AWAKENING does not occur by accumulating ‘good karma’ as they sometimes say in the East for there is no such thing. We must become free of all karma in our lives. Karma is a partner of the ego and as such, works covertly in the dark unconscious back reaches of the habitual mind.  As with the ego, it cannot stand the glaring spotlight of conscious awareness.

We cannot do anything to free ourselves of karma, for to do anything involves the ego. By the simple process of becoming impartially self aware of ourselves in the present moment, we bypass the egos attention for it can only exist in time, which then allows us to learn the lessons that are presented to us.

If we are angry say, and try with effort not to be angry it only makes it worse. If we succeed somewhat it’s just as bad for our anger is then replaced by other negative emotions, like guilt or revenge. We are putting our whole attention on the anger giving it power, but if we stand aside and watch ourselves being angry without trying to do anything about it, the anger subsides. Why?

Anger is part of the karmic library of negative emotions which dwells and works in the darkness. By using the light of impartial self observation, karma slinks back into its lair. We can never be fully angry again for from then on, the next time we begin to be angry, we become immediately aware of it.

That is all we need do to reslove any negativity that we suffer. Don’t try and stop yourself from being angry, accept the fact that you are angry without blaming yourself or condoning your behavior or whatever, that only makes it worse. By identifying with our anger and trying to stop it, we give the ego something to get its teeth into.

Bringing it into the light of conscious awareness does the trick. The karma of that negative reaction is learned in the light of awareness. With practice and diligence our anger will slowly fade until it never shows its ugly head again. As all the other negative emotions are brought up from the unconscious habitual mind into the light of awareness, there lessons are learned as well.

The egoic, habitual mind (the person we think we are) is our stumbling block, for it is the one that is trying to learn. We all put so much effort into reading this kind of literature, we meditate, study any available material that might assist us in our learning, but to no avail.

We may become proficient at understanding this stuff intellectually but no matter how earnest we are to advance, no matter how much we realize the necessity and urgency for our minds spiritual evolution, we all flounder on the shores of ignorance. No matter how hard we try, we remain stuck in the  identification of ourselves with the habitual ego mind. Why?

We are using effort and our intellect to attempt to understand something that the intellect can never understand. The intellect is part of the egos habitual mind. In fact it is the ego itself. The ego dearly wants what spirituality promises – eternal life – but it can never achieve that aim. The lessons are not there for the ego to learn.

We cannot try to DO or learn anything. The secret is to be open minded and receptive to new revelations, without judging or desiring or wanting to achieve this goal or that – or using the intellect to try and decipher the meaning of it all.

Enlightenment does not come in time, only in timelessness. We must let go, get out of our own way and trust in a self that we do not as yet recognize.

That awakening can only be realized in the present moment – a place where the ego cannot exist…

*Referencing an article by Eckhart Tolle helped in writing this chapter.

Dan’s Quote: “I’m a true believer in karma.
_____________You get what you give, whether it’s bad or good.”- Sandra Bullock 

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