"Sudden happenings of good fortune and misfortune are a part of life and there is no escape from that. Indian saint and poet Soordas has rightly stated that the effects of actions (Karma's) cannot be avoided even with the best of guidance from an enlightened and experienced person. It would not be proper to assume that misfortunes are punishments given by an angry God to chastise an erring person. Rather The Epic Ramayana (Indian spiritual text) states that each individual is himself personally responsible for his happiness and his misery .
All beings reap the fruits of their own Karma's.They rejoice or wail, weep and suffer because of their own doings. With each living being, God has provided an unerring and intelligent mechanism, which determines the fruits of his actions. Like a fish swimming in the water or a snake moving on sand leave a trail, we as human beings leave behind footprints of our own Karma's. These impressions are known as “Samskaras” in Indian spiritual parlance.
Happiness and peace are the
natural states of mind. Man is instinctively inclined to act in the welfare of the self
and others and this naturally results in a state of peace and joy. In the Karma parlance- a person is known to be suffering when he or she becomes mentally disturbed. All human beings dread mental turbulence, sorrow and grief. Hence in this article we will explore the causes of unhappiness, the different types of sufferings and how they are intricately linked to our own individual Karma's.
Medical science has two independent streams, one for promotion of health and another for treatment of diseases. In the same way there are two branches of spiritual science – one for promoting happiness and the other for resolving or treating unhappiness. Righteous living is essential for our inner peace and happiness just as nutritional food is essential for our health. In therapy it is necessary to first have a diagnosis and then look for treatment. The same holds true for unhappiness. By putting right the Karma's that cause our unhappiness we can get rid ourselves of unhappiness, suffering and pain.
Medical science has two independent streams, one for promotion of health and another for treatment of diseases. In the same way there are two branches of spiritual science – one for promoting happiness and the other for resolving or treating unhappiness. Righteous living is essential for our inner peace and happiness just as nutritional food is essential for our health. In therapy it is necessary to first have a diagnosis and then look for treatment. The same holds true for unhappiness. By putting right the Karma's that cause our unhappiness we can get rid ourselves of unhappiness, suffering and pain.
Mental Suffering:
All types of sorrows, qualify as mental
suffering, and are the results of negative acts of thought committed by our mind. Mental sufferings arise out of an incorrect or less than optimal way of thought and when we overcome this deficiency (an improper way of thinking) we can address and reduce our mental sufferings.
Worry, anxiety, anger, humiliation, animosity, separation from a beloved one, fear, grief, etc. are overt signs of divine justice for our negative mental actions . Negative mental actions (mental sins) can be defined as those wilful Kama's (deliberate acts) of the mind, which are carried out under the influence of strong negative emotional stimuli. We may categorise mental sins as corrupt functions of the mind.
Worry, anxiety, anger, humiliation, animosity, separation from a beloved one, fear, grief, etc. are overt signs of divine justice for our negative mental actions . Negative mental actions (mental sins) can be defined as those wilful Kama's (deliberate acts) of the mind, which are carried out under the influence of strong negative emotional stimuli. We may categorise mental sins as corrupt functions of the mind.
Acts of jealousy,
perfidy, deception, annoyance, cruelty, etc, pollute the environment
around our inner psyche. Mental sins like these do not provide any physical gratification instead they create a circumstance where we feel the need to escape from the situation . If we find ourselves in a smoke-filled room , the smoke suffocates us and we try to escape from that room- in the same way an environment created by pollutants of the mind
suffocates our soul and we then try to move away from the situation we have created.
The
soul, being a
portion of the omnipresent Divinity, is intrinsically
pure. It does not like the accumulation of sinful thoughts around itself and is
always eager to push out the pollutants in the same way as the human body reacts to expel the presence of harmful food. The soul is meticulously careful
about its purity. The moment it finds mental sins polluting its
environment, it feels uncomfortable and immediately reacts to discard the
pollutants. Though our external conscious
mind is hardly
aware of this discomfort, the inner, subtle mind is
always seeking the opportunities to throw off this burden.
