someday, will all the chairs of your dining room just start ying into the sky? It will never happen because the Law of Gravity will always be in force as an integral part of the cosmic laws that govern the universe. So will the Law of Karmaalways rule the world. The reason we don't understand or appreciate the Law T H E A T O Z O F K A R M A 18
How does the Law of Karma work? of Karma is because we don't realize that for Karma, death is not the end. It is just a bend, and the law continues to record our actions as we move on to another life. Therefore, when a new-born suffers from serious disabilities, weare unable to comprehend why. We do not realize that the infant is carrying with it loads of bad Karma that needs to be negated. The birth of this child who is suffering is required to happen for the Law of Karma to compensate and redeem the past actions of a person. Wehumanbeings don't realize that we never die. The body dies. But “WE” who wear the body don't die. That is why when a person dies, we say that the person has passed away or departed. Where has that person departed to? Since we don't have answers to such questions, we close the discussion. That doesn't endthe story of Karma. Some people are born in rich families and some in poverty. Why?Does this happen at random? Of course not. The Law of Karma controls birth, and we are born based on our past Karma. We live in a body, and while that body dies and disintegrates, our Karma gets recorded, based on which weare reborn in a new body. T H E A T O Z O F K A R M A 19
How does the Law of Karma work? Since these are complicated phenomena and are known more by inference than proof, most of us ignore the existence of the Karmic Law. This, however, does notdoawaywith its existence. As commonly understood, we are a combination of a gross physical body, a subtle invisible body and life energy often referred to as the soul. The gross body dies. But we - the subtle body or the inner instrument, comprising the mind, memory, intellect, and ego - continue our journey to a life beyond. One may or may not believe in rebirth. But the Lawof Karmaforces us to realize that there is no other option. As long as we live as an ego and a mind that has a body, we perform actions andweare governed by the Lawof Karma. Our actions are recorded, and although we leave our physical body and move on, we carry our Karma into our next life and enjoy our good deeds or get punished for ourpast sins as weadorn anewbody. Who actually enjoys Karma? As long as we are alive, it seems that we, a body-mind-soul complex, are the recipients of Karma. But what happens after death? T H E A T O Z O F K A R M A 20
Ego) that enjoys the Karma. In fact, even the body, which just died, transmitted all its experience to ME, while it was alive. The MEnever dies. It keeps reappearing in a new body andcreates Karma that accumulates birth after birth. In fact, it is based on the accumulated Karma that the ME is assigneda newbirth on earth. Wehuman beings don't understand the Lawof Karma. We don't actually realize what life is and that Karma is one way to decode the meaning of life. Of course, there is a lot more to realize in terms of the self and the Creator, but being oblivious to the Law of Karma or being indifferent to the Law of Action and Reaction is a sure wayto live anddie in misery. Don't wesee that this world is full of suffering? And while we pass by happiness and unhappiness in the merry-go-round of life, we eventually grow old, get sick, suffer and die. Understanding the Law of Karma is the beginning to T H E A T O Z O F K A R M A 21
How does the Law of Karma work? demystify life and its meaning. The Law of Karma is not out to punish us. It is not punitive, it is reformative. It is meant to help us reform our mind and our life till we nally understand Karma, the other cosmic laws andlife itself. Somepeople don't understandKarmaat all. Theythink that everything is predestined, and, therefore, their actions have no signicance because God has already decided the future. The Creator is super-intelligent and he has not made us to exist like puppets. We are gifted with intelligence and have a choice to live a life in which we can choose to do good or bad. However, we musttry to understandthe Lawof Karmaas welive. Whatever has happened in our past life or lives is like a road or a highway in our present life, which is already paved. Ourpast actions have built this road. Whetherit is adirt track or a high-speed highwayis determinedby our past actions. This cannot be changed. While we cannot change the past, we can denitely change our future because our future is like a car that wedrive. We can choose to accelerate or slow down and turn left or T H E A T O Z O F K A R M A 22
How does the Law of Karma work? right. We can drive the way we want to. We have been given an intellect and willpower to choose. Whatever wedo, our present actions will determine the next road that we will arrive at in the future. It is our own Karma that will determine our future circumstances. Such is the Lawof Karma. Whatever our present is not magic. It may be good, it may be tragic. It depends on what we did in the past, Karma will decide until when it will last. T H E A T O Z O F K A R M A 23
Ego) e ME never dies. Based on its accumulated Karma, the ME is assigned a new birth. Everything that happens is not predestined. Our past actions determine our present circumstances and our present actions will control our future. T H E A T O Z O F K A R M A 24
