“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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