Chopra Centered – How To Navigate Karma.

I love Deepak's message and believe he is a true teacher and healer. So I offer this as a suggestion and as an expression of concern and my own grappling with what seems to be a contradiction. I do not offer this out of anger or judgment or resentment, but out of genuine concern for our planet. I understand that we are all part of this very crucial global crises, so in no way do I presume to remove myself from responsibility and criticism. As Buddha taught, we must continually scrutinize all contradictions in practice and reason, especially own.My question relates to planetary balance and harmony. I find it very difficult to reconcile how so many spiritually enlightened teachers can continue to justify building unsustainable, environmentally irresponsible resorts like La Costa, "beautiful SPRAWLING resort with a GOLF COURSE, a spa, and lots of SHOPPING." Golf courses, for example, are extremely environmentally irresponsible (How are such golf courses being watered in an arid climate? How are they being fertilized? Is this not releasing toxicities into an already jeopardized water supply and poisoning our rivers and streams and oceans and threatening our fellow species on this planet? How is this not disruptive to planetary balance and harmony? Are to pretend that such practices can be mitigated by putting a few solar panels on the roof and planting small patches of organic lettuce? Eating an occasional organic banana while building excessive, unsustainable palaces and calling them spiritual retreats? Are we to pretend that because we are "enlightened" we are somehow exceptions and may therefore live by a separate set of values?), so it is difficult for me to ignore what I cannot help but see as a glaring contradiction. Yes, we live in a world of 747s and automobiles; there is no way around many of the current limitations of our economic system. Yet I feel we can make a distinction between certain unavoidable realities and luxurious excesses that are harmful to our planet. Does this mean I feel prosperity is excessive and that the universe is somehow limited? NO! Not at all! I know that the universe is abundant and limitless, yet it seems to me that this very often gets used as a justification for excessive lifestyles that somehow manage ignore the fact that there are certain ECOLOGICAL REALITIES such as the WATER CYCLE and CLIMATE CHANGE that we as a species cannot continue to ignore. Yes, we are spiritual beings, yet we live within a very specific and increasingly fragile ecological context that is as undeniable as our need for oxygen; that is to say, we cannot pick and chose which parts of our "here and now" we will accept; no, we must fully except every aspect of "Hoshin Seppo," the world as it is. If we say, "oh, the Universe is limitless and will take care of whatever problems we create," how is that ultimately any different from a fundamentalist attitude that we can continue to disrupt planetary harmony by polluting and behaving selfishly and irresponsibly, because God will fix it? To my mind, if we are going to talk about karmic cleansing and toxicity, we owe it to the earth, and to the other species who we threaten with excessive lifestyles, as well as to future generations, to be more mindful and considerate of these issues in practice, not just theory. If we are to continue to speak of harmony and oneness and the evolution of humanity, then we shouldn't we apply to the planetary problems we are creating as a collective species the same type of responsibility we apply to problems we create in our personal lives?

