Dealing with purified karma

[Konchog1]

I was driving while meditating on illusion-like emptiness and after about an hour I run over a T.V. dealing $600 of damage to my car and stranding me in Nowheresville for a night.

So my question is, when karma is purified, how bad can it get? Life threatening? Problems that last several years?

And second, how can I minimize and protect myself against purified karma? Because I haven't meditated since yesterday because I'm scared my roof will collapse or something (I'm only half-joking).

Thanks.

[Anders]

I am not sure what you mean by "purified karma."

And at any rate, I think it might be a mistake to correlate your meditation with the fruition of those karmic effects. Karma isn't linear.

[Konchog1]

I am not sure what you mean by "purified karma."

And at any rate, I think it might be a mistake to correlate your meditation with the fruition of those karmic effects. Karma isn't linear.

Well, Emptiness causes karma (although greatly weakened) to arise right? That's what I meant by purified karma.

I understand it could be a coincidence but I've been working with Emptiness this whole week and this whole week has been full of minor accidents. This is the only major one.

Well coincidence or no, my questions still stand. Your post awhile back on love meditation directed towards oneself was very helpful. I would be pleased to read any further response of yours.

[lobster]

You are in my puja practice today.
Shit happens. Be grateful. Practice. You will hopefully recognise that ripening karma is speeded development. You lucky sausage.

Everything is fine.

[Konchog1]

:tantrum:

You are in my puja practice today.
Shit happens. Be grateful. Practice. You will hopefully recognise that ripening karma is speeded development. You lucky sausage.

Everything is fine.

Thank you very much. If I can help you in the future, don't hesitate to ask.

Yes, but I fear suffering A usual feeling.

[Terma]

I understand it could be a coincidence but I've been working with Emptiness this whole week and this whole week has been full of minor accidents. This is the only major one.

Perhaps in light of your "working with emptiness" for the last little while, these kinds of incidents are gentle reminders that the relative truth still exists in mundane life.

Terma

[deff]

i think the problem in this case might be meditating while driving

that said, i have heard karma ripens quicker when one is practicing, and that seems to correlate with my experience. if that's really the case, then i guess the best we can do is be grateful that its ripening while we're aware of ways to reduce suffering, and ripening at a lesser intensity than it would in the future.

[Konchog1]

I understand it could be a coincidence but I've been working with Emptiness this whole week and this whole week has been full of minor accidents. This is the only major one.

Perhaps in light of your "working with emptiness" for the last little while, these kinds of incidents are gentle reminders that the relative truth still exists in mundane life.

Terma

An important reminder to be sure.

i think the problem in this case might be meditating while driving

that said, i have heard karma ripens quicker when one is practicing, and that seems to correlate with my experience. if that's really the case, then i guess the best we can do is be grateful that its ripening while we're aware of ways to reduce suffering, and ripening at a lesser intensity than it would in the future.

True.

[heart]

I was driving while meditating on illusion-like emptiness and after about an hour I run over a T.V. dealing $600 of damage to my car and stranding me in Nowheresville for a night.

So my question is, when karma is purified, how bad can it get? Life threatening? Problems that last several years?

And second, how can I minimize and protect myself against purified karma? Because I haven't meditated since yesterday because I'm scared my roof will collapse or something (I'm only half-joking).

Thanks.

The Three Principal Aspects of the Path
by Je Tsong Kha pa

I will explain as well as I can
The essential meaning of all the Conqueror's scriptures,
The path praised by the excellent Conqueror children,
The port for the fortunate wishing liberation.

Whoever are not attached to the pleasures of mundane existence,
Whoever strive in order to make leisure and fortune worthwhile,
Whoever are inclined to the path pleasing the Conqueror Buddha,
Those fortunate ones should listen with a clear mind.

Without a complete thought definitely to leave cyclic existence
There is no way to stop seeking pleasurable effects in the ocean of existence.
Also, craving cyclic existence thoroughly binds the embodied.
Therefore, in the beginning determination to leave cyclic existence should be sought.

Leisure and fortune are difficult to find
And life has no duration.
Through familiarity with this,
Emphasis on the appearances of this life is reversed.

If you think again and again
About deeds and their inevitable effects
And the sufferings of cyclic existence,
The emphasis on the appearances
Of future lives will be reversed.

If, having meditated thus, you do not generate admiration
Even for an instant for the prosperity of cyclic existence,
And if an attitude seeking liberation arises day and night,
Then the thought definitely to leave cyclic existence has been generated.

Also, if this thought definitely to leave cyclic existence
Is not conjoined with generation of a complete aspiration to highest enlightenment,
It does not become a cause of the marvellous bliss of unsurpassed enlightenment.
Thus, the intelligent should generate the supreme altruistic intention to become enlightened.

All ordinary beings are carried by the continuum of the four powerful currents,
Are tied with the tight bonds of actions difficult to oppose,
Have entered into the iron cage of apprehending self (inherent existence),
Are completely beclouded with the thick darkness of ignorance,

Are born into cyclic existence limitlessly, and in their births
Are tortured ceaselessly by the three sufferings.
Thinking thus of the condition of mothers who have come to such a state,
Generate the supreme altruistic intention to become enlightened.

If you do not have the wisdom realising the way things are,
Even though you have developed the thought definitely to leave cyclic existence
And the altruistic intention, the root of cyclic existence cannot be cut.
Therefore work at the means of realising dependent-arising.

