According to Ayurveda, longevity and the quality of life depend on two factors, what you have done in your previous life or lives (your karma) and what you are doing now in this life. Along with the science of Yoga, Ayurveda teaches us that all actions are due to karma or action. There can be no reaction without an action to precede it. What we do every day makes for who we are. Dr. David Frawley suggests in his book, Ayurvedic Healing, that “our actions determine the content of our consciousness as well as the energy level of our physical body. An occasional visit to a healer, no matter how famous or expensive, cannot substitute for our own action or substantially alter its effects. The healing methods that we ourselves put into practice are of the greatest importance, not what someone else does for us.”
What we do every day determines not only who we are in this life, but also who we will become in the next life. In Sanskrit, the word kratu is translated as “intelligence in action”. Through kratu, we have the ability to take control of our own karma and cease to be victims of our unconscious actions. Our daily choices help us to understand what we truly value in our lives. It is from these decisions in what we do every day that decides what we take into our next life.
There are ways in which we can take control of our karma in our every day living. In Vedic philosophy, sattva is a sanskrit term that means purity, harmony and balance. Following a sattvic (pure life-style) will give us peace and clarity of mind. Purity of mind includes honesty, truthfulness, non-violence friendliness and compassion to all beings. Purity of lifestyle includes staying physically clean, eating raw or freshly cooked vegetarian foods, breathing clean air, drinking clean water, and performing proper exercises. Living a life with more sattvic qualities will help us take control of our karma and live a life of balance.
We are all born with different constitutions and have different mental and physical capacities due to our past karma. To remedy the effects of our past karma is up to each of us, for our efforts can diminish weakness and can improve the quality of our lives.
Got Karma?
