I have long intended to write down my thoughts on this subject. But what has held me back is not only the vastness but also the significance of this topic. The greatest minds, writers, philosophers, sages, and prophets have pondered and written about this since ancient times. Yet, this topic remains as relevant as ever. What is good and evil? How can one live, creating good or contributing to the common good while avoiding harm? What is true morality or ethics? Does the law of karma exist, and if so, how does it work? Is there a universal morality, or is it unique to each society? Is it possible to write or formulate commandments, norms, rules, and laws that will be true for all situations? What is conscience?
It is very important for me personally to understand this. I know for sure that I have not always acted correctly in life. I have tried to correct some of my mistakes. But I was truly able to assess the weight of my spiritual burden when I found myself in a deep trance during my first shamanic ceremonies in the Amazon. I realized that I had much to correct, much to repent for, and much to comprehend. Later, while in a heightened state of awareness, I saw how one could live without accumulating this kind of spiritual debt. I strive to follow this in life, though I occasionally stumble and make mistakes. But until now, I have not attempted to clearly formulate what I saw then and later understood.
About the Ten Commandments and Following Them
Let’s start with the simplest thing. Someone might tell you, there are the Ten Commandments—follow them, do not break them, and you will avoid sin. This simple thought is often heard from quite intellectual yet not particularly religious people. They are simply too lazy to think deeply about this topic. Otherwise, they would consider the infinite variety of life situations that do not fit into simple rules.
For example, the most unshakeable first commandment, «Thou shalt not kill,» turns out to be not so straightforward in various situations. For instance, if you are a soldier at war where your army is defending against an invading enemy. If, before your eyes, someone is attempting to kill a child, and your choice is either to allow it or kill the killer yourself. If armed bandits break into your home. One can imagine many such situations within a minute. Many wise people have already written about «lying to save.» One can envision many situations where telling the truth would nearly kill a person. Adultery is also not always straightforward. Watch Latin American soap operas! There are situations where mutual strong love arises with someone with whom it is wrong to have a relationship. Then a person faces a choice: betray someone or betray their feelings. I think many have seen such stories in life.
This kind of mental experiment can be done with all ten commandments. The same applies to all sorts of unspoken rules of etiquette, propriety, protocol, and other norms. Of course, one should try to follow them. But we understand that there are exceptional situations in life. The same can be said about state laws. Following the laws does not guarantee that you are a morally upright person. One can commit all sorts of mean and despicable acts while staying within the legal code.
At the same time, there are exceptional situations where an important good deed is done in violation of the law. This is especially easy to imagine in totalitarian or authoritarian countries where laws are specifically created against the people. But even in countries with well-developed legal systems, situations occur where breaking the law is justified by higher moral motivations. I would very much not want people, based on these reflections, to find justification for systematically breaking the law and disregarding the basic commandments of humanity: do not kill, do not steal, do not lie. Such actions in more than 99 percent of cases burden both karma and the soul. Truly exceptional situations are exceedingly rare compared to the real evils committed by people.
We all see examples of evil deeds committed by people around us or at least know of them from the news. And we think about how someone has stolen so much, sometimes even killed, and yet lives happily in a large, luxurious house, leading a beautiful, wealthy life. When will justice be served? Those who believe in an afterlife might think that this thief and murderer’s soul will end up in hell. Those who believe in reincarnation might think that punishment will catch up with the person in some form in the next life. Some may believe that their children will have to pay for everything. An atheist might hope that the person will be punished by law. We know that this doesn’t always happen. Some people take it upon themselves to exact vigilante justice. In some countries and regions, this is very common. Some resign themselves to injustice. And some even decide that this is how one should live if thieves in this world or in a particular country live richly and beautifully. Here, we come to the concept of the law of karma.
What Is the Law of Karma and How Does It Work?
For example, a person kills another with the intent to rob. There are no higher motives or justifications. We understand that if the law of karma exists, the murderer should be punished. But how and when? I am convinced that the person begins to receive punishment from the moment of the act itself and even a little earlier, when they firmly decide to do it. At this time, a burden equal to the crime they committed enters their soul, and this heaviness will remain with them. It will darken and poison their life, inevitably leading to a chain of other consequences. These can be of many kinds.
For example, in relationships with people, with relatives and close ones, in the realm of mental and physical health. Even if a person considers such behavior normal and comes up with various justifications, on an unconscious level, they will still feel the burden. This will affect their sleep, sometimes leading to regular nightmares, and hinder them from experiencing elevated feelings. So, one should not judge a person’s happiness by outward signs. And what about someone who lies all the time? For some, it’s part of their profession, their business! Such a person stops believing others and themselves. Everything begins to seem like one big lie. They cannot trust anyone. This is a very heavy state of the soul. And so it goes with all recognized sins.
