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Three Essays on Universal Law: The Laws of Karma, Will, and Love
THE LAW OF KARMA: Modern science has found undeniable evidence that there are laws governing the structure and movement of every atom in Nature. Yet man continues to live as though the various events happening to him throughout his life are random -- occurring only by "chance." This essay formally presents a Universal Law which not only incorporates all of the existing scientific laws, but also explains the underlying order which governs the conditions of our everyday lives.
THE LAW OF WILL: Will power is a force nearer to us than any of the external forms of power which we utilize each day. Yet, from an analytical point of view, the power of will is perhaps the least understood. This essay constructs an unprecedented model of the will force which is used to answer questions such as: what will is, where it comes from, and how we manage to have control over this force. The analysis then turns to the age-old question of whether man really has "free will."
THE LAW OF LOVE: Psychology and religion both stress that at the very essence of man's being is the yearning for love. But though we have all shared in love, very few people actually understand what is happening when love is felt, or what conditions determine the presence or absence of this force. In this essay a comprehensive model of the love force is constructd based upon the Eastern concept of the seven chakras. Around this model a thorough analysis is conducted which reveals the essential qualities of true love. This essay has been repeatedly praised as one of the clearest eplanations of what is actually going on inside when we "fall in love," as well as clearly explaining how we can consciously come into tune with this inner force.
98 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1975
22 people are currently reading
1736 people want to read
About the author
Michael A. Singer
49 books2,792 followersMichael A. Singer is the author of the highly successful The Untethered Soul, which has also been published in Turkey, Brazil (in Portuguese), Switzerland (in German), Spain, Japan, China, the Netherlands, Denmark, Finland, Poland, and Italy.
Singer received a master's degree in economics from the University of Florida in 1971. During his doctoral work, he had a deep inner awakening and went into seclusion to focus on yoga and meditation. In 1975, he founded Temple of the Universe, a now long-established yoga and meditation center where people of any religion or set of beliefs can come together to experience inner peace. Through the years, Singer has made major contributions in the areas of business, the arts, education, healthcare, and environmental protection. He previously authored two books on the integration of Eastern and Western philosophy: The Search for Truth and Three Essays on Universal Law: Karma, Will and Love.
Singer received a master's degree in economics from the University of Florida in 1971. During his doctoral work, he had a deep inner awakening and went into seclusion to focus on yoga and meditation. In 1975, he founded Temple of the Universe, a now long-established yoga and meditation center where people of any religion or set of beliefs can come together to experience inner peace. Through the years, Singer has made major contributions in the areas of business, the arts, education, healthcare, and environmental protection. He previously authored two books on the integration of Eastern and Western philosophy: The Search for Truth and Three Essays on Universal Law: Karma, Will and Love.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
September 26, 2015
Well, finishing this book means I've read all four of Michael Singer's books. "The Untethered Soul" is my favorite - one of the greatest books of all time (IMO)... I'd say, in order then followed by "The Surrender Experiment", "The Search for Truth" and this book, which is a totally awesome little book that I loved - I'll read anything Michael Singer writes - but this is the only book of his I'm not giving a five star rating to. Four stars, really liked it, certainly an easy, worthwhile read... But if you haven't read any Michael Singer I'd follow the order given above, starting with "The Untethered Soul". That book and "The Surrender Experiment" were written in the 2000's... the other two in the 1970s, so chronologically "Search for Truth" was first, then this book, then Untethered Soul & Surrender Experiment. All great books no matter what order you choose :)
July 5, 2021
Favorite Excerpts:
The Law of Karma is in operation at all levels of Creation, not just in the world of matter. The science of psychology teaches that emotions and thoughts also are governed by Cause and Effect. Here we say that our long run emotional patterns are governed by childhood experiences, and that our volatile short run feelings are caused by both outside events and inner thought patterns. …It is all one system. The entire universe at the physical, emotional, and mental planes is an interrelated structure governed by the law of Cause and Effect. – Page 17
The simplest example of this process is the person who goes through life emitting very high vibrations at the emotional level. Since mere contact with these vibrations causes others to feel “high”, this person finds that wherever he is, happiness dominates his external environment. In contrast, if we go around harboring negative thoughts and emotions, we invariably find ourselves surrounded by friends who vibrate at approximately the same rate. – Page 19
When our bodies are hungry, tired, or yearning for sex, there is a real force being exerted. A force which attempts to compel us toward satisfying these needs. For even if we do not wish to eat at just that moment, the body generally pesters us until we finally give in. Thus, we say “the body has a will of its own.” Depending upon which will power is greater – the one consciously guided by inner reason, or the one automatically generated by the body’s animal drives – determines what action actually takes place.
