Achieving Karmic Happiness

CEBU, Philippines - We create our own happiness, so goes an old adage. But regardless if we choose to be happy, sorrowful situations seem to arise out of nowhere.

Brahma Kumari Sr. Bhavana Shukla of Brahma Kumaris New Zealand reasoned that all situations happening in our lives are a result of our own actions. This is the reason why, regardless of how much effort we put on making our present life happy and fulfilled, some traces of sorrowful and troubling situations would creep in. This is called karma.

Defining Karma

Karma, as opposed to the general view on the subject, literally translates to action. Sr. Bhavana revealed that there are three basic classifications of karma: Sookarma or positive action, Vikarma or negative action, and Akarma or neutral action like eating and drinking.

The law on Karma generally states that whatever action we do, we get the equal return of it. This law is defined in so many ways. Science has a law that is similar to karma, Newton’s Action and Reaction Law which states that every action will be met with an equal and opposite reaction.

Other religions and spiritual convictions also have their version of the law, making it universal in acceptance. The Christian’s Golden Rule, for example, states, “Do to others as you would have them do to you;” (Luke 6:31 NIV) while the Wiccan Rede states, “Do what you will, so long as it harms none.”

Sookarma all the time

So, in order to achieve constant happiness, by concept, Sr. Bhavana suggests that we perform sookarma all of the time. But this can be difficult given the inconsistency and the unpredictability of events in our lives.

Sr. Bhavana said, however, that doing sookarma all the time is possible, if we learn to let go of these five things:

1. Resentment and anger.

Although we can’t prevent ourselves from feeling angry and resentful, especially when the situation calls for it, we can however minimize these feelings.

Sr. Bhavana said that minimizing one’s feeling of anger and resentment would require one to strengthen his intellect. The intellect, she said, is a facility of our soul that would enable us to make proper decisions, based on our conscience.

She said that when we are angry, thoughts would bombard our mind and eventually overpower it. We would not be able to control it, as it would be working overtime trying to make sense of all the thoughts coming to it.

If we think of a lot of things, our intellect would no longer have any space to enter in our minds, and thus would not be able to tell our mind what is wrong from what is right. So, tendency is we tend to embarrass ourselves, which would cost us more.

Sr. Bhavana said that in order to strengthen our intellect, we should think of positive qualities that are opposite to anger. Dwell on those qualities and meditate on them. These qualities would include peace and silence.

2. Past memories.

Most of the past memories that we dwell on are the negative events that happened in our lives. Sr. Bhavana pointed out that we sometimes face a situation that would trigger our brain cells to recall these past events. However, she said that the sad thing about all these past event-recall is that there is nothing that we can do about the past.

“Past is past. I can’t change it,” she said, adding that what this bad memory could do is to ruin our present and our future.

“What we should do is to keep our intellect busy with the present,” she advised.

With that she quoted a famous saying that goes, “Yesterday’s history; tomorrow’s a mystery; today’s a gift.”

3. Attachment.

Attachment is not love, this is what Sr. Bhavana revealed, saying that these two words are sometimes linked together, which should not be.

Attachment brings unhappiness, as separation or loss of whatever it is that is the object of attachment would bring sorrow.

“Love brings good feelings,” she said. “Attachment gives sorrow.”

Sr. Bhavana said that an indicator for attachment is the word “My”.

However, one can still be free from attachment. This, Sr. Bhavana said, can be done by constantly reminding one’s self that he is merely a visitor of this planet; that his real home is up there – the soul world.

She added that in this world, everything is temporary. Everything would eventually disappear, and if we don’t learn how to let go, then it would be hard to rid of attachment.

“If I constantly remind myself that I am a guest, then I can easily say goodbye to attachment,” she said.

4. Fear.

Death is man’s greatest fear, according to Sr. Bhavana.

“It’s because we don’t know what happens after death,” she said.

“We need to inculcate courage. If I take one step of courage, God will take ten steps more,” she added.

For this, Sr. Bhavana suggests that we should constantly remind ourselves of two things: (1) I, the soul, never dies; and (2) Faith in God and my positive qualities.

5. Arrogance.

“Whenever there is arrogance, you will not have happiness,” said Sr. Bhavana.

She said that arrogance comes in many faces. There is the arrogance of wealth, arrogance of beauty, arrogance of knowledge, and a lot more.

In India, Sr. Bhavana said that arrogance is compared to the coconut, because despite its many delicious and healthy fruits, the coconut had made it difficult for people to enjoy its fruits. The tree is too difficult to climb and is too high. And then there is the danger of being injured by its fruit when one decides to seek shade or to just laze under the tree. Taking benefit from the coconut is really very difficult.

With this, Sr. Bhavana said, “I need to become humble in my life, and a sign of humility is bowing down.”

However, she clarified that it is not bowing down in front of people rather it is to bow down on the positive qualities of people.

“It is when you accept praise that arrogance comes,” she said. “Give the praise to God.”

Sr. Bhavana was in Cebu last June 8 as a guest of the Brahma Kumaris family in Cebu. She then gave a talk to an audience of at most 200 Cebuanos at Holiday Plaza Hotel entitled My Karma, My Happiness.

This coming July 6 at 6:30 p.m. another senior yogi from the Brahma Kumaris, BK Bro. Atam Prakash, will be giving a public talk called Say Goodbye to Worries. The program will be held at Holiday Plaza Hotel (F. Ramos St., Cebu City) and is free to the public.

BK Bro. Atam Prakash is based at the world headquarters of the Brahma Kumaris in Mt. Abu, Rajasthan, India.

To preview some talks of BK Bro. Atam Prakash, visit tribong-upos.xanga.com/729187593. For more information, visit the Brahma Kumaris Meditation Center Cebu at 11-2 Forest Hills, Banawa, Cebu City or call (032)2545975. All programs and meditation lessons given by the center are free of charge.