Fixed material happiness
Philosophy · asked by user [] · 2007-07-23 · 5 answers
Shrila Prabhupada often wrote & remarked that our material happiness is fixed. There is no use endeavouring for material happiness. I was trying to understand this since it is actually quite revolutionary. It is a reason given for not giving too much material education to Krishna Conscious youth. They will anyway get the fruits of their material happiness so why educate them for the purpose of attaining material goals.
Anyway that is not the topic, my question is how to understand this. I understand it in the following way and want devotees to tell me if they think it is correct.
If a person wants a car, he can buy an older beat-up car which drives ok, or a fancy new sports car. His material happiness is fixed but he still has free will. It is not that when he is born the model of car he is going to buy is fixed, but his material happiness with vehicles may be fixed. So if he buys an old beat up car he will be just as happy as he is with the new sports car. I suppose the difference is in his decision only. Since the nature of the happiness is on the mental platform he can only control his actions from the standpoint of intelligence. (intelligence being higher than mind).
I suppose we see it in so many ways, affluent people in India trying to enjoy themselves by eating nice food and getting diabetes. They just dont have the good karma to enjoy life by eating no matter how much they try.
Anyway that is not the topic, my question is how to understand this. I understand it in the following way and want devotees to tell me if they think it is correct.
If a person wants a car, he can buy an older beat-up car which drives ok, or a fancy new sports car. His material happiness is fixed but he still has free will. It is not that when he is born the model of car he is going to buy is fixed, but his material happiness with vehicles may be fixed. So if he buys an old beat up car he will be just as happy as he is with the new sports car. I suppose the difference is in his decision only. Since the nature of the happiness is on the mental platform he can only control his actions from the standpoint of intelligence. (intelligence being higher than mind).
I suppose we see it in so many ways, affluent people in India trying to enjoy themselves by eating nice food and getting diabetes. They just dont have the good karma to enjoy life by eating no matter how much they try.
user [2] · 2007-07-23
I agree 100%, Prabhu.We cannot expect to beat karma, but can choose to use our circumstances to better our consciousness and advance spiritually
user [38] · 2007-07-25
Imho, this view is rather mechanistic - "sit here and everything predestined will come to you". Id suggest that in this way it may come much later than if one actively works for its manifestation. Both past karma and actively expressed free will (creating future karma) interplay in our lives. Our nature is active, not passive (BG 3.4-5). Our real potential can be ascertained by Vedic astrology but we may achieve only some percentage of it. Another point is that bhakti, our real purusartha, burns all karma, inc. positive one.On fate, free will and law of karma: http://www.veda.harekrsna.cz/library/Fwkarma.zip
>I suppose we see it in so many ways, affluent people in India trying to enjoy themselves by eating nice food and getting diabetes. They just dont have the good karma to enjoy life by eating no matter how much they try.
Without knowledge it must fail.
user [19] · 2007-07-25
Isntt is that if you work harder to achieve something you may get it faster but you are burning future karma?For example, I may get some material benefit in 5 years but I endeavour now and i get it in 3 months. I am still getting my karma only that I am getting it sooner.
Is this correct?
user [38] · 2007-07-25
Material work cant burn future karma, only spiritual actions can do that. Your description is correct, afaik. The potential of ones material life is fixed at birth and can be seen in a horoscope. If one does no sp. work and lives completely under gunas, the horoscope will be close to 100% exact.Another issue is Lords horoscope.
user [12] · 2007-07-25
If our material happiness is fixed then we dont have to work at all? But we become morose if we do not do work. What about the "python man" in 7th canto? He was convinced his material happiness & necessities would come and became nice & fat lying in one place.What about devotees neglecting their material life for many years. On a physical level the material situation is less than what it would have been and people criticize them for not giving attention to material life. But they are still happy with whatever material things they have so their material happiness is the same I suppose.
Material potential in astrology would be different I suppose.