Death of a beloved person, loss in business
and property, public-defamation,
poverty etc. are types of mental agonies. Such situations bring out the inner pain
to the surface and the aggrieved person weeps, wails and is reminded of the
futility of worldly attachments and impermanence of material things. Situations
creating acute mental unhappiness bring out a greater awareness of the need for
righteous living. Man is motivated to refrain from committing sinful deeds in the future and to follow an upright path in life. While attending funerals, people are
reminded of the urgency of living a purposeful life, and when the intoxication is over the drunk
begins to talk sense.
The only purpose of mental
distress is to cleanse the mind of garbage of mental pollutants and overcome thoughts like jealously, ingratitude, selfishness, cruelty, heartlessness cunning, hypocrisy
and egoism. Through suffering, the intelligent divine mechanism ensures removal
of Samskaras created by Prarabdha Karma's (discussed later). Pain and anguish
spring forth to wash out the Samskars generated by Prarabdha
Karmas. While sins like theft, burglary, robbery, adultery, kidnapping
and violence are categorized as physical sins or physical acts of crime but as these acts are basically outer
manifestation of negative mental stimuli, they fall in the category of mental sins.
Physical Suffering:
The cause of congenital
deficiencies and genetic diseases is the mis-utilisation of the corresponding organs
in the previous life–cycles. After death, the soul discards the physical body
but carries forward the astral body (Sookshma Shareer) to the next life. In the
succeeding birth, the new body is shaped by this astral body. The astral body
carries with it nuclei (seeds) of Samskaras of earlier physical existence to the
next reincarnation.
The corresponding components of physical organs, which were not correctly used in the previous life, lose their vitality in the astral body but manifest as malfunctioning organs in the physical body of the next birth. Thus it is possible for a sexually indulgent person to be born with congenital impotence or with imperfections in sexual organs in the next life. Giving exemplary punishment for over- indulgence in this manner, the divine justice also provides the being an excellent opportunity for self-upliftment.
The corresponding components of physical organs, which were not correctly used in the previous life, lose their vitality in the astral body but manifest as malfunctioning organs in the physical body of the next birth. Thus it is possible for a sexually indulgent person to be born with congenital impotence or with imperfections in sexual organs in the next life. Giving exemplary punishment for over- indulgence in this manner, the divine justice also provides the being an excellent opportunity for self-upliftment.
The temporary period of non-function
or malfunctions of the affected faculty serves the purpose of caution as well
as rejuvenation for the next life. That is to say whichever organ of the body
is recklessly misused for a sense of gratification is deemed to be engaged in a
physical sin. In the next life that organ is either found missing or appears as
a congenital defect. Thus congenital physical deformities or diseases are for
remission of sins. (ref. Absolution –Roman Catholic Theory.) The compulsive
rest rejuvenates the organ of the body and also relieves the burden of sin from
the mind through repentance. When a mental sin is intermixed with a physical
sin and it has not been neutralized in the present life by punishment by the
state, society or by atonement, it is also carried over to the next life.
However, if the sin is basically
physical with little or no input of mental sin (deliberate intention), the
biological system immediately takes care of it. For instance- a man gets
intoxicated upon taking drugs, or he falls sick because of dietary
irregularities or dies on consuming poison. This is a physical punishment
for a physical sin. The body cleans itself of the small physical sins speedily
and these are neutralized in this very life. On the other hand, as mentioned
earlier, serious physical vices, which are also associated with mental stimuli,
are carried over by the astral body for being worked out in the next life.
Sufferings arising out of natural calamities :
Of late, science has begun to
appreciate the impact of lop-sided human activities on the global
life-sustaining elements of nature. For example, indiscriminate use of chloro-flouro carbons
by some developing countries is damaging the global atmosphere for entire
humankind by producing the greenhouse effect.
Reckless deforestation in certain parts of the world is creating worldwide ecological imbalances. Such examples illustrate that basic elements of nature are globally interdependent and local changes in them have universal implications. The following observations bring out this eternal truth.
