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PRACTICAL KARMIC FUSION
5.4 DEGREES OF PASSIONS
We may now illustrate the strength of the main passions-anger, pride, deceit and greed, assigning to them five degrees 0, 1, 2, 3, 4. Of course, these imply the proportional density of fusions of karmons, that is, the higher the degree, the larger is the fusion, longer is its time to decay, and'stronger is the karmic force.
The degrees of anger, pride, deceit and greed of 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4 can be illustrated through (cf. Stevenson, 1915, p. 124) the following metaphors:
1. Anger: In the case of anger, Degree 1 is like a line drawn with a stick on water which almost instantaneously passes away. Degree 2 is like a line drawn on a beach which the tide washes away. Degree 3 is like a ditch dug in a sandy soil which, after one year's weather, silts up. Degree 4, the worst of all, is like a deep crack in a mountain side which will remain until the end of time. Degree zero of anger implies serenity/tolerance.
2. Pride: We now illustrate the five degrees of pride. The first one is like a twig which is pliable and easily bent. The second degree is like a young branch of a tree which can be bent by a storm. The third degree is like beams of wood cut from a mature tree which may only be bent by being oiled and heated. Pride in the fourth degree, outdoes any analogy taken from a tree, being as unbending as a piece of granite. Degree zero of pride implies humility.
3. Deceit: Deceit can be compared to crookedness. In the first degree it can be straightened as one could straighten a stalk of wheat bent by the wind. In the second degree it is like the edge of a lawn which has been badly cut and requires much work to straighten it. In the third degree it is like a crooked tooth which once allowed to grow unchecked cannot be straightened. The fourth degree is like a knot in a tree. Degree zero indicates straightforwardness.
4. Greed: Greed is said to change the colour of the human heart. In the first degree it will stain the heart yellow like a water based paint that can be easily washed off with just water. In the second degree, the heart will be soiled like cooking pans full of fat which can only be cleaned with great labour. In the third degree, the stain is like the mark left by oil on clothing which is only removed after much drycleaning. In the fourth degree, it is like a permanent dye which cannot be removed. Degree zero of greed implies complete contentment and charitable attitude.
These degrees can be related to the lengths of the time periods for their effects to last (see Glasenapp, 1942). Degree 4 of a major
