The Mind, Freedom, and the Law of Karma
I would like to share with you some observations on: (1) The important role of the mind in our spiritual work (sadhana), and (2) How each person’s contribution to his or her destiny—within the limits of freedom available through the law of karma (the law of cause and effect)—may be quantified, and, more important, how this knowledge can help one to work toward the goal of liberation.
Role of the mind in sadhana
The first devotional song, taught in October 1940 by the 14-year-old Sathya Sai Baba (at that time known as Sathya Narayana Raju) to a small gathering of devotees, was manasa bhaja re guru charanam. While the devotees and subsequently many millions of others all over the world—sang with their voices, the words of the bhajan asked them to sing in their minds (manasa bhaja re) and meditate on the feet of the guru, or spiritual master (guru charanam), who would take them safely across the ocean of birth and death (dustara bhava sagara taranam). Just imagine a 14-year-old urging much older adults to sing and worship in the mind—not just physically with the voice and rituals, but in the mind—so that they could be liberated from the bondage of birth, death, and rebirth!
How can we use the mind as suggested by Sathya Sai Baba? We know that we have a physical body and mind as well as the spirit and that all our actions and words are normally based on body-consciousness. We also believe that the mind functions through the brain, but most of us neglect the role of the higher mind (buddhi) and spirit in our daily lives. Over the past few thousand years, avatars, prophets, philosophers, and spiritual teachers like Buddha, Jesus—and now Sathya Sai Baba—described, in both physical and metaphysical terms, the essential nature of the world and who-or what-we are. They showed their disciples the “way” both by example and through their teachings.
For instance, Sai Baba says:
“Start the day with Love.
“Fill the day with Love.
“Spend the day with Love.
“That is the way to God!”
The effort involved in finding the way to God and finding answers to the questions, “Who am I?” and “Who, or what, is God?” is called sadhana. The work includes all the activities recommended by Baba to His devotees. ln many countries around the world, the centers and groups of the Sri Sathya Sai Organization promote the activities through three main branches: spiritual (the study of sacred texts, devotional singing, meditation), educational (practice of such human values as truth, right conduct, peace, love and non-violence), and social (voluntary service to the community).
Since God is Love, we can rephrase the above quotation, “Start, fill and spend the day with God.” How? Here’s one way: First, soon after waking, you can start the day by focusing your mind, with devotion and yearning, on Baba, Jesus, Buddha, Allah—or whoever represents God to you. Pray for His love and blessings on all people everywhere and for unity and peace in the whole world. Second, throughout the day, in your workplace and wherever else you are, use your mind and imagination to try to “see” Baba or your chosen deity; this can be done by reminding yourself many times during the day of His presence through the practice of japa and namasmarana (the silent repetition of God’s name). By doing this, your mind will gradually become more and more peaceful and you will learn to fill the day with loving words and actions. Far from a distraction, this practice of fixing the mind on God (Baba) several times every day helps your work, reduces fatigue, and strengthens your faith in His omnipresence and readiness to help you at all times. This is certainly a way to God!
The following example shows how the mind deludes us through our desires and expectations. Many of you have been to Puttaparthi and I am sure that Baba has blessed you with a lot of grace. But when your expectations (for an interview, for example) are not realized, you are naturally disappointed. However strong your desire for an interview, however serious or urgent your “problem” may appear in your eyes, and however deserving you are, the fact that Baba did not call you means that He did not think an interview was necessary at that point in time, because He is dealing with you and your problem in another way. When you see the situation in this light, how can there be a place for disappointment? Baba is teaching us important lessons-patience, endurance, faith in Him, and surrender to His Will. Expectations and disappointment, pleasure and pain, joy and sadness, health and sickness, and other pairs of opposites in our lives alternate over a period of time. They exist because of our present dualistic (dvaita) standpoint. From the higher non-dual perspective, all such opposites are interdependent, inseparable, and form one continuum—two aspects of one reality. If we learn to control our desires and expectations, our sadhana and Baba’s grace will lead us one day to higher consciousness, non-duality and liberation. As Lord Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita, (5: 3), “He who is free from all pairs of opposites and dualities is completely liberated.”
Law of karma and freedom
Freedom, no matter what the magnitude, is conditioned by the past. The past here refers to predetermined circumstances and is illustrated by the following example. A cow, tied to a stake in a field with a ten-meter rope would be free to graze within a radius of ten meters; given a 30-meter rope, the animal would have a much larger area of freedom. Clearly, the length of the rope determines how much space the cow has for movement. The extent of freedom (in this case, for the cow to roam about) is directly related to what was predetermined (the length of the rope). Unlike the cow, which cannot choose the length of rope, man has freedom of choice and action (even if restricted), which can be exercised only in the present moment. Everything in the past is beyond his control, and the unknown future will follow from the present. These relationships are embodied in the principle of karma.
