What exactly is Karma?  What does it mean to be free of the Karmic cycle?  These are excellent questions and today I will try and shed some light on this important topic.  This topic is important really because understanding it deeply, will help you a great deal in living your life correctly and accelerating your spiritual progress.

To help with this complex topic, I am going to provide the thoughts of the great Zen master Shunryu Suzuki, from his A+ book Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind.  This is not just a Buddhist view of Karma, this is actually a clear view of the Law of Karma.  Also, I provide a nice 9 Day Karma Cleansing Challenge which is a great spiritual test to take in the bottom of this article.

Zen Buddhist Master Shunryu Suzuki on What is Karma?

Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind

Pages 100, 102

According to the traditional Buddhist understanding, our human nature is without ego.  When we have no idea of ego, we have Buddha’s view of life.  Our egoistic ideas are delusion, covering out Buddha Nature.  We are always creating and following them, and in repeating this process over and over again, our life becomes completely occupied by ego-centered ideas.  This is called karmic life, or karma.  The Buddhist life should not be karmic life.  The purpose of our practice is to cut off the karmic spinning mind.  If you are trying to attain enlightenment, that is a part of karma, you are creating and being driven by karma, and you are wasting your time on the black cushion.  According to Bodhidarma’s understanding, practice based on any gaining idea is just a repetition of your karma.  Forgetting this point, many later Zen masters have emphasized some stage to be attained by practice.

He goes on to say…

Before Buddha attained enlightenment he made all possible effort for us, and at last he attained a thorough understanding of the various ways.  You may think Buddha attained some stage where he was free from karmic life, but it is not so.  Many stories were told by Buddha about his experiences after he attained enlightenment.  He was not at all different from us.  When his country was at war with a powerful neighbor, he told his disciples of his own karma, of how he suffered when he saw that his country was going to be conquered by the neighboring king.  If he had been someone who had attained an enlightenment in which there was no karma, there would have been no reason for him to suffer so.  And even after he attained enlightenment he continued the same effort we are making.  But his view of life was not shaky.  His view of life was stable, and he watched everyone’s life, including his life.  He watched himself, and he watched others with the same eyes that he watched stones or plants, or anything else.  He had a very scientific understanding.  That was his way of life after he attained enlightenment.

When we have the traditional spirit to follow the truth as it goes, and practice our way without any egotistic idea, we will attain enlightenment in its true sense.  And when we understand this point we will make our best effort in each moment.  That is true understanding of Buddhism.  So our understanding of Buddhism is not just an intellectual understanding.  Our understanding at the same time is its own expression, is the practice itself.  Not by reading or contemplation of philosophy, but only through practice, actual practice, can we understand what Buddhism is.  Constantly, we should practice zazen, with strong confidence in our true nature, breaking the chain the karmic activity and finding our place in the world of actual practice.

Buddhist Understanding of What Karma Means

The above excerpt offers the best way to view and Karma, Karmic Bondage and Karmic Living.  In addition, I wanted to present this excerpt to you as it has other hidden gems in it as well.  Let me highlight these points for you below.

1. What is Karma?

Karma is life and act

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The latest release by Kristin Luna Ray is a bit hard to categorize. While an overall singer songwriter style is present throughout the Cd, this style is combined in varying degrees with jazz, latin, and world-music instrumentation. English, Sanskrit and Spanish lyrics are sprinkled throughout these soulful and heart opening songs. While some of the songs get a bit rockin’, the overall vibe and tempo is mellow, soothing and sweet. As a yoga teacher and practitioner, Luna’s uplifting lyrics reflect her spiritual journeys and experiences on and off her mat. < Continue reading…

Today, The New York Times City Room blog posted that Bryn Chrisman, a vinyasa flow yoga teacher in New York City, will be responding to readers’ questions “about her path to yoga, her current job, her practice, kirtan and other matters of interest.”

I think anything like this that gives yoga teachers exposure and lets them explain their story is great. But when I scrolled down to look at the questions that were asked I was a little surprised to see questions seeking answers to serious medical questions (how to lower high blood pressure?), spiritual guidance, and how much meditation practice is required to be “be a good yoga practitioner.” (Check the City Room blog again on Wednesday to see her answers to some of these questions.)

I’m sure Ms. Continue reading…

My Yoga Online has added 2 new great nutrition article by Carol DiPirro: The Nutritious World of Leeks and Kale-Veggie Superstar

Leeks, a member of the onion and garlic family, have long been grown and cooked in Europe and the Mediterranean. Historians claim Nero ate leeks in soup regularly, thinking they were good for his singing voice. He may have gotten the notion from Aristotle who claimed the clear cry of the partridge was due to its diet of leeks. Only recently have they become popular in the United States.

An average size leek contains approximately 40 calories and 305 mg of salt which is 13% of the daily requirement.

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