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The 3 Categories of 'Why Bad Things Happen’:
Karma, Dharma and Parinama
Part 1
By Swami Nostrumananda
(Rev.Dr. Devi Nostrum)
December 14th, 2010
Invocation for Enlightenment:
Om,
Bhur bhuvah swaha,
Om tat savitur varenayam.
Bhargo devasya dhimahi,
dhiyo yon aha prachodayat,
Om.
(We meditate on the Supreme Effulgence
of the Three Universes.
May It enlighten our consciousness).
(Rev.Dr. Devi Nostrum)
December 14th, 2010
Invocation for Enlightenment:
Om,
Bhur bhuvah swaha,
Om tat savitur varenayam.
Bhargo devasya dhimahi,
dhiyo yon aha prachodayat,
Om.
(We meditate on the Supreme Effulgence
of the Three Universes.
May It enlighten our consciousness).
Introduction:
The greatest challenge of the Ancient Ones; the spiritual scientists of the Highest Truth & Reality before us, is to articulate, transmit and catalyze the very nature of my, your, our Highest Self, for the purposes of cultural psycho-spiritual evolution as a species. Inevitably, as with teaching any scientific discipline, one turns to definitions first, then, with logic & reasoning, categories and concepts, theories and principles. Later, with a rough map of consciousness in hand and mind, the student puts theory and principles to practice, such as yoga & meditation skill-building. Resilient, sharp intellect, single-pointed mental focus and exquisite intuitive discernment is needed to realize scriptural truth directly. Integration into our daily lives is the final goal. This is the way of the ancients; this topic is no exception!
The greatest challenge of the Ancient Ones; the spiritual scientists of the Highest Truth & Reality before us, is to articulate, transmit and catalyze the very nature of my, your, our Highest Self, for the purposes of cultural psycho-spiritual evolution as a species. Inevitably, as with teaching any scientific discipline, one turns to definitions first, then, with logic & reasoning, categories and concepts, theories and principles. Later, with a rough map of consciousness in hand and mind, the student puts theory and principles to practice, such as yoga & meditation skill-building. Resilient, sharp intellect, single-pointed mental focus and exquisite intuitive discernment is needed to realize scriptural truth directly. Integration into our daily lives is the final goal. This is the way of the ancients; this topic is no exception!
‘The 3 Categories…’ offers a fresh perspective on the age old question of the, ‘whys’ and ‘hows’ of mankind’s mind-body-spirit evolutionary challenges as an integral member of Nature and the Laws of Nature. ‘Lab practicum’ in the form of the IBASI One-to-One Mentoring Program, including Liturgical Satsangs, energy medicine workshops and meditation classes comes after and during ongoing theory & principles. See the ‘Teachings’ and ‘Archives’ pages of www.ibasi.org , contemplate these writings and fellowship with other IBASI Healing Ministry students in the ‘Study Groups’ page or its’ Chakra-Ascension yahoo groups portal at the top of the page.
One must get at least a rudimentary handle on the language landscape, i.e. the lexicon. Just as Maya, (ignorance of true reality), is necessary to attain liberation from Maya, so are the foot-holds of scriptural words essential in climbing the ladder of ascension. Scriptures themselves, whatever the religion, are a poetic, Symbolic Language attempting to capture the subtle processes to an ineffable, indescribable state of being where the living spirit permeates & transcends the instruments of our faculties and sweeps us up as living Divine Knowledge.
The goal is direct Knowledge of all scriptures, as the Highest Reality of awareness and beingness, the true and only Self beyond our bodies, emotions and minds. In many ways, the fruits of meditation plus the sacred languages like Sanskrit are the modern day GPA navigation units of traversing across the Ocean of Awareness. This is why I spend so much time & effort in using and explaining key terms in Sanskrit, a holy language which embodies the very vibrational essence of our True Self.
The 3 Categories of 'Why Bad Things Happen...': Karma, Dharma and Parinama:
1. Karma - Sanskrit for: 'The Law of Cause & Effect', aka - 'You Sow What You Reap'.
2. Dharma - Sanskrit for: 'The Divine Blueprint', aka - 'You Pay if You Stray'.
3. Parinama - Sanskrit for: 'The Meek Shall Inherit the Earth', 'Turn the Other Cheek’, and ‘Resistance is Futile’.
Below are some preliminary thoughts and examples of each type of cause or source of human pain and suffering, in the grand scheme of all things under God. At first there seems to be little overlap or interrelatedness amongst these ideas. However, as you will see in Parts 1-4 of this series, the depth, scope and therefore applicability of these terms in the arch of our lives is surprising. In fact, I postulate that every and any conceivable source of pain & suffering you have ever had or can imagine will fit into at least 1 of these categories. Each of these, as it turns out, is deeply related to the other in building a closer relationship to God. All 3, as an Adaptogenic Trine, are essential ladder-rungs to not only healthy psycho-spiritual development but to the path to Self-Realization itself.
