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SUTRAS
THE KEY TO THE CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE
51
Apart from recognizing and eliminating the gap between our decision and action, we need to become aware of the mechanism that creates new karmic attachments:
If we want to prevent new bonds, we need to direct our attention to our very initial attraction to karma (asrava). This is a highly sensitive point: - All initial attraction to karma stimulates us with (new) activity. As long as we feel no emotional reaction to an event, no new karma is bound. At this particular point in time we often can decide freely how to respond to this stimulation. If at this very moment we recall our decision to stop the (beginning of a new) karmic process, and act accordingly, e.g. by consciously following a different (positive) line of thought or to refrain from re-enforcing a negative emotional reaction, we attract no new karmic matter. At exactly this time when everything is still open, we have the power to end unwanted karmic processes.14
Since we continuously manifest part of our existing karma - thereby dissolving its attachment to our consciousness - the total amount of karmic molecules in our interactive karmic field will inevitably become less as soon as we systematically stop binding new karma.
14 A good example for this mechanism is the irritation we always feel in
the presence of a particular person. Yet however strong our reaction may be, whenever we meet this person, there often is a brief initial period during which we are not yet irritated. If we take this brief neutral period as an opportunity not to re-enforce our sensitivity, but decide instead to maintain distance, equanimity and peace of mind, the chances are great that our irritation will either not rise during this meeting or at least be significantly less intense.
For future encounters we then have established a pattern of behavior that will eventually free us from our previous involuntary reaction.
Certainly, it takes energy to take this path, - more energy than just letting us fall into the familiar irritation, - but this is only a small price to pay for freeing our consciousness from an automatic reaction that in the long run will cost us far more energy.
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