3 Does Karma actually exist? While there is no proof that the Law of Karma exists, there is no doubt whatsoever that such a law is in place in the universe. The simple fact that all actions are organised in a reciprocated manner infers that such a law is in place. The law of the boomerang, cause and effect, action and reaction consistently recurs on earth. If there was no law, it would be apparent in everything that happened around us. There would be apples growing on coconut trees. This Universal Law ensures order andorganizeseveryeffect basedonits cause. It would be ridiculous to think that everything that is happening in our life is just happening by chance as a random phenomenon. Everything that happens is a reaction to a chain of actions. The world would be a chaoticjungle without the Lawof Karma. T H E A T O Z O F K A R M A 25
Does Karma actually exist? No doubt the law is complicated and difcult to understand, but the fact that it exists needs no argument. Every reaction is based on an action and every effect on a cause. The unique feature of the Law of Karmais that several of ouractions are so distant that we don't even remember them. Sometimes, they are actions of our previous life and our memory fails to recollect past-life events. But the Law of Karma makes no mistake. It is a Universal cosmic law. Just like the Law of Gravity does not make a mistake and several cosmic laws continue in perfection, the Law of Karma too does not forget to execute and respond to every action. Imagine we plant some seeds, say apples, and then we start hoping and wishing that we get strawberries, cherries or even peaches in return. How muchever wehopefor anotherfruit, it shall notappear. If it did, it would infer that there is no law like Karma. But wecan see all around us that the Lawof Action and Reaction prevails. Wecannot deny its existence. Sceptics will still question the existence of this law and ask for proof. The world knows that somethings can be proved and some can be inferred. We can easily infer T H E A T O Z O F K A R M A 26
Does Karma actually exist? that the Lawof Karmaprevails in our ownlife as well as the worldaroundus. A young boy once questioned his mother on the existence of Karma. How could he believe something that he could not see! She tried her best to explain the concept of Karma but nally realized that her son was not willing to use his logic and intellect to accept its existence. He kept asking her, “Where is the proof of Karma? How come none of the scientic books have recorded the existence of the law? I don't believe such a law exists,” he repeated several times. She was busy cooking at that time, and the spoon in her hand was steaming hot. She took the spoon from the pan and put it inside his mouth. He winced in pain. “Oh mother, this really hurts.” “Does it?” she asked. “Can you prove to me that it was painful?” “What do you mean?” he said. “I experienced the pain. I know it!” “Pretty soon you will also know that the Law of Karma exists.” The next time he questioned her on the Law of Karma, all she had to do was to take a hot spoon in her hand. We cannot deny the existence of certain things. I don't need to prove that I have a nose on myface, I know it is there. Such is the Lawof Karma. Weknow it exists, but T H E A T O Z O F K A R M A 27
Does Karma actually exist? wedon't knowhowexactly it works. Some people ignore the power of this law. Karma doesn't just work during our life time, it also works beyond death. How is this possible? Karma is action. Action is motivated by thought. Therefore, it is not just the body that is responsible for Karma, but also the mind. Our body suffers and enjoys as much as the Karmic Law decides it should. Our body may suffer some of the Karma earned by the mind in its previous life journey just as the body may escape some of the Karma of its present actions. These Karmas are not lost but are carried forward for the mind to experience and negatein its next life in anewbody. Ram was an honest and a sincere carpenter. He did everything in his power to avoid hurting anyone or committing sins. While he was cutting some wood in a machine one day, his hands got caught in it and got cut. Devastated by the loss of his hands and livelihood, Ram went to his Guru and asked him, “I cannot understand what happened, myhands got cut. I have not done a single bad deed in my life.” His Guru told him, “This is not the result of your sins in this life. In your previous life, you were Shyam, who T H E A T O Z O F K A R M A 28
Does Karma actually exist? was a butcher by profession. You killed hundreds of animals every day. As Shyam, you died without fullling your Karma, which means you didn't have to suffer for your actions. The mindof Shyam is reborn as you, Ram.Therefore, nowyouare suffering the Karmaof Shyam.” Ram could not understand. The Guru further explained, “Today, you are Ram and you are doing good deeds, but not getting their benets. Don't worry Ram. You will be born as a king in your next life. Your current body may not get the benet, but your ego and your mind will be reborn again, and then youcanenjoy the fruits of your benevolence.” Sometimes our body does not experience Karma that is due to the actions of this life. The body mayexperience Karma that the mind had performed through a body that it occupied earlier. Therefore, it is not the Karma of this body, but of this mind. This mind performed some actions when it occupied another body in its previous life. When the mind ended its physical life on earth, it didnot full the Karmait hadearnedin that body.Now the mind has a new body, which is going to experience the Karmas that the mind performed in its past life. Similarly, when a body creates Karma and dies before T H E A T O Z O F K A R M A 29
