DAILY SLICES OF LIFE - Knowing your Karma

“You are free to choose, but you are not

  free from the consequence of your choice.”

         This statement by an Unknown Author summarizes, in a few well chosen words, the true fundamental meaning of the term, Karma. The name, taken originally from the ancient Sanskrit vocabulary, basically relates to the all-powerful force that controls each and every action or decision we make, and ensures that the appropriate reaction will take place. Karma does not dictate right action from wrong action, or good decision from bad decision, but rather it predicts the consequences that result following the decisions or actions undertaken, whether wrong or right.

         The concept of Karma first originated in ancient India and became closely integrated in all the major ancient Indian religions, including Buddhism, Hinduism and Jainism. It also constituted a major belief component in Taoism, the ancient Chinese adaptation of Buddhism. Essentially their beliefs were all founded on the common principle that a person’s karma was the result of the sum total of all the thoughts and actions he undertakes during his lifetime, both in the present and past lives, as well as the consequences that these thoughts and actions produced. Over the years, these ideas have become entrenched in every aspect of their lives and elaborate laws have been developed to cover all the many facets of life and relationships. They are now used by the people as invaluable guides to the choice of correct behavior. They all subscribe to the fact that:

Karma is never the cause, but always the result!

         The core belief of Karma in any setting, is that a person is free to act as he chooses to do so. And it is the exercise of these choices that will determine the quality of his life in the future. The actions executed by the individual are solely responsible for, and actually serve to direct his future path in life. They directly determine whether it will be a ‘good’ life, and therefore provide opportunities to grow and improve, or alternatively a ‘bad’ one, and result in pain and suffering. The basic belief is that it was primarily the person’s karma that was responsible for the choice of opportunities ultimately secured; either to progress forward or regress backwards. To them, karma was the powerful inner force that shaped the entire image of the person’s life in the present, as well as the future. Lord Buddha, in his teachings explained this in the following manner:

“All we are is the result of what we have thought.”

He explained this in more detail when he elaborated;

If a man speaks or acts with an evil thought, pain follows him.

If a man speaks or acts with pure thoughts, happiness follows him;

Like a shadow that never leaves him.”

         A person’s karma, as explained by the ancient philosophers, is made up of three individual influences that determine his ultimate behavior and create his external image and persona. These consist of the emotional expressions of desire, knowledge and intention. They are intimately intertwined together to form the cord of karma, each one influencing the other two. Ultimately all behavior is directly dependent on these influences and nothing happens without them. When any decision is contemplated, the person must not only want to act, but he must also know the consequences of the action to be taken, and then exercise the intention to complete it. Clearly, the individual is responsible for everything he undertakes, and must be aware that every action taken will have a positive or negative result upon him and his relationship with others. The success or failure of his life is directly dependent on all these thoughts and actions and totally controlled by his karma.

         Although there is little official acknowledgement of the role of karma in modern human day to day function, but it has indeed been accepted as a fundamental principle from the very beginning of Western civilization. The long accepted belief that good deeds will be rewarded with good results, and the opposite will occur when bad deeds are executed, clearly reflects the ‘karma effect.’ This assumption is deeply ingrained in every society and by every person and this has been in existence for as long as there has been recorded history. Even more convincing is the fact that the concept appears in multiple sayings and recordings throughout the years, and captured in such statements as:

-“What goes around, comes around.”

-“What you sow, so shall you reap.”

-Do good things, and good things will come back to you.”

-Don’t expect to reap wheat, if you planted rice.”

         Unfortunately, despite this fact, we live in a society where people who do the greatest damage to society, are more concerned with self-gratification and enrichment at the expense of humanity and of nature, are the ones who appear to be reaping the greatest rewards. Society is less interested in respecting the needs of people and of nature by observing good karma, and in fact is determined to control and dominate them by denying it.  This has led to significant imbalances and to increasing frustrations, anger and resentment among the majority, causing disagreements and strife. In this setting, karma will not survive, nor will the people enjoy the fruits of joy and contentment promised by its power. By denying this, and by doing everything to avoid it principles, we will continue to lose all the good benefits that can accrue.

          Buddha, thousands of years ago, warned against this possibility, by reminding everyone of the great advantages of remaining a disciple of Karma:

“True karma leads to exactly the opposite direction. It enables one to integrate all the many diverse experiences of life into a meaningful and coherent whole, thereby banishing fear and insecurity completely.”

-Despite the obvious benefits and advantages that will be available by choosing to live your life by exercising good karma, we are choosing a life of expediency and short cuts, and paying a severe price for it.

