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..:: Transformation ::..
By
Alan Schneider
Existence on the Physical Plane is
characterized by all manner of transformations – personal, material,
existential, conceptual, emotional. The primary caveat of life on Earth
is that change is the only permanent condition. The process of
transformation appears to be at least significantly influenced by Karma
on the many levels just noted. Transformation can only occur within the
parameters permitted by Karma, whether personal, collective, local,
global, or galactic. The universe that we perceive in the senses,
intuitively conceive of on the Higher Planes, and believe
in as the spiritual continuum through personal faith exists to serve
Karma as its ultimate purpose. Karma is the Word made corporeal – the
Voice of the Divine Light speaking to, and through, human beings in the
manifest forms of their thoughts, words, and deeds. A human being is a
vessel of Karma, pouring forth the vibration of personal
consciousness into the collective consciousness of the universe.
To seriously affect the process of change under the terms
noted above, one must confront personal Karma. Even the absence
of such a confrontation occurring through ignorance is still confrontive
– we are implicitly affirming our circumstances every time that
we perform any mental or literal action. The fortunate ones among us who
have encountered the concept of Karma, and learned to accept and work
with it, have the enormous advantage of understanding the motive
principle behind everything occurring on every Plane of Expression
knowable. Now, accepting and working with Karma can initially be
humiliating to the egoist who has felt comfortably in control of life,
as this individual is forced to consider that even the perception of
self-determination is a gift of the Logos that takes place under
deterministic Karmic circumstances. In fact, the Living Light
of Divine Consciousness determines the course of each life on this
Plane, whether of a rock, plant, animal, person, or planet, through the
Word expressed as Karma.
Once Karma has been introduced to the personal
consciousness, one has the choice to begin practicing Dharma, or Adharma.
In many cases, fundamentally good, well-intended persons have already
been unknowingly practicing Dharma through good works – manifesting
positive, constructive thoughts, words, and actions in their lives.
Dharma essentially means Holy Duty in Sanskrit, although there
is no exact translation of this term into English. Any time we decide to
acknowledge and practice spiritual truth in our lives, we are performing
Dharma. The acceptance of Karma is Dharma. The acceptance of
enlightened personal responsibility for life is also Dharma, because
this acceptance includes the understanding that we are all expressions
of the Divine Light existing in the transitory physical form that makes
us carriers of either negative or positive outcomes, between which we
can choose as the basis of our actions. This is the ultimate gift of
discreet consciousness – the ability to choose right from wrong once
this valence has been clarified for us by spiritual enlightenment. The
willingness and ability to provide such clarification, as I am doing
here, is also Dharma of the highest kind. It is my joy and privilege to
do so! Namaste!
Adharma is the inverse condition of Dharma. Adharma occurs
when the individual, having been offered the explanation of Karma as the
determining influence in human affairs, willfully decides to reject
the validity of that principle, and carry on as before in what is now,
however, suspect as the benevolent illusion of egoistic
self-determination. All we can really decide on in this life is the
choice between positivity and negativity in intention and action.
Adharma is essentially negative, because it serves ignorance and
illusion through denial of the Truth. Many people will select Adharma as
their response to the initial presentation of the concept of Karma,
because that presentation threatens their pride, identity, and
possessions. If I am not the determining factor in my achievements, what
do they really mean? What indeed – not only am “I” not the determining
factor in my achievements, as a conscious state of manifestation “I”
barely even exist at all! Deepak Chopra was so correct in his
observation that the ego – the limited personal sense of self –
is only a social fiction, talked into manifestation by external
cultural interpretations of internal sensory events.
Adharma is an isolationist perspective. Either the events of
this life are ultimately determined by Divine Influence – that is, Karma
– or by personal influence – the ego. If we embrace Adharma, then the
ego is in control, and we are alone and doomed in a mechanistic universe
that begins and ends in arbitrary causality. This is an utterly
unfree condition that only looks free as long as we make our
superficial decisions from the selfish perspective of sensory
gratification. Dharma opens up the prospectus of an Intelligent universe
governed by a concerned Consciousness that is eternal in scope, and
which we can participate in through personal good will and self
sacrifice. Adharma represents an absolute lack of freedom in
life – no matter how well we do in the material sense, all is lost at
death, and that is the ultimate meaning of things. Dharma represents
the absolute presence of freedom – through knowing the Logos, we
know an immortal perception of Consciousness that is not dependent on
limited sensory manifestation. The knowledge of the Divine Presence is
the most empowering condition imaginable, and this knowledge is attained
through Dharma, not Adharma.
