The basic meaning of “Karma” is 'activity'(work) and it is a known fact that a living thing has to work till it dies.
A human being invariably connects "Karma" to the previous life and some people consider that it is imposed on them due to unknown forces that is beyond their control. However what we fail to realize is that we are continuously doing "Karma' every moment, which is becoming a past the next moment!
It is a fact of life that we very conveniently forget most of the things we have done yesterday or last week and this happens due to our continuous pre-occupation with so many different issues in our daily life as we are exposed to constant bombardment of telephone calls, events, news, friends, strangers, conflicts etc.
Therefore, in reality, we can only change our "Karma" of the future because the past is already gone as 'time will never stand still". On the other hand in every possible way, one is capable of bringing in to the mind a thought process that is filled with good deeds, without hatred, without anger, without vengeance but this requires settling down to create calmness of mind.
Regarding "meditation" many people have a wrong notion that it is a long process that requires high focus or great concentration power etc., but in reality it is nothing but bringing in some silence in to your mind for as little or as much as possible by putting 'a stop' to your thought process which keeps flowing or vibrating within us all the time.
If one is able to do this even for a few minutes on a daily basis by not subjecting oneself to the hell and pell of daily life this will benefit a person a great lot.
People, in general, are keen to get more news, more information and create more turbulence inside the mind space every day rather than emptying out the mind like throwing away the dirty or stale water from a bucket. Therefore the process of throwing away the unwanted stuff and cleaning the mind is always a good practice.
Regarding "meditation" many people have a wrong notion that it is a long process that requires high focus or great concentration power etc., but in reality it is nothing but bringing in some silence in to your mind for as little or as much as possible by putting 'a stop' to your thought process which keeps flowing or vibrating within us all the time.
If one is able to do this even for a few minutes on a daily basis by not subjecting oneself to the hell and pell of daily life this will benefit a person a great lot.
People, in general, are keen to get more news, more information and create more turbulence inside the mind space every day rather than emptying out the mind like throwing away the dirty or stale water from a bucket. Therefore the process of throwing away the unwanted stuff and cleaning the mind is always a good practice.
Therefore the process called 'self-correction' for the future could take place only when a person is able to think in a meditative mood rather than an agitated mood with an unbiased thought process and without prejudice or blaming 'others' which we normally do.
The 'self-correction' process could be defined as a private time, the time one spends with the self to observe and understand one’s own mind. It is rather a very a simple process by allowing the mind to observe the thoughts that flow through but not dwell on any of those thoughts that erupt inside us all the time.
Obviously, the future is not in our hands because there are many stumbling blocks and we always need the co-operation or help from others. Therefore no can predict the future with precision but at least the best one could do is try to control or decide how to act the next moment because all the 'karma" we have done in the moments that have passed away, there is no way we can change those!
Therefore the best way is to think afresh and keep the karmic past aside because one is capable of correcting or not repeating the past mistakes but then this could happen provided one thinks afresh without any strings attached.
Let us now move on to the term ‘Yoga’ which has also several meanings and one of the meanings of ‘yoga’ is ‘union’; but the question is union with what?
An exalted person is likely to explain 'yoga' as the union of ‘mind with the body’ and perhaps a very high ranking spiritual personality might describe it as the connection of an individual consciousness or spirit soul with the universal cosmic consciousness or supreme soul.
In the 4th century, "Hippocrates stated that brain is the seat of intelligence" but we all know intelligence is gained by knowledge as well as experience. It is either through books or other people or gurus we usually gain knowledge.
Thus 'mind' plays the all-important role and the fact that there are lots of intelligent people and with wisdom but their karmic backdrop make them go through the dilemma of duality in life but then none of us can avoid this situation; then the real question that comes up is do we act with a steadfast mind ? - meaning without wavering, without fear and without any biased opinion, scientifically termed as "equilibrium!!
It is a fact that despite all the 'intelligence' and 'experiences' one goes through a lot of wavering of the 'mind' not knowing whether to act or take decisions based on which is right or what is wrong; sometimes we get stuck without knowing what to do or how to proceed?
