11 Karmic Spaces

This is something I have compiled based on the writings of Ma Jaya Sati Bhagavati at kashi.org explaining the 11 karmic spaces.

There are eleven different karmas that we can find ourselves in at any given moment. They are called Karmic Spaces, and they represent the karma that takes up space in your life. The structure of the Karmic Spaces comes from building blocks of unworthiness; after awhile it becomes the structured way of life. The eleven Karmic Spaces bring an understanding that life is continuous thought and that thought goes on and on, lifetime after lifetime, until it is broken with the blessing of non-thought. Once the blessing of non-thought exists, the ego has no place to go.

Place yourself in the yogic stream of consciousness, and you will always find the end of duality and the beginning of oneness. Then you are the master of your destiny. The original destiny, or the original time of death, is wiped away by a single action, or a single thought. The mere acknowledgment that you are feeling jealousy or about to go into a rage of anger, or you completely abandon yourself to the ego and find that pride has brought you to the simple place of indifference; or you find that you cry easily and yet do not listen to your own tears fall to the ground on footsteps already taken many, many times over – that very acknowledgment will bring you into the light.

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1: Jealousy
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When you find yourself becomming Jealous of somebody else you are falling into seperation and lack of self love and worth. Jealousy will block one from the paths to service and gratitude. Humility, kindness, and self love can free one from the egoic traps of Jealousy.

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2: Anger
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ANGER

Every morning is a brand new day and a brand new life; in fact, as you embrace the moment, every moment becomes a brand new life! Your whole life can change in a split second if you allow it. You can turn your whole way of thinking around this very second in time and space.

When you feel yourself getting red in the face and your heart is beating with anger and pain, touch your own heart with your breath – and your Beloved will be that breath. This breath is called awareness, and it is yours to use, to live and to become happy. Anger stops enjoyment. Anger stops life, period. Meditation teaches you to touch your own heart with your breath. The heart is the breath of your Beloved. Do not waste this breath with anger or hurt.

When you are overwhelmed, consider for a split second how you react most of the time: how you waste the breath, and how you cause yourself great pain by being angry when you know it will pass. You don’t need stress to pour into your blood stream. This can be stopped if you feel yourself touching your heart by remembering the breath.

This is not an easy thing to do; yet it is a thing that you must do for your own spiritual growth. Feel the breath this moment. Say these words all day long so they become a part of you: “I breathe in my Beloved’s breath with every in-breath I take. I breathe out my Beloved’s breath with every breath I let out.” Anger robs you of the breath. This is the reason it is said you “see red” when you are angry.

When you have an angry reaction over anything big or small, you begin to open up new trails, or new grooves of unworthiness, within yourself. You also begin to deepen these grooves every time you have another angry reaction. Every time you begin to get angry, just think of my Beloved’s breath. It becomes a part of your life, and you begin to feel the bonds of unworthiness disappear. Love is so much deeper than anger.

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3: Pride
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PRIDE

Pride is the space of being unable to admit that you are not always right. It is always pride, lifetime after lifetime, that gets you in trouble, because you do the same things over and over again. When pride has become your master, you never learn.

Sometimes pride comes in the form of fear. If this is the case, you must look deeply into your heart and understand your fears. Is it pride that makes you forget the light in your heart? Recognize pride before another lifetime passes you by.

Ask Pride what it is that it wants to tell you. Pride tells you one of two things at any given moment: that you are the most important person in the world, or that you are nothing at all. The ego’s pride does not take the middle path at any time. It is when we become stubborn and filled with pride that the ego runs wild, and we become filled with pain and attachment. Did you ever want to meditate and then say, “I will sit tomorrow?” This is the ego.

The ego is only as big as you let it become. Once you shine a light on the ego, there is no place for it to run and hide. How do you know the ego exists? The first clue is the feeling of regret – and then comes the pain of anger and pride. We must learn to stop before the ego becomes so big that it cannot squeeze out of the exit door of duality. To find the way out is to develop an intimacy with God.

In spite of falling down into the hold of pride and having repeated failures, you can gradually invite humility into your life. You need strong determination to find the will to give up pride. There are many guidelines on your journey toward giving up pride. For example, in this moment think of someone you are angry with, and send him or her love. Do this even if you do not mean it. Soon your heart will be full, and you will not have time to dislike anyone. You do not have to hang out with those you do not like, but you do not have to think about your anger all day long either.

The mere acknowledgment that you are about to completely abandon yourself to the ego will bring you into the light.

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4: Indifference
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INDIFFERENCE I

In the Karmic Space of Indifference you forget you are a human being with a God-space called heart. One of the things that keeps you out of indifference is awe. Indifference happens when we stop being in awe of our lives; it is when we stop caring about the lives of others. It is amazing what we ignore, thus bringing us into indifference. Many people try to minimize their lives by being indifferent, even though they may not be aware of it in the moment. When the rhythm of caring becomes something of the past, the ego brings indifference to the forefront of one’s life.

