10. Karma is Conscious Choice
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Our understanding of karma- the concept and the word- is incorrect.
An aphorism, a sutra in the Upanishads says: a man who decides to live is not affected by any of the karmas. To interpret this sutra, we need to have some basic understanding about karma.
Simply put: Karma is the conscious choice we make. In our life we face a series of continuous conscious choices. We make these choices continually. The sum of all our Conscious choices makes up what is called as karma.
How does this work in everyday life? A small example will help us understand the basic truth. Let us say someone criticizes us. Our usual response is to get offended. In other words, we choose to get offended. Yes, it is a conscious choice. We can choose to get offended by someones reaction. If somebody praises us, we choose to be flattered. This system of being offended and being flattered to a comment from the outside is so well ingrained in our system and we do it many hundreds and thousands of time a day. It so automatic that we are no longer aware of it. It becomes a habit, an automatic response. We choose it unconsciously.
Be Clear! Our life is nothing but the totality of conscious choices. We direct these choices that we continuously make. Whether we want to or not, directly or indirectly, we choose everything that is present in our life. Someone else does not choose. It is we who choose. Continuously. It is our choice, our decision. We may think somebody else decides. But it is only we who is deciding.
We can decide either way. We can decide to be unmoved by either praise or blame. We can choose not to get offended. We can choose to remain calm, relaxed, and collected. It is our choice to get offended. Not only do we get offended we often go out of our way to try defend ourselves. We end up making a bigger mess than it was to begin with.
Our life is a continuum of conscious choices. Continuous choices, our choices, becomes what is called ‘life.’ The decisions we make every minute all our choices put together decides our life. Another thing about the decision. If we do not decide, if incidents decide our life, then we live in a state of ‘paralysis.’
Meditation helps to bring awareness into our lives. When we live and do our duties with total awareness, we are beyond karma. We can all rise above it. Try it.