By Agniveer Agni
Question: What exactly is the Theory of Karma?
Answer: Put simply, theory of Karma states that 1. Your thoughts become reality. 2. Inversely, your present reality is nothing but a cumulative manifestation of whatever thoughts you decided to think of till date. These include both the conscious and unconscious thoughts. 3. The purpose of this reality is to help you rise above sorrow and achieve bliss. And you can change your reality to higher bliss by changing your thoughts.
Thus, life is not an unplanned random chemical reaction. Instead, life and world around is a well-planned system built to guide you towards bliss. And the way to use this system effectively is through directing the thoughts towards achievement of bliss.
Question: Does it mean happiness alone is goal of life?
Answer: Exactly. The only goal of life is to achieve happiness or bliss. And the way to achieve it is through proper understanding of the mechanism of the life system and directing our thoughts towards most optimal use of this system.
Question: What about those people who sacrifice their own happiness for sake of others?
Answer: They do not sacrifice their happiness, they merely sacrifice their short-term conveniences in pursuit of higher levels of happiness. The satisfaction derived from selflessness is way above the happiness derived from mundane activities. You can compare it with our own lives. As children, we enjoy many activities like eating soil. But as we grow up, we seek higher levels of pleasure and will never be eager to exchange these pleasures with many of the childish pleasures.
As you will realize, the way the world has been designed, we are all closely interdependent like various molecules of water in a pond. We cannot maximize our individual happiness without maximizing the happiness of the world. So smart people trade-off their short-term conveniences for significantly higher levels of happiness derived from thinking about and acting for betterment of the world.
Question: Are thoughts everything? What about actions?
Answer: Thoughts are not everything. But they are the only starting point we have in our control. Everything else including our actions are next steps of the process that starts with each thought. All we do and achieve starts with a thought in the mind. Even the thought of 'empty thinking without action' is a thought we decide to accept that leads us to the resulting consequences as per Theory of Karma. And decision to act is also a thought we decide to accept.
And as we would realize, thoughts that do not culminate into actions, in general, lead us away from bliss. In complete framework, three aspects of this thought should go hand in hand - Knowledge, Actions and Contemplation. A thought system that encompasses all the three is necessary.
Question: How do we decide what thoughts will lead to happiness and what thoughts will not?
Answer: There are various ways to decide it. But the fundamental principle is that Truth=Bliss
Consider two forces to be operating in our lives: Knowledge and Ignorance. Knowledge leads us to truth and Ignorance away from truth. And they are controlled by our most fundamental thought - the Will or Sankalpa in Sanskrit. This Sankalpa or Will leads to further thoughts which result in consequent actions and these result in the reality we face. If we direct our Will to pursuit of Truth, we will move closer to Bliss. And away from Bliss otherwise.
The rest of the ways are merely expansions of this basic principle, Truth = Bliss
Question: How do we decide what is truth?
Answer: There are various ways. Basically its an evolutionary approach. Decision of truth demands exclusion of all sorts of blind beliefs and an openness to change the stand as and when we get new information and facts. The essential component is again, a Will or Sankalpa to accept the truth.
The various methods include: a. Process of elimination. Like a smart CAT or GMAT aspirant, one should immediately reject those choices which are obviously false, based on reasoning and fact. For example, when we know that earth is round, all theories based on hypothesis of earth being flat, including so-called religious books should immediately be rejected. b. Testing for internal contradictions in an hypothesis. For example, a theory says that God is just. And then it says that He shall put more women in Hell. Now both these statements contradict each other. Hence they are worth immediate rejection. c. Internal analysis and reasoning. d. Verification of facts etc.
This is a science in itself requiring detailed analysis and contemplation. But the only prerequisite to understand it is a Will seeking truth.
Question: How does Theory of Karma works?
Answer: It works instantaneously. Each thought in the mind produces a a certain pattern of neuron firing in the mind. Based on this, various physiological changes start taking place including change in hormonal levels, heart-rate etc. Further, even the neurological patterns start adapting to this thought. Thus, if you think of same thing again and again, the neurons create a pattern that next time it is easier to take that thought process ahead. That is why we see people getting into good or bad habits. These thoughts define one's thinking patterns, and hence his or her personality, health and actions.
Thus, each thought influences who we are. And by changing this thought, we can decide who we would be. Further, the same process is happening among all humans. And when we interact with them, based on our thought patterns we produce a myriad of social patterns and behaviors, which further influence who we are.
Not only humans and society, this influence is also extended to nature in general because we are designed to exchange matter and energy continuously with nature. Thus we would see that merely by will-power, at times, unbelievable miracles happen in medical science.