Selfless action dedicated to the Logos is the core of
Dharma. All such thoughts, words, and deeds will release Karma, and
progressively absolve the Soul from the need to experience further
incarnation on the Physical Plane. This is the first key to affecting
constructive transformation in life. Of course, anyone wishing to
affect destructive transformation will find selfish opportunities
abounding everywhere, but such transformations tend to refocus awareness
on the positive alternatives eventually – the life devoted to
destruction tends to be a short one when pursued to its final
conclusion. This latter being said, one should focus as much attention
as possible on recognizing and performing selfless thoughts, words, and
deeds, and offer the outcomes of such things to the highest state
of consciousness attainable in one’s personal awareness. This method of
living can initially be very frustrating, as the focus of awareness is
turned away from the superficial, but still compelling, motive of
sensory gratification. It can take a long time to realize that the long
term benefits of selfless living include shifting of life and lifestyle
to a profound condition of internal and external peace. Many
people think that material prosperity is the key to the attainment of
peace, but this incorrect – the relentless quest for objects of sensory
gratification yields no lasting peace at all, and really represents the
comprehensive ongoing disturbance of consciousness on every
level, as more and more such objects must be possessed to feed
addiction to the senses.
The condition of lasting peace noted above is what we all
knowingly or unknowingly seek as conscious beings. In addition to
selfless thoughts, words, and deeds, the practices of Yoga and
Meditation, mentioned so often in these articles, are very
useful. Yoga will preserve the physical health and vitality of the
organism, while rendering it suitable as a vehicle for selfless living.
Meditation will remove the focus of consciousness – the Soul – from
entanglement with the ego and the physical senses, and shift it to the
Higher Planes of conscious manifestation, enhancing inner peace and
spiritual freedom in the process. When the comprehensive Yoga lifestyle
is practiced through adherence to the Yamas and Niyamas, Dharma becomes
as present in one’s life as is possible for a given personal
incarnation.
One can certainly seek material abundance as an adjunct to
positive personal transformation, but but only in the context of
enlightened self interest. The tendency of material acquisition to
become addictive is very powerful. This is what Christ was referring to
when He made the observation that “Easier it is for a camel to pass
through the Eye of the Needle (a very low, constrictive gate in
Jerusalem) than for one of wealth to enter the Kingdom of Heaven”.
Enlightened self interest involves understanding what conditions will
best serve the condition of the total organism in the long run, and
peace is foremost on the list. As has been noted here, coveting
possessions does not equal peace. Nor does the blind coveting of
existence – it is the quality of life that matters most, not the
quantity, and that quality depends on grace of perception, not property.
The attainment of enlightenment and inner peace are the single most
important achievements that any of us can accomplish, ones that require
a total investment of consciousness, and accompanying control of the
senses and the ego to prevent the manifestation of any addictive
conditions. One should have only minimal possessions, with preference
given to those that support the process of Dharma.
It remains to be considered here what impact the manner of
making one’s living has on positive transformation. Here in the
hyper-materialistic Western world, generating positive income is the
greatest challenge of them all! The implicit faith of the West in
general, and of America in particular, is that money and property are
the real Gods, and we are expected to slavishly devote our lives
and minds to acquiring both without regard to the consequences to the
environment, society, or individuals around us. Any other spiritual
observances are considered secondary (tertiary?, quaternary?) to the
worship of the great God of money, which we perform
enthusiastically at every opportunity, as evidenced by our conspicuously
opulent homes, furniture, vehicles, and bank accounts. Under such
deluded circumstances, earning a morally correct, spiritually positive
living becomes a most daunting achievement, both to attain and
maintain. I personally have concluded that living in poverty and
austerity are more spiritually correct practices than the pursuit of
wealth and abundance attained through amoral methods. The wealthy are
wealthy because that is their Karma – the genuinely fortunate ones among
them have learned the value of Dharma, and give as much away to
charities and the less fortunate as they are able. No amount of material
prosperity is worth the horrendous Karma entrained by wantonly harming
others for profit. A humble living honestly earned that causes harm to
none is the highest spiritual achievement in the material condition.
Furthermore, one must avoid patronizing businesses or
individuals that promote Adharma and blind materialism. This adds yet
another dimension to what is already a frustrating situation. This is
the area that I currently have the most difficulty with, austere,
disciplined lifestyle notwithstanding. Our entire society is so enmeshed
in amoral materialism that it is all but impossible to sort out the few
moral options for consumer behavior from the vast ocean of ignorant
gluttony. I do at least continue to apply the rule of not consuming more
than I need. I have come to the conclusion that monastic life is
probably the best option for one who is genuinely determined to live a
spiritually correct life – the conditions of mainstream society make
moral compromise inevitable as the price of convenient consumption of
goods and services.
Perhaps the best overall
guideline for achieving positive transformation amid the negativity and
turbulence of life is the application of the old Biblical advice “Do all
things in moderation, and nothing in excess.” Although this is not the
guaranty of Dharma occurring in one’s life, it does tend to
prevent the formation of addictive behavior and mindsets. For those of
us who are not determined aesthetics enjoying the Karmic advantages of
monastic life, this is maybe not so bad!
- With Love, Alan -
(CR2008, Alan Schneider)
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