In other words, there is no need for a supreme or divine judge who hypothetically sits somewhere and tracks every sneeze and assigns appropriate punishment. In our universe, everything has long been automated! Every action triggers something like a wave that will be reflected in one way or another. There is no evaluator who says whether it’s bad or good, right or wrong. The law of karma is beyond these judgments. You simply receive a reflection of what you have sent out.
Moreover, the wave is triggered not only by actions or spoken words but also by your thoughts and feelings. This is why merely adhering to commandments does not guarantee moral purity. A person is responsible for all their psychological processes, which are, of course, very complex and largely unconscious. I have already written about this in detail in previous articles. In other words, without developing awareness and becoming the master of their inner world, the master of their psychological processes, a person cannot be fully moral.
Resentment, Fear, Hatred, Jealousy, and Envy Towards Others
If your heart harbors resentment, fear, jealousy, envy, or hatred towards others, and in the outer world, you do everything according to the rules, the commandments, and the law, you will still receive a reflection of what you are filled with inside.
If you ask people about this, most will say they never envy anyone, are not jealous, and do not feel hatred. And if they are «spiritual» people, they might even tell you they love everyone! Don’t believe these people. Better look at children who express their feelings without any shame. You will immediately see genuine greed, jealousy, envy, hatred, resentment, and fear. But of course, you will also see real joy, pure laughter, and sometimes sincere love. Adults are just like children, only worse! They hide, suppress, and fake all their feelings. In doing so, they deceive not only others but also themselves.
Later, it becomes difficult for them to admit to themselves the feelings they experience. To uncover the hidden truth about oneself, it’s good to sometimes look deep into one’s soul. I found a way to do this during authentic shamanic ceremonies in Peru and Mexico. Others may have their own methods. Most people prefer never to look there at all. And some are unaware that such an opportunity exists. If someone starts asking me about this, I tell them that such a chance exists and that it’s an opportunity to learn a lot and change. If no one asks me, I don’t consider it right to burden people with such conversations. Everyone comes to this in their own way.
Many wonder how to make society more moral. It’s obvious that in such a society, life would be safer, more pleasant, and somehow more joyful. We all understand that society consists of individuals. Therefore, the task is to make individual people more moral. Of course, it is more challenging to influence adults. It’s very difficult to change hardened criminals, corrupt officials, thieves, murderers, and fraudsters. It’s not impossible, though. Life brings the most incredible transformations. But it is very difficult.
So often, we think about how to raise children who are morally healthy. We learn new methods of upbringing and education. Or we rely on the proven methods that raised us, believing them successful when we look in the mirror! I think educational methods are crucial. A good education gives a person a broad perspective, teaches them to think, and acquaints them with the thoughts of great writers and scientists of the past and present. But there is a core that is more important than all this. Without it, neither proper upbringing nor the best education in the world will help. I’ve seen this by observing many people from all walks of life.
The most important thing is an atmosphere of love and kindness—or, in the worst case, lovelessness and hatred in the family. These childhood feelings determine the most crucial aspect. Love provides a healthy foundation for everything else.
If education determined morality, then the most horrible people would be those in wild tribes, while the most moral would be those from the wealthiest families who often receive the best education. But that is not always the case.
I interact and work with indigenous peoples of America, with representatives of small ethnic groups, many of whom are entirely illiterate, unable to read or write. Among them, there are people with different characters and their complex psychological processes. I don’t idealize them because I have come to know them from various sides over the years. But without a doubt, they are, in some ways, much purer than we are. This purity, unfortunately, is temporary. They will lose it as they go through all the trials we did, becoming civilized. But while they have it, we can learn a lot from them. You can clearly see whether they grew up in a loving or unloving family. In this sense, they are more like children whose feelings are more sincere and therefore stronger. Even without education, some people in the tribes have astonishing memory and concentration abilities. Their psyche has capabilities that we have lost and can only regain with great difficulty.
Why Can an Uneducated «Savage» Be More Moral Than an Educated Person from Civilization?
So why can an uneducated «savage» turn out to be more moral than an educated, religious person who follows all the commandments and is part of civilization?
Simply because the first may have a more developed higher emotional nature. This nature gives not just the ability to occasionally experience elevated feelings; it also determines one’s motivation for actions. And that defines their morality. A person may do everything correctly, but from a lower emotional nature—to be judged favorably by others, to gain benefits, to go to heaven, and so on. Their motive is always practical. They act not out of love, not out of joy, but for profit or out of fear.
