Karma and its effects on character!
NOTES from the book by Swami Vivekananda! ‘He’ is used as a general context and applies to all/any gender.
Karma and its effect on Character
KARMA – Kri(To do); any action/or its effects ~ KARMA.
Knowledge is the goal of all mankind as opposed to seeking pleasure. The cause of all miseries is to foolishly seek pleasure.
Both pleasure/pain play equal parts in moulding the character of the person. Moreso it is a pain/misery/evil which teach than the good/pleasure/praise.
All the knowledge that the world possesses has come from the inside(physiological) and not something outside. All the discoveries are the learnings that come from within(the soul).
The governing laws like the law of gravitation or electricity always existed before their discovery. It was until the man(Newton) in the case of gravity put his mind to action from the circumstances around him(falling of the apple).
All future discoveries/inventions are already here, waiting to be learnt and put to our best use. It is all in the human mind. As long as one is alive, he is doing Karma every moment and it is adding to the inventory of our actions.
Man’s best ability to judge his character is not out of his greatest performances but from the small tasks he carries out. Watch him perform the commonest of the actions, these will show the essence of his character. Small actions when done appropriately add up and amount to a big accomplishment.
Karma has various impacts on one’s character and the way a man handles the events and circumstances of life whether good/bad or misery/happiness.
Character is the manufacturer of Karma. All the great works, and advancements in human life that we see around us are a result of thought(influenced by character) put into action(karma) with a sizeable amount of will. The mightier the will at work it produces tremendous workers, great souls who have the power to shift human consciousness. The great souls accumulate a great deal of will and power over the course of a few lifetimes.
Karma is a determiner of what one deserves, All that we are now is a result of our past actions(karma) and will be in the future based on what karma we are carrying out in the present moment. Knowing how to work may be a key to achieving the best outcomes.
There are different motivations for which man carries out different types of work. But some work for just the sake of it without any name, fame or prophecies to go to heaven. If one works without motive and just for the sake of it one may feel what he gain, but in fact that is the highest gain. When the motive is to help the needy and not have any selfish gains such is ironically the highest gain one should look for.
Our weaknesses lie in not being able to see the bigger picture. A great deal self-control which can develop a mighty will can help us attain great character like Krishna, Christ or Buddha. Most of us do not know this secret. The same is pointed in the text Bhagavad Gita to work and strive (doing actions/karma) without having the results to our center focus of mind. Great work or actions should be carried out without thinking about the outcome/fruits/results from it.
The sole purpose of the man is to move towards being unselfish to his motives. Everyone has to begin somewhere high or low, good or bad. The greatest amongst us try to remain calm in most/all situations in the life be it going through a surging chaos in a city or at the beach. The man who reaches this level will attain the utmost knowledge. If you go back to the first line that I said – ‘Knowledge is the goal of all mankind as opposed to seeking pleasure’.