Today I feel eternally blessed and feel genuinely happy inside, despite of the problems on my pheriphery...Reason - Two of the people who touch my life in more ways than one make it worth living were born today...And I want to thank them so much for being a part of my life...All my sincerest wishes go to them both and may they be blessed eternally.Now to the topic - Which again sent my grey cells in a tizzy and started me thinking...The discussion started off with my better half as usual and as expected, we were on completely opposite sides of the fence.He didn't believe at all in this enigma of karma and punarjanam whereas I was adamant that one's deeds good or bad in the past births are responsible for mankind's bliss or miseries respectively in this lifetime. I can quote numerous examples which come popping in the media every now and then about kids who can give full details of their previous lives, name people they have never met or tell about places which they have never visited. And there is enough evidence to substantiate such findings...So I'm convinced that reincarnation is certainly a reality. Now comes the issue of whether every living being is a mere puppet and comes to life only to experience his or her past deeds and cannot control his life fully with his actions or inactions. It cannot be a mere chance that mental illness strikes some people and they lose control of their mind, body and ultimately of their lives though they haven't done any considerable harm to anyone but on the other hand, murderers, sinners and corrupt politicians keep on living luxurious lives. The argument which I really liked from my counterpart to this theory was : He asked me to name one person who doesn't have any sorrows in life and I couldn't. So according to my theory then, everyone has committed sins in the past since nobody is without miseries in life which was difficult to counter argue.To put forward my point, I told him why only some people become rich, famous and successful in their craft that they get accolades from whole world whereas other humans clean filth all their life to which he answered that These bigwigs have their share of problems in life.So according to my theory then, everyone has committed sins in the past since nobody is without miseries in life. Maybe the magnitude of the sins or misdeeds done in the previous births amounts to the miseries one faces in this lifetime.Life itself is a vicious circle in which everyone comes to experience his or her share of joys and sorrows.Whatever name we give to it - Destiny, previous deeds or something else, there is an external force which is guiding us all. How does it explain otherwise the different awareness and maturity levels of individuals. The ones who remain so engrossed in vyasanas and the futilities and the others who attain vast knowledge of the upnisads and vedas and not only just preach but also apply those ways and virtues in leading their lives. So the question still remains open ended and for you guys to introspect - Is the theory of past karmas just there to instill fear in humans so that they steer clear of all vices and be humane to their fellows.
Disclaimer : This blog doesn't hold one's views as superior over other's. It just bring into the fore the wide contrast between individuals' thoughts and fundamental differences in thinking.
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4 comments:
Interesting. A million dollar question that all religions seek to answer. Cannot be answered or discussed enough.
The topic of re-birth has been debated for a very long time and I have heard arguments from both sides – proponents as well as opponents. Existence of past life can’t be proven scientifically, nor can it be denied. However, it doesn’t mean that it doesn’t exist. We do have some supporting evidence for a past life but it doesn’t constitute a scientific proof. Some of the tell-tale signs of the past lives are our habits, traits, inclinations, likes, dislikes etc. Occasionally we hear about a child remembering his or her past life events that can also be verified. Also, under the influence of hypnosis some subjects claim to recall their past lives. Still, all this data perhaps falls short of scientific acceptance.
Since re-birth can neither be proven nor denied it falls within the realm of a “belief”. Most of the followers of the Eastern religions tend to believe in it whereas westerners scoff at it. I personally believe in it but also try to appreciate other view points. A re-birth is merely an extension of the Law of Karma that appears very simple and logical – an action produces a befitting result in keeping with the action itself. The entire Karma model has its origin in the Vedas (scriptures) only, we have no way of figuring it out. However, the basic principle is very simple – an action produces an equal and opposite reaction, the result is in accordance with the action and it (the result) belongs to the doer. However, if our current life comes to an end before we can enjoy the results of an action, it is logical to assume that the results will have to wait until the subject (doer) is ready to experience them, and hence the re-birth. Our own unfulfilled desires and pending results propel a new birth for us. As a human being one is endowed with a free-will to choose one’s actions, not a pre-programmed being like an animal. Good actions are in keeping with basic human values (charity, service, truthfulness, honesty etc.) and bad actions are against values. An action has two aspects – physical as well as intent, therefore it is judged (by the Law of Karma) on both aspects and yields results accordingly.
Another interesting aspect of the Law of Karma is that good and bad results (punya & papa) accrue separately, they don’t cancel each other out – unlike credit and debit. That is why each individual has his or her own share of mixture of pains and pleasures. If they were to cancel out then a person would either experience all pains or all pleasures but not a mixture of both. Perhaps this would answer your question as to why some sinful people seem to enjoy a luxurious life whereas some ethical people tend to face hardships. Even a sinner does a good deed or two sometimes. We earn our destiny by our actions alone – our destiny is nothing but the results of our previous actions that fructify in favorable or unfavorable situations. However, we are not at the mercy of our destiny totally because we can choose our course of action. Supposing someone is born with the negative tendencies – stealing, cheating etc. the person can still choose to avoid wrong actions but it will be difficult, like swimming upstream. Even if a bad action (say stealing) gives us an immediate desirable result but it leaves the doer with feelings of regret that would not let the person rest in peace and that is its obvious bad result but a more tangible bad result will follow later, in some shape or form in due course of time On the contrary a good action (service, charity etc.) leaves us with pride and a sense of satisfaction and that is its obvious immediate desirable result with more tangible results to follow. Our past actions give us a platform, a starting point only – it is up to us how to shape our destiny from that point onwards. We are the creators of our own destiny and therefore should take responsibility for our actions.
------------------ Surinder Mohan
I believe its ok to believe what you think is right in this matter...however the question one needs to aks is, when one leads his/her life, what is the thought behind it....does one live life with the weight of infinite lives or teh freedom of one life...if ones life were to repeat infinite number of times, there would be a huge burden on mankind coz one would have to live through the past mistakes and pay for them, but i think most of us live our lives with the motto that "there is only one life to live" and we live that with freedom and the not the burden of the infinite...but its the burden in our lives that makes us more close to who we are and bring us to our core rather than the freedom that makes us float in the air....
Surinder mohan : A very logical viewpoint and answers most of the questions in a very scientific format...Needless to say it reaffirms my faith in my beliefs..
Ritu : You said so much in so few words that it left me longing for more...Nice to see you reading my blogs, It will keep us in touch. I'm expecting some strong views from the non-believers as well.
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