Dormant, Active, and Potential Karmas

THE WORD KARMA means "action". All of our actions are karmas except the ones we are in the process of performing. These are kriyas; completed actions are karmas. The seeds of karma lie in the kriya, because our present actions instantly turn into completed actions. When an action is completed, the action itself no longer exists in its gross form, but the result of that action manifests sooner or later. Both the action and its result are stored in their subtle forms in the unconscious mind and are known as "karmas."

These days the word karma has taken on negative connotations. People in the East as well as the West make statements such as "My karma caught up with me" when something unpleasant happens. This is a distortion of the concept. Karma can be positive or negative, uplifting or degrading. The law of karma is simply "As you sow, so shall you reap."

All cultures share the belief that if we do good we will reap good results. The concept of good differs from place to place and from time to time, but the conviction that there is a causal relationship between good actions and good results and bad or wrong actions and bad results is fundamental to all societies. And regardless of what the highest goal of life is thought to be, spiritually uplifting actions are universally seen as the means of purifying the way of the soul, just as base actions are seen as contaminating.

Any action we perform – whether mental, verbal, or physical – creates a subtle impression in our unconscious mind. When we continually repeat the4 same action these impressions are strengthened, until eventually they become so powerful that, unable to resist their strong currents, we are swept into performing actions that match these impressions. In other words, subtle impressions (samskaras) are born from our actions, and, in turn, our actions are motivated by subtle impressions. This is a vicious cycle that, once in motion, is difficult to break. This cycle – actions creating impressions, which in turn drive our actions – is the law of karma.

(to be continued in March, 2006 issue)

© Excerpted from "From Death to Birth" by Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, PhD. Reprinted with permission from The HImalayana International Institute of Yoga Science and Philosophy, Honesdale, PA, USA.

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