December 27, 2012

Some insights into the Law of Karma

First, let’s see what law of karma is not: “Ye-hi mera naseeb hai” or “jo kismet me hai, wahi hoga”-(meaning, whatever is in my destiny will happen) -these statements do not express the working of the  law of karma.  Words like naseeb, kismet, muqadar, taqdeer, are Arabic/Persian words, have no Sanskrit equivalents, and don’t exist in the lexicon of Hindu dharma.  Such words imply fate or destiny and predestination by a higher power.

Law of karma is a logical belief that helps us make sense of otherwise unexplainable observations: why do unjustifiably bad things happen to good people and vice versa. According to the law of karma, every action produces an immediate result, and very significantly, a delayed (potential) result, which will take place sooner or later; either in this life or in a future life.  As an example, if one hits another with a stone, the immediate result will be the injury caused to the person hit by the stone, and the potential result will be an equivalent amount of injury the perpetrator will receive.  Potential results accumulate over many life times.  Good deeds accumulate as good karma (punya karma) and bad ones as bad karma (papa karma).  The karma we are born with (prarabdha karma) affect the results of all our actions in this life and also bring about any unexpected events that happen to us-good or bad.  Briefly, this is the law of karma.

These observations about the law of karma, made by ancient sages of India (rishis), have profound impact on our life. The law of karma declares that we alone are responsible for the results we get from our actions, and for the events that happen to us.  There is no higher power that makes decisions for us to punish or reward us.  It refutes the idea of pre-destination and words such as fate, kismet, etc.

The law of karma tells us that God is not sitting in judgment punishing some and rewarding others.  God created a natural universe governed by the intelligent laws of nature.  The law of karma is part of the natural order of the universe, and it too works as a law of nature.

Prarabdha karma that we are born with will certainly influence our life; the question arises: “Is there a way we can soften their impact or diminish our suffering.”  Our gurus tell us: “Yes; offer prayers, do selfless service, seek avenues for spiritual strength, and develop an attitude of acceptance.  God is not unfair; everyone is dear to Him”.

Next topic; Interplay between karma and free will.

December 14, 2012

Note: This article is longer than the typical posts on this blog.  But, Vedanta is one of the most challenging topics in Hindu Dharma, and I feel the extra space is justified.

This posting answers two questions:

1. How can I realistically benefit from the knowledge of Vedanta?

Vedanta guides us to discover that our true Self is full, complete and lacks nothing. This is the state of jeevan mukti (liberation in this life; also termed moksha, or enlightenment). Once this discovery takes place there are two very real life-transforming benefits:

·        You are no longer dependent on satisfying your desires to be happy. In fact the desires automatically subside because you are already completely happy.  There’s nothing wrong in fulfilling your desires, but if those desires are not fulfilled, you are still full, complete, and lack nothing. Imagine the freedom you will enjoy with this feeling!

·        Pain from any illnesses or any emotional distress (sadness, etc.) from difficult situations is felt but the suffering is minimized because it is recognized that pain and sadness belong to the body-mind sense complex, not to your true Self (explained below). This is liberation (moksha)! A true hall mark of enlightenment.

2.      What Vedantic knowledge is that which leads to the state of jeevan mukti?

Vedanta uses various models of logical reasoning to remove our ignorance and wrong conclusions that “I am my body”, “I am my mind”, or “I am the doer-the decision maker”. It’s not within the scope of this short article to discuss those models. But, here is an example of the logic that is used: you cannot be what belongs to you.  When you say my body is tall or short, or my mind is sad or it’s going crazy today, you acknowledge that your body and mind belong to you.  How can you BE what belongs to you! Further, you cannot be the doer (your ego) either, because the sense of ego (doer-ship) comes and goes, as in the state of deep sleep or in a state of deep absorption. When you say, e.g., “I was lost in the music” that you were listening to, you cannot be the one who got lost! You were there; otherwise how would you know you were lost!

With proper guidance of a qualified teacher, you will be led to discover that who you are, is the consciousness that reveals to you what is taking place in your mind; your mind is all your thoughts, perceptions, and emotions known to you.  That consciousness is your true Self! This is what our rishis called atma.  Atma, is sat, chit, ananda swarupa, i.e., eternal consciousness, full and complete.

