2-21-93

                 KARMA 3: INTRODUCTION


     Karma is often spoken of as a rope, a
rope of many strands.  These strands are
woven so tightly together that at times it
is difficult to separate them.  They are
composed of our thoughts, desires, actions
and latent tendencies of our personality,
some of which are left over from past
incarnations.  In classic Hindu teaching
these left over tendencies are SAMSKARA
and are said to be deposited in our
subconscious mind.

      It is taught that there are there are
three kinds of karma:

1.   Samchita Karma, the whole bunch that we
have not yet worked out, the entire unpaid
balance of our credit and debit account.

2.   Prarabdha, or beginning karma, the
amount proportioned to us at the beginning
of each life.

3.   Kriomana Karma, that which we are now
generating for the future by our actions
in this present life.


     It is also suggested that the second
type, the Prarabdha Karma is the only one
that an astrologer might foretell.
     To escape from the rope of karma we
must gain knowledge, knowledge of the
world, our self (with small "s") and our
Self (with capital "S"), our God Self, the
Spirit of Truth within.  In Sanscrit,
knowledge is "vidya."  "Para" is beyond,
thus pare-vidya is knowledge from beyond
our ordinary world and our ordinary self.
Aparara-vidya is knowledge that is not
from beyond.  Most of our knowledge is
apare-vidya, obtained from the external.
Only para-vidya, knowledge from beyond
will lead to enlightenment and liberation.
     Much of what we have learned from the
external world has a disturbing effect on
our mind, not all, but quite a bit.  In
yoga tradition the mind is thought of as a
pond or a lake and disturbing thoughts as
pebbles dropped into this pond.  The first
thing a yoga must learn is to still the
mind.  When this has been accomplished,
one is then able to seriously begin to
eliminate the imperfections and travel the
path to perfection... "Be ye therefore
perfect as your Father in heaven is
perfect.
     In Revelations it is the lamb that
opens the seven seals.  The lamb is
symbolic of the perfection of humility,
not pride of perfection.  The wolf
symbolizes pride.  Isaiah 11:6 says: "The
wolf and the Lamb will lie down together."
What a beautiful allegory.  The perfection
of humility and the perfection of
pridefulness joined together.

