- Understanding Karma: Karma translates to action and every action has a consequence. Good actions lead to good consequences and evil actions, which are considered selfish and emanate from one's ego, lead to negative consequences.
- Karma is Not External: Karma is not concerned with external consequences but more focused on the effects within a person's mind. Any action taken from a selfish place will already have its consequence affect the doer, even before other external consequences manifest.
- Misconception About Good and Bad: Many people's understanding of good and evil is deeply flawed. Good actions are selfless and from a spiritual place, while evil actions are selfish and stem from one's ego or identity. Selfish actions are not limited to explicit wrongdoings but include any actions defending, promoting, or aggrandizing oneself.
- Life Driven by Selfishness: Most people live selfish lives, where all actions are about promoting or defending oneself. This realization can be hard to accept as it implies a person's entire life has been about them, which appears selfish and self-absorbed.
- Correlation Between Karma and Suffering: Karma explains a significant part of human suffering. This suffering results from actions taken to defend ourselves or our identities at all costs. The consequence of these actions is mental and emotional distress, which perpetuates a cycle of suffering.
- Karma is a Natural Law: The law of karma is not a supernatural one where an external entity keeps tabs on every individual's actions. Instead, it's a natural and psychological law that explains the interplay of human actions and their consequences.
- Impact on Spiritual and Psychological Alignment: Understanding the law of karma is profound in explaining human psychology and spirituality. Recognizing this and applying it to one's life can provide greater insight into personal suffering and aid with spiritual alignment.
- Subtle forms of Evil and Karma: Evil is not just clear wrongdoings but also includes more subtle forms of selfish acts committed daily. Leo points out that today, and every day, most individuals unwittingly commit many evil acts. This is due to an unconscious, selfish nature that promotes and defends themselves at the expense of others. These actions invoke Karma.
- Bank Robbery Example: A person robs a bank, escapes without getting caught, and lives a seemingly enjoyable life on a tropical island. This action, originating from selfishness, is considered an evil act. Although societal laws identify this act as wrong, there are many similar actions that are not lawfully wrong but attributes to Karma. The robber might seem to enjoy his life, but with time, the inner emotional suffering kicks in, causing fear of getting caught, guilt, and remorse.
- Consequences of Selfish Acts: The actions borne out of self-centeredness lead to continued negative behaviors and eventual suffering. The robber, in the example, continues to act selfishly in his relationships leading to unstable bonds, recurring conflicts, and emotional distress. These actions form a chain of continued selfishness which is the basis of Karma.
- Negating Evils and Encouraging Good Karma: The way to end this cycle is to apply conscious awareness to one's selfish actions. Realization and acknowledgment of evil, even the subtle ones like jealousy or resentment, are essential first steps to positive Karma. Good Karma occurs when one acts out of selflessness, without any thoughts of personal gain.
- Misconceptions about Life's Challenges: It's a common presumption that life is unconditionally hard, challenging, and filled with negative emotions. However, these are not inherent characteristics of life but are effects of constant selfishness and the resulting Karma.
- Self-centered Survival Mode: The human survival instinct focuses excessively on self-protection and self-aggrandizement, leading to a life wrapped up in fear, anger, manipulation, and criticism. This way of life creates an illusionary identity that feels the constant need for protection and validation but is fundamentally hollow and insecure due to its detachment from physical reality.
- False Security: The need for external material comforts and validation like money, possessions, appearances, and security are based on creating a stronger false identity. Such needs create an illusion of security which when threatened results in fear and negative emotions.
- Karma as Internal Punishment: Karma strikes at feelings and emotions more than at tangible, physical items. When a co-worker is favored, one may feel jealousy, leading to a sour mood, and negative interactions with others. This internal turmoil is the punishment given by Karma.
- Living a fulfilling life: Living a fulfilling, happy life involves unraveling the false sense of self, quietening the self-absorbed negative thoughts, and cultivating selflessness. Undertaking this tough task will result in a peaceful and fulfilling life.
- Self-centeredness leading to self-inflicted suffering: Self-focused thinking stems from a survival instinct that needs re-evaluating, as its preoccupation keeps one from achieving inner peace. It can incite feelings of envy, fear and resentment, creating a continuous loop of self-absorption that adversely affects one's quality of life.
- The illusion of the ego: The ego, or identity, is not tied to physical reality but a construct of thoughts that is constantly defended. This act of defending one's ego, an illusory entity, restricts true happiness and creates suffering.
- Disguised self-interest in altruistic actions: Often, 'good' deeds such as donating to charity can be derived from self-interest, from wanting to feel good or maintain a positive reputation. Despite the outward appearance of kindness or generosity, this deep-seated selfishness contributes to ego inflation and subsequent suffering.
- The concept of Hell as a self-created reality: The Christian concept of Hell is actually a metaphor for the mental and emotional suffering caused by habitual selfish actions and thoughts. This suffering manifests as constant anxiety, stress and manipulative behavior, making life hellish.
- The power of mindfulness and selfless action: Mindfulness and selfless actions can help break free from the constant self-focused mentality that creates our suffering. An individual needs to practice heightened awareness to recognize the subtleties of their manipulations, thus classifying them as 'evil' and rectifying them.
- The downfall of excessive negative thinking: Negative self-absorbed thoughts can create an internal hell. Being overly preoccupied with fears, threats and self-doubt repeatedly triggers negative reactions and restricts true happiness and peace of mind.
- Rewards of silencing negative thoughts and embracing selflessness: When negative, self-centered thoughts are silenced, one can experience 'heaven' or 'paradise', conceptualized as pure joy and peace of mind in the present moment. By cultivating selflessness, an individual can escape their self-created suffering and enjoy a fulfilling life.
- True spirituality as enlightened action: Enlightenment involves getting rid of the false identities created by our thoughts, leaving space for action without prior thoughts, which represents true spirituality.
- Importance and process of signing up for Actualized.org: Leo emphasizes the importance of signing up for Actualized.org as it consistently delivers informative videos that can guide viewers in managing their psychology. This helps prevent periods of unconscious behavior by reminding individuals to stay mindful and focused on self-growth.