Q&A with authors of Karma and Reincarnation
June 14, 2011 by Tarcher/Penguin
Filed under Authors, Books, DailyTarcher.
Many of us use the word “karma”. We may accept our misfortunes as karmic retribution for past mistakes, or welcome small blessings as a reward for our previous kindness. Yet, do we really understand what karma means? Do we know where it comes from and how it can manifest itself in our lives? Barbara Y. Martin and Dimitri Moraitis explain everything we need to know in their accessible book, Karma and Reincarnation: Unlocking Your 800 Lives to Enlightenment. They discuss the book in this Q&A…
Many people throw the word karma around without truly understanding what it means. What do you think our biggest misconceptions are about karma?
Not understanding how it works. Many people don’t realize the full scope of our past lives. They think that karma is a form of reward or punishment. Karma is a harmonizing law. The goal is to bring life back into balance and harmony. When you initiate a destructive action you disturb that natural harmony. Karma is the retuning process which can be painful at times. A constructive action accentuates the natural law of harmony creating more beauty in your life.
The other misconception is thinking everything that happens in life is karma. Karma is certainly a big part of our life but not everything that happens is karmic. There are other dynamics such as free will that come into the picture.
Karma and Reincarnation is a complete guide. What can readers learn here that has been absent from other books on the subject?
There has not really been an accurate depiction of the reincarnation process based on actual clairvoyant experience. All the material in this book is based on personal observations and interactions over a lifetime of study.
It is our hope the reader comes to understand the central part karma and reincarnation plays in the process of spiritual evolution. The soul takes approximately 800 lifetimes to reach maturity. In that time, we experience the joys and sorrows, the triumphs and tragedies of earth life. This builds character, making us rich and well-rounded. In addition, the book attempts to cover the board range of karma from personal to national and
even world karma.
You discuss how karma can impact entire nations. Does America have good karma?
It presently has both good and bad karma. The inception of America was built as a result of very good world karma. America is meant to be an example as to the potential that all countries have in the evolution of civilization. The global age is inevitable as humanity is growing and slowly, yet still painfully at times, heading into a more cooperative age. America has been at the forefront of this through its principles of liberty, equality and fairness.
Unfortunately, there have been times when America has taken advantage of its privileged position, and this creates negative karma. The recent economic crisis, although global in nature, definitely bears the mark of national karma. The actions we are taking now will determine whether we, as a nation, have learned the karmic lessons that these economic challenges have presented to us.
In Chapter 9, you analyze the karma of nature. What are the karmic implications of our current relationship with nature?
Nature is not there to use as we please. As with any relationship, there is give and take. Nature gives of its bounty to serve humanity and in return humanity is meant to help nature in its spiritual evolution. For example, how we treat animals is essential. When we show love and care to animals we help them in their own evolution. When we help animals, we are also helping ourselves to evolve. It’s our responsibility to treat them well. When we mistreat animals, we lose spiritual power and may find ourselves being mistreated in some way, not by animals, but by situations as a way to open our hearts.
Barbara, you’ve been to the other side and can recall your previous lives. What have you learned from those experiences? How have they informed the book?
The privilege of being taken consciously to the other side can only be described as sacred and holy. We are all familiar with the other side, but most of us do not bring back conscious memory. I have developed this skill over many years and it is always done as part of my own spiritual growth or in service to others, never just for the sake of curiosity. You realize there is so much more to life that you thought. You are never alone and there is a tremendous spiritual support system working with you at all times.
It is incredible to realize you have lived before and will live again. There is always wonder that such a thing is possible. Knowledge of past lives has given me much greater respect for life and for my own actions. You do not need to remember your past lives to progress, but you do need to make the most of your time here on earth.
What do you hope readers take away from Karma and Reincarnation?
To realize that karma and reincarnation is real. Too many people are not resolving their karmic challenges because they don’t realize what is going on. When you have the opportunity to resolve your karma but you turn away or react negatively, it gets tougher. So why wait? By working on your karma now, you progress faster and the karma is easier to handle. It is the hope that the reader will learn how to better use the gift of free will to make better choices that are in harmony with their divine purpose.
Learn more in Karma and Reincarnation:
If we start to examine the basic views of the New Age movement and the Oriental religions, it is good to start with reincarnation. This doctrine is in the background of almost all teachings of the New Age movement and it is also the basic belief of the Oriental religions like Hinduism and Buddhism. It is estimated that approximately 25% of people in the Western countries believe in reincarnation, but in India and other countries of Asia – where the origin of this doctrine are – the percentage is much higher. Mainly in India and other countries of Asia they have taught this doctrine for at least 2000 years; it was generally accepted about 300 years before Christ, not much before that.
People who believe in reincarnation believe that life is a continuous cycle; each person is born on the Earth again and again and again, and will always get a new incarnation depending on how he has lived in his previous life. All bad things that happen to us today are only the result of earlier events. We must now reap what we sowed during earlier lives. However, if we do not experience enlightenment and at the same time gain freedom from this cycle (achieving moksha), this circular life will continue forever.
In the Western world, achieving moksha is not very important. Instead, in the Western world reincarnation is seen in a positive light, mainly as a possibility to develop and grow spiritually. It does not have the similar negative nuances.
But what should we think about reincarnation: Is it really true? Is it worth believing in? We will try to address these questions in this article.
http://www.jariiivanainen.net/Reincarnation.html