Born Of my Kamma

Sit down in an comfortable position , on your own, back upright and relaxed. - And please stop talking now and close your eyes, so that you can focus your attention inward., feeling your body sitting here --- feeling the parts of your body that are touching the ground --- feeling the breath, going in --- and out. -----

I would like to ask you to reflect on WHY ARE YOU HERE? ---
Just think of a few reasons or causes for your being here, where you are now? ---

For example, one reason is:
“I am here because I WAS BORN.” - True?
Next question: Why were you born? What was the cause for that? How did that happen to you? --- Do you remember? --- Or did you have to ask your parents? ---
Did you choose to be born? --- Did you choose your parents? --- What a pity, that you don’t remember!
Did your parents tell you about how it happened? ---
Anyway, you must have been born, because you are here now, although you don’t remember the details. ---

Another reason why you are here now? ---

Let’s say : The intention ‘I want to come to the Summer Camp.’- That’s probably true for all of you. Let’s go back to the details here, because this is something that you CAN remember:
So it starts with an idea of what you would like to do, right? --- The idea of coming to the Summer Camp …
So if we have an idea, that will have an effect on us: we start thinking about it, imagining how it would be … , we start speaking about it … , finding reasons, why it may be a good idea … - it’s becoming an INTENTION, something that we really WANT to do. So we start making plans, preparing …, and finally, if there are no strong objections, we’ll do it ... – There is an action or KAMMA, coming from this intention, and a result from that action. So, after driving to Amaravati, here you are, born into the Family Camp 2005. ---

So this is an example of ‘BORN OF MY KAMMA’ , something we have done. Can you understand now, how we are effected by our own actions, how we have created the reality we are in now? ---

Why bother thinking about such details? ---

Did you ever find yourself in a mess, wondering how you got there? --- Is your tendency to complain or to blame other people for what is happening to you?--- Or do you believe, that things happen to you accidentally, independently of what you are doing? --- Are you feeling ready to take responsibility? ---

I want to tell you a STORY.
Imagine, somebody is walking home at night. Suddenly, oops, he finds himself falling … and hitting the ground. It hurts, and he sits dazzled for a moment, wondering what happened? --- Slowly, he realizes that he has fallen into a hole, and is sitting at the bottom. He manages to get on his feet again, and investigates how to get out. With aching limbs he climbs out and walks home.

Next day, again, he walks home at night. Suddenly, oops, he finds himself falling … and hitting the ground. It hurts, he gets up and finds himself in the same hole again. –“ dam!” - He climbs out and limps home.

The following day, he walks home at night. Suddenly, oops, he finds himself falling … and hitting the ground. He sits there, asking himself: “How could that happen again?” --- He climbs out and walks home.

Next day, he is on his way home. Suddenly, on the same road, he remembers: ‘There is a hole here somewhere. I don’t want to fall down again!’ – So he watches out and manages to see it, and he walks around it. - Hey, that was clever! - So he arrives home safely.

The following day, he is on his way home again. As he is just turning towards the same road, he remembers the hole. He chooses another road. -------

So how long does it take YOU to learn that you have a choice? ---

If there is AWARENESS of what you are doing, and awareness of the effects of what you are doing - this awareness of cause and effect can influence your life. You may want to choose an action that is not harmful to yourself or others, an action that is rather beneficial. Right? - So finally, can you understand that you are BORN OF YOUR KAMMA, that it is you yourself, who is creating the reality you find yourself in? ---

You can influence your life, moment by moment, by being aware of the choices you are making. -
And it starts with awareness. --- Awareness is the cause of knowing. ---

Can you choose to be aware of your breathing in and out now? ---
Can you choose to be aware of your breathing sensations in the belly? -----
Can you choose to be aware of ---
- bell -