I love Deepak's message and believe he is a true teacher and healer. So I offer this as a suggestion and as an expression of concern and my own grappling with what seems to be a contradiction. I do not offer this out of anger or judgment or resentment, but out of genuine concern for our planet. I understand that we are all part of this very crucial global crises, so in no way do I presume to remove myself from responsibility and criticism. As Buddha taught, we must continually scrutinize all contradictions in practice and reason, especially own.My question relates to planetary balance and harmony. I find it very difficult to reconcile how so many spiritually enlightened teachers can continue to justify building unsustainable, environmentally irresponsible resorts like La Costa, "beautiful SPRAWLING resort with a GOLF COURSE, a spa, and lots of SHOPPING." Golf courses, for example, are extremely environmentally irresponsible (How are such golf courses being watered in an arid climate? How are they being fertilized? Is this not releasing toxicities into an already jeopardized water supply and poisoning our rivers and streams and oceans and threatening our fellow species on this planet? How is this not disruptive to planetary balance and harmony? Are to pretend that such practices can be mitigated by putting a few solar panels on the roof and planting small patches of organic lettuce? Eating an occasional organic banana while building excessive, unsustainable palaces and calling them spiritual retreats? Are we to pretend that because we are "enlightened" we are somehow exceptions and may therefore live by a separate set of values?), so it is difficult for me to ignore what I cannot help but see as a glaring contradiction. Yes, we live in a world of 747s and automobiles; there is no way around many of the current limitations of our economic system. Yet I feel we can make a distinction between certain unavoidable realities and luxurious excesses that are harmful to our planet. Does this mean I feel prosperity is excessive and that the universe is somehow limited? NO! Not at all! I know that the universe is abundant and limitless, yet it seems to me that this very often gets used as a justification for excessive lifestyles that somehow manage ignore the fact that there are certain ECOLOGICAL REALITIES such as the WATER CYCLE and CLIMATE CHANGE that we as a species cannot continue to ignore. Yes, we are spiritual beings, yet we live within a very specific and increasingly fragile ecological context that is as undeniable as our need for oxygen; that is to say, we cannot pick and chose which parts of our "here and now" we will accept; no, we must fully except every aspect of "Hoshin Seppo," the world as it is. If we say, "oh, the Universe is limitless and will take care of whatever problems we create," how is that ultimately any different from a fundamentalist attitude that we can continue to disrupt planetary harmony by polluting and behaving selfishly and irresponsibly, because God will fix it? To my mind, if we are going to talk about karmic cleansing and toxicity, we owe it to the earth, and to the other species who we threaten with excessive lifestyles, as well as to future generations, to be more mindful and considerate of these issues in practice, not just theory. If we are to continue to speak of harmony and oneness and the evolution of humanity, then we shouldn't we apply to the planetary problems we are creating as a collective species the same type of responsibility we apply to problems we create in our personal lives?

I love Deepak's message and believe he is a true teacher and healer. So I offer this as a suggestion and as an expression of concern and my own grappling with what seems to be a contradiction. I do not offer this out of anger or judgment or resentment, but out of genuine concern for our planet. I understand that we are all part of this very crucial global crises, so in no way do I presume to remove myself from responsibility and criticism. As Buddha taught, we must continually scrutinize all contradictions in practice and reason, especially own.My question relates to planetary balance and harmony. I find it very difficult to reconcile how so many spiritually enlightened teachers can continue to justify building unsustainable, environmentally irresponsible resorts like La Costa, "beautiful SPRAWLING resort with a GOLF COURSE, a spa, and lots of SHOPPING." Golf courses, for example, are extremely environmentally irresponsible (How are such golf courses being watered in an arid climate? How are they being fertilized? Is this not releasing toxicities into an already jeopardized water supply and poisoning our rivers and streams and oceans and threatening our fellow species on this planet? How is this not disruptive to planetary balance and harmony? Are to pretend that such practices can be mitigated by putting a few solar panels on the roof and planting small patches of organic lettuce? Eating an occasional organic banana while building excessive, unsustainable palaces and calling them spiritual retreats? Are we to pretend that because we are "enlightened" we are somehow exceptions and may therefore live by a separate set of values?), so it is difficult for me to ignore what I cannot help but see as a glaring contradiction. Yes, we live in a world of 747s and automobiles; there is no way around many of the current limitations of our economic system. Yet I feel we can make a distinction between certain unavoidable realities and luxurious excesses that are harmful to our planet. Does this mean I feel prosperity is excessive and that the universe is somehow limited? NO! Not at all! I know that the universe is abundant and limitless, yet it seems to me that this very often gets used as a justification for excessive lifestyles that somehow manage ignore the fact that there are certain ECOLOGICAL REALITIES such as the WATER CYCLE and CLIMATE CHANGE that we as a species cannot continue to ignore. Yes, we are spiritual beings, yet we live within a very specific and increasingly fragile ecological context that is as undeniable as our need for oxygen; that is to say, we cannot pick and chose which parts of our "here and now" we will accept; no, we must fully except every aspect of "Hoshin Seppo," the world as it is. If we say, "oh, the Universe is limitless and will take care of whatever problems we create," how is that ultimately any different from a fundamentalist attitude that we can continue to disrupt planetary harmony by polluting and behaving selfishly and irresponsibly, because God will fix it? To my mind, if we are going to talk about karmic cleansing and toxicity, we owe it to the earth, and to the other species who we threaten with excessive lifestyles, as well as to future generations, to be more mindful and considerate of these issues in practice, not just theory. If we are to continue to speak of harmony and oneness and the evolution of humanity, then we shouldn't we apply to the planetary problems we are creating as a collective species the same type of responsibility we apply to problems we create in our personal lives?