2-21-93

                 KARMA & THE BIBLE: 3



     The Hindu and Buddhist scriptures give
the same truth in the law of karma.  The
Buddha makes it succinctly clear when he
said "We can fly higher than the heavens
or hide in the bowels of the earth, but we
will not escape the consequences of our
actions."
     The Psalmist asks "Wither shall I go
from thy spirit?  If I ascend into heaven
thou art there, if I make my bed in hell
thou art there."
     Even though we may proceed to a
monastery, a cave or some other recluse
our mistakes will pursue us wherever we
go.  If we do not mend our ways, our
problems will continue with greater
ferocity.  Did you know that God has a
hammer in his pocket?  Every once in a
while he taps us on the knuckles.  If we
are intelligent spiritual seekers we will
learn from that little rap.  Most of us
don't.  Perhaps sages, saints and mystics
do.  Generally it's only when we get hit
harder that we bother to investigate why.
     Our relationship to Existence (with a
capital "E") is a strange bargain.  Life
owes us little; we owe life everything.
When we demythologize theology and
religion we begin to see truths that
previously escaped us.  Humans create
stories about gods and heroes to personify
virtuous traits and value systems.  None
of us see life as it is; we see it as we
are.  We don't see the world as it is; we
see it as we are.  The Great Buddha said
"All that you are arises with your
thoughts.  With your thoughts you make the
world."
     Millions of people attend church,
synagogues, temple or mosque without ever
giving thought to the acquisition of
spiritual knowledge.  Faith, love of God,
selfless service, prayer, meditation are
all needed, but so is knowledge.  As
humans, we seek worldly knowledge, then
self knowledge and finally spiritual
knowledge or we could say utilitarian
knowledge, ethical knowledge and God
knowledge.  After knowledge comes wisdom
and after wisdom comes understanding;
after understanding, enlightenment.
     Everything that has been revealed to us
is merely an imperfect symbol of a great
spiritual fact, a reflection of deity, but
humankind mistakes the shadow for the
truth.  This entire universe is a
reflection of the most Ancient Deity that
was before the world began or human
language came.  The human body is but a
reflection of the human spirit.  The so-
called "Star of David" is an ancient
symbol of unknown origin portraying the
combination, the blending of spiritual and
material elements.  We try to build a
bridge between knowledge and wisdom on our
way to understanding and enlightenment by
showing the oneness of all creation.
     I cannot do this without speaking of
suffering, non-violence and karma.
Suffering is a karmic red flag (there are
other colors), a karmic "do not enter"
sign.  A karmic warning like you see on
the interstate highway ramps: "Go Back,
Wrong Way."  If we don't or can't learn
from experience we are just going to
repeat our experiences on a larger scale.
In this world of pollution, this sea of
carcinogens, God is putting up bigger and
bigger signs: "GO BACK - TURN AROUND - YOU
ARE GOING THE WRONG WAY!"  We are lovingly
being told to change our ways.  The worst
part of all of our pollution, our sea of
dis/ease, carcinogens is fear, anger,
hatred.
     When you go to a violent movie or watch
a violent show on t.v.; when you get
uncontrollably angry (as we mentioned last
week); when you hate, you eat of the loaf
of violence, you take them internally and
they become a part of you, just as when
you eat of the bread of communion.  In the
right frame of mind, it becomes a part of
the Christ Spirit in you.  One fills you
with gall, the other with honey.
     The greatest feature of Hindu mysticism
that I have found is the constant reminder
that we are all saints, we are all gods.
This too, was a part of Judaism and
Christianity but it has been downplayed
since the 4th century.  Psalm 82:6:  "I
have said, ye are gods and all of you are
children of the Most High."  And John
10:34: "...and Jesus answered them Is it
not written in your law, I said ye are
gods...."  Nevertheless, until I studied
yoga I had little understanding.
The religion of my youth discouraged
independent thinking.
     This has been the main problem with
organized religions.  Years ago they
interpreted certain statements as
absolutely having fixed meanings, not just
Christianity but virtually all organized
religions.  Through the years, new
knowledge, personal experience and science
proved them wrong.  But the modern
religious system was founded on these
absolutisms and to change them would
result in the necessity of changing the
whole system.  Churches are unwilling to
do this partly out of fear, mostly out of
pride and the desire for power.
     "One truth can support a thousand lies,
but a thousand lies will crumble under the
weight of a single truth."  The foundation
of lies has been crumbling for hundreds of
years.  Although the church has tried to
patch it up, it is getting weaker and
weaker.  In time when all the non-truths,
falsehoods and lies fall away, the truths
will still remain.  They are eternal, they
are beautiful, they stand on their own.
When we look at them in their plain,
unadulterated beauty, we will call them
"good, very good."  Fashionable and
popular but pallid doctrines are
insufficient and inadequate to elevate
humankind.  The law of karma elevates more
than any savior.
     The spiritual seeker is confronted by
two powerful enemies.  One is him or
herself, the other is the established
dogma of religion.  We are advancing from
outwardly compulsive obedience to
tradition, to inwardly natural truth.  We
may dabble on the spiritual path or we may
penetrate deeply.  We are free to study
little, pray little, meditate little and
receive little... we can do as much or
little as we wish.
     The goal of the spiritual seeker is not
thwarted by fundamental orthodoxy nor
destroyed charlatan groups and other
oddities that are always cropping up. They
are the personally motivated fanaticisms
of a few.
     The original definition of "mystical"
is "having a spiritual meaning or reality
that is neither apparent to the senses nor
obvious to the intellect...."
     A mystic is one who believes that
direct knowledge of God, spiritual truth,
or ultimate reality can be obtained
through subjective experience as intuition
or insight."  Isn't that what all of us
are attempting to do?  In a sense isn't
that what all religions are trying to
teach?  If so, then all are teaching
mysticism!  By definition Jesus was a
mystic....  A Great Mystic.
     The history of mysticism is marred by
fraud, superstition and credibility.  So
too is organized religion!  Yet with all
of their defects, both that which is known
as mysticism and that which is known as
religion will live on in its true
spiritual form.  The fanatical groups will
fade into non-remembrance, as others have
in the past.  The hard line, stiff necked,
religionist continues to disappear as they
have for centuries.  To make a wholesale
condemnation of all mysticism and all
religion, all New Age, is unfair and
unjust.  We have come a long way partly
because of them and partly in spite of
them.  If there were no disagreements
perhaps we would not be motivated to
search out the truth for ourselves.  In
final analysis who is to say which is
right and which is wrong?  Shakespeare
said:  "Before you speak to me of such
things, look at this handful of seeds and
tell me which ones will grow."  In my
opinion, the problem of Churchianity is
the attempt to promote a doctrinal
philosophy that has shown itself to be
founded on untruths and many of those who
promote it and those who follow it are
aware of these non-truths, yet they
continue advocating it as the ONLY WAY,
because that is how they make money.
     We do not approach God on our knees,
but through our hearts and minds.  We do
not feel God in our emotions anymore than
we do through our intellect.  We feel God
in that profound stillness where neither
the emotional clamor nor intellectual
activity can enter in.  Like Elija heard
the "still, small voice."  It was not in
the wind, it wasn't in the earthquake, it
was not in the fire.  1 Kings 19:12.  The
truth is in the bible, it's in the bibles
of all religions... "Speak Lord, thy
servant is listening... said Samuel,"
(1 Samuel 3:9), and we too must listen.
That which we hear we must do.  We put
into action in our lives.  In its simplest
definition karma is action.  Jesus
frequently ended his teachings with "Now,
know and do...go and do likewise."  His
message is one of action, not rhetoric.
     What shall it profit us if we hear a
thousand lectures, read a thousand books,
if we have not made a serious attempt to
find God ourselves?  Without spiritual
goals our daily lives become mechanical.
We react to the world's demands according
to the way the world has programmed us.
There is a better way!

