With yogic practices, the aspiration is to move toward the solar cycle so your balance and stability are assured… you no longer wear your karma as a tight-skinned garment; you learn to wear it more loosely.”

The moment you view everyone with love, your intention is automatically inclusive. Regardless of what blunders you commit in the name of love, the karsti not accumulate beyond a point. Your intention makes all the difference. If you say something prompted by love, and another person gets hurt, that is his karma, not yours. But if you say something out of hatred and another person has no problem with it, it is good karma for them and not for you! Dedicated to the physical, mental and spiritual well-being of humanity and endowed with perfect clarity of perception, Sadhguru has an outlook on life that never ceases to fascinate, challenge and amaze all those in need. Sadhguru founded the Isha Foundation, a non-profit, volunteer-led organization operating in over 300 centers and supported by over 11 million volunteers worldwide. Through powerful yoga programs for inner transformation and inspiring social initiatives, the Isha Foundation has launched a massive movement dedicated to all aspects of human well-being. In the book, Sadhguru describes karma as a vast library of past, present and future events – a place where he often goes to find answers to life’s most complex questions.If you touch the firmament of your mind just once, the resulting ripples are enough to keep going for lifetimes.”

And having been through it a couple of times, I feel more optimistic about being able to "handle my karma," i.e. life. About enjoying life in general. And I feel a renewed willingness to do my part to handle the problems of others. For, as one of Sadhguru's aphorisms for beginning yogis says (my paraphrase): All rules are my rules. I understand that in a more profound way after reading this book. Reading Sadhguru’s book Karma was a profound experience. It gave me glimpses of the agnostic and the inexplicable, and eventually gave them meaning and context. What is karma? Most people think of karma as a balance of good and bad deeds, virtues and sins. The mechanism that dictates that we cannot escape the consequences of our actions. In fact, karma has nothing to do with reward and punishment. Karma simply means action: your work, your responsibility. It is not an external system of crime and punishment, but an inner circle created by you. The accumulation of karma is determined only by your intention and the way you react to what is happening to you. Over time, it is possible to become trapped in one’s own unconscious patterns of behavior. Reading “Karma” was a profound journey of realizing just how little I actually understood about karma. As I came to terms with all the falsehoods I’ve held about this term, I began to understand that karma offers the possibility of living in a conscious and inclusive manner. It is not difficult to guess which will breed the worst karmas. By worst I do not mean the most immoral; I mean that which creates the worst consequences for you.”

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Even when one is not doing anything in particular, one’s body, mind, emotions and energy are all in action. These four actions of Karma are happening every moment of one’s life - in wakefulness and in sleep. The real question is how much of it has been conducted consciously, and how much is purely accidental? This marvelous discourse could have been even more positive by a few simple steps. First, one point that the author emphasizes in earning and creating good Karma, is to remain unattached to the outcome and disentangled from emotion while doing the work. Surprisingly, the author himself falls victim to his own caution. For example, in his critique of what he describes as misconceptions, myths, or mischaracterizations, he goes well beyond a clean and crisp critique and laces his assessment of supposedly lesser authors with anger and condemnation. There was no need for this and it only hurts the author’s own integrity and authenticity. Next, this book stands strongly on the author’s interpretation of the concept of Karma. It’s a very meaty discussion. Unfortunately, at times it seemed like a cheap pamphlet for Sadguru’s Isha Foundation. A better way to elaborate on the sacred aspects of the Isha Yoga Center would have been to include an exclusive chapter on the magnificent center and the fine work that happens there. In this way, the reader would have gotten a more thorough and comprehensive understanding of Sadguru’s work. In the fall of 2017, Sadhguru initiated Rally For Rivers, a nationwide campaign aiming to implement sustainable and long-term policy changes to revitalize India's severely depleted rivers, which found great support among India's people and leadership. With over 162 Million individuals pledging their support, Rally for Rivers is the largest ecological movement in the world to date. In the fall of 2019, Sadhguru launched Cauvery Calling, a uniquely modelled project that focuses on enhancing farmer wealth while simultaneously impacting river flow and riverine ecosystems. It will enable farmers in the Cauvery basin spanning Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, to plant 2.42 billion trees. A book cannot contain Karma as a concept and its intricacies; Karma is an experience that dawns upon a seeker in time. Sadhguru isn’t trying to explain intricate philosophies as well via the book. Through the book, he espouses a way of living that no matter what kind of action you perform, you can make it joyful for you.

I'm a big admirer of sadhguru, but here he fails to understand the role of of a attachment theory and negative childhood experiences - wherein we can't yet act consciously as our brains don't function at that level at that time, but yet very detrimental and stubborn conditioning is created that can greatly effect people's lives. When impossible to avoid circumstances, places, and people of bad Karma, prepare adequately to face the situation and cleanse thoroughly after the interaction. Sadhguru has been a part of my life since late 2017 when I took his InnerEngineering course and learned Shambhavi Mahamudra Kriya. Since then I've learned several other practices offered by him through the Isha Foundation, and I am truly truly grateful for how profoundly they've changed my life.

Karma

The author and narrator, a self proclaimed Guru, Sadhguru sets forth a bunch of topics that he attempts to answer. It started off in a rather compelling way, littered with amusing parables. As time wore on though, I found the evasive speech, contradictions and self promotion disturbing. Any spiritual teacher of note, that I have met, has been extraordinarily clear. The ultimate goal of the author is to get us started on a journey of self exploration of “freedom and discovery. “ He states, he is “ not interested in offering spiritual advice. …What I offer is a way, a living process”

Karma is an exploration and a manual, restoring our understanding of karma to its original potential for freedom and empowerment instead of a source of entanglement. Through Sadhguru's teachings, you will learn how to live intelligently and joyfully in a challenging world. With this new book on Karma, Sadhguru is continuing on in his way of bringing a fresh and incisive way of expounding age old concepts. By now everyone has heard the word Karma and has some rudimentary idea of what it means. As the karmic volume increases in volume, the discerning mind becomes almost useless, because you now work largely by habits, patterns and cycles.”A new perspective on the overused and misunderstood concept of "karma" that offers the key to happiness and enlightenment, from the world-renowned spiritual master Sadhguru.