Reckless deforestation in certain parts of the world is creating worldwide ecological imbalances. Such examples illustrate that basic elements of nature are globally interdependent and local changes in them have universal implications. The following observations bring out this eternal truth.
“Pran”- the universal life force,
is one of the vital elements of nature, which is an integral constituent of all
animate beings. The entire human race is inter-connected with this all-pervasive
element. Each spark of life in the individual animate being, which is known as
“Atma” in spiritual parlance, is part of the omnipresence of THAT universal
life force.
The science of spirituality maintains that Karma's and Samskaras of all living beings are mutually interactive. In a social milieu these reactions are quite prominent. A criminal brings shame to himself as well as his parents and family.The latter too suffer disgrace as it could be that they did not exert enough influence to make the person a good citizen.
The responsibility for spiritual development of the child (a virtuous Karma) lies with the parents and other adults of the family. Hence, while in the material world only the offender receives the punishment from the law enforcers and the society, in the spiritual world the souls of the parents and other family members too have to suffer partially for dereliction of duty -which the divine jurisprudence considers to be a sin.
When the neighbor’s house is on fire, you cannot remain a silent spectator, because soon you may also become a victim of the spread of that fire. If we are capable of preventing, certain sinful acts and yet we look indifferently upon acts of theft, burglary, rape, murder etc in the hope that social justice will take care of the same, OR if we avoid individual responsibility OR ignore our ability to have intervened to prevent sinful acts and instead place the burden on the courts of justice and the framework of law- Then the Laws of divine justice do not recognise this path.
The science of spirituality maintains that Karma's and Samskaras of all living beings are mutually interactive. In a social milieu these reactions are quite prominent. A criminal brings shame to himself as well as his parents and family.The latter too suffer disgrace as it could be that they did not exert enough influence to make the person a good citizen.
The responsibility for spiritual development of the child (a virtuous Karma) lies with the parents and other adults of the family. Hence, while in the material world only the offender receives the punishment from the law enforcers and the society, in the spiritual world the souls of the parents and other family members too have to suffer partially for dereliction of duty -which the divine jurisprudence considers to be a sin.
When the neighbor’s house is on fire, you cannot remain a silent spectator, because soon you may also become a victim of the spread of that fire. If we are capable of preventing, certain sinful acts and yet we look indifferently upon acts of theft, burglary, rape, murder etc in the hope that social justice will take care of the same, OR if we avoid individual responsibility OR ignore our ability to have intervened to prevent sinful acts and instead place the burden on the courts of justice and the framework of law- Then the Laws of divine justice do not recognise this path.
Instead,Divine law expects man to abide
by time-tested moral codes of conduct and to also make the maximum possible endeavor
to prevent others from violating these codes. If some country or community or race
does not make an effort to prevent or dissuade others from committing wrong
deeds in spite of being in a position of leadership to do so; or it does not promote morality
and ethics despite having the means to do so then the former too has to suffer the consequences of its inaction's. Such collective
sins of inactivity
or indifference invite
combined punishment from divine justice.
Earthquakes, deluges, drought,
famine, world wars are consequences of collective sins of humanity, in which Karma's for selfish vested interests were given priority and welfare of the rest of the
humanity was ignored. Examples are - widespread prevalence of AIDS in certain geographies , drug abuse and alcoholism,
disintegration of families, juvenile delinquency, terrorism, environmental
pollution etc. Most of the developed nations today suffer from some kinds of these problems and it could be that the developed countries are suffering consequences of their smug
indifference towards the welfare of the underprivileged masses in nations elsewhere."
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References and Source to the above article:
To read the Book "The Absolute Law of Karma" please click the link below:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/56439617/The-Absolute-Law-of-Karma-by-Pandit-Shriram-Sharma-Acharya
To read more about the author Shriram Sharma Acharya, please click the link below:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shriram_Sharma
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http://www.scribd.com/doc/56439617/The-Absolute-Law-of-Karma-by-Pandit-Shriram-Sharma-Acharya
To read more about the author Shriram Sharma Acharya, please click the link below:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shriram_Sharma
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