Karma the Mechanism

Author(s): Hermann Kuhn
Publisher: Crosswind Publishing Germany

Page 34

SUTRAS
ATTRACTION TO KARMA
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tation that simplifies decisions and judges complex actions on the basis: 'Does this expand my consciousness or not?'. The immediate effect that positive activities (punya) lead to agreeable subjective experiences and negative activities (paapa) to disagreeable feelings, creates a measuring tool that could not be simpler.
Life without action is no valid alternative for anyone still subject to karma. In that case we would be unable to release our existing karmic matter - i.e. our emotional attachment to limited themes of life - through action. Life without action would cement our present karmic state and also our current stage of development (see '14 STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT') into eternal permanence.
SUTRA 4 सकषायाकषाययोः साम्परायिकेर्यापथयोः ॥ ४ ॥ Sakasayakasayayoh samparayikeryapathayoh (4) Karma affects us in two intensities: - actions caused or influenced by negative passionate emotions
(samparayika) prolong the cycle of our incarnations - actions not influenced by these negative emotions (iryapatha) have only transient, short-lived karmic effects. (4)
The intensity with which karma affects us is determined by the emotions we feel while we perform the action that attaches karma to our consciousness.
The more we are motivated or influenced by anger (rage), arrogance (pride), the intention to deceive others (manipulation) and greed (addiction) - the four major negative emotions, - the more intensely this karma will manifest.
In the first ten stages of development (gunasthanas) we experience both - long lasting as well as transient - karmic effects. During the