Burning Away Karma
I was thinking of what I wrote yesterday. I ended that asceticism is not about punishment or redemption of sins. Is that true?

I'm thinking of the great Tibetan saint Milarapa. Supposedly (I take such accounts with a grain of salt) there was this guy who was a black sorcerer and he attacked an enemy family with magic. He caused all sorts of calamities like a hail storm, and an accident to their house during a wedding, and it resulted in scores of deaths. He later regretted his actions, and wanted to study with the famous ascetic Marpa. Perhaps he was tired of the cycle of violence (like that line in the Godfather "every time I try to get out, they pull me back in!").

Marpa put him through all types of grueling practices. He took asceticism to the nth degree, I believe some of the meditation was called "piercing the heart of nectar." He went through pain to the other side. He was burning up his bad karma, not just from that lifetime, but all his past lives. After this, he became enlightened.

I guess asceticism can be a redemption. But the difference is that pain and punishment are not permanent in Buddhism. No one will suffer forever. In Christian terms, I would say that God, in His infinite compassion, forgives all, even the most wicked. That's a welcome relief to all the fuck ups of the world, including me!

There's a teacher out there, I forget her name, she's the one who wrote "Keys to Ascension," who sells a CD on her website called "Burn Away Karma." I don't know if it's possible to do that, but I'm curious. I know that in yogic and Buddhist theory, karma starts with the mind. However, we cannot control the mind. If we could, there'd be no point to meditation. So we start with things we do have some degree of control - speech and actions. From the grosser levels we can work up to the subtle. I would imagine burning away karma would be a long arduous process. I wish there was a short cut, but hey, karma is part of the fun of life, right?