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Aptavani-8
37
Questioner: If all the things in this life happen according to the planning in the past life, then how can I do the planning for my next life?
Dadashri: Let me tell you how the planning happens. If in this life, the planning does not happen at all, then final liberation (moksha) will occur.
Now, planning means to charge karma. While the old karma is being discharged, a new one is being charged within. How is it charged? How does the planning occur? Right now, someone might tell you, 'I donated twenty-thousand rupees to a charity.' And when you ask him, “sheth (boss), you would never give away twenty-thousand rupees to anyone, so how did you manage to give it in this case?' He would reply, ‘I was forced into it by so and so person.' Therefore, although he gave twenty-thousand (as his karmic effect from past life), but his planning (cause of next life) is negative. If he had given the money with a higher inner intent (bhaav), as far as the planning, the seed would have been sown accordingly and he would have reaped a greater reward (in his next life).
Now if a person commits any kind of violence (himsa), and he feels what he did was wrong and is truly remorseful, then the planning happens according to that. Also, if you tell a lie and in your mind your inner intent (bhaav) is that it is a wrong thing, then that is how the planning will go.
Now there is only one cause for birth and death, and that is the lack of awareness of 'who You are', which is the only cause. In Jainism it is said that it is because of attachmentabhorrence (raag-dwesh) and ignorance (agnanta), that one becomes bound; whereas in Vedanta, it says that one is bound because of mudd (impurity), projection through illusion (vikshep) and ignorance of the Self (agnanta). They both agree on ignorance (agnan). Therefore, a person is bound through ignorance of the Self (agnan), and is set free through Knowledge