Karma and Your Life: The Spiritual Lessons You Learn Along the Way

Understanding Karma, Love and Free Will

Love is beautiful when shared in happiness. But have you ever thought of love when shared in sorrow?

If we believe in life after death, then we believe in the power of karma. If we believe in karma, then we also believe that actions have consequences. And if we believe in consequences, then we believe in free will, or choice.

Spirituality does take its pound of flesh. It doesn't tell you when. It simply throws your tests back at you, and then you exercise your free will.

Your partner is part of that free will. You choose who you share that pain and sorrow with and when you choose the person you share the actions of your soul. Perhaps they too came into your life to learn and consume the sour fruit of their actions.

Then what is shared karma?

Let's first look into the different kinds of karma. There is awareness in knowledge, take this as your first lesson in understanding the drama of Karma.

Karma as Seeds of Action and Intention

Our karma is our action, and the moment we begin living, we begin planting. So let us call our actions "seeds". Each action is a seed, and our life is the garden - an endless garden of actions and consequences.

Now imagine the quality of the seeds you sow.

It depends upon two things - intention and choice.

These seeds then decide how they want to be sown. It's very logical, nothing bizarre about it. Karma doesn't have favourites. Karma doesn't care. It will plant a seed dependent upon your action and intention, the choices you make.

Karma doesn't know the difference between a good person and a bad person. It simply needs to balance the debit and credit of your soul.

Why Karma Exists

Why? You may think, why go through this drama of actions and consequences? When this question arises, the only answer I find is how will you learn and grow? How does your soul see the difference and understand the emotion between pain and joy, sorrow and happiness?

How will you move to the next step of evolution if it does not understand the consequences of your actions?

As souls we need to be accountable. The god you pray to is you. The all-pervasive energy of karma that decides for your soul what lesson needs to be rewarded and what needs to be consumed and experienced.

There is no judge and jury. Your free will is the jury of your soul and you need to be held accountable for the actions – seeds you sow.

This is the game of life. It is an endless loop of choice, action, and intention.

The Different Types of Karma

Dridha Karma: Fixed Karma

In Vedic philosophy, karma is based on intention. Pain given intentionally, with the sole purpose of hurting another, results in Dridha Karma - fixed karma.

The seed of anger is sown, and perhaps in this lifetime or the next, that seed will bear its sour fruit for your soul to consume. This comes as painful, sorrow-filled experiences that bring you to a point of deep pain and suffering, till you learn to accept the lesson taught.

The question then is asked of you – did you learn?

Sanchita Karma: Accumulated Karma

The karmas we collect over lifetimes and lifetimes are called Sanchita Karma - accumulated karma. Accumulated seeds we have sown.

Now, from all this accumulated karma, you could say there is a basket that carries these fruits.

Prarabdha Karma: Chosen Karma

Your soul decides before birth the particular fruit it wants to experience in this lifetime. That is called Prarabdha Karma - the karma chosen for this lifetime alone.

Now, as a soul, you decide, I need to get rid of all of this baggage. It is too heavy to carry.

You decide how much of it you are willing to experience.

Some karma needs to be experienced no matter what. Dridha Karma as we spoke of is fixed, for that is the only way the fruit is consumed.

Adhridha Karma: Flexible Karma

Yet there is another kind of karma.

You can lighten the weight of the basket through wisdom. This is Adhridha Karma - flexible karma.

Wisdom helps take the fruit of your karma and nurture it back to health - pure love.

The choice is yours.

Agami Karma: Future Karma

Once your soul sees that the basket is becoming lighter, it also realizes that another part of the basket is filling up with Agami Karma - the actions you create now.

These are the seeds being collected and sown in your garden of life, waiting to see which seeds transform into wisdom and which become lessons yet to be learned.

There is always a choice in every action you take.

And that is Dridha-Adhridha Karma - a balance between the flexible and the inflexible.

That is the circle of life.

Breaking the Cycle Through Awareness

We break this loop when we create awareness.

Awareness in every moment.

Understanding that every action you take is a seed you create for your soul.

In our next blog we talk about how does this karma become shared. That too is a test of your wisdom to understand if the partner you have chosen to share this karma will hold your hand or let go.

Till then notice the karma in your life. Notice which seeds you may have sown and continue to observe your choices with awareness.

Love,
Shwetambari

Frequently Asked Questions About Karma

1. What is karma in spirituality?

Karma is the relationship between actions, intentions, and their consequences. It helps the soul learn and evolve through experience.

2. What are the different types of karma?

Dridha Karma, Sanchita Karma, Prarabdha Karma, Adhridha Karma, and Agami Karma are major forms of karma described in Vedic philosophy.

3. Can karma be changed?

Some karma is fixed while other forms can be transformed through wisdom, awareness, and conscious action.

4. What is shared karma?

Shared karma refers to karmic lessons experienced through relationships and interactions with others.

5. How does awareness help reduce karma?

Awareness helps us become conscious of our actions and intentions, creating healthier karmic patterns.

At The Atmann Project (also searched as The Atman Project), we explore karma, consciousness, mindfulness meditation, self-awareness, spiritual growth, healing practices, spiritual psychology, and Atman philosophy through psychology and spirituality.