Therefore wavering of the 'mind' seems to be a part of our nature because our senses make us prone towards attachment to all that we see, hear, smell, taste or feel, putting us through constant desire or rejection, happiness or sadness, hatred or friendship, jealousy or compassion, fear of success or failure and so on.
Therefore mind or perception is nothing but being "conscious" of what is done or NOT DONE and the experiences that are gained and being part of that experience or activity; therefore the 'brain' or for that matter 'intelligence' does not add value if a person is not mindful or conscious of what is being done or not done!
We all know that the stress and strain we go through in life produces various chemicals from our body causing the imbalance in our bodily system(the endocrine system consisting of a group of glands that secretes hormones which are chemicals). Therefore our 'mind, as well as the brain', fails to co-operate many times therefore we are unable to act fairly and correctly to produce the desired result!
Let us now move on to the term ‘Yoga’ which has also several meanings and one of the meanings of ‘yoga’ is ‘union’; but the question is union with what?
An exalted person is likely to explain 'yoga' as the union of ‘mind with the body’ and perhaps a very high ranking spiritual personality might describe it as the connection of an individual consciousness or spirit soul with the universal cosmic consciousness or supreme soul.
However for a layman, the first explanation could be easily understood and accepted because all of us are aware that the 'body' is made of matter namely organic tissues like bones, skin, blood etc., but the most difficult to define is ‘mind’.
One will agree that 'mind' cannot be physically identified inside the body, unlike all other physical organs, for example, the brain, and this is precisely one of the reasons that 'mind' is the most complex thing in this world.
It is a fact that brain is considered the most complex organ in a human body despite the fact that brain can be seen and extensive research has been done for more than half a century but when it comes to 'mind' it is an unseen & an unknown entity and therefore the complexity will remain forever.
We all know that everything in this universe is very complex and one of the reasons being the universe has depth, length & width that are unknown. Similar is the case with 'mind' which is very complex to understand as well as control, though people foolishly try to read or control others(mind) which only leads to misery and misunderstanding.
Like the universe which got evolved and controls all the matter & antimatter, it is the 'mind' which rules the kingdom of all living species!
It goes without saying that every atom in this universe is unique having its own characteristics and therefore no wonder each one of us has a distinct personality and a very unique 'mind'; thus each one of us think differently though at times there could be some similarities because fundamentally we are all the same yet so different when it comes to the 'mind' and the perceptions!
Is it not strange that memory that is stored in the brain neurons are picked up by the 'mind' as per own will but at the same time every 'mind' and every time this need not work the same way and therefore no wonder it is really mind boggling!
Therefore 'mind' sometimes behaves like water that is stagnant inside a pond but at other times it flows at a furious pace like the river but ultimately the flowing water has to merge with the ocean and similar is the case with 'mind' which finally merges with the universal mind as soon as the living body perishes.
However, humans have ever ending desires and almost till the time we are in the deathbed we feel we have some unfinished business and therefore our mind will not or unlikely to merge with the universal mind and due to this fact, the soul takes the ride back once again to fulfill further desires! The crazy soul once again takes up a body to go through the process all over again!
This might sound like some theory but check up with an elderly person lying on the bed during the final stages, he or she will always talk about going away-meaning leaving the body- because the 'mind' realizes that it does not want to go any further but merge with the eternal universal mind. Though one would make such a statement it is a rarity that someone dies without any further desire embedded deep inside!
We always have something pending even at the time of death!
Perhaps it might be appropriate to consider 'mind' as part of the 'soul' which keeps on migrating from one life to another acting as a carrier of 'Karma'
!One of the most famous search engines defines “mind" as the element of a person that enables him or her to be aware of the world and his or her experiences, to think and to feel; simply this could be stated as the “faculty of consciousness”.
It is a fact that brain is considered the most complex organ in a human body despite the fact that brain can be seen and extensive research has been done for more than half a century but when it comes to 'mind' it is an unseen & an unknown entity and therefore the complexity will remain forever.
We all know that everything in this universe is very complex and one of the reasons being the universe has depth, length & width that are unknown. Similar is the case with 'mind' which is very complex to understand as well as control, though people foolishly try to read or control others(mind) which only leads to misery and misunderstanding.
