While following these contributions on the topic "Purification of soul & body" via conjecture on the matter of "karma", I find myself flickering in and out of the light so to speak. As a student with the BKWSU - and someone who has also taught the BKWSU Raja Yoga Meditation Course - my appreciation for the finer
points regarding the matter of karma is echoed (rightly or wrongly) in a definition that i have just found on the world wide web at
http://www.sanskrit.org/www/Sanskrit/sanskritterms.htm where it is stated that:
karma–derived from the Sanskrit root kr meaning to do, to make. The word karma means action, work, and deed. Only secondarily does karma refer to the result of past deeds, which are more properly known as the phalam or fruit of action.
Considering the advanced nature of the discussions some may regard my inclusion of that definition here as a bit of regression and so I apologise, however the above definition keeps things "nice & simple" for me. I also note that this definition does
not give any regard to the nature of the actions performed i.e: whether they be elevated or degraded.
If respected forum members do not mind me a little bit more simple-mindedness based purely on converting the title of the topic into a question as follows: How is purification of soul & body achieved? I would offer that the BKWSU teaches that one way in which this is done is by 'connecting the Yoga of our intellect with the Supreme Soul Shiva aka G-O-D through the practice of Raja Yoga Meditation'.
We are also taught that "the soul has a record of ALL it's karmas (actions) recorded in it'; and (contrary to some schools of thought) Raja Yoga philosophy does
not subscribe to the opinion that the human being is immune to the affect of the actions that the soul performs through its body. And so we students come to 'accept' that although a soul's karmic account is 'indellible' the trace of these karmas goes through stages of latency and emergence. Consquently, the purification that is (allegedly) achieved through the practice of Raja Yoga meditation is geared towards "purification of the intent" with which a soul may or may not act (inaction is also an action). So one might say that it is the personality of the soul that becomes impure and has to be purified.
As i understand it for myself, the very first 'matter' that a soul comes into connection with and has a 'relationship' with is the physical costume (body) that it 'takes residence in' and plays it's part through for whatever period of lifetime it will have on earth. We learn that the 'quality' of this matter is very much dictated by the quality (balance of karma?) that a soul has recorded in it.
Whether or not any of this is right or wrong may not really matter because to misquote a bit of what ex-l shared: if our underestanding of self enables us to stop hurting others, including innocents, and to be more considerate to all and not turn us into fearful slaves to unscrupulous masters ... what's the problem. if any of this is factual and true ... ? Show me how.
Maybe i will attempt to comment on some of the more weightier matters raised at a later date.
regards
abek