The third spiritual law of success is the Law of Karma. "Karma" is both action and the consequence of that action; it is cause and effect simultaneously, because every action generates a force of energy that returns to us in like kind. There is nothing unfamiliar about the Law of Karma. Everyone has heard the expression, "What you sow is what you reap." Obviously, if we want to create happiness in our lives, we must learn to sow the seeds of happiness. Therefore, karma implies the action of conscious choice-making.
You and I are essentially infinite choice-makers. In every moment of our existence, we are in that field of all possibilities where we have access to an infinity of choices. Some of these choices are made consciously, while others are made unconsciously. But the best way to understand and maximize the use of karmic law is to become consciously aware of the choices we make in every moment.
Whether you like it or not, everything that is happening at this moment is a result of the choices you´ve made in the past. Unfortunately, a lot of us make choices unconsciously, and therefore we don´t think they are choices - and yet, they are.........
.....Most of us - even though we are infinite choice-makers - have become bundles of conditioned reflexes that are constantly being triggered by people and circumstances into predictable outcomes of behaviour. These conditioned reflexes are like Pavlovian conditioning. Pavlov is famous for demonstrating that if you give a dog something to eat every time you ring a bell, soon the dog starts to salivate when you just ring the bell, because it has associated one stimulus with the other.
Most of us, as a result of conditioning, have repetitions and predictable responses to the stimuli in our environment. Our reactions seem to be automatically triggered by people and circumstances, and we forget that these are still choices that we are making in every moment of our existence. We are simply making these choices unconsciously.
If you step back for a moment and witness the choices you are making as you make those choices, then in just this act of witnessing, you take the whole process from the unconsciousrealm into the conscious realm. This procedure of conscious choice-making and witnessing isvery empowering.
When you make any choice - any choice at all - you can ask yourself two things: First of all, "What are the consequences of this choice that I´m making?" In your heart you will immediately know what these are. Secondly, "Will this choice that I´m making now bring happiness to me and to those around me?" If the answer is yes, then go ahead with that choice. If the answer is no, if that choice brings distress either to you or to those around you, then don´t make that choice. It´s as simple as that.
There is only one choice, out of the infinity of choices available in every second, that will create happiness for you as well as for those around you. And when you make that one choice, it will result in a form of behaviour that is called spontaneous right action. Spontaneous right action is the right action at the right moment. It´s the right response to every situation as it happens. It´s the action that nourishes you and everyone else who is influenced by that action.
There is a very interesting mechanism that the universe has to help you make spontaneously correct choices. The mechanism has to do with sensations in your body. Your body experiences two kinds of sensations: one is a sensation of comfort, the other is a sensation of discomfort. At the moment you consciously make a choice, pay attention to your body and ask your body, "If I make this choice, what happens?" If your body sends a message of comfort, that´s the right choice. If your body sends a message of discomfort, then it´s not the appropriate choice.
For some people the message of comfort and discomfort is in the area of the solar plexus, but for most people it´s in the area of the heart. Consciously put your attention in the heart and ask your heart what to do. Then wait for the response - a physical response in the form of a sensation. It may be the faintest level of feeling - but it´s there, in your body.
THE HEART
Only the heart knows the correct answer. Most people think the heart is mushy and sentimental. But it´s not. The heart is intuitive; it´s holistic, it´s contextual, it´s relational. It doesn´thave a win-lose orientation. It taps into the cosmic computer - the field of pure potentiality, pure knowledge, and infinite organizing power - and takes everything into account. At times it may not even seem rational, but the heart has a computing ability that is far more accurate and far more precise than anything within the limits of rational thought.
......You must become consciously aware that your future is generated by the choices you are making in every moment of your life. If you do this on a regular basis, then you are making full use of the Law of Karma. The more you bring your choices into the level of your conscious awareness, the more you will make those choices which are spontaneously correct - both for you and those around you.
DEEPAK CHOPRA Physician, Public Speaker, and Writer BOOK: The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success
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THE SEVEN SPIRITUAL LAWS OF SUCCESS
1. The law of pure potentiality
2. The Law of Giving
3. The law of karma or cause and effect
4. The law of least effort
5. The law of Intention and Desire
6. The law of Detachment
7. The law of dharma or purpose in life
DEEPAK CHOPRA Physician, Public Speaker, and Writer BOOK: The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success
