The End of Karma

1 2 the end of karma Q Andrew, Ifind the ideal you’re pointing to very inspiring. But it’s far from my own experience. You know, Istill do things Ire¬ gret-act out of unconscious patterns in ways that hurt other people. A Then Iguess you must still be creating lots of karma! What do you mean by that? Well, we create karma when we act out of ignorance and self¬ ishness in ways that cause suffering to others. For most of us, along history of countless selfish actions has created apow¬ erful momentum that is very difficult to break. That momen¬ tum is what karma is. And breaking the momentum of karma is what enlightenment is all about. But isn’t there such athing as “good” karma? Of course there is—but that’s not the kind you have to worry about! If you want to be free, liberating yourself from the destructive momentum of bad karma is all you need to be c o n c e r n e d w i t h . the end of karma 69 So when you say that we create bad karma through acting out of ignorance and selfishness, what exactly does that mean? Does that include thinking? In other words, do we cause suffering to people around us if we think negative thoughts? Yes, you’re killing me! Jusl kidding. No, in my teaching, the only way karma is created is through action—not mere thinking, but an action in time and space that expresses self¬ concern at the expense of others. So does that mean that Ican indulge in hours and hours of self¬ ish thinking and then have no problem going out into the world and acting generously? Well, if you’re crazy enough to spend hours and hours lost in selfish thinking, obviously you’re deeply identified with those thoughts, and therefore, it is very unlikely that you wouldn’t act out of at least some of them. You see, whenever we iden¬ tify with the content of thought, that is an action, and that action can and will have real consequences in the world. If you want to be free, you will not want to identify with those thoughts that express ignorance and selfishness and, because of that simple fact, no karma will be created and there will be no negative consequences in the world. Istill have aquestion about that. For example, Ibelieve that this plant here is sensitive to what I’m thinking. Ibelieve that 1could sit here very quietly, appearing to do nothing at all, but at the same time have thoughts of hurting this plant and it would suffer. 70 living enlightenment Maybe il would; maybe il wouldn’t. There have been experiments that show that the thoughts we have about animals and plants affect them. They are extremely sensitive. So therefore you could say that thoughts actually are kinds of actions. It’s not that simple. You see, if you believe that the mere pres¬ ence of any particular thought has inherent power, it will. But the door to liberation is found when you discover that the mere presence of thought has no power whatsoever unlessyou believe that it does. So, if you are looking at aplant and are strongly identified with anegative thought about it, some¬ thing negative will be transmitted. But if you are not identified with that negative thought, it will have no power to transmit anything. Remember, it is only your relationship to thought and the content of thought that either gives it power or strips that power away. And it is through your own recognition of this profoundly liberating truth that you will find the way to break the momentum of karma and experience the extraordi¬ nary wholeness of being that this discovery makes possible. Ican feel the liberation in what you’re saying but for some reason it’s hard for me to accept. That’s because, like most seekers, you’re superstitious. “Superstitious” means that you are convinced that the mere presence of thought automatically means something about the thinker. And as aresult, you can’t help but be living in ihe end of karma 71 constant fear of your own mind. Don’t you see, that’s the def¬ inition of bondage. And that’s why, if you really want to be free, seeing clearly that thought has no power except that which we choose to give it is so, so important. So are you saying that if we want to be free, we just don’t identify with any thoughts? No, I’m not saying that. As long as we are human beings who are living in the real world, we have to have arelationship with thought. Why? Because we have to act. Because we have to make choices. That can’t be avoided. And that is why, if we want to be free, the big question isn’t, “How do Inot identify with thought?” but, more importantly, “What is the right relationship with thought?” So what is the right relationship with thought? The right relationship with thought is one in which we iden¬ tify only with those thoughts that are in line with our desire to be free. That’s quite atall order! Yes, it is. But remember, the goal of the spiritual path is enlightenment and that’s not asmall matter. One definition of enlightenment is that one has come to that point in one’s own evolution where one is no longer creating karma. That means that one is no longer acting out of ignorance or 72 living enlightenment selfishness in ways that cause suffering to others. And in the end, this simple yet profound attainment is entirely depen¬ dent upon one’s relationship with thought. 7 3