The triadic flow of Karma

Next to the notion of Yoga, Karma is probably the least understood concept that came out of India. The theory of Karma is accepted by most systems originated in the Subcontinent, yet there is no agreement on the way the notion is interpreted by various traditions associated with the systems of Indian Philosophy.

We are not going to focus here on the particularities between different doctrines, suffice to say there is a wide spectrum of interpretation. For instance Buddhism does not recognize identity, their doctrine of karma is based on the notion of dependent origination. In Veda the action is seen as the means to gain Self-realization, while according to Advaita Vedanta action is not the means to total freedom.

They all agree though in the main aspect: Karma (action) performed leaves potency behind powerful enough to produce future experiences of joy or sorrow according to its nature. 

The most elaborate explanations are given in Patanjali Sutra in that classical gloss by an ancient commenter Vyasa with its almost scientific pragmatism. The other in The Bhagavad Gita which defined action as one of the means to attain Liberation in one of its chapters entitled The Yoga of Action, Karma Yoga.

Going back to the triadic nature of karma it's important to understand that karma is not something rigid but in itself a subject to extremely complex fluctuation of the generic matrix which produced the flow of karma in the first place. We should immediately point out that in reality there is no in the first place for there is no beginning and no end to karma as such. That's why the Gita says: ''Unfathomable is the cause of action.''

Karma consists of three currents: fixed, mixed and flexible. 

~ The fixed portion of karma is the most gripping and it is formed of the countless factors accumulated by the sum total of all previous actions put together with mathematical precision. It determines or rather betrays the celestial trajectory of the soul on its evolutionary path. The moment of conception along with the moment of departure is recorded in the number of the breaths literally.

Speaking plainly, it is that portion of karma which is impossible to change just like it's impossible to reverse the river against its flow. Genetic setup, intellectual capacities, constitutional build, racial and ethnic background cannot be changed, just like the time and place of birth which forces an individual to share the collective consequences of a larger karmic influences. 

~ The mixed portion is formed of immediate energies produced by more recent actions infused with the latent tendencies of the previous kind. Because of that it is less gripping and allows a certain degree of cooperation with the overall karmic flow. The skillful swimmer will be able to go along with the current knowing where to apply the effort and where to let it go. 

The way the mixed portion of karma will affect an individual is to a large degree depends on the awareness available to witness one's own actions and reactions. That is, what is considered a bad luck for one is a good luck in disguise for another. The quality of our experiences are too a large degree influenced by the interpretation we assign to them, whence it is pointless to talk about the positive and negative in a larger scheme of events.

Generally speaking the mixed part of karma is where we feel the presence of the providence and ''good lack'' or as opposite to that the feeling of being haunted by the ''unfortunate'' circumstances.

~ The flexible, is that portion of karma were we are legitimate co-authors of life-scenario, we are born to act. It is that part which is constantly in motion, in a sense that it is constantly open to the field of all possibilities. It consists of countless patterns of thoughts with which we deal on a daily basis and which subtly influence the direction our life is taking even if by some invisible force. Yet it is the most valuable portion of karma and the least explored due to the latent tendencies of the previous (fixed and mixed) parts, and is only subjected to the conditioning of our psyche. 

Once freed the flexible part of karma can and does create wonders. Even if it does not allow the rewriting of an actual script, it has the potential to ease the flow by useless fighting with the main current of life and exchanging it with the newly found joy of being transported. 

To utilize the flexible part of karma is an art of living in itself. The mystery of our past and the secret of our future is hidden in the unfolding sequence of each and every moment, that what we call present. 

The greater is the experience of the moment - the greater is the impact we have on our life and every given instance. To do that skillfully one needs to implement the technique which allows that experience of the moment to its maximum. 

Jai Guru Dev