Like the universe which got evolved and controls all the matter & antimatter, it is the 'mind' which rules the kingdom of all living species!
It goes without saying that every atom in this universe is unique having its own characteristics and therefore no wonder each one of us has a distinct personality and a very unique 'mind'; thus each one of us think differently though at times there could be some similarities because fundamentally we are all the same yet so different when it comes to the 'mind' and the perceptions!
Is it not strange that memory that is stored in the brain neurons are picked up by the 'mind' as per own will but at the same time every 'mind' and every time this need not work the same way and therefore no wonder it is really mind boggling!
Therefore 'mind' sometimes behaves like water that is stagnant inside a pond but at other times it flows at a furious pace like the river but ultimately the flowing water has to merge with the ocean and similar is the case with 'mind' which finally merges with the universal mind as soon as the living body perishes.
However, humans have ever ending desires and almost till the time we are in the deathbed we feel we have some unfinished business and therefore our mind will not or unlikely to merge with the universal mind and due to this fact, the soul takes the ride back once again to fulfill further desires! The crazy soul once again takes up a body to go through the process all over again!
This might sound like some theory but check up with an elderly person lying on the bed during the final stages, he or she will always talk about going away-meaning leaving the body- because the 'mind' realizes that it does not want to go any further but merge with the eternal universal mind. Though one would make such a statement it is a rarity that someone dies without any further desire embedded deep inside!
We always have something pending even at the time of death!
Perhaps it might be appropriate to consider 'mind' as part of the 'soul' which keeps on migrating from one life to another acting as a carrier of 'Karma'
!One of the most famous search engines defines “mind" as the element of a person that enables him or her to be aware of the world and his or her experiences, to think and to feel; simply this could be stated as the “faculty of consciousness”.
In the 4th century, "Hippocrates stated that brain is the seat of intelligence" but we all know intelligence is gained by knowledge as well as experience. It is either through books or other people or gurus we usually gain knowledge.
However will this 'acquired knowledge' have any significance if we do not have the 'experience'!
But what is an experience? Can we experience anything without our ' mind'? Can a person gain knowledge or experience without allowing the mind to concentrate or focus or being attentive towards an activity?
Thus 'mind' plays the all-important role and the fact that there are lots of intelligent people and with wisdom but their karmic backdrop make them go through the dilemma of duality in life but then none of us can avoid this situation; then the real question that comes up is do we act with a steadfast mind ? - meaning without wavering, without fear and without any biased opinion, scientifically termed as "equilibrium!!
It is a fact that despite all the 'intelligence' and 'experiences' one goes through a lot of wavering of the 'mind' not knowing whether to act or take decisions based on which is right or what is wrong; sometimes we get stuck without knowing what to do or how to proceed?
Therefore wavering of the 'mind' seems to be a part of our nature because our senses make us prone towards attachment to all that we see, hear, smell, taste or feel, putting us through constant desire or rejection, happiness or sadness, hatred or friendship, jealousy or compassion, fear of success or failure and so on.
Therefore mind or perception is nothing but being "conscious" of what is done or NOT DONE and the experiences that are gained and being part of that experience or activity; therefore the 'brain' or for that matter 'intelligence' does not add value if a person is not mindful or conscious of what is being done or not done!
Therefore each one of us is using the faculty called "consciousness” and we are all aware of what is done or seen or for that matter even the unseen- because of our assumption or speculation- then why there is so much misunderstanding or what is the reason behind so many things going wrong with life?
The foremost reason is that ‘mind’ works on the basis of the 'brain' because it is the neurons in the 'brain' which stores information and all that we experience is invariably stored either partly or fully in our 'brain' and therefore every experience that we have is connected with our past memories, especially emotional memories.
Situations differ from one another because time keeps moving and every event has to have some variation. Therefore experiences or events stored in the memory cells of the brain will differ from one individual to another as well as one day to another even for an individual.
As our emotions play a great role in our life we normally do not do our activities or run our life as per the universal rule or put it simply we do not think with all the 'clarity' or fully apply our mind to perform our duty. When we do some work our mind is not fully focused.
