|
The
'X' Factor of Karma
©Excerpt based on the book: The Uncommon
Path, O-Books, June 2009.
Mick Quinn's work is also published as
Poder Y
Gracia, Spain - June 2007.
P: As I
discern, decide and disregard harmless thoughts that
have been tainted by the fears and desires of the
unhealthy-ego, conscious-free-will
begins to awaken.
MQ: Yes. This
is the ability to make choices beyond the limits of
the culturally -created-self. It is by applying
conscious-free-will that you will uproot the hidden
influences of formerly concealed conditioning.
Curiously, this is also the beginning of the end of
your karma.
P: I’ve
never been clear on the idea or relevance of karma, so
here’s a question: Do I have to alter my current
belief system so that I may fully grasp the idea of
karma?
MQ: No, not
in the least. For instance, a Buddhist would not have
to abandon his faith in order to fully appreciate the
Christian rite of First Communion. So including a distinction on karma in your current
understanding will greatly aid your progress to the
next level of development. We will be taking a look at
karma in a way that is free from the verdicts cast
upon it by concealed conditioning.
P: Sounds
great!
MQ: And
should you find the concept of karma palatable, you
will discover how it is created and sustained. Then
you can steer clear of important mistakes.
P: What are
important mistakes?
MQ: Important
mistakes tend to separate you from your full
potential.
P: I can see
that the unhealthy-ego loves it when I make important
mistakes, thus amplifying its favorite pastime: my
continual struggle with my mind and emotions.
MQ: That is
why it’s great to think about karma in a way that
can be included in your current understanding. Then,
regardless of your background, you can consider the
possibility of facing and transcending all of your
karma in this lifetime. To help us along, we will
begin with a classic definition of karma from Buddhism
and then look at how this can be applied to
contemporary life.
P: But what
if comprehending, facing and transcending my karma all
seems like too much work?
MQ: You can
always take an alternative approach as this tenet of
the ego’s dharma tells us: If you don’t like
the idea of karma, it simply doesn’t exist.
P: So just as
denying the nature of gravity would mean I could step
off a roof without ramifications…
MQ: Yes, just
as the consequence
of acting unconsciously or on an intention of the
unhealthy-ego—or karma by any other name—is also
unavoidable. No one walks away unscathed by the
outcome of his past intentions,
not even the non-believers.
evolutionary pointer: Look how the reverberation of a
misguided objective from yesterday may be creating
an anxiety in your life today. That momentum
is karma.
The ‘X’ Factor of Karma
P: So this flow—or
karma—has to do with an action I took yesterday?
MQ: Not exactly, but we need to tread lightly here. Since you are inclined to act in
particular ways today because of what happened
yesterday, it is natural to assume that karma is
created by your physical actions.
P: Hindu philosophy says that every time I think or do something, I create a cause, which in time
will bear a corresponding effect or karma. In this
way, the effect of my past karma determines the nature
of my present situation in life.
MQ: I agree that the effects of your past determine the nature of your
present.
evolutionary pointer: It is not just an action that
establishes the karma because doing nothing
also creates karma.
MQ: I am sure
that you are familiar with the wonderful—or dire—
consequence of a past action of yours. Now think of a
situation in which you did not act that also created profound results for you or those around
you. Those consequences were not the results of an
action, but of the objective behind your particular
choice to not
act.
P: Oh, yes,
and sometimes those consequences were more intense
than if I had chosen to act.
MQ: So doing
nothing also has consequences. Consider, too,
that different actions that produce the same outcome can have very dissimilar consequences. Here are four
different incidents that could create the same
outcome, but, a different karma: premeditated murder,
self-defense, suicide and a fatal accident. Death is
the common outcome for each incident.
evolutionary pointer: Karma is not particularly a matter
of the outcome.
MQ: Also, just thinking about doing something
is not going to ‘cause’ much of an ‘effect’
because your intention is already set to not act!
Therefore, thinking about doing something only
prolongs an existing consequence and does not
necessarily create any new karma.
P: So if
karma is not specifically a matter of whether I act or
not, or the outcome of my action or non-action, and is not directly related to thinking
about an action, then what creates karma?
MQ: Before we
get to where karma begins, let’s recall that Buddha
told us that liberation
is the end of karma. Therefore, if you and I are
to live an awakened life, it is important that we stop
creating new karma. Of course, this would mean we also
have to clean up our karma from the past.
P: But this
sounds impossible. How can I be in the world without
making any new karma? If karma can result from both
action and non-action then I can’t see how I could
live a fully expressive life and not
create karma?
MQ: To find
our way out of suffering, we need to consider the
mitigating factor.
P: Which is?
©Excerpt based on the book: The Uncommon
Path, O-Books, June 2009.
<back
to articles
© 2008
Mick Quinn, All Rights Reserved
Mick
Quinn is the author of The
Uncommon Path and Poder Y Gracia
and the founder of Choice
for Enlightened Living Foundation. Mick's work
is quoted in The LA Times, Yahoo!, CNN
Living, and Woman's World. Gary
Renard, the best-selling (Hay
House) author said this book is "informative
and gripping". Raquel
Torrent
– Psychologist
and founder of the Spanish Integral Association
said, “Mick Quinn’s style is clear and direct -
like silence making music”. Mick lives in Utah
with wife Debora. For upcoming events visit: www.mickquinn.com
|
