Picking up threads from the previous issue, it comes out that the choice option we enjoy, holds the key to our destiny. The choices we make in life lead us through a successive course of cause-effect chain, ordinarily difficult to escape, which even stretches on to next birth cycle. “How does cause-effect chain get stretched on to the next birth?” interrupted the questioner.  

Be it known, human existence is structured in three layers — causal, astral, and gross bodies. Causal body has in record karmic imprint carried over from the past life. It is also believed to be having in store the blueprint of life — the ideal on which life stands. Astral body, acting as the bridge, carries forward the program layout to the gross body for translation into act. All mind-functions of a being are again the prerogative of astral body. On death, it is just the gross body that disintegrates. The astral and causal bodies that are pure energy platforms remain intact. Having in store a record of all that we have gone through in life — the learning and unlearning had, skill sets acquired, virtues and attributes acquired, good or bad experiences had, habits and attitudes developed — causal and astral bodies move on to acquire a fresh gross body in the next successive life. The memory imprints carried over from the past find reflection as and when congenial ground is available. So, in effect, mind is the carrier of karmic accruals from the past.  

Here again, the choice option in hand, does also equip us with the privilege to make such conscientious choice as would negate implications of the past.  We can self-reflect upon ourselves, identify and acknowledge our usual mind trends that ordinarily lead us through in life. Applying our faculty of discriminate intelligence, we could figure out the undesirable ones and make necessary amends. Also discriminate between ‘what we want’ and ‘what is right’, and accordingly pick up the most appropriate lead before making the final choice. But very few are found successfully exercising this option because mind itself acts the devil. Habits die hard. So, hardened attitudes of mind do not let you easily come out of its clutches.

It thus comes out that if at all we wish to modify our karmic track, the process again is routed through the mind. The question now is: How to go about it? Here a look into the construct and chemistry of mind becomes desirable. There are three functional coordinates of mind — Buddhi, Ahamkara, and Manasa. All three are animated by chit (consciousness element). The three are supposed to work in coordination with each other as a unified organism.  Buddhi is supposed to dispassionately analyse the issues at hand, arrive at the right judgment, and then accordingly guide the Manasa to act upon from the front. Ahamkara brings in the sense of ‘I’ consciousness. The initiatives that we take in life, or how we react and respond to any situation, is the prerogative of ahamkara. So, it drives all actions on the part of a being. But ahamkara can’t act on its own. It draws its feed from two sources — memory imprints carried over from the past or the tempting influences of the seeming world.     

Now coming to the chemistry of mind, the whole course begins with memory imprints carried over from the past. These impressions involuntarily define a belief system which lead to desire trends. According as the desires, you excite corresponding thoughts, which when gravitate, turn into action.  The feel of the fruits of action then gets carried over to our memory, which again becomes the cause for any future course of action. This is how we remain trapped in self-created Karmic bind.

Ahamkara usually identifies itself with the Karmic carry-over from the past, sets it as its end game, and then passionately pursues it. At times ahamkara gets drawn towards tempting influences of the seeming world, and unmindfully sets it as its dream destination. Caught up in its own bind, ahamkara seldom cares to invoke buddhi for due diligence, and with obvious consequences. Remember, ahamkara and manasa always remain in active mode.  But buddhi doesn’t play out by default; it has to be consciously invoked. That makes it incumbent upon us to maintain the sense of alert necessary to keep buddhi in active mode. This again is not easy as our impressionable mind usually remains flirting with a huge volume of randomly generated thoughts. Such a distracted mind fails to maintain the sense of alert necessary to keep buddhi in active mode.

The issue continues…

The writer is an astrologer, vastu consultant and spiritual counsellor. Write to him atG-102, Bharat Nagar, New Friends Colony, New Delhi – 110 025

Tel: 91-11-49848475/9818037273

Email: pioneerqueries@bharatastro.com

Website: www.bharatastro.com