Thus the union of mind and work which is not synchronous all the time is the main cause of all the problems in life !!.
Situations differ from one another because time keeps moving and every event has to have some variation. Therefore experiences or events stored in the memory cells of the brain will differ from one individual to another as well as one day to another even for an individual.
As our emotions play a great role in our life we normally do not do our activities or run our life as per the universal rule or put it simply we do not think with all the 'clarity' or fully apply our mind to perform our duty. When we do some work our mind is not fully focused.
Thus the union of mind and work which is not synchronous all the time is the main cause of all the problems in life !!.
The universal rule or what we could term as righteous action could be termed as ‘dharma’. The meaning of 'dharma' accepted by most is the ‘propriety of conduct’ and as we all know nature has its own rule of conduct and it goes on and on as per the law of the universe with constancy.
An example would be the simple law of physics which states if pressure decreases volume will increase or vice-versa or negative and positive electric charges attract each other and the same type of charges will repel each other.
An example would be the simple law of physics which states if pressure decreases volume will increase or vice-versa or negative and positive electric charges attract each other and the same type of charges will repel each other.
Similarly, it is the law of nature for a seed when put inside the soil it will grow into a tree or a plant and bear flowers or fruits or just have only a few leaves as per the characteristic of the seed with the constancy namely, sunlight and water or moist air.
Therefore if we place the same seed on any soil with sunlight and water being available the same will be the result every time and everywhere; it doesn't matter who carries the seed and where one puts it, irrespective of this, if the factor of constancy that is soil, sunlight and water is in place, the output of the seed will remain the same on an eternal basis!
Therefore if we place the same seed on any soil with sunlight and water being available the same will be the result every time and everywhere; it doesn't matter who carries the seed and where one puts it, irrespective of this, if the factor of constancy that is soil, sunlight and water is in place, the output of the seed will remain the same on an eternal basis!
Thus 'everything' on this universe works based on certain rules along with some constancy and if these get changed the ‘Karma’ will also undergo change. Therefore we could perhaps consider certain rules of nature as the basis or the connection between “Karma and dharma” or in other words any activity related to the propriety of conduct.
Therefore one thing becomes clear that most of the things that go wrong are primarily due to the lack of propriety of conduct; no wonder 'mind' definitely has a big role to play as far as our daily activities are concerned.
This means invariably for many of us, our consciousness is not well connected with the universal consciousness in terms of "dharma" which usually operates based on a universal law; one must agree to the fact that we are not connected to the universal consciousness most of the times because by nature we are always habituated thinking about self or our close ties with family, friends etc.
Therefore one could consider the 'body' also as a tool because our own organs have specific duties to perform and will invariably produce an absolutely fulfilled or a completely satisfied result only when the 'mind' is applied properly.
This means invariably for many of us, our consciousness is not well connected with the universal consciousness in terms of "dharma" which usually operates based on a universal law; one must agree to the fact that we are not connected to the universal consciousness most of the times because by nature we are always habituated thinking about self or our close ties with family, friends etc.
We seldom see things on an equal basis when we do our activities.
'Work' as we know is always carried out with a tool because either we use our own physical body or an external tool for an activity; we know each tool is used for a specific work.Therefore one could consider the 'body' also as a tool because our own organs have specific duties to perform and will invariably produce an absolutely fulfilled or a completely satisfied result only when the 'mind' is applied properly.
We all know that the stress and strain we go through in life produces various chemicals from our body causing the imbalance in our bodily system(the endocrine system consisting of a group of glands that secretes hormones which are chemicals). Therefore our 'mind, as well as the brain', fails to co-operate many times therefore we are unable to act fairly and correctly to produce the desired result!
Thus a person could be considered a "Karmayogi" only when he or she will perform their duty without any bias similar to a tree which provides shade and offers flowers or fruits, if it has the ability to produce them, irrespective of whosoever it might be although the tree faces so much of heat, rain, and storm or harsh treatment from other living things the tree still continues to do what it is supposed to as per the law of the universe!
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