Awareness of Samsara.
In Buddhism, Samsara is the constant cycle of life, death, and rebirth, without beginning or end. Each life is influenced by karma and the liberation from this cycle of existence is Nirvāṇa, achieved through enlightenment.
Karma, from my understanding, is the relationship between a person's mental or physical action and the consequences following that action. It seems that we can be effected by karma on both a day to day basis and across generations. Thich Nhat Hanh wrote 'My actions are my only true belongings. I cannot escape the consequences of my actions.'.
I am becoming aware of how my actions, especially thoughts, have consequences or karma. For instance, if I let my self be judgemental in a negative way, even just to myself, this can have a negative consequence upon me. By being judgemental, I am seeing the world through the eyes of my ego, whose nature is coloured by vanity and fear. The world I experience is now not real, but the product of karma.
I believe Karma travels from one life to the next. Our ancestors created us, we are the product of every thought and action of all our ancestors. One area I have identified in my own life are patterns of behaviour that pass from one generation to the next. My grandfather became alienated from his father, I did not speak to my father for twenty years and my daughter is currently distancing herself from me.
It is understood that to break free from Samsara and the effects of karma requires 'enlightenment'. With enlightenment, one finds the peace and deep happiness of Nirvana. I think the beginning of that process is awareness. If we are aware of the nature of our thoughts we become aware of our ego and our sense of self. With this awareness, we can choose to let thoughts and the subsequent karma go. With awareness, we can observe the negative influences of our ego and address the patterns of inherited behaviour. Ultimately, we can let awareness itself go and just be present.
In the drawing I am witnessing the rotating wheel of death and rebirth. The awareness is within. The centre of the wheel is still and empty of separation. It is Nirvana.
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