BURDEN OF MEMORY (VASANAS) KEEPS YOU GROUNDED IN THIS BODY

If, you watch a young person breathing, you will find that, his breath is quite heavy. Whereas, breath of an old person, will be much lighter. Do you know why? Because of destiny. Destiny, commonly known as prarbdha, is one instalment of karma which, you are supposed to spend in this body or this life A young person’s breath is heavier because, he still has, to his account, a lot more destiny, to work out but breath of an old person, becomes lighter because with passing of his age, most of his destiny, too is being worked out. That’s why, a person who is approaching his death, if you pay little attention, you will find, as if he is not breathing. Simply, because his destiny is about to end, and hence his breath appears to be almost disappearing. 

That’s the reason that, you feel burdened, a bit heavier, when you are in thoughts, when you are in mind or in memory - one and the same thing. Because, your breath is gross manifestation of your mind, of your destiny and the origin of both, mind and breath, is the same. But in a no-mind state, i.e. in a thoughtless state, you feel very light as if, you are flying. Please know that mind, thoughts, memory, karma, vasanas, desires, whatever the name you give, can only keep you tied to this body. In the moment when, you are thoughtless, i.e. in the state of pure awareness, you will feel as if, something is pulling you up. 

Destiny and body are, thus, closely linked. Not only closely linked but both can’t exist without each other. So, if you see a body then, know that some amount of destiny is being worked out, in that body and if there is destiny, which always exists in subtle form, then there will be a suitable body, for working out this destiny, also. Thus, destiny and body, always exist in combination. The day the destiny is over, the separation of body and destiny happens automatically, without your doing, which we know as death. Thus, this karmic memory or vasanas act as a burden upon you which, keeps you grounded in this body. Until, this memory is exhausted fully, you cannot leave this body and you will remain tied to this body because, this memory cannot find expression without a physical body. 

Now, what we know as death, I’m talking about natural death, is nothing but the fact that the destiny has run its course. The moment the destiny is fully worked out, the body drops off automatically, without your doing because you can’t live in this body any more, not even for a single moment. That’s why, those who die young, I mean, unnaturally, for reasons such as accident or illness etc, their presence is felt very strongly because, a large stock of their prarbdha remained unfinished whom, we commonly refer to, as ghosts. Also, for the same reason, death and enlightenment happen simultaneously because, now the very purpose of the body has been lost. Enlightenment means, complete dissolution of memory and when there is nothing left, to be worked out then, where is the need for the body? Rarely, you will find an enlightened being, in a physical body. 

However, death is just nature’s way of working out your destiny but death is not a solution. Because with death, this body business doesn’t stop but continues non-stop except that bodies keep changing. It’s like a dry tree which, though, appears as if, it has no life but in the rainy season it becomes green again. The permanent solution lies in your hands, meaning, only, if you want, you can stop this journey and that is possible, only by total dissolution of this memory. If this memory is dissolved completely then, the very basis of physicality, too, is destroyed. Meditation is dissolution of karmic memory in one go and hence, a technology to go beyond bodily existence which we know as moksha or mukti i.e. mukti or liberation from physical existence.