breaking free!

Verse 2.40: In this endeavor there is no loss or diminution, and a little advancement on this path can protect one from the most dangerous type of fear.

Yesterday we left off with the question of how to get out of a bad contract. Today, we find out how!

As a quick recap, that horrible contract we've gotten ourselves into is the trap of constantly accumulating good and bad karma. Luckily for us, Krsna is our expert guide who hands us the solution to getting out of this mess- perform activities that are "akarmic" or that result in no karma.

That's right, it's a little known fact but there is such a thing as "karma free". This takes us out of the situation of wondering whether we will receive our just deserts in this lifetime or the next. But what does it mean to act in a way that results in being karma free?

All of one's actions are knowingly or unknowingly motivated. Normally that motivation is tuned into the "what's in it for me" station. In other words, we are trying to find happiness the only way we know how - through experiencing pleasure through our senses. The downside to this type of lifestyle is that it increasingly makes us body-centric. Our world revolves around our bodies and we forget the soul, the actual eternal self, which is desperately requiring our care and attention.

Living a karma free life is about feeding and nourishing our soul and to live such a life requires knowledge about what the soul really needs. The soul is not only spiritual by nature but also craves relationship, hence our fundamental need to love and be loved. In order to re-invigorate the soul, the bhakti texts outline certain spiritual activities one can perform. Such activities include reciting and singing beautiful mantras (mantra - sound vibration that frees the mind from anxiety) and spending time with advanced practitioners of bhakti.

The beauty of the bhakti is that most "everyday" actions you perform can also be converted into karma free activities. The only thing that actually changes is the motivation. Instead of acting for "me", we act in a consciousness of gratitude. We are all blessed to be the recipients of so many talents, gifts and opportunities. When we perform our activities with the consciousness of giving thanks instead of expecting something in return, we naturally invite empowerment and blessings in our life, instead of karma.

So go on and feed your soul and experience what it's like to live karma free.