Deepak Chopra’s

Seven Spiritual Laws of Success

The Law of Karma

The word karma simply means action. Actions have meaning beyond what we can see on the surface. Every action generates a force of energy that returns to us in like kind. What we sow is what we reap and when we choose actions that bring happiness and success to others, that action becomes part of us. On the material plane, we often see how one action leads to a reaction, one move to a countermove. But karma is more elusive on the invisible plane. Every day we perform subtle actions that hugely influence what life brings to us. Everything that is happening at this moment is a result of the choices you’ve made mentally in the past. The choices that we make have consequences that are either evolutionary or destructive. By consciously paying a karmic debt, you can convert adversity into a positive experience.

Many times karma works unconsciously. How are we to act when the consequences are uncertain and unforeseeable? We trust in the evolutionary impulse that the law of karma describes. Step back for a moment and witness the choices you are making. You may not think they are choices at all, but they are. Witness the choices you make in each moment in practical terms. Ask yourself what are the consequences of my choice? Out of an infinity of choices there is always one, the right choice, that creates maximum happiness for you as well as for those around you.

How do you make the right choice? Pay attention to how you feel.. if you feel uneasiness or discomfort in your body even as you ask the question, then it’s probably not karmically appropriate. If you get a message or a sensation of comfort, then the choice you’re making is karmically appropriate. The future is generated by the choices we are making in every moment of our lives.

The Law of Least Effort

This law is based on the fact that nature takes the course of least action and no resistance; observe nature at work, at every turn. Grass doesn’t try to grow, it just grows. Birds don’t try to fly, they fly. This isn’t an abstract principle of efficiency. It is something quite spontaneous. Think of the words we apply to this aspect of nature: elegant, graceful, unforced, and above all, natural.

We could find ways to satisfy life’s demands with less stress and strain. Whatever increases chaos and disorder is operating against the law of least effort and therefore leads to frustration and futility. Instead of assuming that chaos is natural, look closely and you will see how unnatural it really is. The destructive effects of chaotic thinking and action cannot be missed, the first step is to back out of the chaos and disorder. Is something simpler at work? If so, then consider if you can change things on a simpler basis.

Once you aren’t part of the chaos, the second step is to ask for the simplest outcome that will bring order and comfort. The law of least effort assures us that there is always a simplest and best path to fulfillment. Once you adopt this attitude, upsetting situations will become an opportunity for the creation of something simple, natural, and satisfying. There’s an art to accepting things as they are, not as you wish they were. As you master this law, you will be able simply to have a faint thought, and the manifestation of that thought comes true. Steadily you do less and accomplish more. Ultimately you arrive at the state where you do nothing and accomplish everything.