Cheque

Quality

Vedanta says that all your Karma is stored in the Jiva, the individual soul, or the aspect of the soul conditioned by Karma. Vedanta describes three types of Karma: that which you have chosen to process during this particular birth, that which is stored for later births, and the new Karma you generate every moment of your existence. Chakras store the Karma for this lifetime. Chakras are your subtle energy centers through which consciousness transforms into matter. Karma distorts that flow of consciousness, causing you to experience an illusory world. Clearing Karma helps you to step out of the illusion.

Clearing Karma:

Karma cannot be avoided. For most people, Karmic energy is returned with the same intensity with which it was generated. Depending on your previous actions, this could create happiness or suffering. Whatever happens, is the result of Karma being released, which, no matter how you view the situation, is a good thing and an opportunity for future growth. Vedanta say, “Nothing happens to you, it happens for you!”

Are you then doomed to a life of paying for past mistakes, interspersed by a few moments of pleasure? Not necessarily. By the quality of your current actions, Karma can be transformed, transmuted into a different form, or transcended completely. Here are a few practices that can help you increase the quality of your actions.

1. Make Conscious Choices

The choices you make influence your Karma in two ways. Making quality choices can soften the intensity or magnitude of situations resulting from returning Karma. The energy of the Karma has to be returned, but it can be transmuted. For example, instead of falling down and breaking your leg, maybe you just stub a toe. The Karma was returned but the quality of your life choices lessened its effect.

Your choices also determine the quality of new Karma being created and stored to be released as future events in your life. It’s important, therefore, to be conscious of the choices you are making and ask yourself: Do these choices serve me and those who may be affected by them? Are my decisions coming from my heart and higher self or my ego?

2. Cultivate Gratitude

Forgiveness is hard for most people, and gratitude can also be challenging. However, if you believe that everything that happens to you is past Karma being released, then each time you release Karma, it is gone. Isn’t that cause for celebration? Try to be grateful for everything in your life.

3. Look for Growth Opportunities

Any challenging situation gives you two choices. You can see the situation as a problem and waste your life complaining about it, or you can recognize that it happened and ask, “How can I learn and grow from this?”

If you see it as a problem, you can get drawn into lower energy, which recreates the same Karmic energy, and you make no progress. Looking for growth opportunities allows you to release the Karma and remain free to move ahead on your spiritual journey.

Quality of Cheque: Growth Opportunity