Karma is the notion that deeds (or actions) create the cycle of cause and effect. The cycle of cause and effect already exists, but the causes of the cycle are actions or deeds. Performing positive deeds beget good results in one’s life, whereas negative actions beget negative effects. The effects may be quick or delayed until later in life, or in the afterlife. Therefore, good actions may mean rebirth into a higher position in life, such as a better human, while evil actions may result in rebirth as a human living in more poor conditions. Scholars have compared karma to Western notions of sin and judgment by God; still others view karma as an inherent principle of the universe with no intervention of any God. In Hinduism, God is seen as a dispenser of karma. In Buddhism and Jainism, a god does not intervene.
Several traditions, including Indian, believe a higher being plays some role in karma, like a dispenser of the fruits of karma. In general, followers of Buddhism and many Hindus consider the natural laws of causation enough to explain the effects of karma. Some views proclaim that a higher person acting on God’s behalf can work out some of the karma of the subject. There are examples of karmic retribution and that type of correlation mentioned in the Bible.
Philosophical ideas of karma could be different between traditions, but the basic idea is the same. In the Law of Karma, the effects of all actions and deeds beget past, present, and future effects, therefore forcing a person to be responsible for his or her own life, and the pain or joy it brings him or her, as well as others. The results or “fruits” of actions are called “karma-phala”. In religions that believe in reincarnation, karma acts in a person’s present life and all past and future lives as well. All living creatures are responsible for their karma. The western Christian idea teaches karma as the Law of Cause and Effect. The difference is that this western tradition adds on the idea that the teachings of Christ professed that the cycle of sin and death may be ended through God’s love, which will impart immortality.
To accept the logical idea behind karma is to behave responsibly. If we accept the idea of the Law of Karma which is essentially, “if you do good things, good things will happen to you and if you do bad things, bad things will happen to you”, then it is easy to find parallels with other religions that do not rely on karma as a doctrine. Just as the Christian apostle Paul stated “man reaps what he sows”, karma does not concern itself with the idea of salvation. It is more of a social and ethical dynamic. The Law of Karma is the judge of one’s deeds, similar to the idea of the Christian God as judge of good and bad actions. Most teachers proclaim that being subject to karma is not avoidable and is part of daily living. Each human is advised to avoid, control or become aware of the results of desires and aversions as a way to change karmic destiny.
Hindus believe that the Universe and everything in it is in a state of creation, maintenance, or destruction. The mind itself creates a thought, maintains it for some time, and then the thought dies, maybe replaced by other thoughts. In addition to these three states of consciousness, Hinduism adds a fourth state called Turiya. This is pure consciousness where the mind is not engaged in thinking but just observing thoughts. Actions or deeds while in the Turiya state do not create karma. The idea behind meditation is to give individuals the experience of being in this objective state. If your actions happen as a response to events and not from a thought process, you will not accumulate karma. If you can constantly maintain this state you are considered in moksha.
Karma can also be thought of in a metaphysical way. Since karma is a force of nature and not an entity capable of making judgments (like a person could), karma is not about good and evil actions. Applying those labels would be judgmental. It is about positive and negative energy. Negative energy can include things not normally thought of as “being bad” like fear or depression. Positive energy can be released by creativity, love or virtuous acts. This concept is referred to as omniverse karma or omni-karma since it requires the existence of a space that contains all possible universes or omni-universe. The omniverse philosophy includes ideas involving psychic energy and ability, souls, synchronicity (things that occur at the same time are related), as well as concepts from quantum physics.
It may not be wise to ignore the idea of karma since it may be part of the driving force in the cycle of life and where your own cycle may take you now and in the future.
Good Karma, Bad Karma
Karma is one of the West's best known Eastern Mystical concepts, even featuring in popular songs by John Lennon (Instant Karma), David Bowie (Karma Man), and Culture Club (Karma Chameleon) among others.Understanding your karma can make the same difference to your life as swimming with or against the tide. Get it right and good things will flow naturally. But getting it wrong can mean one frustration after another. Here's how you can use karma to improve every aspect of your life.
Some years ago the then England football manager Glenn Hoddle, a genuinely Spiritual man, was sacked for an ill-considered remark that disabled people were paying for the sins of past lives.
Definition of Karma
Karma is simply the process of cause and effect. If you do A, B will happen. If you plant tomato seeds, and water and look after them, tomatoes will grow.
whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap St Paul, Galatians 6-7Karma is not about punishment. In Spirit there is no absolute right or wrong. It is about experience and fulfillment of purpose. The idea that we are punished for sins is a man-made form of social control. A highly advanced soul may choose to incarnate into a crippled body, or as an insect, if that is beneficial to their progress.
Working with Karma
Karma influences our current life in two ways. First, we carry karma as part of our life conditions, though not all of our conditions are karmic in origin. Karma is the part of our conditions that represents unfinished business and other residues from the past. Second, we create future karma continually with every thought and action.As an individuated part of Spirit there will be particular areas of growth necessary for our personal evolution. There are also areas in which we may best contribute to the growth of Spirit in its totality. Sometimes karma thrusts us into diametrically opposite conditions than we previously experienced.
The first step in dealing with existing karma is awareness and acknowledgement of it. Are there any themes that seem to recur throughout your life? Nothing happens by chance. Recurrent themes suggest the hand of karma. These recurrent themes are telling you they are providing conditions for some necessary life experience.
This experience may be obvious to you, but where it is not you may need to ask Spirit for guidance through prayer, meditation, or through your dreams.
Once you understand the karmic themes of your incarnation you can start working with them, ie swim with the tide rather than against it. If you find it hard to acquire or hold money, you need to practice good money management. If you find it hard to make friends you need to be that bit nicer to others… If you're not sure how to work with your karma, ask for guidance and be open to the answers.
The second aspect of karma is that it is being created all the time. Every act of will, every thought, is a karmic act. By acting in accordance with our Spiritual purpose in particular and Spiritual principles in general ("thy will be done") we create good karma for tomorrow. But good karma doesn't mean material success, it is concerned with Spiritual progress and making one's soul available to more advanced lessons rather than continually repeating grade 1.
Do unto others as you would have others do unto you Matthew 7-120
Karma works at a more immediate level by returning to you what you give to others. There's nothing particularly mystical about this. If you're friendly to others, you receive friendship. If you're generous, people are more inclined to be generous to you.Karma and Luck
Luck is the quality that seems to attract good things to some people and repel them from others. But is luck real, or all in the mind?To some degree luck is an illusion, or simply a matter of how you look at life. Say someone won $10,000 on the lottery, but just missed the jackpot by one number. Some woul consider themselves lucky to get $10,000, while others would be cursing their misfortune not to win a million. If you find yourself cursing your luck, take time to count your blessings. You will find they are many.
The "other man's grass is greener" syndrome also distorts our perception of luck. Human nature tends to notice others' good fortune and our own bad. In fact everyone has their share of problems, burdens, challenges, and blessings too, to lighten the load. The key here is to focus upon your own pathway.
All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players Shakespeare
Having said all that, luck as a manifestation of karma, is real. Some people do attract money jobs, the right partner… That is part of their conditions for this particular lifetime. All we can do is try to recognize our own particular conditions and to operate to the maximum within these. If you're unlucky at gambling, don't gamble, or if you do make sure the amounts involved are insignificant.When you understand Karma you will recognize that you DO have a place in this world and your importance is more vital than you ever thought before. You'll feel less vulnerable because you will recognize that no one can hurt you but yourself and with that you have more control than you ever thought possible. Start discovering your karma right now.
