Chapter:
How We Know Karma is Real
If we only think of karma as a theory, this type of teaching can never benefit us. If we only think of karma on a cosmic scale (such as debating the creation of worlds, or worrying over the role of God, etc), then we will waste a lot of time on questions that are beyond our ability to answer with certainty. Remember, we need cognizant knowledge, not theories. Without real experience of how karma works and the subsequent wisdom that emerges from that knowledge, our life will continue as it has: marching with uncertainty and anxiety towards death.
It is easy to experience the reality of karma. You can test it every day. All you have to do is pay attention to the effects of your actions.
If we do something to benefit someone else, we also benefit. For example, in the short term, we benefit from the emotions we feel, from the gratitude or reward we receive from others. In the long term, we may gain more. Yet, if we do something harmful, we are also harmed; in the short term, by regret, anxiety, the fear of retribution or punishment, etc. In the long term, we may receive more negative consequences.
Thus, through the analysis of what both we are doing, and the results of those actions, we begin to realize how karma works. This requires sincere self-analysis, from moment to moment, and from day to day. To succeed in this analysis, it is necessary that we are truly objective in our observations; that is, impartial. We have to see the facts, and stop justifying the actions of ourselves or others.
Going deeper, by analyzing our current situation, we can determine the previous actions that created it. Success in this effort requires special skills that we will discuss later.
Begin by observing yourself constantly. From moment to moment, be aware of the thoughts, feelings, and impulses that emerge within you. This is not easy to do, nor to sustain, because our consciousness is weak and untrained. Yet, by learning how to energize the consciousness (through special teachings hidden in every religion, and taught publicly by teachers like Samael Aun Weor) and direct it from moment to moment, we can start to consciously experience the deep relationship between our inner state and the external events around us.
Success in gathering conscious self-knowledge depends upon three irreplaceable factors:
- Accurate training in the technique and supporting tools
- The willpower to put it into activity from moment to moment
- The patience to overcome obstacles and see results
We define training as being accurate when the student is capable of acquiring information through their own, personal implementation of that training. If the student is not acquiring information, then either they have not been trained well, they are not bothering to make the effort, or there is a karmic debt that is preventing the student from succeeding.
Some traditions call this technique self-observation and self-remembering. Others call it watchfulness, mindfulness, or awareness. Quite simply, it is to be here and now, observant of oneself. This is a state of consciousness marked by simple presence, aware, bright and clear, perceptive, receptive, and insightful. It is not a state of daydreaming, fantasizing, remembering, avoiding, desiring, craving, or ignoring.
By application of conscious attention, we can start to see how what we experience is related to what we have done. When we become deeply aware of how painful anger is, we will not want to be angry anymore. Indeed, we will seek a different way to deal with our frustrations. Similarly, each phenomena in our inner and outer life can reveal a way out of the cage we have built around ourselves, but to see the way out, we have to learn to look. We have to be willing to see the truth.
