Vedanta - The Internal Laundry

SUDHAMAHI REGUNATHAN





Life and the experiences we go through cling to the soul as polluting particles. Just as mud sticks to a ball that falls into slush, so do our karmas cling to our soul, sullying it.Our endeavour in life should be to get rid of them and return to the pure soul. This is a two-pronged process: we have to get rid of all that we have accumulated so far, plus we have to prevent more from accumulating. Only then can we restore our soul to its original state of purity . It is all about laundry even in the spiritual world! How does one `wash' the soul? The `water' to wash off karmic particles clinging to the soul is a combination of neutrality and detach ment. Neutra lity and deta chment are in a sense simi lar. You can be neutral under any circumstance only when you are able to view it with detachment.When you allow your emotions to experience a particular situation, it becomes coloured by subjective perception, likes and dislikes.
Many of us have learnt not to make a public display of our emotions, particularly when they are negative. However, we experience them all the same. Just visualise that each time you go through a strong emotion, it is engulfing your soul...much like arteries get clogged with cholesterol.
When we experience emotions of love, hate and anger, we are adding on many more particles. If we are able to go through an experience without passions raging, then, no karmic particles are added on.