KARMA: An obvious universal law at work here. Cause-and-effect is a well known concept. Understandings of the Space-Time continuum as a membranous, M-Theory/String Theory/Quantum Multiverse is not! Even so, we do not have to have a multidimensional, Universal Consciousness perspective yet, to understand the 2 basic principles of Karma: 1) we receive what we dish out, sooner or later, and 2) what we resist most in our personal space is the most difficult to escape from. ‘Ripened’ Karma is also plastic and its reach, transcendent through the many membranous dimensions of time and space. Therefore, it may surface in a present incarnation from many life-times ago. Present actions may have ‘good’ or ‘bad’ repercussions in a flash or many life-times before or from the Now. The central aspect is 'inertial action' created by the ‘velcro-like’ agitations and discontent of the sense-gratification-seeking mind, sticking to the subject-object perceiving world of Limited-Self.
One must get at least a rudimentary handle on the language landscape, i.e. the lexicon. Just as Maya, (ignorance of true reality), is necessary to attain liberation from Maya, so are the foot-holds of scriptural words essential in climbing the ladder of ascension. Scriptures themselves, whatever the religion, are a poetic, Symbolic Language attempting to capture the subtle processes to an ineffable, indescribable state of being where the living spirit permeates & transcends the instruments of our faculties and sweeps us up as living Divine Knowledge.
The goal is direct Knowledge of all scriptures, as the Highest Reality of awareness and beingness, the true and only Self beyond our bodies, emotions and minds. In many ways, the fruits of meditation plus the sacred languages like Sanskrit are the modern day GPA navigation units of traversing across the Ocean of Awareness. This is why I spend so much time & effort in using and explaining key terms in Sanskrit, a holy language which embodies the very vibrational essence of our True Self.
The 3 Categories of 'Why Bad Things Happen...': Karma, Dharma and Parinama:
1. Karma - Sanskrit for: 'The Law of Cause & Effect', aka - 'You Sow What You Reap'.
2. Dharma - Sanskrit for: 'The Divine Blueprint', aka - 'You Pay if You Stray'.
3. Parinama - Sanskrit for: 'The Meek Shall Inherit the Earth', 'Turn the Other Cheek’, and ‘Resistance is Futile’.
Below are some preliminary thoughts and examples of each type of cause or source of human pain and suffering, in the grand scheme of all things under God. At first there seems to be little overlap or interrelatedness amongst these ideas. However, as you will see in Parts 1-4 of this series, the depth, scope and therefore applicability of these terms in the arch of our lives is surprising. In fact, I postulate that every and any conceivable source of pain & suffering you have ever had or can imagine will fit into at least 1 of these categories. Each of these, as it turns out, is deeply related to the other in building a closer relationship to God. All 3, as an Adaptogenic Trine, are essential ladder-rungs to not only healthy psycho-spiritual development but to the path to Self-Realization itself.
KARMA: An obvious universal law at work here. Cause-and-effect is a well known concept. Understandings of the Space-Time continuum as a membranous, M-Theory/String Theory/Quantum Multiverse is not! Even so, we do not have to have a multidimensional, Universal Consciousness perspective yet, to understand the 2 basic principles of Karma: 1) we receive what we dish out, sooner or later, and 2) what we resist most in our personal space is the most difficult to escape from. ‘Ripened’ Karma is also plastic and its reach, transcendent through the many membranous dimensions of time and space. Therefore, it may surface in a present incarnation from many life-times ago. Present actions may have ‘good’ or ‘bad’ repercussions in a flash or many life-times before or from the Now. The central aspect is 'inertial action' created by the ‘velcro-like’ agitations and discontent of the sense-gratification-seeking mind, sticking to the subject-object perceiving world of Limited-Self.
It is as if the mind-body-spirit knows something is missing but knows not what or where, and blindly lunges here and there in a vain effort to complete itself. An example of Karmic Action would be the country of Greece, a mere shadow of its former empire glory. Greeks feel cheated of their former pride & glory, so they cheat on their taxes so often and so openly that they bankrupted their own country. To their eternal shame, Greece is now being bailed out by the E.U. and suffering greatly under newly mandated 'austerity measures'. Many will suffer and even die in Greece as a result. Perhaps Spain and Portugal are next. Let's call this the Domino Effect of 'National Karma'.