Grief that grieves alone can bring one into the Karmic Space of Indifference. Death does not come out of nowhere to take the young and allow so many to suffer. It is indifference. If there is one second in someone’s life that you can make easier, then by all means do it. Serve from your very own soul, and your soul will speak from having the privilege to live in flesh upon Mother Earth.

Indifference is born from the pain of being afraid of rejection. Think about how much you wonder what others will think or say about you in the decisions you make. This is a big reason why so many step into the Karmic Space of indifference. To escape others’ thoughts and your reactions to the thoughts of others, you close your heart’s mind and enter without thought into indifference. Once you find yourself indifferent to one aspect of life, you will find yourself indifferent to many aspects of both life and death. A false courage comes upon you; instead of humility you put up a false front.

To live in slumber is to live in the Space of Indifference. Indifference brings one to the perpetual state of stress. Despair brings one into the Karmic Space of indifference. Once one enters into indifference it is hard to get past it. The lower charkas become weak, and no chakra needs to be weak. It is pride that sucks you into the Karmic Space of Indifference.

You do not want to step into indifference when you can feel the sweet memories of love in the moment, bringing light to any overcast thought. Many have lost the strength of awe – the strength of the mystery of life. This day try not to squander awe. Let awe open tons of entrances into love and out of the Space of Indifference. Be in awe. The darkness of indifference will soon grow into the light of gratitude.

INDIFFERENCE II

Spirituality is not just a mere philosophy; it is a way of life that breaks the silence of indifference. I must say of all the Karmic Spaces to find one’s self in that would be the most distressing, it would be the Karmic Space of Indifference, for it hurts one’s life so much. Indifference can alter your whole life if you live in it. If you are not compassionate to others and yourself, then indifference becomes your God. When you are constantly complaining or have let depression stop you from serving others, then you find that you are in the Karmic Space of Indifference. The suffering of others means nothing to anyone stuck in indifference.

Ask yourself, “Who is responsible for the terrible pain going on in the world right now?” It is my opinion that the fourth Karmic Space, Indifference, has brought about the utter misery of humankind. Yes, we all have causes; yet to ignore the pain of others who are poorer or less apt to vote is certainly an abuse of power. The whole hierarchy of the world at times confuses spirituality with politics. When you forget the heart of a human being, you forget God.

The battle of the senses is small next to the battle of your ego’s thoughts. When you act on your thoughts without concern for others, you are allowing the ego to lead you into the Karmic Space of Indifference.

The karmic action of serving others dissolves indifference. When we pay attention to how we live, then we can see how others live and whether or not they are in pain. How we live becomes very important to the karmic scale we carry in our hearts. This day see what it is to be productive on a spiritual level and an earthly level. Have your thoughts based on your heart instead of your mind.

DO NOT BE INDIFFERENT. See what you can do for the elderly and those who have no place to turn when age came upon them.

DO NOT BE INDIFFERENT. See your own beauty deep in the fullness of your heart.

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5: Ego of Self-Thought or Self Indulgence
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EGO

There are two types of ego. The first is the lower ego, the small I; this ego thinks only of the self. This ego gets a hold on you and becomes attached and needy. This ego creates the negativity that stops us. This ego wants you to believe that you are the doer.

The small ego sends off a kind of power that is illusory in nature. This ego’s power is based on material wants. It desires that you live your life in fear. Your true self, which is perfect, needs never to taste fear. Your soul is humble and perfect. The soul is deathless and bright with wonder. When you believe in the greatness of the soul, there is no need to fear anything, even death.

Breathe consciously in and out; let the mind be peaceful and tranquil. This will enable you feel love and to rise above the small ego. No matter how complex the mind, the breath of the heart will always guide you correctly.

The second type of ego is the higher ego: the big “I”. This ego knows in the depth of the soul that it is guided by love. By serving another human being, you feel that the God within is the doer. You only need to look into your heart to feel the greatness within.

Meditation is a higher state of mind; with practice, the ego cannot interfere with it. Meditation can bring about a real transformation in your life. Every time you breathe, know that your heart is beating and every breath is a blessing. It is wonderful to love God; it is wonderful to be loved by God.

EGO II

There is a higher mind and a lower mind, a higher ego and a lower ego. Never is there just one lower ego in a person, but there is only one higher ego. Can you live without ego? No. Does it get transferred into a higher space? Absolutely!

The small ego embraces possession. The word “mine” was born from the breath of the ego. If you are in a situation that brings you pain, embrace the situation with your heart. Bring it into a space of meditation.