Thus thoughts become our destiny. We, the souls, are different from our body and mind. And when we die, the body and mind (brain) stop having sustainable exchange of matter and energy with nature, and hence the system decays to death. But the soul, who was controlling this system, is unaffected.
Now it gets into another emerging system (mind-body) and starts its journey again. Because memories are part of brain cells, they get destroyed in this migration process. But the soul carries a vital body with it which carries the Sanskaars (traits) with it. God ensures that the new system provided is the best fit for uninterrupted journey ahead for the soul. Now, based on traits, the soul develops its personality again. It also continues interaction with the world outside in the same manner as it was doing earlier and continues to evolve itself.
At each moment, God ensures that situation we face in the world is best suited for our pursuit of ultimate bliss. This is a continuous optimization process. If we exercise our will to do stupid things, stupid situations emerge and we start a descending to unhappiness. If we exercise our will to do things in pursuit of truth, we ascend. This process is uninterrupted by death.
Question: What about animals and lower species? How can they exercise their will?
Answer: Broadly speaking, only humans have the potential to exercise their will. Other species can only accept what happens to them and cannot exercise their will? When a soul descends too low that it no more exercises its will as a human, then it gets birth as animals where these tendencies that it had collected can be purged out. Same is case with those born insane or terminally ill.
Please note that it is a multi-dimensional world. So depending upon the thought patterns in these various dimensions and aspects of life, the potential combinations are virtually infinite. It is not a discrete system but completely continuous. Thus conditions vary for birth of each soul - in different species, conditions, health, society etc.
Question: What about accidents and events on which we have no control through our thoughts?
Answer: Critically analyzing, on most of these events we have a control through our collective intelligence. Thus, collectively we all are responsible for terrorism and environmental damage. And we all can do something about it even individually. We can never absolve ourselves of any responsibility on pretext of we being one single individual, as per Theory of Karma.
The birth we got on this earth was best suited to our future growth (as bliss seekers) given our traits and tendencies so far. These include our exercise of will in social aspects as well. So the events we face are also consequence of our actions.
There are certain events we face without any control of ours. They may result out of our past actions. In any case, none of the events hamper our eligibility to seek further happiness ever. At best, there may be a temporary delay, based on theory of Karma. And even this delay can be used to further elevate ourselves on certain other aspects that we may have missed so far. Remember, its a multi-dimensional world with variety of aspects to look into.
Question: Why do we not remember our past lives?
Answer: Because in general, they are unnecessary to fulfill our goals. Remember that this is a completely optimized process with no scope for redundancies. If we remember our past lives, we would not be able to look ahead. Thus, most of the events of even this birth are not remembered by us, forget about past life. Its a natural law that only what is relevant is remembered. And when people try to break this law by living in past, they get into a variety of mental problems because of indulgence in an unnatural act.
The maximum pleasure we derive in life is by living in present and directing our efforts to future. That is why, perhaps the common word to mean Ghost and Past is Bhoot in Sanskrit. (By the way, there are no ghosts as per Theory of Karma!)
Question: Why we get punishment for acts of past life we do not even remember?
Answer: There is no concept of punishment and reward, in the sense we normally understand, in Theory of Karma. There is only a continuous self-correcting optimization process directed towards maximization of bliss or happiness. Unlike commonly believed, it is never that suddenly a disaster happens in life out of blue. There are no discontinuities in Theory of Karma.
An example is case of diabetes. It does not happen suddenly one night. On contrary, due to bad lifestyle habits, we keep accumulating diabetes. And when symptoms start manifesting in middle age, we term ourselves as diabetic. But in reality, this did not happen in one single day. We were always diabetic from first time we did something contrary to good health habits. And each moment that we lived healthy, we moved away from diabetes. But each moment, we ignored health issues. we were a step closer. The final manifestation of the disease represents cumulative effect of the entire journey. Now we may not remember even 1% of the acts we did to cause our diabetes, but still we turn diabetic, because our tendencies were diabetic.
Similarly, even though we do not remember our past lives, our current tendencies are a cumulative summary of our entire history. Details of specific events are not important. The so called punishments that seem to come out of blue are nothing but continuation of those traits that got manifested into visible symptoms presently.
And the way out again is simple- refine our thought process. As we refine our thought process and start learning how to use our Will for increased happiness, we shall stop accumulating tendencies that cause grief. And then these so-called punishments will cease to erupt.
Question: Why do good people have to face so many miseries when they have good thoughts and good actions?
