By Victor M Fontane
Karmic propensities are responsible for shaping the moment-to moment experience that arises within our mindstreams Karmic connections serve to strengthen the influence other sentient beings have on our minds: the stronger the connection, the stronger the impact. The mind is like a blank canvas; there is no limit to the number of appearances that can arise within it. The limitations do not come from the canvas but from your palette of colors (your karmic propensities).
Unlike a painting, our minds are not fixed. It is like the image is wiped clean and a new one is created every moment. While the next image will often be similar to the previous one, it is never exactly the same. It is constantly changing in subtle ways leading to an endless stream of karmic appearances. Looking back over our lives, it is easy to identify the wide range of experiences we have encountered. Similarly, it isn’t too difficult to imagine the many experiences we could have in the future. Think of the people you have met and the emotions or thoughts you have had. If we compare all these experiences, we can begin to get a sense of how powerful and creative our karma can be. Now consider the experience of those around you. Are there people in your life who have encountered similar situations to you? Think of your neighbors, your country, your world.
When we recognize these similarities through our experience, we can identify several different categories. These are simply labels we use to distinguish one type of experience from another. The basic principle is that people who have similar karma will experience reality in similar way, and they can therefore be said to occupy the same realm of experience being these realms entirely mental in nature. This is calle collective karma.
Likewise, one section of physical space could contain an infinite number of different minds, each experiencing that space in a different way.
Within this context, the type of experience that arises will depend on the types of karma present in the midstream of the individual. In general then, we can speak of three major realms of experience: the formless realm, the form, realm and the desire realm.
The formless realm is produced by the fixed karma created from very subtle and powerful levels of meditative absorption. Since such karma is based on single-pointedness, it is called “fixed” in the sense of abiding without movement until the potency of the karma is exhausted. Such a mind experiences the space-like qualities of the foundational consciousness upon which the dualistic mind is based. Beings who experience reality in this way are oblivious to all other form of beings, becoming completely absorbed in their own vast existence for unimaginably long period of time.
Like the formless realm, the form realm is produced by the fixed karma of meditative absorption. The main difference is that beings in this realm undergo a wider range of subjective experience. Specifically, they are focused on different degrees of the foundational qualities of bliss, non conceptuality, and vividness. Beings in this realm are purely mental in nature and, therefore, do not experience an objective gross reality out there. Instead, they experience reality through subtle conceptual constructs.
The desire realm is the result of a mixture of variable karmic propensities that produce a variety of derivative realms of experience. The main characteristic of beings here is that they are dominated by the subject-object relationship of the dualistic mind. Each moment of their experience is shaped by the types objects they perceive and the subjective reactions to those objects. Beings in this realm have the experience of a physical body that occupies an external world that is perceived as separate from themselves.
Of the three, the formless realm is so subtle that it is of little use to those interested in spiritual practice. While the form realm may be ideal for the spiritual inclined, it is only useful for those who have developed considerable familiarity with a spiritual path prior to taking birth there. Without sufficient virtuous conditioning, a form realm being will simply rest in a dreamlike state free from manifest suffering. For this reason, the desire realm is considered the most appropriate for the actualization of a spiritual aim such as the manifestation of Shambhala.
Looking closer at the desire realm, we can see that there is a limitless combination of potential subject-object relationships that could be created. In fact, the karmic networks used to project this realm of experience are so vast and complex that only the omniscient mind of an enlightened being could possibly fathom their complexity. Fortunately, we don’t need to possess this level of understanding in order to make use of the principles that shape them.
Two basic types of experience can be identified within this realm: those dominated by constant suffering and this in which suffering is periodic. The former is the case in the lower realms, and the latter in the higher realms. In order to create the causes for greater peace and harmony, we need to practice a spiritual path.
For spiritual practice to occur, there must be just enough suffering to motivate people to change their habitual propensities while also having enough happiness or leisure to provide the conditions needed to make those changes. Such a realm is called a “human realm.”
The term human here does not refer to a particular body shape. Instead, it refers to a particular type of experience.
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