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Karma
and the Sources
of
Actions, Speech, and Thoughts
by
Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati
SwamiJ.com
| Karma
and its Sources - Main Page |
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Four
Primitive Fountains: All creatures share some common drives, which
form the root of all other drives, wants, wishes, or motives,
which might be more specific in nature. While you might see other
nuances within these, there are four basic urges for food, sleep, sex,
and self-preservation.
- Food
- Sleep
- Sex
- Self-preservation
Others come from these: These are called
fountains because other drives spring from these four, combining and recombining in
many complex combinations.
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also the article: Lifestyle and the Four
Basic Urges
Generalized urges: These four
primitive urges are very generalized, while the ensuing
experiences of life lead to more particularized drives,
habits, or conditionings. Thus, for example, all creatures have a
drive toward sustenance, which we can broadly call food.
However, humans have a narrower range of appropriate food compared to
others. For example, the food of an algae growing in a pond
might be different than what people eat. As our food drive becomes
more particularized, we might develop a predisposition for healthy
food or tasty food, for apples or chocolate.
Also open the door to Karma:
As was mentioned above in relation to Avidya or Ignorance, these very
broad Primitive Urges also allow for the next level of conditionings
to occur, where we start to get a real feel for the nature of Karma
and how we actually deal with it in our spiritual lives and meditation
practices.
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