But our emotions also seem to display “a will of their own.” Most of us have, at times, found ourselves shrouded by emotions of fear or jealousy which we intellectually recognized as foolish and even detrimental to our well-being. Yet it is very difficult, without much training, to exert enough consciously controlled will power to expel these negative emotional vibrations. So, again, we see a battle between will power generated by a lower aspect of our being and the will which we intentionally apply at any given moment.
Furthermore, the same analysis holds for our thoughts. Most of us exercise virtually no control over our thought patterns. In fact, most people think it inconceivable that we all could develop the will power necessary to have complete control over what thoughts pass before our consciousness every single moment of every day. – Pages 44-45
What we must realize now is that we have spent so much time fully identifying with body, emotions, and thoughts that a habit-formed flow of consciousness, and thus, will power, goes to these aspects at all times. In other words, there are two distinct states of the will force within each man: habit-formed will and consciously-directed will. The difference being that habit-formed will is directed subconsciously and consciously-directed will is directed consciously. But it must be emphasized that it really is the same, one will force being distributed at these different levels.
Following directly from this we should be able to see all of the inner conflict which takes place each day as one of habit-formed will versus consciously-directed will. It thus becomes apparent that this inner conflict represents an amazing waste of power. – Page 47
This, the development of a strong, reason-guided will is an essential requisite for permanently attaining higher states of consciousness. We should never let a moment of our lives pass where we are not in complete awareness of, and have potential control over, all of the lower aspects of our being.
It is quite similar to training a horse – if the rider’s will is not stronger than the horse’s, no training can take place. The truth is, however, that most of our “lower self” horses are completely out of control. We must gently and gradually – while maintaining full patience, love and respect for their basic nature – break our lower selves of their habit-formed will and train them to respond fully to our higher, consciously-directed will. Only in this way can we attain the permanent sense of peace and freedom which we are inwardly seeking. – Page 50
Because of identification with body, emotions, and mind we have automatically surrendered some of our will force to these lower aspects. If one day we suddenly intellectually come to realize the illusionary nature of our “free will” and decide to “surrender to the flow of life,” we are apt to find ourselves flowing with lower self rather than Higher Self. The habit formed patterns set due to ego-consciousness are right now in the drivers seat. If we attempt to surrender our conscious will, these patterns will be free to carry out their habit-formed actions.