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DAILY SLICE OF LIFE - On Being Strong

“Only through the experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired and success achieved.”

         This observation by Helen Keller, the outstanding American author, educator, political and social activist is made even more poignant by the fact that her remarkable success and universal respect was achieved in spite of the fact that she was deaf and blind almost from birth, and was only able to communicate by use of touch and sign language. Despite all the physical and psychological handicaps she encountered throughout her lifetime, her strength of character, her courage and her determination were exemplary in every way. Indeed she was, in every respect, a tower of strength.

         Being strong is not about the possession of physical strength, nor is it about facing obstacles however difficult these may be. It is certainly not an index of age, experience, degree of intelligence or status. These are, like so many other factors we deal with in our lifetime, merely external facades that can be added or shed at the individual’s convenience. Being strong is not measured by how much a person is able to withstand before he breaks, and is most certainly not about winning at all cost. Whatever others may believe, it will never be achieved by use of deceit and fictitious claims under any circumstance. These are merely ‘false strengths’ that others use to persuade us to accept them, as they take advantage of the inherent weaknesses that exist in the minds and bodies of the rest. Again being strong is not about being blindly brave all the time, without any respect to the challenge, or to falsely acting as if nothing gives rise to concern, and recklessly going forward without regard to the consequences. This is folly!

Being strong is about holding on to your belief when all else crumbles. It is about standing on moral principles and values even when they hurt, and about being willing to accept responsibility for your mistakes without finding excuses. It is also about learning from past experiences and growing in maturity. It is certainly not just only knowing your strengths and making full use of them, but equally, it is recognizing your weaknesses and embracing them. It is not winning at all cost, but rather always doing the right thing, irrespective of win or loss.

Being strong is not only about having to withstand a challenge and moving forward, but also, whenever necessary, taking the time and effort to help others to do so. Being strong is not doing everything to avoid pain and suffering, but rather, when the occasion arises, to accept them as the price of living, and to use the experience as a beacon of help that others can follow. Henry Ward Beecher, the 19^th century American clergyman, social activist and abolitionist very effectively summarized the true impact of being strong in these terms:

“Greatness lies not in being strong, but in the right using of strength; and strength is not used rightly when it serves to carry a man above his fellows for his own solitary glory. He is the greatest, whose strength carries up the most hearts by the attraction of his own.”

-In fact the strongest men in this world are not the ones who move mountains, but the ones who move the hearts and minds of the people.

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DAILY SLICE OF LIFE - On Becoming a Champion

“Champions are made from something that they have inside of them; a desire, a dream, a vision.”

         This profound observation made by Mahatma Gandhi, the great Indian leader who led his country to independence in 1947 using only non-violent resistance, speaks volumes to the fundamental fact that the making of a champion demands much more than innate ability to compete and to triumph in competition. Gandhi, who arose from humble beginnings to become one of the greatest revolutionary leaders in modern history, stands out as one of the world’s finest statesmen and a champion in every sense of the word.

         True champions are people who are willing to go beyond their own limits to complete the task they set for themselves. Their strength of character and drive to succeed is fueled by their insatiable desire to achieve the target they had chosen to do so. Whether in the field of competitive sports, or in any other area of human endeavor, true champions tend to share a number of common characteristics that are dedicated to the enhancement of their chances to compete and to win. They all share a vision for their desired goal and a belief that they will achieve it, however difficult that may be. They all possess the insatiable drive needed to undertake the task to completion, and the courage to accept the failed attempts as lessons to improve. Interestingly, they all seem to possess the admirable attitude of treating their competitors with the respect they deserve, and taking every opportunity to learn from them.

One of the constant hallmarks of every champion is their single-minded confidence in their ability to deal with any challenge they undertake. They are relentless and determined in their aims to succeed, and are not affected by the criticisms or obstacles they encounter. Above all, they recognize that any venture will invariably involve a roller coaster of emotional ups and downs and that they must be able and willing to accept the consequences as they focus on the ultimate ride to success. They are, for the most part, pragmatic people who have no difficulty in accepting their strengths as well as their weaknesses. They never look for excuses to explain failure, but instead look for reasons. Sugar Ray Robinson (Walker Smith Jr.), an American professional boxer who held both the welterweight and middleweight world boxing crowns for several years, and is considered by many experts as the greatest boxer of all times, in a simple but powerful statement, explained this attitude in these terms:

 “To be a champion, you have to believe in yourself, when no one else will.”

Unfortunately, the price that is extracted from anyone who chooses to travel that lonely road is quite often formidable, and is usually the reason why so many good people will not even consider taking the chance. Even before declaring their intentions, they must first confront and deal with their own fears and their insecurities, and be sure of their desire to succeed. And as they embark on the project they must find the strength and determination to continue forward relentlessly, to step out of their comfort zones, to push beyond there own limits and capabilities, and to do so over and over until the final goal has been achieved. For the majority of people, however well-intention and optimistic they may be, they invariably falter and stumble long before their plans go into effect.

Contrary to popular belief, becoming a champion is never an inherited trait, and it can only take place in someone who not only possesses the ability to go with his vision or dream or goal, but have the courage to rise above the ordinary and to search for, and find the extraordinary. But for any champion to be worthy of respect, he must not only be strong and competent in his ability to succeed, but, much more important, he must also be a man of strong human qualities and standards. This is the fundamental difference between the ‘winner’ and the ‘champion,’ and then, and only then, can he claim to be the true champion. Benjamin Franklin, one of America’s founding fathers, a statesman and an inventor of note, placed this in perfect context when he declared:

“It is a grand mistake to think of been great without goodness, and I pronounce it as certain, there was never a great man that was not at the same time truly virtuous.”

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DAILY SLICE OF LIFE - Choices in Life

       “The saddest summary of life contains three descriptions,

       ‘Could have’, ‘Might have’, or ‘Should have.”

This statement by an Unknown Author is a powerful commentary on the quality of life we are likely to live when we make the wrong choices or chose not to make the right ones. It has become over the years, a standard by which the life we lead is measured.

From our very beginning of life and continuing to the very end, we are constantly presented with situations from which we must choose. Some of these choices are made after careful thought and consideration, while many of them result from automatic or impulsive responses, but they all are capable of having a lasting impact on our lives and the lives of others who depend on us. Every single day of our lives we have to face choices. We have to decide each morning whether we get up and face the day, or to roll over and continue to sleep. We have to make a choice what our day will be like, and what we should be doing. In fact, it would be correct to suggest that every-thing a person consciously does for all of the day is subject to some kind of choice.

Specific choices are operating when we appreciate what we do or resent it, become excited and happy or dejected and sad, pursue our goals or do nothing, associate with people who are helpful or withdraw and withhold our attention. In fact, all the countless living activities that together make up a day, can only have occurred as a result of choices made by or for the person. Choices have been likened to the ‘tools’ contained in a person’s box of living. Without them, life cannot progress and instead, our lives will be subjected to the winds and the storms of the environment around us. But with them, they are useful guides that serve to assist the person to live a lifetime of satisfaction and fulfillment.

 By far the most important life choice  that each one of us must make is how we choose to live our life. This directly implies choosing the basic core of beliefs that will shape our character and define our purpose. These set the standards and the values that determine how we live, what we believe, where we are heading and what we are looking for. They influence not only how we conduct our day to day living, but our hopes and dreams for the future and to some extent, even beyond. When these choices are wrong, when they are dictated by self-interest, greed, selfishness, or a lust for power, we quickly lose respect for life and replace it with self-gratification and domination.

         Unfortunately, too many people ignore the choices that lead to personal growth and to satisfaction, and instead spend their lives in the wasteful pursuit of other people’s achievements and end up living in constant frustration, regret, and dissatisfaction. Rather than choosing the path best suited for them, they succumb to the demands of their society to follow their lead and end up losing sight of their own choices. To be truly effective choices must always reflect the needs of the individual and never tailored to suit the needs of others.  There is no difference in the joy and fulfillment experienced for a task that is satisfactorily completed, whether it is by an architect completing a towering structure, or a surgeon completing a life-saving procedure, or the teacher at the end of a grueling day, or the shoemaker upon completing a pair of shoes. Although they are all totally unrelated activities, they are all choices consciously made individually to provide equal gratification and self-respect.

It is this exercise of our fundamental choices that makes the difference in our lives. This is because when these choices are freely executed we are provided with the confidence to make mistakes but not give up, to succeed and move on, and to seek opportunities and find them. Unfortunately, this does not happen as often as it should, not because the basic opportunities for the exercise of choice are not available, but because of our innate tendency to hold on to things and never let go, for fear of losing or being left behind. We end up holding on to failed ideas, even after we realize that letting them go is never the end, but the beginning of new life.

 Dr. Elizabeth Kubler-Ross, the renowned Swiss psychiatrist placed this relationship in the right context when she asserted:

“I believe that we are solely responsible for our choices, and we have to accept the consequences of every deed, word, and thought throughout our lifetime.”

-Indeed we are all the products of the choices we make in life, for good or bad. As the sages of the Eastern culture will unhesitatingly attest, this is our Karma!

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