Monday, November 27, 2023

Back to Understanding Collective Karma

 As far as the laws of existence are concerned, there is no good and no bad, no crime and punishment.  It is just for every action there is a consequence.

Sadhguru

This is all Karma is people: a consequence for action, an effect from a cause.The effect or consequence can be personal or collective. 

Personal: Let's say, for example,we think bad thoughts about a certain person because of their race or gender, we voice those thoughts, (or worse...act on them) and then we reap the consequences of those thoughts and words. We receive some form of social or legal sanction.  Why?  Because we are bad and needing to be punished?  No,  because we are "off the mark" when aiming for our target ( reestablishing ourselves in the Seat of Self...whether we know that is what we are aiming for  or not, that is the Soul's goal....and such distinct mental separation from others takes us way off course). What we get back from society, what we get back from life as  a consequence for our action, is to simply help us learn and get back on course.  If there were no consequences we would get farther and farther away from the mission agenda of taking the Soul where it is here to go. We need karma!

Karma can be personal, as above, or it can be collective. 

So, a question was asked to Sadhguru and recorded in the last chapter of the book. 

When I read a news report  about a little girl being raped, for example, can I really say she deserved it because it is her karma?

Sadhguru answers by saying it isn't her karma, it is ours.

If all of us live without any humanity in our hearts for all the atrocities going on around us, that is our karma. We get the society we deserve. So don't think of it as her karma. Think of it as your own.  Inaction is also  karma. page 206

 Every little girl in society, not just the ones we know and love, are deserving of our protection.  We are collectively responsible for suffering in our community when we do not  at least try to make a difference. We need to do whatever we can to protect every little girl in our society, every sentient being!  We need to take responsibility for the collective suffering around us. If we are observing it...it is a part of our karma. We can recognize it as such and take on wholesome action!  Not that we can change all the would be consequences and protect everyone but we can have in our thoughts, words, and actions the desire for the well being of all. 

If there is collective will, we can bring many things to some sense of order. With concerted and participatory action, much can be changed. But if you attribute all this to divine will, things will go on endlessly in the same way. page 206

...if you see yourself as the creator of your karma, it will shape the way you think, feel, and act. And you now realize, you have the power to affect the lives of many, many others around you.  page 207

But remember this: for every thought that you generate, there is a consequence. Don't ever try to fix the consequence. The consequence will happen anyway. It is not something you can control. But the process is your doing.  If you manage the process well, the consequence will be good.  page 207

So we cannot control the consequences of karma but we can control the process.  Let's ensure our thoughts, words, and actions are motivated by a desire for the well being of all. Let's manage the process well. 

All is well.  

Sadhguru ( 2021) Karma: A Yogi's Guide to Crafting Your Destiny. New York: Harmony


No comments:

Post a Comment