Whoever, seeing the cause and effect of all phenomena
Of cyclic existence and nirvana infallible,
Thoroughly destroys the mode of misapprehension of those objects [as inherently existent]
Has entered on a path that is pleasing to Buddha.

As long as the two, realisation of appearances -
the infallibility of dependent-arising - and the realisation of emptiness -
The non-assertion [of inherent existence] -
Seem to be separate, there is still no realisation
Of the thought of Shakyamuni Buddha.

When [the two realisations exist] simultaneously without alternation
And when from only seeing dependent-arising as infallible,
Definite knowledge entirely destroys the mode of apprehension
[of the conception of inherent existence],
then the analysis of the view [of reality] is complete.

Further, the extreme of [inherent] existence is excluded
[by knowledge of the nature] of appearances
[existing only as nominal designations],
And the extreme of [total] non-existence is excluded
[by knowledge of the nature] of emptiness
[as the complete absence of inherent existence and not the absence of nominal existence].

If within emptiness the appearance of cause and effect is known
You will not be captivated by extreme views.
When you have realised thus just as they are
The essentials of the three principal aspects of the path,
Resort to solitude and generate the power of effort.
Accomplish quickly your final aim, my child.

[extracted from Kindness Clarity and Insight, Dalai Lama XIV, 1981, Snow Lion, USA; translated by Jeffrey Hopkins, University of Virginia.]

/magnus

[Konchog1]

I don't understand. What are you saying?

[dzoki]

I think Heart wanted to hint to you that as long as we live in a world of dualism, with our artificial view of emptiness, there is no escaping from karma. If you truly meditate on emptiness, how can you be scared of karma and it´s manifestations? The van is just an empty illusion, so is the 600 dollar damage. In true view of emptiness there is nothing to fear, all is just display of our own nature, bad, good, nice and disgusting, there is nothing to reject and nothing to hold on. Karma will still come to ripen one way or another, but if we make a drama of it, we accumulate more karma. The way to exhaust the karma is to just let go of this merry-go-round of acceptance and rejection, fear and hope, including fear of ripening of bad karma and hope for the arisal of positive circumstances.

[heart]

Yes, and emptiness shouldn't make you less aware because then there obviously is a separation.

/magnus

[Pero]

I was driving while meditating on illusion-like emptiness and after about an hour I run over a T.V. dealing $600 of damage to my car and stranding me in Nowheresville for a night.

Tall viking? Television? Terrible viper?

[futerko]

I was driving while meditating on illusion-like emptiness and after about an hour I run over a T.V. dealing $600 of damage to my car and stranding me in Nowheresville for a night.

Tall viking? Television? Terrible viper?

Transvestite?

[Pero]

I was driving while meditating on illusion-like emptiness and after about an hour I run over a T.V. dealing $600 of damage to my car and stranding me in Nowheresville for a night.

Tall viking? Television? Terrible viper?

Transvestite?

LOL!
Thin victim? Ticked-off velociraptor? Tasty veal?

[gregkavarnos]

And second, how can I minimize and protect myself against purified karma? Because I haven't meditated since yesterday because I'm scared my roof will collapse or something (I'm only half-joking).

21 Praises to Tara. If karma is to ripen quickly, then may it at least ripen without producing major obstacles!

PS This was a reccomendation by one of my teachers when similar stuff was happening to me.

[lobster]

Yes, but I fear suffering A usual feeling

Indeed.
I did Chenrezig practice for you. That should be good.
(if only for me)

However I would like to have as much of your fear as you can send my way.
I have hungry ghosts and hell dwellers who rely on me . . .

OM MANI PEMI HUNG HRI

[kirtu]

Well, Emptiness causes karma (although greatly weakened) to arise right? That's what I meant by purified karma.

Karma can be purified by meditating on emptiness but in TB primarily by confession, repentance, a resolution to change and a dedication to not commit these actions again relying on the Buddhas and then meditating on emptiness. This is the method of Vajrasattva purification and other purification practices like the 35 Buddhas Purification.

Otherwise we experience the ripening of karma and it in fact strengthens as time goes on.

Karma can in fact go on for years (lifetimes). We all have a vast reservoir of negative karma. Even Shakyamuni Buddha had traces of karma (this point is denied in TB in general).

I understand it could be a coincidence but I've been working with Emptiness this whole week and this whole week has been full of minor accidents. This is the only major one.

So your karma is getting purified by ripening in minor ways.

Kirt

[Konchog1]

I think Heart wanted to hint to you that as long as we live in a world of dualism, with our artificial view of emptiness, there is no escaping from karma. If you truly meditate on emptiness, how can you be scared of karma and it´s manifestations? The van is just an empty illusion, so is the 600 dollar damage. In true view of emptiness there is nothing to fear, all is just display of our own nature, bad, good, nice and disgusting, there is nothing to reject and nothing to hold on. Karma will still come to ripen one way or another, but if we make a drama of it, we accumulate more karma. The way to exhaust the karma is to just let go of this merry-go-round of acceptance and rejection, fear and hope, including fear of ripening of bad karma and hope for the arisal of positive circumstances.

Thank you both. This very helpful, I'll keep it in mind.

Thank you lobster. And you as well Greg, I'll start reciting it.

[asunthatneversets]

i think the problem in this case might be meditating while driving

I meditate while driving whenever possible... On Fridays I drive for 7-8 hours and meditate almost the whole time. Only had once or twice where some really strange nyams started to happen and I had to cut the meditation off, which is unfortunate because it would've been interesting to have those play out, but for fear of crashing I couldn't.