‘In-the-Now’ following of grounded, centered inner intuition with selfless intentions on the other hand, is not considered 'inertial action'. Buddhists and Hindu's would say, this is 'non-action as action'. Actions which are divinely inspired and therefore harbor no karmic ramifications are neither 'good' nor 'bad'. Inertia, on the other hand, is always energetically 'sticky', and has a ‘sling-back’ side-effect. The concept of ‘resistance’ is also very interesting. As like-attracts-like, resistance-attracts-resistance. Karmic stickiness of Action and Resistance, in the scriptural sense, is at best bittersweet, and always futile. Based on delusion of the Limited Self, it always ends in loss, pain and suffering. This gives us a clue as to the mechanics of how and why Karma works. How do we perform actions that are non-stick and non-resistant?
DHARMA: ‘And God said, ‘Let there be Light’, (Genesis, Chapter 1.) Synonyms for Dharma are, ‘Fate’, ‘The Divine Plan’, ‘Divine Form and Function’ and ‘Divine Process of Yin & Yang’. In Hindu cosmology, the manifest multiverse of inert form is called ‘Prakriti’, in Taoist cosmology, this is God the Imminent, Divine Mother, Yin. The Yang of transcendent God-the-Father, or Brahman in Sanskrit, is called Puruna, similarly the Christian ‘Living Word’ of God. Puruna is the vibrational Breath-Light of the living exhalation or ‘Word’ of God which animates mankind, nature and the multiverse. ‘In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God’, (Bible, John 1:1). Together, they form the dynamic Yin-Yang interplay that fuels ever-new resonating cycles of creative, maintenance and destructive forces in, and the in shaping of, Dharma.
‘In-the-Now’ following of grounded, centered inner intuition with selfless intentions on the other hand, is not considered 'inertial action'. Buddhists and Hindu's would say, this is 'non-action as action'. Actions which are divinely inspired and therefore harbor no karmic ramifications are neither 'good' nor 'bad'. Inertia, on the other hand, is always energetically 'sticky', and has a ‘sling-back’ side-effect. The concept of ‘resistance’ is also very interesting. As like-attracts-like, resistance-attracts-resistance. Karmic stickiness of Action and Resistance, in the scriptural sense, is at best bittersweet, and always futile. Based on delusion of the Limited Self, it always ends in loss, pain and suffering. This gives us a clue as to the mechanics of how and why Karma works. How do we perform actions that are non-stick and non-resistant?
DHARMA: ‘And God said, ‘Let there be Light’, (Genesis, Chapter 1.) Synonyms for Dharma are, ‘Fate’, ‘The Divine Plan’, ‘Divine Form and Function’ and ‘Divine Process of Yin & Yang’. In Hindu cosmology, the manifest multiverse of inert form is called ‘Prakriti’, in Taoist cosmology, this is God the Imminent, Divine Mother, Yin. The Yang of transcendent God-the-Father, or Brahman in Sanskrit, is called Puruna, similarly the Christian ‘Living Word’ of God. Puruna is the vibrational Breath-Light of the living exhalation or ‘Word’ of God which animates mankind, nature and the multiverse. ‘In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God’, (Bible, John 1:1). Together, they form the dynamic Yin-Yang interplay that fuels ever-new resonating cycles of creative, maintenance and destructive forces in, and the in shaping of, Dharma.
In the context of causing pain & suffering as to ‘why bad things happen, Dharma is responsible for the 'tests', 'challenges', and 'learning lessons' of our lives. There is a dynamic process of adaptive evolution here, a tantric ‘Step-by-Step’ process where each step is both a telescoping embodiment of the highest divinity descending down to Man, as well as its self-causal impetus to return home. Swami Muktananda’s Guru, Baba Nityananda, would instruct him that, ‘Everything is Divine Consciousness’, and to, ‘Meditate on your own Self. Honor your Self. Worship your Self. Understand your Self. God dwells within you as you’.
Examples of the progressive nature of Dharma are Life Purpose, Mid-life Crisis, Labyrinth walks, the difficulties of adolescence and the process of healing, where there is a benevolent ‘Blueprint’ with a perspective so large at work, that to us, it is a malevolent, chaotic maze of trial-and-errors and disruptive mid-stream course corrections. Learning to adhere to the ‘God-of-our-Hearts’ through Dharmic Integrity is a trial and error journey that challenges us our whole lives. How do we stay in Dharmic Integrity?