If you want to change your destiny, stop falling into the trap of the ego. The ego tells you what you think you want. The ego-hold on you is solid. When you become fluid and in love, you can simply swim away from the small ego as it drowns in your life. Do not indulge the ego, as doing so takes you out of the moment. Do not make a big deal of the ego. Just turn to prayer, and the ego will begin to die.

Can the ego just be dropped when it appears convenient? No. It must be surrendered. I believe the ego must be surrendered to someone who is so in love with you that she or he would not care one iota if you loved him or her back. The teacher doesn’t point out our inadequacies; the teacher praises our willingness to evolve. The words of unconditional love build upon each other, like the sacred water of love that drips on the rock of ego and finally wears it down.

When you serve another human being, you feel the God within who is serving; then the ego dies. Did you ever want to bring someone happiness more than you wanted your own happiness? In that moment, you become free. The higher ego then comes in and knows, “I am loved.” If that freedom could be spread out over twenty-four hours a day, then you would be void of ego. The more deeply you breathe, the more the ego dies, and happiness will awaken with the breath. As the lower ego dies, the higher ego takes its place. The higher ego is the one that knows we are entitled to happiness.

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6: Lack of Awareness
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AWARE BREATHING

There are so many ways to feel the power of God this moment simply by watching your breath. By following your breath, you can calm your mind and relax your body. You can go beyond the finite and touch the infinite if you watch the breath go in and out with deep concentration. When you are aware of the breath, the sun of the Gods shines through the in-breath, takes the darkness, and melts it in your heart. The out-breath then becomes filled with light.

If you live in awareness of your breath, every moment becomes special in itself. The world will not pull you into its chaos if you are aware of the breath going in and out. Breathing with awareness is the sacredness of the moment. The breath allows you to rise to a higher level of consciousness. The breath is the greatest and simplest tool that God has given to you.

The depth with which you follow your own breath during meditation or during your day is the clue to how fast and how deeply you are walking toward your path. As your breath brings you deeper within your own being, you start to trust yourself. You begin to trust your own dignity and truth. The breath will bring you a new awareness of your own hidden consciousness. You will begin to shine through your own being. All of this is yours because of the awareness of your breath.

Your breath is the fastest and truest way to be in the moment. Pay attention to your breath, and that will allow you to pay attention to all you do. Bring all thoughts into silence by bringing your awareness to the breath. You can manifest within you the ability to be one with your Beloved this very second. You can start with the quieting of the breath, thus quieting your life and becoming aware.

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7: Intent
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It is important to be truthful to yourself and be aware of what your true intentions are. Sometimes you may be suprised when the truth of your intentions is revealed and what the roots of your behaviors are. When you become aware you can begin to see with your minds eye how things in your life are connected. Long forgotten events in your life that have left there mark molding who you are now and how you think and make decisions may have light shined on them bringing a rememberance and clarity of the solution to the things that are holding you back in life.

Your ego will create a mascarade of false truths leading you away from the real Truth. Becomming the knower so that you may purify your intentions is key here.

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8: Worldly Desire
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WORLDLY DESIRES

In the scriptures, it is said that happiness is not found in objects; it is within one’s own being. Sometimes an individual rejects inner happiness in favor of worldly desires. When you continually think of your worldly desires, you place those thoughts on the object - and your heart cannot breathe. The flow of thoughts keeps going back to that certain object. That which you long for, many times, is not even what you claim to truly want.

To understand the Karmic Space of Worldly Desire is to understand how you are caught in your ego’s identity. Worldly desire is the call of the ego telling you of all you can have; yet to offer your own seed of meditation can stop the longing for worldly desires, which calls you to its depth. Offering your own seed is a deeper space than any worldly desires.

To begin to cut away from worldly desires is to rediscover your love for your path and this brings such freedom. The ego pulls you down to worldly desires. The sense of misery comes from not having what you think you deserve, or coveting what others have. This pulls your attention away from the heart and into the ego. Then, when you find you are miserable enough, you pull yourself away from the ego and into the heart. The knower of truth is always aware of the different states and the slow emerging out of the Karmic Space of Worldly Desires.

Non-attachment to worldly desire does not mean that you cannot prosper. In the absence of worldly desires, there is great joy and bliss in the act of gratitude. This is a big step to a real understanding of the Self. This is when the questions “Who am I?” and “What am I?” are answered.

The complex life draws one into disharmony at home and at work. There is no reason to live in the chaos of the world. One who is in the chaos has always in his mind a constant craving for more and more of worldly desires. Chaos pulls on the vain ego and allows it to go unchecked. The one thing the ego does not want is for you to be simple. Simplicity is an expression of love. Simplicity is an open expression of compassion. People may hurt or betray your heart, yet your Beloved always holds you tight. Trust in your divine Self the way your Beloved trusts in you. Spiritual contentment can be felt in meditation. The world brings instant false satisfaction, but spiritual contentment lasts and lasts.

