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Laurie
Greene Articles
> Understanding Karma And Creativity
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The word karma has become part of the English language, and found its way into contemporary American culture. It is commonly understood as the equivalent of "fate", an explanation for otherwise inexplicable events beyond our control. Karma to our minds comes in two varieties, "good" and "bad". The accumulation of the former by an individual will bring health and happiness, the later misfortune and despair. Karma is understood as the sum of an individual's actions, actions which determine one's destiny.
Karma however, simply means "action" -- human action. It is neither good nor bad. It is powerful but it does not control us. Contrary to what we believe, karma is the one part of our lives that we CAN control. In fact, karma is so powerful, that is enables us to re-create our lives, and create "reality" itself. How can this be?
You can understand this more optimistic notion of karma if one looks at the Baghavad Gita, arguably the most influential ancient text on yoga. Among other great works in Indian literature & philosophy the Bhagavad Gita extols the centrality of human effort to "change the script of one's karmic destiny" (Chapple). The Baghavad Gita tells of Arjuna, a warrior-king who suffers a crisis of ethics and action: whether it is acceptable to kill his own relatives and teachers in the course of his duties in war. He bemoans this awful dilemma, and the way others will remember him. Arjuna eventually resolves his conflict through an understanding that his impact will be far greater than his personal legacy, whether he chooses to act or not. Better to craft one's impact on others deliberately through action (karma), than by refusing to fight (nikarma). " Inaction," his advisor Sri Krishna reminds him, "is action". The way of action involves creativity: working with and through karma to oppose the negative influence of past action and influence the world. The hero is not the bystander. Greatness is found everywhere in everyday in actions. All our action (and inactions) have consequences. The theory of karma allows us to create our own destiny and shape a better world than we currently find. The Bhagavad Gita is a true manifesto of philanthropy. It is a call to act in a manner that is free of the concerns of the individual and accepting of present circumstances. Krishna's argument to Arjuna follows (chapter 3):
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Not by avoiding actions does a person gain freedom from action and its consequence. And not by renunciation alone does a person attain
perfection...Certainly no one, not even for a moment, ever lives without performing action. Indeed, against one's will everyone is forced to perform
action...so Arjuna, perform your prescribed actions, for action is certainly better than inaction. And even the sustenance of one's body cannot be performed without
action... the wise should act without attachment [to the outcome for themselves] desiring to act for the welfare of the world. Without
action, this world would perish. Through action all things are made and remade.
~ (B.G. translated by Schweig)
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In this way, Karma can be understood as the root of creativity. Freedom is a freedom to perform action, not a freedom from performing action. Inspiration and understanding comes from doing. The present world is based on action. Our duty (dharma) is to shape it in ways that are available to us, to create our common destiny.
This powerful optimism lies at the root of yoga practice. Our actions have repercussions; therefore we must act from a place of knowledge and out of a larger sense of responsibility. Ideally, a yoga practice is built around these precepts and goals. It begins as a path to personal development. This "doing" increases our capacity to see the connections within ourselves (mind/body, breath/movement, health/emotions), allows us to experience the connections we all have to one another, and then inspires us to take responsible action for this world that we share. Karma is anything but fatalistic, it is the practice of creativity.
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By Laurie Greene, PhD,E-RYT, Director, Yoga Nine
Studio ( 7/7/2009 )
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Laurie
Greene Articles
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Understanding Karma And Creativity
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