The Theory of Karma

When I was 10 years old, I never used to pay attention while brushing my teeth. It seemed unimportant to me. My mom had a few misshaped front teeth. I don’t know why she decided to extract all her teeth and get a set of artificial ones. She went to the hospital for extractions, one tooth at a time, and would come home in a lot of pain. She could not eat properly and suffered great discomfort.  

This process continued for a year. I observed my mom’s struggle and silently prayed for years to pass quickly. After 50 years, Mom still regrets her decision to remove all her teeth. During that time, I decided that I would always take care of my teeth to avoid going to the dentist. I realised that once the teeth are destroyed, they cannot be recovered. Everyone knows this, but it hit me hard.

It made me question something deeper. Karma is not about God keeping our scores. 

There are two things that often get mixed up: karma and conditioning.

Karma is simple and direct. Hit a dog, and it may bite you. Leave trash on the floor, and the room becomes dirty. The consequence is naturally connected to the action.

Conditioning is different. It is created by the concepts, beliefs, and expectations of a society. These concepts vary from country to country, community to community, and even between genders.

For example, in many Western countries, elderly parents moving to an old-age home is often accepted as part of the social system. Family members may not feel much guilt about it. In India, however, the same situation can generate deep guilt. 

Similarly, a working woman in India is often expected to balance her career, care for her husband’s parents, manage the home, and raise the children. If she is unable to meet all these expectations, guilt follows. In other cultures, the expectations may be very different.

The point is not which culture is right or wrong. Every society creates its own set of ideals, and people often follow them without questioning. Others judge us according to these ideals, and gradually we begin to judge ourselves in the same way. The conditioning sinks so deeply into the subconscious that we mistake it for our own voice.

As a result, we carry burdens that may have little to do with our actual actions but, are more to do with inherited ideas of how life should be lived.

What is hell then? It is the torment inside us. Nagging thoughts won’t leave us alone – a restless mind. We don’t know how to deal with the thoughts. There is no peace in life. What could be other hell than that.

Human beings will make mistakes, and they will continue to do so. The deeper question is how to rise above the guilt that follows.

During my near-death experience, I remember the very first stage before entering the dark tunnel. All tension was gone. Where had all the thoughts gone? I was surprised. The small and large worries that had occupied my mind for years had completely disappeared, as if they had never been part of me.

The concepts I had carried about religion, family, society, and country had nothing to do with that reality. They were simply absent. What had seemed so important during life was no longer an issue. Like living in a rented house with a rude and demanding landlord. As long as we live there, we carry stress and constant concern. But the moment we move out, the same landlord loses all power over us. The fear disappears because the connection is gone.

Freedom from guilt is possible while leading a normal life on this planet; that is only through the experience of a state beyond duality. This is what I have learned through fifteen years of Kriya practice and from my Master, Per H. Wibe. It is possible to experience a state where fear dissolves, and all the concepts are gone. Mind becomes crystal clear.

Even a brief taste of non-duality changes one’s relationship with life. Imagine the possibility of living from that space more and more often.

God is more scientifically advanced than we can imagine. It is as if He has installed a CCTV camera inside each of us – our consciousness – where everything is recorded, whether we know it or not. It only observes. A quiet observation has a strong effect on us. 

Through meditation, we can access this internal camera. It has many other functions, like:- 

1. The man-made concepts might influence the world, but this veil is removed as we meditate. We see ourselves and others more clearly – our hidden greed, fear, anger, restlessness, and more.
2. It gives us the strength to witness and tolerate ourselves.
3. It provides knowledge to keep our body and mind healthy. 
4. After a long, painful process, silence burns the past so that it does not hurt in the same way. This process might take a week or years. 
5. Track our overall growth and guides us to higher consciousness.
6. Offers clarity to make better choices in every aspect of life.

One day in meditation, I had a beautiful experience. Two things were happening simultaneously – thoughts were running inside my head along with the silence, and I was witnessing both. It was like two rivers flowing parallel, freely and peacefully, without disturbing and interfering with each other. 

The experience left me with peace and bliss throughout the day. I learned something new – thoughts are not the problem.