Does Karma actually exist? redeeming it, the mind that is occupying the body will experience its Karmain the next bodyin its next life. What happens at death? We know that when a person dies, only the body dies; therefore, we say the person has departed, expired, passed away, or moved on. What does this mean? We see that person's body in front of our eyes, but we know that this body is not the person who was alive. This is only the dead body of that person. Where did the person go? If we are sitting in a large room and somebody goes out through the door, we know that the person has gone, but we don’t know where. Soon we see someone new entering from the other door. We don't know where this person is coming from, but obviously there is some connection between those who are going and the ones who are coming. Death is not the end. It is only a bend to transcend. We come and we go as the Law of Karma makesus live birth after birth. Recently, a lot of study has gone into rebirth and its logical possibility. A small child of four is able to play the piano beautifully. It is just not possible for the child T H E A T O Z O F K A R M A 30
Does Karma actually exist? to have learnt the art in the few months he or she has lived. A young girl barely a few years old was able to recite a scripture. How is it possible for the mind of a youngchild to retain so much information? Alittle pup thrown into the river starts swimming without any prior training. When we question all of these instances, we are told that their “instincts” are behind those miracles. But what is instinct? It seems to be nothing morethan amindrebornwiththe memoryof a past life. Many cases around the globe today prove that some people clearly have some connection with their previous lives. There are cases where young children travel to new cities they have never been to before and identify strangers as relatives from their past lives. They address them by their names and even recognize the home where they used to live in their previous life. No one has a clue as to how they are able to do so. The only explanation is that the mind and memory have beenreborn. James Leininger, an 8-year-old boy from Louisiana started talking about aviation when he was just 2 years old. His T H E A T O Z O F K A R M A 31
Does Karma actually exist? parents knew nothing about planes and were surprised at his in–depth knowledge. James started having nightmares about being shot down by a plane with a red Sun on it – a Japanese plane. He had dreams and memories of being Lieutenant James McCready Huston Jr., a World War II ghter pilot, who had been killed more than 50 years ago. James would scream at the top of his voice, “Airplane on re. Little man can't get out!” as he kicked and pointed to the ceiling. Later, James told his parents that he had own a plane called the Corsair from a boat called the Natoma. His father researched and discovered that there had been a small escort carrier called the Natoma Bay and that there was a pilot called James Hustonin real life, whose plane was hit by Japanesere. One of the most well-known cases of rebirth is that of Shanti Devi. Ever since she could talk, she could recollect events and experiences she had with her past-life husband. She kept insisting that she was Ludgi Devi from Mathura and also kept requesting her disbelieving parents to take her to Mathura, the city of her past life. Whenher past-life husband Kedar Nath came with his 10-year-old son and second wife, Shanti Devi instantly recognized him. He conrmed that her narration of the details was in fact, true. She not only knew the colour of her house in Mathura, but she also knew the T H E A T O Z O F K A R M A 32
Does Karma actually exist? names of the streets leading to the house. When she entered the courtyard of the house, she was dismayed to nd the absence of a well – her past-life husband then picked up the stone covering a wall-less well. She was able to identify her brother from her previous life, her parents and even the elder brother of herformer husband. Don't such cases make us realize that these maybe new bodies, but reborn minds? How could they otherwise be able to recollect their past life events with such precision andclarity? Rebirth and Karma seem to have a very strong connection. Weare reborn based on our Karma, just as it is because of our Karma that we are reborn. Rebirth andKarmaare both intertwined. It seems that the Creator of the universe designed the Lawof Karma and rebirth for us to evolve as an energy having a human experience. The whole concept of rebirth is linked to Karma. As you sow, so shall you reap. How can you reap something unless you are reborn? It is not practically possible to consume all T H E A T O Z O F K A R M A 33
Does Karma actually exist? your Karma in the same life. Therefore, death is not the end; it is just a bend where we leave one body to enter another. It is not the end of the show called life - only the scenechanges. Furthermore,if weare born without the existence of the Law of Karma, how would the world function? There would be utter chaos. Just like how the Law of Gravity keeps everything down and grounded to earth, the Lawof Karmaensures order on the planet from birth to death. Of course, we all will die one day but we cannot escape the Law of Karma. Whenever and wherever we are reborn, wecarry our past Karma.Ourlife is notdecided by luck or fate, but rather by our own Karma. Can an intelligent Creator who has created this entire cosmos in such a systematic and organized manner let birth and the occurrences in life happen by chance? It is ridiculous to even think so. The universe has several laws that makeit run in an orderly fashion. The Creator of the universe is not a dictator of the earth giving instructions through his angels and directing the T H E A T O Z O F K A R M A 34
