Karmic Space-time In Consciousness  Kao-Cheng Huang (Dharma Academy, Miaoli, Taiwan)   C3

Karma refers to a spiritual force that creates cycles of cause and effect with one's intentions and actualization (cause) shaping one's future experience (effect). Let's consider the example of identical twins. Although their genes are the same, they differ in their intentions and behaviors. This is because the twins' consciousness and development are shaped not only by the genes, but may also by their respective Karma. The view of Karmic Space-time differs from the conventional view which approaches space and time as objective entities. By contrast, karmic view suggests that the so-called objective entities of space and time are only an ever-changing, dream-like illusion projected in the subjective consciousness. Einstein's relativity theory changed the scientific landscape of the 20th century with such concepts as curvature of space-time, etc. Based on the thought of relativity theory, the author argues that the Karmic view of Space-time is subject to the individual's intentions and behaviors. That is, good intentions and good deeds will lead to the extension of Karmic Space-time, whereas evil ones will lead to the contraction, even the collapse of it. From the perspective of the Karmic view, the progression of Karma will involve the following steps: 1. Agitation: Once the unenlightened mind arises, the mind unconsciously operates in the mode of sin and agitation. 2. Ego: The perceiving subject comes into being immediately when the initiated mind becomes conscious of a counterpart. 3. Perceived objects: The perceiving subject gives rise to the perceived objects, which constitute the physical world. With the establishment of a physical world conceived by subjective bias, the deluded mind produces the following mental activities. 4. Discrimination: With the erroneously conceived world as the counterpart of the perceiving subject, the mind discriminates between the likes and the dislikes out of one's preference. 5. Emotion: Due to discrimination, the mind constantly produces emotions such as joy, sorrow at specific objects. 6. Attachment: Compelled by emotion, the mind relentlessly imposes itself on the objective world, thus a stubborn attachment to what the mind desires is formed. 7. Conception: On the basis of attachments, the deluded mind plays on concepts, which are only provisional and devoid of any substance. 8. Rise of karma: Once the deluded mind tightly attaches itself to the concepts, it creates various of karmas as people tend to pursue the likes and avoid the dislikes. A blind zone of Karmic Space-time is hence created, blocking information and knowledge from the environment. If two people are in their respective blind zones, they would ignore each other even though their physical distance is close, and they still feel very far away from each other in terms of Karmic Space-time. In summary, when the view of Karmic Space-time expands, people feel unimpeded, but when it collapses, people have nowhere to go. For those who have transcended both good and evil are not bound by Karmic Space-time. They will be free from all vexations, and can see a World in a grain of sand while holding Eternity in an instant.