Escaping Karma

Posted by kenshin03 on Sep 22, 2009 in travel | 0 comments

If the cyclical order called karma, or reincarnation, that governs the way lives are born and thus destroyed do exist, and that its mechanics guarantee fairness, redemption, retribution and salvation, then why, would millions hope to break free from it? Why do people believe that true salvation could not be attained as long as their souls remain under the rule of karma?

“Because, let me tell you my friend, people’s bonds and ties with the world are severed here, and through this eternal fire standing before us, their souls could go straight to heaven. To Nirvana.”

An interesting notion. Something similar exists in Chinese mythology in that your mind returns to a clean slate – “tabula rasa”, before you embark on the next cycle. This fire, however, gives you a fast pass to skip all the cycles.

Still, coming from the month of an uninvited tour guide whose ultimate motive was to squeeze donations from sympathetic tourists, the argument sounded flaccid, comical even.

Isn’t it tragic that, according to the know-it-all guide, that hundreds and thousands of aged and diseased would flock to the establishments in this town, only to prey for a chance to take their turn at the burning ghats when the day comes? Seeing how those old and sick lingered around the world’s most filthy alleys, one can’t help but feel perturbed with the horrid of it all. Living out the final days of their lives sleeping bare naked next to files infested cow dungs and sipping down essentially raw sewage water is by no means dignifying or divine. The atrocity of the added suffering incurred by this self-infused belief is unthinkable to the point of absurdity.

Humans have a tendency to inflict pain upon themselves in the name of associating their being to some more grandioze ideas, such as freedom, salvation, happiness. Though few would contemplate the very evil they helped to create in the beginning.

“And sir, a lot of people from all ovur the wurrd, asked me everydeei what they could to to help to keep this place as holy as it is…Now it’s your chance, to offer somefing for your own karma…”

No wait. It got worse real soon.

“Sir, we accept any currency you have, dollars, yens, notes, coins….remember… it is for your own karma, and your family’s.”

Seems not only those old and sick who wished to die here got infected by the karma curse. Astonishing, how bad intentions could feed upon one another and drag the whole population down with it.

Nevertheless, I handed over a handful of notes, which were supposed to become a part of some fund which goes towards offering the old and sick to have a go at the ritual on their final days. Or something. As the guide counted the notes and murmured how this wasn’t enough to help the hundreds of those still suffering, fire was being set upon real flesh and bones on an altar not far from us. A puff of dark eerie smoke ascended towards the blackened sky, while lights from the flame flickered in the man’s eyes, revealing clearly what he himself has learned as the essence of life in this ancient city  - the pile of crumbled papers he was counting.

Finished with his business, the guide jumped onto another boat and merged with the darkness, just as swiftly as he had appeared.

Now back to the point about karma. If, as is depicted, that the sole and only purpose of life is to break through of life and never to witness life again, then why there exists the contradiction of having life in the first place? To breed evil? Or death?

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