Before any true blending of our individualized will with the Universal Will can occur, we must first reclaim our will force in the name of Higher Self. Then, once lower self is trained and we have reasonable control over body, emotions, and mind, surrender of our will to the Universal Will become the quickest path to Universal Consciousness. Once our ego-desires are worn away, then, and only then, can we be sure that the directions in which life is leading us are patterned directly by the Higher Guidance. Otherwise we are apt to be projecting subconscious ego-desires which will have the effect of patterning our lives from this lower level. – Pages 58-59
True love, being made manifest in the fourth center of consciousness, can only exist once the limiting pull of EGO is transcended. That is to say, love is not the emotional state of: “I love her because she is pretty and it will reflect well on me. I love him because he can provide for me a secure family life. I love her because she stimulates me intellectually.” Nor even, “I love him because we have lived together for so long that I would be helpless without him.” These are all ego centered desires, and, as such, do not reflect the pure love force. In fact, many relationships which we term “love” are really motivated by the third chakra. They are so self-oriented that the energy flow is totally unable to become manifest in the higher centers. – Page 72
The Law of Karma is in operation at all levels of Creation, not just in the world of matter. The science of psychology teaches that emotions and thoughts also are governed by Cause and Effect. Here we say that our long run emotional patterns are governed by childhood experiences, and that our volatile short run feelings are caused by both outside events and inner thought patterns. …It is all one system. The entire universe at the physical, emotional, and mental planes is an interrelated structure governed by the law of Cause and Effect. – Page 17
The simplest example of this process is the person who goes through life emitting very high vibrations at the emotional level. Since mere contact with these vibrations causes others to feel “high”, this person finds that wherever he is, happiness dominates his external environment. In contrast, if we go around harboring negative thoughts and emotions, we invariably find ourselves surrounded by friends who vibrate at approximately the same rate. – Page 19
When our bodies are hungry, tired, or yearning for sex, there is a real force being exerted. A force which attempts to compel us toward satisfying these needs. For even if we do not wish to eat at just that moment, the body generally pesters us until we finally give in. Thus, we say “the body has a will of its own.” Depending upon which will power is greater – the one consciously guided by inner reason, or the one automatically generated by the body’s animal drives – determines what action actually takes place.
But our emotions also seem to display “a will of their own.” Most of us have, at times, found ourselves shrouded by emotions of fear or jealousy which we intellectually recognized as foolish and even detrimental to our well-being. Yet it is very difficult, without much training, to exert enough consciously controlled will power to expel these negative emotional vibrations. So, again, we see a battle between will power generated by a lower aspect of our being and the will which we intentionally apply at any given moment.
Furthermore, the same analysis holds for our thoughts. Most of us exercise virtually no control over our thought patterns. In fact, most people think it inconceivable that we all could develop the will power necessary to have complete control over what thoughts pass before our consciousness every single moment of every day. – Pages 44-45
What we must realize now is that we have spent so much time fully identifying with body, emotions, and thoughts that a habit-formed flow of consciousness, and thus, will power, goes to these aspects at all times. In other words, there are two distinct states of the will force within each man: habit-formed will and consciously-directed will. The difference being that habit-formed will is directed subconsciously and consciously-directed will is directed consciously. But it must be emphasized that it really is the same, one will force being distributed at these different levels.
Following directly from this we should be able to see all of the inner conflict which takes place each day as one of habit-formed will versus consciously-directed will. It thus becomes apparent that this inner conflict represents an amazing waste of power. – Page 47
This, the development of a strong, reason-guided will is an essential requisite for permanently attaining higher states of consciousness. We should never let a moment of our lives pass where we are not in complete awareness of, and have potential control over, all of the lower aspects of our being.
It is quite similar to training a horse – if the rider’s will is not stronger than the horse’s, no training can take place. The truth is, however, that most of our “lower self” horses are completely out of control. We must gently and gradually – while maintaining full patience, love and respect for their basic nature – break our lower selves of their habit-formed will and train them to respond fully to our higher, consciously-directed will. Only in this way can we attain the permanent sense of peace and freedom which we are inwardly seeking. – Page 50
Because of identification with body, emotions, and mind we have automatically surrendered some of our will force to these lower aspects. If one day we suddenly intellectually come to realize the illusionary nature of our “free will” and decide to “surrender to the flow of life,” we are apt to find ourselves flowing with lower self rather than Higher Self. The habit formed patterns set due to ego-consciousness are right now in the drivers seat. If we attempt to surrender our conscious will, these patterns will be free to carry out their habit-formed actions.
