Thanks for the discourse, vaj. If we take karma to be cause and effect, as in <<Newton's third law of motion "for every action there is an opposite and equal reaction">>, then we could call western science a systematic study of karma insofar as it is visible to the senses and the instruments of measurement available to and believed in by materialist thinkers. In that case, we could say that the fact that you can get in a car and drive somewhere is due to some scientists having discovered some of the laws of karma, and some engineers learning to harness them.
But, as you said, finite mind is going to have some trouble comprehending the innumerable inivisible connections that are posited by the Hindu theory of karma. Your discourse divides karma into categories that more or less relate to where the items of karma are on the waiting list, but say nothing about the ability to predict actual karmas or to make meaningful statements about how a particular punitive action by Maharishi relates to past actions of the country of England. So you didn't address my original comment that I thought the karma line of reasoning vis a vis Maharishi's recent Brit action is not very worthwhile. I have no quarrel with your presentation, though I admit to being an agnostic on the subject. My disagreement was with the fellow who invoked the karma concept to justify Maharishi's Brit action. a --- In [email protected], Vaj <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > On May 9, 2005, at 5:13 PM, anonymousff wrote: > > > It seems to me that the karma line of reasoning isn't very > > worthwhile. The Hindu tradition tells us that the course of karma is > > unfathomable. That implies to me that nothing definitive can ever be > > said about it, even amongst those who subscribe to the theory. > > It is only certain aspects of karma that are "unfathomable"-- "dridha > karma". > > A detailed description of karma is a lengthy and detailed subject but > most > present it in a rather superficial way. > > The Law of Karma can be simply stated as 'as you sow, so you shall > reap'. > Newton's third law of motion "for every action there is an opposite and > equal reaction" also states the basic theme of karma, the doctrine of > karman > (action) and phala (fruit of action). > > Karmas are divided into four categories: > > a. Sanchita (lit. "heaped together") which is the sum total of all past > actions, known and unknown. > > b. Prarabdha karma ("ready-to-be-experienced karmas") which is that > piece of > Sanchita karma that will be experienced by a person in THIS lifetime. > It may > simply appear as "fate" or "destiny". A person will only experience > those > actions which ripen for a particular space and time. > > c. Kriyamana karma or "current karmas" is the potential effects of > current > actions. We can, by force of will, create new actions. We are not mere > puppets of past actions. > > d. Agama karma or "approaching karmas" are actions you take based on > insight > into your own destiny. > > These karmas can be experienced at different levels of intensity. These > are: > > 1. Dridha karma are karmas which are essentially fixed and we cannot > change > them. They can be pleasureable or non-pleasurable. These are events > which > just "happen" and we cannot do anything to change the outcome, despite > our > most strident efforts. > > 2. Dridha-Aridha karma are karmas that can be changed through spiritual > practice or application of free will. > > 3. Aridha karma are results which are easily avoided or altered. > > Karma is generally difficult to fathom, esp. unknown karmas, simply > because > we view the world from the perspective of a finite mind. The Law of > Karma > was formulated from the perspective of an infinite mind capable of > infinite > correlation. > > "After inventing the Law of Karma, God was able to retire." To subscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Or go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ and click 'Join This Group!' Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
