So you're acting in freedom. That gives you moderation and lightness,
and you're dealing with the situation as it is. You're not a prisoner of
past badness or past goodness. This has significant karmic implications.
Everybody wants to have what is called good karma rather than
bad, so we're trying to make karmic consequences less unpleasant.
Pleasant effects derive from positive sarnskara. So build these up, and
you get good consequences. This makes life pleasant, livable, and
agreeable, for us and for others. There is a real social benefit. But the
yogic goal is freedom so the yogi says, "I want to be free of conse
quence; I want to be free of karmic causality. Let me act in the present,
unconditioned even by the good imprints bringing good results. I will
try to cultivate actions so that they are reaction free." He will not be
tied either to the past or, through self-interested motivation, to the fu
ture. He will simply act cleanly in the present. If we understand the
relationship between sarnskara and karma, of actions and their conse
quences, we can break the chain of causality. The advantage of sus
tained and dedicated practice over time (tapas) is that it creates lasting
results. What we do over time removes what we have created over
time. We cannot leap to freedom in one bound or one immersion in a
holy river. This is a dream, an illusion. Resurfacing ego will always
grab us back. The immersion is a beginning and a declaration of good
intent. We wash away our stains and heal our wounds and frailties
over many minutes, in many hours, in many years of sustained,
mindful application. Nevertheless even beginners can move rapidly
from debit to credit, and the quality of life can change significantly for
the better. Presence of mind, self-control, and creative direction ern
brace us, and we gain the strength to persevere in the face of remaining
adversities.
Whether one agrees with the technicalities of karmic causality or
not, everyone desires progressively to raise the threshold of their intel
ligence and to reap the benefits. This is a sort of karmic moving stair-
II K S I Y 1'. N 1; All
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