Before any true blending of our individualized will with the Universal Will can occur, we must first reclaim our will force in the name of Higher Self. Then, once lower self is trained and we have reasonable control over body, emotions, and mind, surrender of our will to the Universal Will become the quickest path to Universal Consciousness. Once our ego-desires are worn away, then, and only then, can we be sure that the directions in which life is leading us are patterned directly by the Higher Guidance. Otherwise we are apt to be projecting subconscious ego-desires which will have the effect of patterning our lives from this lower level. – Pages 58-59
True love, being made manifest in the fourth center of consciousness, can only exist once the limiting pull of EGO is transcended. That is to say, love is not the emotional state of: “I love her because she is pretty and it will reflect well on me. I love him because he can provide for me a secure family life. I love her because she stimulates me intellectually.” Nor even, “I love him because we have lived together for so long that I would be helpless without him.” These are all ego centered desires, and, as such, do not reflect the pure love force. In fact, many relationships which we term “love” are really motivated by the third chakra. They are so self-oriented that the energy flow is totally unable to become manifest in the higher centers. – Page 72
February 2, 2016
The best explanation of how to arrive at a place of unconditional love.
July 7, 2017
I read some of it and just couldn't go on. Maybe it is too "scientific" or maybe it is unnecessarily complex, but I loved his other books, "The Untethered Soul" and "The Surrender Experiment." I felt those books were more accessible.
April 9, 2018
This is supplementary material for his other book The Search for Truth. I need more material and understanding of meditation to fully grasp this book. It reads like cliffs notes and there are a lot of questions and details that I want more satisfying answers to.
February 10, 2019
A good read. There are some points that I wish he more adequately discussed (they seem like convenient loose ends) but otherwise it’s enjoyable, thought-provoking, and filled with snippets of wisdom. My second favorite after his book, Untethered Soul. And much better than his work, TRUTH.
May 27, 2023
Read it in a couple of hours. It surprised my belief that the whole "Chakra" theory was compelling enough for me to want to read more about it. Karma is a grounded enough foundation for me to assume it's real. I recommend it to someone who likes knowledge based on the universe.
June 30, 2025
Me gusto la primera parte que habla del karma y la voluntad pero cuando habla del amor no me convence. Es muy de filosofía barata que ha logrado desvirtuar a las relaciones de esta última década. con eso de amar a todos y la frivolidad la no posesión y todo eso terminan en el amor líquido.
April 16, 2018
the universal law is the best
December 3, 2022
Interesting read. The explanations of the Three Essays 1. the Laws of Karma 2. Will and 3. Love is very easy to understand and makes you take a good look at your life. Thank you.
January 29, 2024
Es un libro que todo el mundo tiene que leer
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 29, 2023
These essays feel over-preachy, like I've been sat down in a dimly-lit room and a man with a long pointy stick is urgently gesturing at images on a projector board. Some of the concepts about rebirth and the soul I disagree with, but it is certainly an interesting intersection of spiritual study and scientific "explanation". Not my cuppa, but an overall intriguing read.
June 22, 2024
This great book is all about the three laws on the Path to Enlightenment—Karma, Will, and Love.
Michael Singer is one of my new, favorite spiritual teachers.
After reading The Untethered Soul and Living Untethered, I decided to take a deeper dive into his work. I went to Amazon to see what else he’s written. I found this book and another one that he wrote nearly 50 years ago. It’s fantastic.
The book has a chapter-essay on each of his three Laws: The Law of Karma, The Law of Will, and The Law of Love.
Quick note: In his acknowledgments, Singer gives “heartfelt recognition to Paramahansa Yogananda for his unending flow of inspiration. The wisdom of this great Teacher forms the guidance behind all my constructive thoughts and actions.”
After reading that, I got a bunch of Yogananda’s books. Check out our Notes on The Law of Success, How to Be a Success, Living Fearlessly and To Be Victorious in Life for some of his powerful practical spirituality.
