karma and rebirth

[ketaki1981]

Rebirth happens because of ACCUMULATED KARMA.

Is ACCUMULATED KARMA = karmic debit + karmic credit ?

If yes then can we conclude karmic debit or karmic credit. .... any one of these two would cause rebirth....

[vr76413]

Just Briefly...
there are 3 types of Karma
1. Prarabdha Karma : The Karmas that are Now ripe and ready , and you take your birth with these Karmas. These Karmas will decide what kind of Birth you take.
2. Sanchita Karma: Total Accumualted Karmas that are still pending to get ripe. It will 1000's of Years to cleanout this karma.
3. Agama Karma : New Karmas that are created in this Birth, that are added to your Sanchita Karma.

I ma not sure when you say Karma Credit/debit ?.. be more elaborate on it .

[dead_man]

why are u asking?

[Ramakrishna]

Namaste,

Here is a guide that saidevoji posted in another thread relating to karma. I recommend everybody to read it. It pretty much covers everything related to karma and should answer any questions you have.

KARMA MANAGEMENT-
http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/att...5&d=1275362830

Hare Krishna

[saidevo]

namaste everyone.

As far as I have read and understood it:

• There is of course sukarma--good karma, which may be taken as credit, and kukarma--bad or negative karma, which is a debit.

• The point is, sukarma and kukarma don't offset each other. In other words, the karmic balance is not the sum total of debit and credit karmas. They are accounted separately.

• sukarma is experienced in the svarga--heavens, during a jIva's--individual soul's, afterlife, that is, disembodied life. The time we spend in heavens will be in proportion to our sukarma, which in turn will get reduced as we enjoy our stay in the heavens. The effect of sukarma in rebirth is by placement of the reborn jIva in better circumstances of life: parents, home, religion, country and so on.

• kukarma is experienced only on the earth with a gross human body. It is normally manifest as negative circumstances in our life, which includes diseases, and any deformities/defects in the body. Extreme kukarma is met with extreme circumstances: for example, if someone causes a violent death by murder, then he is more likely to die a violent death in the next or another life.

• However, kukarma is not experienced under the principle of 'an eye for eye'; that is, kukarma which is not extreme, such as caused by our negative and selfish desires prompted by the six viris--kAma (passion), krodha (anger), lobha (greed), moha (infatuation/delusion), mada (pride), mAtsarya (jealousy)--generally results in diseases and (spiritually) unfavourable circumstances in life.

• As explained in the booklet that Ramakrishna referred to, spiritual sAdhana by karma, bhakti and jnAna yogas, helps us reduce the burden of our kukarma, and gives us the strength and mental frame to face unfavourable circumstances.

• With such knowledge, we might remember that when we have some normal disease such as an ordinary fever, or any other ailment that will be cured in a short while and can be endured without unnecessarily heavy and serious medication, our suffering will help us reduce the burden of our kukarma. This is the reason that the Hindu medication system attempts to trace the root of an ailment and suggest parihAra--spiritual remedy, besides curative medication.

This is not to say that we should not take treatment/medication for non-serious ailments; only that as we suffer the effects of the ailment, we also get our the burden of our kukarma reduced.

All this could very well mean that since most of us (that very well includes me) are not capable of spiritual sAdhana which can make us jIvan-mukatas--liberated while living, in this life, we can consciously plan our karma management and thereby our future life in our births to come.

**********

[ketaki1981]

yes vr76417,

by karmic credits i mean sukarma or good deeds.
by karmic debts i mean kukarma or bad deeds.

I want to know that does accumulated karma comprise both karmic cedits and karmic debts.

If yes , then (as they say we take birth because of accumulated karma), can i conclude that rebirth can happen because of any of the two (karmic credits or karmic debts).

[yajvan]

hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~

namast�

yes vr76417,

I want to know that does accumulated karma comprise both karmic cedits and karmic debts.

And who is the book-keeper?

praṇām

[Ramakrishna]

Namaste ketaki1981,

I think I may understand what you are asking. You are speaking in very simplified terms, but accumulated karma is equal to karmic debt + karmic credit. Once the two are evenly balanced OR the karmic credit is more than the karmic debt, moksha is achieved. When it is said that we are reborn because of accumulated karma, it is because our karmic debt is more than our karmic credit. It would be very difficult to near impossible for karmic credit outweigh karmic debt in a lower life form. That is why we as humans have the best opportunity to have a positive or balanced accumulated karma and achieve moksha. This is my understanding.

Hare Krishna

[ketaki1981]

Thanks ramakrishna....

But is it not that if karmic credit(good deeds) are more then too you will be reborn, as in such a case we cannot say that accumulated karma is zero.

For we are reborn because of accumulated karma. So until it becomes zero, we keep taking rebirth.

[rkpande]

hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~

namast�


And who is the book-keeper?

praṇām

Pranam Yajvan ji,

This is the most important question every body should ask, i had been contemplating on this for last 15 years and have some answers before i comment I would be delighted to read other member's take on this.
rk