Destiny and Karma
G: I agree that all creations in this world are manifestation of God. But once he creates a human being, he gives a mind and intellect and places the karma before that life. That living being can strive to attain godliness by using his mind and intellect and attain the eternal bliss or he may be carried away by the worldly pleasures. Only the birth of an individual is because of his karma and destiny. The rest lies in the hands of the individual. This is my understanding of the philosophy of karma and destiny.
S: My dear, the Fundamental Principle of Destiny subsumes your theory of Karma and it operates before, during and after birth – all the time. Nothing lies in the hands of the individual... all are destined in the sense that everything happens in what scientific minded persons call cause and effect sequence. What you think you have thought or decided is what you were destined to think or decide. You cannot even exercise choice between following and not following Sattavik life, between submission of all that you think and do to God or do not submit fully to God, and between being happy or sad irrespective of what happens to you and the World
G: I am unable to understand your words “Your actions are all destined including the way you think, decide and do things (even the state of your happiness or sorrow).” If everything is destined, why we need a mind and intellect. Are we the dolls in the hands of destiny? If we are all dolls of destiny, what God does in this universe?
S: Yes, we are dolls of destiny and we do not know our destiny in advance. Even our peace of mind and happiness depends on destiny. God may or may not be there.
G: What is God’s role in helping us? How does the principle of Karma work?
S: According to my understanding, the principle of Karma is the principle that binds past karma with present Karma or future Karma. That means Principle of Karma is the principle of destiny. To my mind, this principle is too complicated to comprehend, as destinies of so many individuals are inter-linked. So to apply Karma principle to one individual’s destiny is only a partial analysis. We have to grasp the general model of destiny. I am at present only thinking about these aspects and cannot really explain now. Maybe I will be able to think out and arrive at my own understanding later when I can venture to explain.
G: Sir, I would like to share a story. Once a student went to a Guru and asked him to enroll him as his student. The guru saw the student palm and rejected him. The student asked why he is being rejected. The Guru explained to him that the line of reasoning in his palm is not strong, therefore he can not be good in studies. Then the student left the place and came the next day. The student showed his palm and asked his guru, whether now he can enroll him. The guru saw a deep cut in the palm made with some sharp instrument. Touched by his determination, the student was admitted and later he wrote the Sanskrit grammar and his name was Bhargavi. These things tell me there is a destiny to create obstacles and test the character / mental strength.
S: Up to this you are right
G: But we write our own destiny when we overcome these obstacles with sheer determination and conviction.
S: Here you may not be correct. Only if you are destined you will be able to overcome obstacles and you will get determination and conviction You may have noticed Smugglers and Goondas also have great determination and conviction. And some of them succeed in what they do. They achieve wealth and comfort. They were destined to what they have done and achieved. They are also destined to face the music later on.
G: As I understand, in this world, every human being born is with a heavenly fire in him. But to realize and achieve the eternal bliss lies in the use of his mind and intellect through continuous introspection. In the process, every life needs an inspiration or some catalyst for awakening.
S: You are absolutely right.
G: The entire thing can be summarized as to “Be of it but not of it”. The so-called ‘detached attachment’.
S: Not absolutely correct. Detachment is from the consequences of whatever happens to external environment and impact of that on you so that you can never be sad; it is like seeing some entertaining cinema... nothing happens to you thereafter. Attachment is only to the feeling of oneness with the entire Universe.
G: I feel the Zen Buddhism, one of the ways to practice Hinduism, is now best to express this ‘way of life’ (Hinduism). According to my understanding of Zen philosophy, the entire belief is based on the word “Circumspect”. Being careful in what we say and do, we realize god. By troubling our body we cannot enjoy good things and at the same time allowing worldly pleasures also will not move us towards God. So the self is more important to realize God.
S: You are right. Zen Buddhism may also be linked to the basic principles of Sanatana Dharma. Yes, self is the most important. But this self means the Atman (God inside one’s own entire existence; all of us exist in God).
G: They have a Zen tea ceremony, where the followers are taught to take the tea with full concentration of taking it and enjoying the tea. Another story is a Zen Monk, burning the Buddha idols made of wood to withstand the cold and next day worshipping Buddha in a piece of stone. The Zen philosophy says for every sinner there is a remedy and future. By serving the humanity, the sins are washed.
S: There is nothing like sin and sinner. Some people are destined to do something that is not good from the point of view of social and natural justice. But such people and what they do are also the manifestations of God and is a part of the destiny process.
G: I think that the entire belief is something in-between Grahastham and sanyasam.
S: Grahastham and Sanyasam are phases of social life. One can become a Sanyasi while staying in his own house or Gruha like Sri Rama Krishna did. Sanaysi is the ultimate seeker of Eternal Truth, which is the state of intellect and mind where one is always pleased with him and the entire world irrespective of what happens in the World. But so far as you are concerned, you can be a Sanayasi working in XYZ company or business and serving your family and simultaneously striving to shun all Tamasic and Rajasic thoughts and deeds. With Sattavik inclinations you try to reach the Ultimate State of Mind And Intellect that is filled only with the Ultimate Truth. But whether you will seek Truth and what manner, if at all, is also part of destiny process and not your choice. What I am telling to you will be very difficult for you to digest. You rather not try to digest all these at this stage. But keep remembering what I said/write. Ponder over them for a few minutes once in two years or whenever you happen to feel that you need to recall these words.
G: This is something like being insensitive to a sensitive issue
S: There is nothing Sensitive really. There is nothing insensitive either. We need to go beyond this classification and see all issues as the same.
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