The word karma means work, action and deeds, as well as their consequences. The link between actions and their results creates a chain of cause and effect; thus, karma has acquired a second meaning—fate or destiny. According to the law of karma, the process linking cause and effect determines (or predetermines) the course of events, not just in one life, but through successive lives. Inherited or predestined factors, such as intelligence, physical strength, wealth, and the like, can either help or hinder, giving a person more or less freedom. But, everyone has some freedom to choose, make decisions, and act—making each person responsible for his or her decisions and actions. People who have power because of their wealth or high position in society, have more freedom than others. According to the law of karma, their privileged status was determined by their past performance of good deeds, which permits the fulfillment of their desires for wealth and power. At the same time, their wrong deeds of the past would inevitably give them problems, illnesses, and other difficulties. By the same law, it follows that their present actions and desires will determine their future prosperity and suffering, extending into their future births.
How might the law of karma operate quantitatively? Let’s assume that every good thought, word and action is awarded plus points (+1, +5, +10), the number depending on the circumstances. Likewise, every bad thought or harmful word or action earns a certain number of minus points. A third category of thoughts, words and deeds, which are neither good nor bad, earns no points. In the Bank of Karma, each person’s account is maintained in two columns—one for plus, one for minus. Unlike an ordinary bank account, in which you can put in, say, $100, take out $25, and have a balance of $75, the plus and minus points of the Bank of Karma do not cancel out. That is, +100 and -25 do not leave a balance of +75, rather, their respective consequences on the person concerned can influence each other.
The two columns faithfully record the points “earned” during every moment of every day in the course of one’s lifetime—from birth to death—and through several lives, making totals of many thousands of plus points and minus points. However, the points are constantly being used up in the following way: The fulfillment of our desires (even those coming from a previous life) leads to deductions from the plus column (a small number of points for a trivial desire, and more for major desires), while problems or suffering of whatever kind (physical or mental illness, accidents, financial difficulties) lead to deductions from the minus column (large or small depending on the severity). Therefore, even during a short period of time, the totals in both columns are constantly changing—with additions due to our thoughts, words and deeds (good or bad), and deductions according to the pleasures and difficulties we experience.
To make this clearer, let us suppose that at the end of my previous life, I had 100,000 plus points and 40,000 minus points and that I had several desires-to enjoy comfort and security, to become a doctor, to make spiritual progress. Having sufficient credit, in terms of plus points and other favorable factors, I was reborn into circumstances that permitted me to fulfill those desires—for which there was a deduction of, say, 70,000 plus points. At the same time, I had problems which, over a period of years, took away some of my minus points: illnesses (7500 points), small accidents (1500 points), cancer (10,000 points). However, during my present life, I have been adding to the plus column because of good thoughts, words and deeds, and to the minus column for their opposites. This process of additions and subtractions on both plus and minus sides has continued through many lives and still goes on. The question is: how can we bring it to an end?
What is required is to bring the totals in both the plus and minus columns to zero. Since points are being added and taken away all the time on both sides, we shall have to consider them separately.
- From the minus column, we know that points are deducted automatically on the basis of all the problems and difficulties we suffer. Points are added on this side only if we make karmic errors (by harming others in our thoughts, words and deeds). Since discipline and self-control are part of our sadhana, it is clear that if we are vigilant, no minus points (or hardly any) will be added. As a result, the total will fall steadily, eventually reaching zero.
(2) Like money that pays for things we buy, the points on the plus column are deducted as “payments” for the fulfillment of our desires. The risk here is twofold: (zz) we may not have enough points to pay for our desires, which remain dormant until sufficient points become available for them to be realized (this could take a very long time); and (li) as soon as these desires are satisfied, new ones always arise. Therefore, elimination of desires is fundamental. The Sai 0rganization’s Ceiling on Desires program helps us to reduce desires and attachments, cut out waste, and be more discriminating in the areas of time, energy, food and money. In a larger sense, we should aim at absence of desires as the ultimate goal in our sadhana. With no (or hardly any) desires, there will be no (or very few) deductions, while the plus points keep increasing because of continuing good thoughts, words and deeds. But the total can be brought to zero by one single act—surrender. The object here is to surrender all one’s plus points to Baba (God) because without desires, one has no need for them. The same result is achieved by surrendering—for love of God—all our thoughts and actions, with no desire for their fruits.
When the totals in both the plus and minus columns are zero, the game is over. The liberated individual does not have to be reborn.
Conclusion
l do not claim that this quantification of the karmic law is what actually happens, but it has been an instructive way to assess progress in the performance of my sadhana. The only feedback l have had is from my conscience—and of course, from Baba.
~Ali Hussein
Geneva, Switzerland