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9: Abuse of Power
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Abuse of Power comes from a lack of love & wisdom. Silent awareness will reveal the deep love in your heart, through Love comes wisdom. True Power is birthed from Love. Without Love, Power becomes futile and destructive.

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10: Desire to be Right
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JUDGEMENT I

Can you accept who you are? If you can accept who you are, then certainly you can accept others without judgment or boundaries. That little box that you put everybody in begins to melt away.

Self-judging turns into convictions, convictions turn into beliefs, and all this fits into the desire to be right.

When you come across a person who has many negative qualities, try to see if you are talking about your own negativity. When one judges another’s path, that very same judgment turns on the person who judges. When you judge yourself continuously, you find that you are bringing your whole being physically and spiritually down in a very negative way. The spiritual heart can be polluted if you continually think thoughts that are harmful to yourself and others. You can develop the quality of non-judgment and be way ahead of all karmic attachments. Judgment brings attachments, such as attachments to being right and attachments to possessing other people’s love.

To be free from bigotry and judgment of others is to simply be free. People are afraid of those who are different and those who do not live or worship like themselves. Instead of embracing all truths as one, separation becomes their God. Remember that there is darkness in separation and light in togetherness. When you listen to someone talk about his or her path, do not judge. Listening will make your way of worship bigger and fuller. Vibrations of the Mother will come to you as you give up the judgment of others; judge no one, not even yourself.

In this moment speak to your Soul without judgment, without like or dislike. Look at the Soul as that which is, that which is never divided. It has no beginning; it is endless. This is the spiritual experience of being in the moment.

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11: Attachment
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ATTACHMENT

Are you stagnating? Are you bored? Are you alone and afraid? Are you afraid of being alone? Are you afraid of being alone with God? If your answer is “yes” to any of the above, then you have become very attached in your life. There is no pain greater than attachment. Attachment steals love away from one’s heart.

The spiritual heart can be polluted if you continually think thoughts that are harmful to yourself and others. Judgment brings attachments, such as attachments to being right and to possessing other people’s love. If you develop the quality of non-judgment, you can be way ahead of all karmic attachments.

The cause of bondage is this attachment that so many call love. Love is void of attachment, because attachment will try to possess. Detachment is the opposite; to love others fully, you do not try to possess them, nor do you care if the love is returned. The lower mind attaches itself to all things personal and of the world. Attachment keeps us away from everything. It is the same thought as we become stuck to a certain person, object, or thing. Objects and attachments only have the power you give them. When you become detached to worldly things, the contented heart consumes the mind. The higher God-mind knows that attachment is possessiveness and not love.

You cannot hold water in your hands; you cannot be attached to water. This is the way you need to be with life. Feel the cool waters of life and let attachments go. When death approaches, you need to be ready with a full heart and no attachments. You can learn to recognize attachments before old age slows you down and steals time.

Turning away from your friends and families is not a sign of detachment. Becoming indifferent to it all is indeed not detachment. True detachment is an increasing sense of well-being. If you are ruled by your ego, you will never be detached. Your ego puts all things of an attached nature in your way. Do you really want all your so-called desires filled? Meditate on detachment, and you will frustrate your ego’s expectations.

ATTACHMENT AND FEAR

Attachments to worldly desires are like an ocean filled with dark waves: they come over you when you least expect them, and keep you from feeling love. The dark waves are composed of anger, greed, and all kinds of fear. Yesterday’s attachments stick to today’s fear. Fear increases and becomes greater.

There are times when you become attached to your fears. It is if they have been around forever and you are afraid to let them go. You can see your attachments when your mind is stilled. Attachments divide you from the truth of your own heart as well as the truth from others. Where there is attachment, there is always fear and pain. The mind always becomes agitated when attachment is involved.

When you become attached to objects or people who bring negativity or waste into your life, your life is based on illusion. All illusions come from one form of attachment or another. Negativity is a form of attachment. You become very attached to your habits due to negativity. Attachment can bring on anger and discontent. When you become aware, you can see these attachments begin to melt away. A bad habit can quickly change in a heartbeat with awareness.

Attachment is called the ego’s closet. You live in this space and are afraid to let yourself be free. You know this dark space, and the ego tells you to be terrified. Attachment is the same as living in deep terror and being unable to give up even the smallest thing in life. Say to yourself, “Whatever mistakes I made in life, I resolve to avoid repeating them in the future by giving myself to the welfare of others.”

Detachment brings you to the heart. Detachments come from meditations on the heart of awareness. It is imperative to understand that detachment is not non-caring! There is no greater love than when you love in a detached way; detachment is unconditional love. The freedom of detachment comes to the seeker in the form of liberation. Attachment to God is no attachment at all.