What Is Karmic-Data?

Living with Karma (or Data) is a concept shared by both Advaita Vedanta and ho’oponopono. While they start at the same place, they reach different conclusions on how to deal with it.

Karmic Data refers to memories of past actions that inspire one to act in a certain way. However, this memory can become a habit and block access to unique inspiration.

Psychologist Daniel Kahneman was awarded a Nobel prize for discovering the two types of thinking processes: System 1 and System 2. Inspiration often comes from System 2 thinking, which requires more mental effort than System 1 thinking. Friedrich August Kekulé made his discovery about the benzene molecule through System 2 thinking and a dream.

Zen’s Rinzai form teaches enlightenment by setting impossible riddles (called koans) that require students to throw away their intellectual conclusions during meditation.

Your subconscious mind encodes memories from both this and previous lives, including physical characteristics and susceptibility to certain health issues. While some believe that we can become fully conscious by ridding ourselves of karmic data, others believe that transmigration is necessary to work off any debts accumulated from negative karma.

Advaita Vedanta encourages individuals to accept and move on from worldly experiences. Some schools encourage practices such as meditation and yogic practices to address the effects of karma. In ho’oponopono, practitioners use a method called “cleaning” to address similar issues.

There are many methods of “cleaning” in ho’oponopono. Some involve ceremonies, while others may be simpler practices or even just using nature and other products to achieve relief. However, these must be the content of other posts.