At the same time, a person may be brilliantly educated and talented. You can develop a higher emotional nature even if you did not absorb an atmosphere of love and kindness in childhood. But first, you need to recognize the deficiency. I have known extremely intelligent, extraordinarily successful, and well-educated people who never saw this deficiency in themselves. Cynicism seemed to them a sign of worldly wisdom. I pity them. But it was always their choice. They receive the reflection they deserve. I can only tell them that such an opportunity exists. And I am convinced that true morality makes you happy. Otherwise, what is it for?!
Some people use a simple formula to define moral behavior: treat others as you would like them to treat you. This seems logical if you don’t think about it. One person might like one thing, while another prefers something entirely different. Someone grew up being beaten by their parents and is used to it. They enjoy an atmosphere of quarrels and fights. But if they treat everyone this way, many won’t appreciate it. A masochist derives pleasure from being humiliated and might decide that this is beneficial for everyone. Psychological masochists are not uncommon. Followers of certain religions may consider good what others find unacceptable. Differences even exist on the level of diet and lifestyle. Some enjoy sports and workouts, while others prefer a more sedentary life. Some people eat meat, but if they prepare meat for a vegan, that person won’t be pleased. In general, the formula is only partially correct. You must account for people’s individual characteristics, tastes, and preferences.
What Is Conscience?
A separate phenomenon I’d like to write about is conscience. It’s much more complex than the cultivated feelings of guilt or shame, with which it is often confused. I consider both guilt and shame to be negative, usually harmful emotions. They can be only temporarily beneficial to a person until their conscience awakens.
When conscience awakens, you begin to understand what others feel, empathize with them. You can simultaneously feel what is happening in different parts of your psyche. Usually, these different parts of us don’t meet. In one, we strongly desired something and did it. In another part, we regret it and blame ourselves. In the third, we think about how to find a way out of this contradictory situation. This is familiar to everyone. There are ambiguous situations and actions that bring joy to some and pain to others—or that initially bring you joy and, later, inevitable suffering. In a state of conscience, these different parts of your psyche meet, and you simultaneously experience different feelings. And on some inner scales, you determine what is best for your soul and make a holistic decision on how to act so that there is no reason to regret it.
I also want to write about certain theories I’ve encountered recently. I encounter them more often online, but I also used to meet live proponents of such ideas. They tell us that good and evil don’t exist, that this is all an illusory view of insignificant people! They tell us that everything is a game, and it doesn’t matter what role you’ve been given, whether saint or maniac—just play it to the end, the main thing is to be a good actor. Some believe that the law of karma doesn’t exist at all, or that for them, the «enlightened,» the law of karma doesn’t apply. I’ve known such «wise guys» who «met a bad end» themselves and led many others into a trap.
But those who get caught up in such ideas already have some moral weakness. Otherwise, these concepts wouldn’t attract or captivate them. Why do such ideas appeal to people?
- First, they seem to give a person more freedom without responsibility, along with a sense of power and superiority. You think that the ordinary herd lives by rules, but you are above them—you can do anything without consequences.
- Second, such ideas appeal to those who love to philosophize disconnected from real life. Somewhere in their head is a grand cosmic game where there is neither good nor evil, where everything is part of a higher divine plan.
While the philosopher pondered these topics, someone stole their phone, and the concept of evil and violated justice instantly returned! Therefore, to avoid falling into such illusions, it’s important to take a more realistic view of yourself and the world around you. Any concept must be tested against observable life and your personal experience.
About Ancestral Karma
Is it appropriate to speak of ancestral karma? This phrase is often used by people.
Since karma is a universal law of cause and effect, it applies at any scale. The experiences of ancestors are written into our genes. This already influences us and our descendants. Moreover, the atmosphere in the family, which I have already mentioned, largely determines the fate of a child.
Therefore, we can talk about ancestral karma. And also about the karma of entire peoples. Because there is the genetic memory of a people. And there is a certain atmosphere in a country that continues to affect subsequent generations for better or worse. There are mass crimes committed, collective pain, and suffering.
But there are also collective achievements. And each people or country receives the reflection it deserves. And if a country finds itself an outcast, like North Korea, it’s worth looking at the real causes of this. Just like with individuals, nations often lack the desire to look deeply, to know real history, to understand the true content of the collective unconscious. Yet this is what determines the fates of countries and humanity as a whole.
Therefore, the more people work on developing their consciousness and a healthy moral foundation, the more happy families, lineages, peoples, and countries there will be.