PARINAMA: Synonyms for this Sanskrit word are, 'change', 'transformation', 'evolution'. (Closely related is prapanna: Sanskrit for surrendering to change). Parinama can not happen without prapanna. Surrendering to the Will of God for the sake of achieving immortal inner peace, love and contentment ironically takes a lot of faith, sacrifice and renunciation of karmic action. This 3rd category of the sources of all human pain & suffering, as such, is when we perceive ourselves as mortal individual, separate selves, where ‘I’ and ‘mine’ dominate and change therefore is a loss, not a transformation or transfiguration of Self-in-All. This is a very important point and hint to the solution to the questions at hand.
The concept of misidentification of our essential identity with ‘I’, ‘me’ and ‘mine’ versus the Self-in-All is so pervasive and, in fact the source of all human pain and suffering in our world, that the entire Bhagavad Gita, considered the Hindu Bible, is about correcting just that one misunderstanding. ”With an intellect purified by dedicated actions, mind conquered, and senses subdued, one realizes his Self as the Self-in-All, though acting, is not tainted”, (Veda, BG 5:7). Within the cycles and seasons of Nature, we suffer and grieve so much when death comes to loved ones, loss of precious possessions and all along, the looming shadow over our very own lives ~ Death. Our sense of Immortal Self-in-All, trapped as frightened prisoners of our own mortal body’s limited sense-organs, weak mental faculties and temporal physical vehicle, is locked out by the mountain of ignorance and fear of change. How do we move this mountain?
Here again, pain can not only be physical but also emotional, mental and even spiritual. Suffering seems inevitable unless, again, a larger world view, a deeper paradigm, a greater, higher perspective which breaks out, transcends and carries us beyond the vehicles and instruments of our suffering, is accomplished. Hence we feel our way through, learn and grow all our lives, life after life - seeking that highest reality, the Self-in-All. Is it simply to escape all that pain & suffering? The scriptures make it plainly so - yes. The scriptures also validate our own conclusions eventually, that the arch of our soul maturation, through purification and expanding Light of Consciousness, is a natural process, no matter all the human failings, misperceptions and misinterpretations along the way.
Examples of the progressive nature of Dharma are Life Purpose, Mid-life Crisis, Labyrinth walks, the difficulties of adolescence and the process of healing, where there is a benevolent ‘Blueprint’ with a perspective so large at work, that to us, it is a malevolent, chaotic maze of trial-and-errors and disruptive mid-stream course corrections. Learning to adhere to the ‘God-of-our-Hearts’ through Dharmic Integrity is a trial and error journey that challenges us our whole lives. How do we stay in Dharmic Integrity?
PARINAMA: Synonyms for this Sanskrit word are, 'change', 'transformation', 'evolution'. (Closely related is prapanna: Sanskrit for surrendering to change). Parinama can not happen without prapanna. Surrendering to the Will of God for the sake of achieving immortal inner peace, love and contentment ironically takes a lot of faith, sacrifice and renunciation of karmic action. This 3rd category of the sources of all human pain & suffering, as such, is when we perceive ourselves as mortal individual, separate selves, where ‘I’ and ‘mine’ dominate and change therefore is a loss, not a transformation or transfiguration of Self-in-All. This is a very important point and hint to the solution to the questions at hand.
The concept of misidentification of our essential identity with ‘I’, ‘me’ and ‘mine’ versus the Self-in-All is so pervasive and, in fact the source of all human pain and suffering in our world, that the entire Bhagavad Gita, considered the Hindu Bible, is about correcting just that one misunderstanding. ”With an intellect purified by dedicated actions, mind conquered, and senses subdued, one realizes his Self as the Self-in-All, though acting, is not tainted”, (Veda, BG 5:7). Within the cycles and seasons of Nature, we suffer and grieve so much when death comes to loved ones, loss of precious possessions and all along, the looming shadow over our very own lives ~ Death. Our sense of Immortal Self-in-All, trapped as frightened prisoners of our own mortal body’s limited sense-organs, weak mental faculties and temporal physical vehicle, is locked out by the mountain of ignorance and fear of change. How do we move this mountain?
Here again, pain can not only be physical but also emotional, mental and even spiritual. Suffering seems inevitable unless, again, a larger world view, a deeper paradigm, a greater, higher perspective which breaks out, transcends and carries us beyond the vehicles and instruments of our suffering, is accomplished. Hence we feel our way through, learn and grow all our lives, life after life - seeking that highest reality, the Self-in-All. Is it simply to escape all that pain & suffering? The scriptures make it plainly so - yes. The scriptures also validate our own conclusions eventually, that the arch of our soul maturation, through purification and expanding Light of Consciousness, is a natural process, no matter all the human failings, misperceptions and misinterpretations along the way.
Swami Nostrumananda
(Rev. Dr. Devi Nostrum)