     Jesus said: "When the Spirit of Truth
comes to you, you will be guided in all
things...."  John 16:13. "Be not of this
world but be ye transformed by the daily
renewing of your mind...."  YOUR MIND!
Romans 12:2

       To not resist evil or violence or
other negative traits makes no sense to
our ordinary intellect.  But our spiritual
aspect, which is beyond all dualities, has
no need to resist evil or to not resist
evil.  In the spiritual aspect of our
nature we are all one and All is One.
     The soul or atman is never born and
never dies; it neither kills nor can it be
killed; it experiences no fear nor anger.
We do not yet live in this realm, or at
least very few humans have evolved to the
state that they are able to practice ALL
of the spiritual ideals, so we do the best
we can.  We hold the ideals up as an
example, and strive on towards the mark,
but don't be ashamed or feel guilty if you
are not perfect.  I have yet to meet the
perfect human.
     The soul or center of consciousness, is
not subject to change, destruction or
death, but we are not in touch with this
center much of the time.  We get caught up
in our human emotions; we feel fear and
insecurity, lust and pride.  From the soul
center of consciousness, all consciousness
flows on varying degrees and grades; that
which we experience as human consciousness
is but a small part of the consciousness
available to us.  We are evolving to the
level of "perfect," - "Be ye therefore
perfect as your Father which is in heaven
is perfect."  Three degrees of ancient
Elysian mystery schools were: neophyte -
new growth; Initiate - beginner; Adept -
completed, master, perfect.  Even when we
reach this level, we must follow Jesus's
example with the money changers in the
temple.  We must overturn the system, be
it political, church, organization or
marriage, when that system is wrong.
Blind submission must be replaced with
responsible actions.  This is a positive
use of anger.  An act born or inner
understanding, even if accompanied by
selfless anger, is more effective than an
act born of revenge and accompanied by
selfish negative anger.  Inner
understanding and calm positive anger
cause fewer casualties.  Anger can be calm
or stormy.  Jesus demonstrated calm,
positive selfless anger.
     To return evil for evil, to answer
violence with violence, hate with hate,
starts a vicious cycle to which there is
no end while you live.  The only way you
can free yourself from this cycle is at
the same point you forgive.  Hatred ceases
not with hatred; hatred ceases with love
and forgiveness.
     The phrase "Turn the other cheek" is an
Aramaic idiom meaning: "don't quarrel,
don't fight."  When I was young there was
an expression used when a young teen would
do something or say something of a
rebellious or non-conformist nature.
"Well it looks like he's beginning to lose
his tail," relating to a tadpole shedding
its tail and becoming a frog.  Turn the
other cheek is not to be taken literally.
It simply means don't retaliate out of
anger.  When Jesus was scourged, whipped
by Pilate, Jesus didn't "turn the other
cheek" in a literal sense.  He did nothing
to encourage more stripes.  He didn't
resist, he met it with dignity.  He didn't
become angered, he didn't cower.  He
stayed true to his beliefs and teachings.
     Shakespeare said: "There is nothing
good or bad, thinking makes it so."  The
more you think about something, negatively
or positively, the more it takes on the
flavor, the color of your thoughts...you
create your tomorrow by the color of your
thoughts today.  Color your thoughts today
with the colors of peace, love and
understanding.  Think only good thoughts.
-----------------------------------------

For more information contact:

Don Parkison, MD
c/o The Oneness Center
2000 S. Stewart
Springfield, MO 65804
1-417-889-5215

or contact:

Sandra Price
Shadow Rider BBS
1-901-873-1570

tapes are available for $3 each

