Present is reality and Leave the Past freely without Hesitation

The Doctrine of Karma(DOK) acts as a psychological and moral thermostat. Even if the linkages do not become clear in many cases and memory connections may not be found or seen, the existence of the phenomenon cannot be denied. It is just like -if there is smoke, there must be fire. So if there is effect, there must be a cause, even if we cannot connect it. The Doctrine of Karma is linkage of past to present and the present to future. Past is gone, we have no control, so endure the effect. But the present is reality. So we must act for the effect in future. Thus constant self-check on our present karma can only help. Each type of guna create its characteristic thought pattern, e.g. Sattwa of patience and compassion, Rajas of greed and pride, Tamas of anger and indolence. These thought patterns create respective subtle impressions, which accumulate in our psyche. Given an appropriate stimulus, these stockpiles are ignited which manifest themselves in outward action. Each such action taken under the impulse of particular latent impressions, further reinforces those very impressions. 

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Thus, the 'guna-impression-karma' cycle goes on repeating itself. The tendencies of a rajaso-tamasic mind, for instance, will go on reinforcing the stockpile of wrong conditionings-samskaras. Their invisible power will prevent improved behaviour or action, inspite of the best of intellectual learning. 

With DOK inspiring us to perform more ethical acts, the non-ethical latent samskaras will gradually be subdued. Steady striving towards more of Sattwa will create a more ample niche for purer samskaras or latent tendencies. And with better quality samskaras, more wholesome behaviour should follow, and the Sattwa Guna should be reinforced. Thus whatever had been past acts and effects we should forget them because we have no control on them. It is our present acts and deeds, which we can improve upon and make concerted effort to rectify them, regardless to what others around are doing. 

Thus the need is to focus on individuals, personal conduct which is within one's own control or ZOD(Zone of Discretion). Let our intellectual predisposition not shun the practical merit of controlled fear via DOK in improving the purity of our mind, and its ethicality.