Day 29 - The Meaning of Karma

Today's Tarka Practice

In the west, people tend to think that karma means "what goes around, comes around" or "you should watch your actions because if you don't, you will get what's coming to you." However, this is not actually what karma means, so I thought I would discuss karma in greater depth here in order to clear up the misunderstandings.

Karma is not the law of retribution. Instead, it has many different meanings and is associated directly with our traits, characteristics, personalities, desires, habits, and tendencies. Karma is both a direct result of things or actions we take in all of our lifetimes as well as the genetic characteristics we are born with. For example, being right handed is a type of karma. The desire to be rich is also a type of karma.

In the yoga philosophy of the east, there are 3 different broad categories of karma. I will discuss the first one today - San-chitta karma. San-chitta karma is all of the karma you have collected from each life you have lived. Now that is a lot of karma.

This can be hard to picture so think of yourself as the ocean - all of the karma from all of your lifetimes is contained here. Each of the waves within the ocean is your karma manifesting. Not all of the karma manifests at one time or even in this lifetime. Not all waves in the ocean come all at one time. Sometimes the waves are big and sometimes they are small. Who you marry would be a big wave, what you choose for breakfast would be a small wave.

In order to begin to get a better understanding of karma, let's take a look at some of the karma that has manifested in this lifetime. In your journal, write down all of the characteristics you were born with - hair color, eye color, right or left handed, gender, weakeness or strengths within your body (for example - a weak stomach or a strong heart), sexual orientation, lifestyle choices (smoking, drinking, eating, etc).

Tomorrow, we will discuss this list futher. So, until tomorrow...
Shanti

Day 30 - Pralabdha Karma

Today's Tarka Practice

This week's discussion is on karma, what it means, and some of the different types. On Monday we talked about San-chitta karma or all of your karma from all lifetimes. Today, we will talk about Pralabdha karma.

 

Pralabdha karma is just the karma of this lifetime. So, if you did Monday's tarka, you will be off to a good start thinking about the karma you have in this lifetime. Take a look at the list I asked you to make on Monday. On this list, you should see some of the karma you were born with.

 

Your karma can tell you about your dharma, so it is important to understand the type of karma you were born with. This is the most likely karma to manifest in this lifetime. I'll use myself as an example here to illustrate what I mean. On my list of characteristics, I have teacher. Whether formal or informal I always seem to be teaching something. I teach my kids, I teach my students, I teach myself. No matter what I do, I can't seem to get away from this approach. Smiles. It follows me everywhere. It seems that I was born with this already in place. So, one might say that I was born with the karma of a teacher.

 

To take this further, the way I approach life - through the eyes of a teacher - can then be seen as a part of my dharma. It is in my essence. I might then say that it is my duty or my responsibility to be a teacher in this lifetime.

 

For today's journal entry, take a look over that list of characteristics you made on Monday and see if you can draw a relationship between your characteristics and your passions. What are you most passionate about? How might this tell you about your karma and what you are meant to manifest in this lifetime?

 

Shanti

 

 

Day 31 - Turning the Negative into a Positive

Today's Tarka Practice
We have now talked about two different types of karma - San-chitta karma and Pralabdha karma. The next type of karma it is important to understand is Kriyamana karma.

 

Kriyamana karma is the karma that you are creating in this lifetime. To clarify, Pralabdha karma is all of the karma in this lifetime but Kriyamana karma is the karma you are constantly creating and adding to the Pralabdha karma tank or ocean if you will. For example, on Wednesday I talked about one of my traits - teacher as a part of my Pralabdha karma. Now, when I teach I am creating something and this act of creation creates karma.

 

In other words, karma can also be described as a cause-effect relationship. In my essence, I am a teacher; therefore, I teach. This act of teaching creates an effect on myself and on others. Remember, it is not a good effect or a bad effect, it is just an effect. Someone might see my teaching as either good or bad but this is not karma. Instead, this is someone bringing their own attitudes onto what I am teaching and assigning it a meaning of their own. Most likely, they will interpret my teaching in a way that is harmonious with their own karma.

 

To simplify this idea, what I mean here is that everyone has their own personal lens through which they see the world. This personal lens effects one's attitude towards things. What is important to understand is that you can change your attitude about something at any time. You have the power to see things in any way that you want to see them.

 

For today's journal entry, think about a time in which you experienced something you didn't like and had a negative attitude about it. Now, think about how you could have changed your attitude in order to experience this same thing more positively. I'll give an example for further clarity.

 

When my daughter was born, my pelvis separated and I couldn't walk or take care of my daughter without help. I couldn't carry her or get her a bottle or get up with her in the middle of the night. I couldn't do anything that one normally does with a newborn. I could have seen this as a very negative experience (and on some days I did). However, I thought mostly about what a great gift it was because it allowed me to spend time with my newborn. All I could do was sit in a chair all day long so this is what I did. I sat with her on my lap, holding her for the entire day. This was precious bonding time for us both. If I had been able to move around more, I might have missed out on this bonding time because I would have been very busy cleaning and cooking and tending to things.

 

Think of this example and write about a time when you turned a negative experience into a positive one.

 

Shanti

Day 38 - The Role of Astrology in Our Lives

Today's Tarka Practice
Astrology is a symbolic representation of the karma that will manifest in this life time. It provides a map that you can utilize for guidance to navigate the waters of life. If you examine your natal chart, you can get a pictoral representation of your personality, the challenges you will face, and the strengths you carry.

One of the goals of our practice is to help you gain greater wisdom and insight about who you are - your patterns, your karma, your dharma, your purpose and meaning in this life and astrology can help you get there.

If you are new to astrology, I recommend that you obtain a copy of your natal chart. You can obtain a free chart here: http://alabe.com/freechart/. You will also get some preliminary information on how to evaluate your chart and its meanings.

For your tarka practice this week, take a look at your natal chart and the preliminary information provided to you in this report. Read through the information there and note down the parts of the reading you feel connect to you. Also, write down those things that you do not think apply to you. Reflect on what is useful and what can bring you greater wisdom about yourself.

Shanti