Answer: 1. Happiness is a state of mind. What we often consider as misery is nothing but short-term inconveniences that anyone would gladly trade-off for higher levels of happiness. For example, when we play sports, we pant, get injured, get exhausted, but we still keep playing. Because the happiness we derive is much higher compared to these petty pains. In fact we enjoy this pain!
2. Many of these miseries are due to cumulative tendencies of past which start showing symptoms now.
3. Many other are similar to what happens when we start exercising after a long time. It pains for a few days because our system is not adapted to the healthy habit. But in a few days, the pain vanishes and we start getting the benefits.
4. Many other are those natural troubles which we can never get rid of in life. And one of the goals of using our Will is to learn how to ignore being affected by these mentally.
5. Some miseries are because even good people are not good in all aspects. Thus, one may be a very honest person. But he does not have a strong body and did not learn how to defend himself. He is killed by goons because he was weak. This is because of his lack of right Will in matters of health and self-defense. Remember, being powerful goes in sync with knowing truth.
Question: Why we see bad people getting so powerful?
Answer: The inverse of above is true in most cases. 1. These bad people are never at internal peace. Nature did not design us to tolerate being corrupt, cheat, criminal, crooked etc. Even if we learn to ignore symptoms, these do cause their adverse effects. Despite having material power, these people are the most unhappy ones we know - always insecure, tense, trusting none and facing mental troubles. Bad habits or bad traits are like unhygienic or junk food.
2. Again, the world is multi-dimensional. Good or bad is not a singular adjective to give to anyone. One maybe bad in almost all aspects of life, but has great confidence, self-belief and tactfulness, which are positive traits. Accordingly, he would succeed in certain areas of life including material aspects, but would fare miserably in other areas.
Question: What is the purpose of Theory of Karma?
Answer: So that we all can achieve the ultimate levels of bliss. Its a complete meritocracy with no favoritism or whimsicalness. As we think, so we become. It all depends on direction and intensity of our thoughts. If we examine life critically, we will get enough clues to see this theory at work. And we can then use it to gain our happiness, without depending on others' whims.
Question: Why does God test us?
Answer: No, God never tests us. Thats a false notion. God only manages this system as per Theory of Karma for us. and has given us complete liberty to decide our fate. What we think to be a test by God, is nothing but our own previous traits that we are battling.
Question: What is the goal of life?
Answer: To gain ultimate level of happiness, by using this Theory of Karma.
Question: Even Sex, Boozing, Sensuality et al give us happiness? Is it right as per Theory of Karma?
Answer: No, they do not give happiness. Instead they create illusion of happiness by numbing our senses and intellect. Anything that causes us to act without using the faculty of thinking, is actually a surest recipe for miseries. Our happiness increases only when the source of that happiness is less and less dependent on external sources. This can happen only through knowledge accumulation and acting with full-control over mind. Another way to look at it is by asking ourselves, "What is the purpose of this act?" If answer is merely entertainment or habit or other vague excuse, thats not the right act as per Theory of Karma.
The goal of life is to liberate ourselves from these false excuses by enhancing our knowledge. And any act that dumbs us moves the vehicle in opposite direction.
Question: Does God not forgive all our past sins, if we seek apology for our misdeeds?
Answer: Does that happen in real life? Do we get healed after an accident due to careless driving by saying sorry? If one could get away so easily by saying sorry, people would get lazy and simply say sorry when troubles come. Nature and its laws are nothing but physical manifestations of God's system. The rules that apply here are applied elsewhere also. In Vedic parlance, it is called, "Yat Pinde, Tat Brahmande" - Whatever happens in micro-system happens elsewhere also.
There is no place for apology in Theory of Karma. There is scope only for improvement. And this is exactly like starting to exercise after years of laziness. It will pain initially. System will take time to adapt to it. But the more the will-power, better we come in shape. No miracle will happen out of blue. But sure-shot progress will definitely happen with right Will.
Question: Is there a framework to understand how to start using this Will properly?
Answer: There is indeed the framework of Vedic Yoga for this. This has nothing to do with the so-called acrobatic exercises and poses you see. This is an approach to master the Self and master the art and science of living each moment as per Theory of Karma. It is extremely intuitive and based on sound principles that anyone can appreciate. Its the only system that works. But its a practical science and needs practice like martial arts or gymnastics.
Question: Where can I learn it?
Answer: You are already learning it if you are resolving to be on path of Truth and Happiness. Its an automatic internal process. Experts can help you provide distilled knowledge that you can start applying in your life and get results faster. But remember, unlike other arts, this is a process of internalizing. No teacher or guide can help you provide absolute knowledge. They can provide directions and you will have to decide as per your own intellect. In Theory of Karma, there is no transfer of responsibility. That remains 100% yours.
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