(Prologue: I’ve got first-hand experience that a real understanding of the laws of karma can substantially change our lives for the better. I created this weblog to share information and personal experience with others. May it be of benefit!)

In the post on September 06’09 we raised the question of whether there is such a thing as “free will.”

Generally speaking, as long as we are in the grip of an almost irresistible, spinning undertow as described by the 12 factors\links, there is no ultimate freedom.

Specifically speaking, there is no freedom without  understanding the concept and reality of dependence and  interdependence i.e. this leads to this leads to this and so on. On and on. It’s like links in a chain. Each link produces (makes
possible) the next link.

Why? Because we are just following the habitual patterns that have been imprinted on our minds from previous actions. Continually acting on these patterns both maintains our current karma and creates further karma. To repeat, no ultimate freedom to be found here.

Only when we go completely beyond karma (cause and effect) can we be truly, ultimately, free. That takes time. Lots of time. But we live in the relative, conventional world.

So what do we do in the meantime? That is what Part 2 of this series about free will is about.

We work with what we have.

The point ……is that we are creating future actions. We can change the course. We are not stuck in our karma. (Class Four, page 86 of the Sutrayana Transcripts

and:

The future is very much in our hands – in our actions. ~Sogyal Rinpoche

Only in the NOW are we free to make the kinds of choices that will change our karmic stream\patterning. If we don’t cut through, at some point, along the interdependent chain of events, then we will just continue to create the same kind of karma, some of the consequences of which we are already experiencing.

Where to cut?

We can cut through the cycle of karma production at the eighth + ninth factors\chain of 12 links — the three poisons of passion, aggression and ignorance known as the kleshas.

Once you’ve committed a karmic action of course it’s too late, since you’ve just goosed the cycle to keep going until the next klesha arises, so it’s at the point of klesha taking hold, and before karmic action occurs, that you have a chance to cut the cycle. (source: Randy Chakerian, director, Shambhala Meditation Centre, Portland, Oregon)

8. Craving — because of feelings, I get involved with (a) wanting, (b) avoiding, or (c) ignoring something;

Happiness does not come from having much, but from being attached to little. ~ Cheng Yen

9. Grasping (intention) — becoming involved, I make a decision to get object I desire or to avoid what I don’t want.

There’s nothing wrong with having pleasures. It’s grasping at them that turns them into a source of pain. ~ Lama Yeshe

Or you can go even further back in this chain of 12 events and cut the process at the seventh factor:

7. Feeling — my experience of the outside world gives rise to feelings [e.g. compassion leads to good karma; hate, anger etc. lead to negative karma];

Student asks: In terms of the nidanas [factors, events], I have learned that the point where we can get out of the cycle is between seven and eight, between feeling and craving. I am wondering how  you work with that. You said that the point was between eight and nine, craving and appropriation [grasping].

Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche answers: Some people say that if we can stop feeling, then we will not have craving or appropriation [grasping]. Some people say that point is at feeling; some say it is at craving; some say apropriate [grasping] is a little late. In any case, what we want to do…..is to get to the point where we go beyond pleasure and nonpleasure. (source: Class 5 1999 Sutrayana Transcripts)

To repeat:

If we don’t cut through at some point along this interdependent chain of events that we call “our lives,” then we have already created the karma. In other words, we have already “missed the boat” and gone on to factor 10:

10. Becoming — decision (intention) is now put into action; this creates karma that will ripen later;

….We’ll look at the root of it all in Part 3 of 3, post dated September 20, 2009

If you found this post helpful, please tell a friend. Then consider subscribing to my weblog. Just click the Subscribe button in the navigation bar and then follow one of three sets of simple, step-by-step instructions. Thank you.