Commentaries by Vee Jay Attri during the Book Study – Secrets of Karma
We are beginning our study session from the Secrets of Karma. This book is dedicated to Grand Master Choa Kok Sui. There is a very beautiful quotation at the beginning of the book:
‘‘Each man, by the action of unerring karma, receives in exact measure all that is due, all that he deserves, neither more nor less. Not one benevolent or evil action, trifling as it may be, as secretly as it may be done, escapes the precisely balance scale of karma.’’
Helena Roerich, Foundation of Buddhism
Very extraordinary quotation. So, at the beginning itself, it’s a very clear indication, ‘Unerring karma,’ means the laws are absolutely flawless. That means, whatever that is happening to us is the consequence of an action that was performed earlier.
So, the laws of karma being immutable and flawless, that is exactly the reason why there need to be an accountability for your life. You are responsible; you are accountable for whatever that you are today. No one ever has any role in whatever that you have created with your life.
People have been helping us from time to time as mentors, as teachers, but the bottom line is, we are responsible for whatever that has happened in the past and the consequences of that and, that is the reason it is so important to realize the significance of this statement.
It says, ‘Not one benevolent or evil action, trifling as it may be’. Even if it is going to be a very very small action, for example, you had some negative thinking towards somebody just for a moment, but it is trifling, still it is a negative karma.
In the same way, we are all joining together for blessing the planet. That is an extraordinary act of good karma. The effect need not come to us quickly but it is bound to happen because the laws are immutable, the laws are flawless and it says, ‘as secretly as it may be done’.
All the time, you have to remember, we are being watched. Call it Laws of karma or call it the laws of nature that are impregnated into the etheric body of mother earth, these laws are automatic like the laws of gravity and, that is the reason why you need to be so careful about whatever that you do.
‘‘Truth is like a jewel, a diamond. It has many facets. If you look at only one side, you will not see the whole picture’
Grand Master Choa Kok Sui, Compassionate Objectivity from the ‘Golden Lotus Sutras’
So, very clear indication that our perception need not be the same as someone else and that is the reason why we respect every individual. Many at times, we fail to see the point of view of somebody else and consequently, there is a lot of conflict, lot of pain, lot of irritation.
The moment you understand this most important extraordinary sutra carefully, you will realize that after all, everyone need not be having the same way of outlook as you and I are having, that anybody at any given time is seeing a different facet of truth.
The way someone can see according to the spiritual maturity, a person who is a young soul would not be able to see and that is exactly where we need to understand life in its entirety. So the preface begins:
The subject of karma, the universal law of cause and effect is vast and has many levels of understanding. Also, you bear the effects of karma in varying degrees, according to your actions, the motive behind those actions, the conditions under which you acted and the level of people involved.
For example, karma of harming an ordinary person is milder compared to the karma causing harm to a saint and a similar negative action of a wise person and an ignorant person produce different effects, the effects on the former being severe.
This is an extraordinary statement. We have to remember that the laws of karma are not linear; they are absolutely connected with the maturity level of the individual who is performing that action.
So, one beautiful example that has been taken normally by spiritual masters is for example, you are walking with your child inside a shop and it so happened that your child picked up something and walking out of the shop. The shopkeeper is going to tell the child: ‘Oh my dear, you should not pick up like this. Come on; please give it to me back.’ But if you pick up something and walk out of the shop, the person is going to hand you over to the police.
So, that means different levels of actions performed by different individuals, have got a different consequence and this is extremely important. Why? Because we are all spiritual practitioners and some of you are quite advanced but the more you are advanced, the greater should be your understanding of the laws of karma because the karmic repercussions or consequences are going to be even more severe.
That means, one negative thought, intense negative thought that you have towards somebody can create a tsunami for that person and consequently, because of that, you will be immensely punished for that and you have to be so careful about it. So, every sentence in this preface is extremely extremely important to understand.
Keeping in mind a wide spectrum of readers from the East to the West, care has been taken to present the subject of karma in a way that anybody can apply, in a practical way.
So the most important aspect of this book is to demystify the laws of karma and present it in a way that a common man can understand it perfectly and then put it into practice.
The initial chapters cover the basics of the philosophy of karma and its direct implications in our everyday life; while the later part of this book deals with the deeper aspects of karma related to our spiritual sight.
As the topic deals with the hidden laws of life, it would help to let go of preconceived ideas and beliefs and be open to other levels of truth.
Further reading: Secrets of Karma, Preface, pg xiii