Good Karma
Before we try to understand what Good Karma is, let us understand what Karma is.
Karma is a word very commonly used in USA. In fact, we would go to say that this word is used more often outside India than it is in India.
The other word that comes to our mind in this context of most used word is “Guru“.
What is Karma?
The word Karma is derived from the root “Kr”, meaning ‘to do’ in the language of Samskritam (Sanskrit) . So, Karma simply means action.
In India, we talk of the Law of Karma meaning Law of Action.
Karma Yoga is one of the 4 pillars of Yoga, the other 3 being “Bhakti Yoga (Yoga of Devotion), Jnana Yoga (Yoga of knowledge) and Raja Yoga (Yoga of mind control).
The word Yoga translates to "union" from the root “Yuj” meaning “to unite”. Thus Karma yoga literally translates to "The path of union through action".
It is described as a way of acting, thinking by which one acts in accordance with one’s duty (Dharma) without consideration of personal selfish desires, likes or dislikes. Acting without being attached to the fruits of one’s deeds is Karma Yoga.
What is Good Karma and Negative Karma?
Karma, in Indian philosophy, also indicates the total effect of a person’s actions, both mental and physical, on his or her existence.
A person’s present state, including health, is determined by actions from previous existence, and the present actions determine one's destiny for future existence.
That is why we talk of Good Karma and Negative Karma.
So your health, wellness and happiness depends on your Karma done up until now. This does not mean that you are helpless about things done in the past. Acquiring more Good Karma helps you to have mental strength and clarity to face events and situations in life.
All of the Yogic wisdom prepares you for more Good Karma in your life. Also, happiness level increases when you are able to care for something bigger and larger than yourself, and when you are sharing your compassion and altruism.
How does Yoga for Happiness Academy help in getting more Good Karma?
In addition to offering various programs that directly help in increasing your happiness and accumulating Good Karma, we offer you opportunity in two other ways to accomplish the same.
Yoga for Happiness Academy donates a portion of its net income to the 2 causes below. Please click on the picture or button for more details.
Above is BBA's founder, Kailash Satyarthi, who won the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize
Above is Adi Shankara, who simplified Vedic wisdom, along with His disciples
How does one accumulate Negative Karma with respect to Yoga & Veda?
Yoga and Veda have been in existence for thousands of years. Some wise souls are working hard even in this modern technological world to ensure that they are preserved in their original form, without any modification.
The goal of these evolved souls is to pass the Vedic wisdom on intact to the future generation. Then it is up to the younger generation to carry it forward and pass it on intact to their children and grandchildren.
While this tradition is being maintained in India, any attempt to modify the original knowingly or unknowingly will result in negative Karma, because it results in corrupting the original. Now the corrupted system will end up getting passed on for generations to come. That is a BLUNDER, and WILL result in negative Karma.
How does Yoga for Happiness Academy help in reducing this type of Negative Karma?
Yoga for happiness Academy works in reducing this Negative Karma in 3 ways.
1. By ensuring that the Vedic wisdom is understood correctly by the Yoga teachers
2. By ensuring that seekers of the Eastern Wisdom understand clearly, the difference between ordinary Sanskrit (Samskritam) chants and Vedic chants (those Mantras taken from Vedas)
This way, they can avoid the Vedic Mantras which are powerful and dangerous, and which if uttered without getting authorized to recite them correctly, will result in Negative Karma
3. Since pronunciation of Sanskrit sounds is essential to teach devotional singing in Sanskrit, or to teach REAL Yoga, any casual approach without dedicating time and energy to learn the sounds correctly WILL result in negative Karma.
The casual approach clearly shows a lack of respect and reverence to the science of Yoga, Veda and Mantra. It shows a lack of integrity because, teaching is preceding the learning. So anything taught will be inauthentic.
This in-authenticity does not stop with just the teacher, but gets passed on to the students who will later become teachers to pass on the inauthentic system they have learned. So it becomes a vicious circle of negative Karma.
Yoga for Happiness Academy works in reducing this Negative Karma by teaching the teachers correct Sanskrit sounds, so that they become authentic Ambassadors of Eastern wisdom.
Are good intentions in teaching Yoga and Mantra not sufficient in avoiding Negative Karma?
We have heard many teachers argue that they have good intentions, and therefore will not incur any negative Karma.
Good intentions alone are NOT sufficient in stopping the damage being done in passing on to others an incorrect system. Good intentions must be accompanied with honest efforts in learning things correctly.
A sharp knife in a child's hand with good intentions is NOT sufficient in preventing damage to the child and others.
If the intentions are good, one can sing and chant in English. Why resort to the unknown language of Sanskrit?
One can teach any spiritual knowledge, why teach Yoga?
So, Yoga for Happiness Academy aims to reduce this unnecessary accumulation of negative Karma, which are unintentional.
Knowledge is Life... Ignorance is Death....