Some of my favorite big ideas from this book include:
1. The Law of Karma - Aka, The Law of Cause and Effect.
2. The Law of Will - Be proactive. Stimulus... response.
3. Willpower - How to build it.
4. Solid Foundations - Put them in place, Hero!
5. The Law of Love - Start with yourself then expand.
One more thing… I’ve added Three Essays on Universal Law by Michael Singer to my collection of Philosopher’s Notes--distilling the Big Ideas into 6-page PDF and 20-minute MP3s on 600+ of the BEST self-development books ever. You can get access to all of those plus a TON more over at https://heroic.us.
“Just because the state of enlightenment lies beyond the mind does not mean that the mind should be viewed as a hindrance on the Path. The true aspirant fully uses his body, emotions, and mind in order to help him toward his Goal. The lower aspects of man are only a barrier when they are allowed to work for their own, habit-formed desires. They become the aspirant’s dearest friend when they are employed in spiritual pursuits.
It is in this spirit that the current work, Three Essays on Universal Law, has been written... The reader who studies these Laws with one eye focused on the pages and the other eye focused within himself will gradually notice a framework emerging around which he can structure the seemingly unconnected events of his life. Each reader is invited to study these Higher Laws with the same intellectual skepticism which is characteristic of non-spiritual, academic studies. Nothing in these pages should be blindly accepted. Since the three Laws presented in this work play a major role in governing our everyday lives, if they are Truth, they should be able to stand the test of daily observation in the Laboratory of Life. The greatest end which this work can serve is to stimulate us to turn our intellects, now overburdened with solving life’s problems, toward solving the mysteries of life itself.”
~ Michael A. Singer from Three Essays on Universal Law
Michael Singer is one of my new, favorite spiritual teachers.
After reading The Untethered Soul and Living Untethered, I decided to take a deeper dive into his work. I went to Amazon to see what else he’s written. I found this book and another one that he wrote nearly 50 years ago. It’s fantastic.
The book has a chapter-essay on each of his three Laws: The Law of Karma, The Law of Will, and The Law of Love.
Quick note: In his acknowledgments, Singer gives “heartfelt recognition to Paramahansa Yogananda for his unending flow of inspiration. The wisdom of this great Teacher forms the guidance behind all my constructive thoughts and actions.”
After reading that, I got a bunch of Yogananda’s books. Check out our Notes on The Law of Success, How to Be a Success, Living Fearlessly and To Be Victorious in Life for some of his powerful practical spirituality.
Some of my favorite big ideas from this book include:
1. The Law of Karma - Aka, The Law of Cause and Effect.
2. The Law of Will - Be proactive. Stimulus... response.
3. Willpower - How to build it.
4. Solid Foundations - Put them in place, Hero!
5. The Law of Love - Start with yourself then expand.
One more thing… I’ve added Three Essays on Universal Law by Michael Singer to my collection of Philosopher’s Notes--distilling the Big Ideas into 6-page PDF and 20-minute MP3s on 600+ of the BEST self-development books ever. You can get access to all of those plus a TON more over at https://heroic.us.
February 22, 2017
Very cerebral... a bit too much so for me.
June 19, 2013
The Essay on the Law of Karma was, for the most part, simply an essay on the law of causation. Singer hastily and unconvincingly attempts to leap from cause and effect to the broader concept of Karma. The material is generally good and thought-provoking.
October 26, 2023
Unlike anything you’ll learn in school. These are laws governing life itself. Knowing them is just the first step.
I’m eternally grateful for Michael Singer’s older books (this and The Search for Truth).
I’m eternally grateful for Michael Singer’s older books (this and The Search for Truth).
June 18, 2013
I liked it. I had to read some parts a couple of times over, as the material is very deep in parts. But, it holds a lot of knowledge and was a very interesting read.
June 23, 2014
Filled with clarity and directness that illuminates and lifts the reader. Like The Untethered Soul this book is a gem. Recommended.
February 9, 2015
Michael Singer is a brilliant writer. My favorite book of his is "The Untethered Soul".
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews