Atmānanda- Laharī

  Harmony of Life Karma and jñāna can never be combined, like oil and water, they do not mix. Karma binds through doing, jñāna frees through knowing. Karma and upāsanā on the other hand  must go together, like diet and exercise,  each complementing the other. Diet alone may reduce weight. Exercise alone may tone muscle. Together, the body is light and strong. Kevala karma leads to a lower heaven. Kevala upāsanā leads to a higher heaven. Combined, they extend one’s stay in that realm. Two forms of upāsanā are taught: Kārya Brahma Upāsanā and  Kāraṇa Brahma Upāsanā. Practiced individually,  each yields its own result. Kārya Brahma Upāsanā, meditation upon the manifest, refines the body and mind,  making them light. Kāraṇa Brahma Upāsanā, meditation upon the unmanifest, absorbs one into the bliss of unknowing. Practiced together, they bring harmony. Harmony between  self and world, person and family, family and society, nation and humanity, humanity and a...