Now, your objection might be; “I will never reach that state of enlightenment!” Take heart: to the extent you realize the Vedantic truths, to that extent you will reduce your suffering!  So the benefits accrue soon after you pursue the goal of removing your ignorance. A very real noticeable change can takes place within a year under the guidance of a guru! The effort pays off nicely.

December 2, 2012

 

What is Vedanta?

The word Vedanta is composed of two Sanskrit words: Veda meaning knowledge and antah meaning end.  The word signifies that it is the knowledge that is presented in the end portions of the Vedas. These end portions are small texts that are called Upanishads.  Collective knowledge of Upanishads is referred to as Vedanta. There are over one hundred known Upanishads, although now a days only about a dozen of them are taught; a few of the commonly known ones are Isha, Kena, Katha, Mandukya, Mundaka, Ishavasya, Taitreya, etc.

The core teachings of Vedanta answer the ultimate questions one is apt to ask: “who am I? What is this Universe? Who is God? What is my relationship with the Universe and God?”

 What is the practical significance of Vedanta?

Vedanta allows us to deal with the fundamental problem of our feeling of inadequacy and limited-ness.  By nature, we as human beings want complete and infinite happiness.  We want a perfect physical body, a perfect mind and intellect, and perfect emotional status of bliss and happiness.  We pursue this infinite goal by fulfilling our desires through our finite efforts; but we invariably fail. We fail because infinite cannot be attained by finite.  No amount of effort will take us to the ultimate state of happiness.  What is the solution?  Vedanta teaches us that the solution is really simple.  We don’t have to seek perfection outside; we already are what we are seeking!

The reason we don’t feel that way is because our true nature is covered with a veil of ignorance-that’s how we are born.  Vedantic knowledge removes the dark veil of ignorance and allows our true nature to shine through.  Once the ignorance is removed, we will discover the source of happiness within and live fully contented without being dependent on worldly objects.

 

Follow up questions for next posting:
How can I realistically benefit from the knowledge of Vedanta? What is the nature of that knowledge?

 

What are Hindu Scriptures?

 Hindu scriptures are generally classified as sruti and smriti literature.  Sruti means that which is heard and smriti means that which is remembered.  Sruti scriptures are mainly the four Vedas (Rig, Yajur, Atharva, and Sama) which comprise the knowledge revealed to the rishis.  Smriti scriptures are itihasa and puranas.  Itihasa includes the two great Hindu epics, Ramayana and Mahabharata.  There are 18 major puranas (e.g.,Srimad  Bhagavad) and 18 minor puranas   There are many other ancient scriptures (e.g., agama, upaveda, vedanga) and sacred texts that deal with a variety of subjects such as medicine (Ayurveda), astrology (jyotish vidya), weaponry and warfare (dhanurvidya), music (gandharva vidya), wealth and economics (artha vidya).

 Next question: What is Vedanta?  Answer will be posted next week.

Post your answer if you wish.

Answer to last week's question: How would you answer when asked: "What is Hindu Religion"?

The following few significant features highlight the major precepts of Hindu religion that can be mentioned as a starting point.

1. Hindu religion is based on the teachings of the ancient scriptures known as the Vedas. There are four Vedas, namely: Rig, Yajur, Sama and Atharva.

2. According to Hindu religion, God is one all pervasive Supreme Being, manifest as creation and its intelligence, as well as un-manifest reality.  His divinity is present in one and all.

3. Core concepts of Hindu religion include:

·       Dharma: Righteousness

·       Karma: The law of cause and effect: good actions incur good results (punya karma) and unrighteous actions incur undesirable results (papa karma).

·       Reincarnation: The belief that after a person dies, that person’s soul is reborn in a new body.

·       Moksha (liberation); Freedom from suffering in this life as a result of discovering one’s true nature.  Attaining moksha frees a person from the cycle of rebirth

4. Hindu religion recognizes several spiritual practices for one’s spiritual growth; four major practices are: karma yoga, bhakti yoga, jnana yoga, and dhyana yoga (meditation).

 

Elaboration of these key points will follow .

If you are asked “What is Hindu Religion?”-what would you say?

Many of us find it challenging to briefly answer the question, “What is Hindu Religion?”  Since Hindu Religion is full of rich complexity of complementary philosophies and spiritual practices, it is difficult to concisely answer such a question.  Nevertheless, as educated adults, and especially as Hindus, we ought to have a ready response to this basic question.

I will wait for some answers from the readers

Next week I will post some key points to have on your finger tips.to answer the question