Does Karma actually exist? destiny of 8 billion people. We know that all of this is happening by an automatic process, a universal law, and there can be no system other than the Law of Action andReaction. Those who doubt that Karma continues to follow us even after death in our next life may want to consider why some new-born babies come with deep suffering on earth. Is it because of the cruelty of the Creator or the actions of the infant from its previous life? Someone is born in the house of a prince, while someone else in the house of a beggar. We often question this disparity. Is there any need to question it? Should we not realize that people are born based on their own past actions – their Karma? While our body experiences the good and the bad that happens to us, it is our mind that carries our Karma. We seem to be a body–mind–soul complex. The body is the physical part of us with sense organs and organs of action. Thebodyis like avehicle driven bythe mind. The mind is abstract and cannot be touched or felt, but we know that wehave a mind. Along with the memory and T H E A T O Z O F K A R M A 35
Does Karma actually exist? intellect, the mind not only thinks but also records, recalls and decides. It is the subtle faculty of our body and is responsible for all our actions. Although it may seem that the body is acting, it is the mind that is directing the body to act. Therefore, the Karmas belong to the mind. The soul or life energy is just a power source. It provides energy to live. It keeps us breathing, and without it, there is death. At death, the body perishes, but the minddoes not. It continues its journey along with other subtle faculties of memory, intellect and ego till it nds a new body as per its Karma. The cycle continues, andwedo not escape from our Karma. WeredeemourKarma,life after life, in ournewbodies. Every action, good or bad is recorded, and Karma is rewarded accordingly. People often wonder whether we can negate our own bad Karma. While there is no proof and there are different beliefs on the negation of Karma, a simple logic should give us solace. The more good we do, the happier will be the life that will unfold before us. Therefore, we should know that the Law of Karma operates, recording our every action not just till we die, but even beyond, and we should live with that awareness. T H E A T O Z O F K A R M A 36
Does Karma actually exist? While we are now aware of the existence of the Law of Karma, we must realize that we are not helpless spectators. We have been given an intellect that can discriminate and decide as it passes every thought to become an action. If we use our intellect diligently to choose wisely, we can create positive Karma; but if we let our mind take charge and let it do as it pleases, then we are sure to suffer the consequences of our own actions in the future. Good or bad, whatever we do… Is recorded by Karma, that is true. For we see, what Goes Around Comes Around. Our Karma decides what happens on the ground. T H E A T O Z O F K A R M A 37
Summary Does Karma actually exist? Of course, the Law of Karma exists! Everything around us is in order and events are occurring as an automatic process because of the Law of Karma. Why is somebody born in a rich family and somebody in a poor family? Why do bad things happen to good people? It is all due to the Law of Karma. Is the mind reborn? Can we prove rebirth? ough we cannot prove the existence of rebirth, through inference we can conclude that due to Karma there is rebirth, just as due to rebirth there is Karma. Karma and rebirth have a strong connection. T H E A T O Z O F K A R M A 38
4 e ree Karmic Accounts To understand Karma, it is important to know its three accounts - the Cumulative Karmic Corpus, the Opening Balance andthe CurrentAccount. One account captures whatever actions we do in our present life – good or bad. This account can be referred to as our CURRENTACCOUNT. However, wedo not start our life without an opening balance. The OPENING BALANCE that we bring to our life at birth is the second account. Atthe endof our life, the opening balance that we start with and the current account of our present life actions, merge and are tabulated as our closing balance. Our net Karma, or closing balance will be carried forward and added to our cumulative Karmic account. This cumulative account or our KARMIC CORPUS forms the third account - let us call it the CUMULATIVE KARMIC CORPUS. If one wants T H E A T O Z O F K A R M A 39
The Three Karmic Accounts to understand the Law of Karma, one has to understandall three accountsof the Lawof Karma. Let us review the three accounts of Karma. Each of us carries a Cumulative Karmic Corpus. This includes our debit and credit balances of our good and bad deeds that we carry forward life after life. Imagine you have ten credit and debit cards. For some cards, you owe the banks, and in some cards, you have a positive cash balance. If you wanted to know your net balance, what wouldyoudo? You wouldmerge all your negative and positive balances to knowhowmuchyoureally have.If you have overspent with your credit cards than the cash deposits you currently have in your debit cards, then you will have to pay the net difference that you oweto the banks. Every life ends with a bottom line – with a plus and minus, a debit and credit created because of our good and bad actions. This is the net balance of the two Karmic accounts put together - the Opening Balance that westarted withandthe current account of this life. T H E A T O Z O F K A R M A 40