Hello qpet!
The reading for this question has been utterly fascinating! Thanks
for asking!
The Law of Karma, commonly characterized in the simplest terms as
"what goes around comes around", is the belief that everything you do
and think has an effect and a reaction. If you do good, that good
will eventually be returned to you. If you do evil, likewise. The
belief is akin to the Christian "As you sow, so shall you reap" - with
the exception that Karma applies to *all* of your lifetimes. If
you're evil in this life, it might not catch up with you today,
tomorrow, next week or even in the next lifetime, but it will
eventually, no matter how many lifetimes it takes for the action to
come full circle.
The word "Karma" comes from the Sanskrit for "action" or "deed", and
signifies not only the action, but the consequences of that action.
The consequences are bound to the action, and cannot be separated.
Unlike Christianity, where there is the promise of "salvation" and
complete forgivness for all of your sins (no matter how egregious) if
you would just believe, there is no such thing as a "get out of karma
free card" - not even reincarnation will absolve you of your
responsibility for your actions.
The law of Karma holds that you have personal responsibility for all
that you think and do - you alone have the power to reward yourself
("good karma") by doing good, and have the power to harm yourself
("bad karma") by doing evil. All of your thoughts and deeds, no
matter what they are, will eventually catch up to you and you'll be
held accountable for them.
I've found several very interesting discussions of Karma to explain
this further.
"For every action we perform there will be a reaction (fruit) equal in
nature and degree. Do a little good action, this will create joy and
happiness to a fellow human being or other creature. Sooner or later,
in a few seconds or lifetimes, you will enjoy the fruit of that action
and reap the little joy you had sown before. The greater the sacrifice
and goodness of the action, the greater the fruit you will receive.
Similarly, a bad or mean action, which inflicts pain and suffering to
other beings, will bring equivalent results do the doer."
Sivananda Yoga - The Law of Karma
http://www.sivananda.org/teachings/karma/karmalaw.htm
"Actually it is very simple and has been known for thousands of years.
The law of Karma is known in Christian teachings, as well as in many
other cultures. It says:
Whatever you do to others - will be done to you, in this or any future
incarnation of your soul.
This law is so straightforward and logical, it sometimes is hard to
believe, that some persons still think they may somehow get around it.
If you knock your head against a wall, it is obvious - it may damage
the wall and it may hurt your head. If you knock someone by physically
fighting - you may cause harm, pain, injury to the person and the law
of Karma requires you to experience the same pain. This is to have you
learn to behave in a way that causes but pleasant experiences to
others and yourself alike.
Whatever you do, you may attract persons around you, that have a same
or similar Karma than you have. If you are of a physically fighting
nature, you may attract such persons again and again. Until you start
to become aware of your own behavior and start to be fed up with the
result of your very own actions. Until you start to strive for a more
peaceful environment. The only sure method of finding one is changing
your very own behavior.
This law applies for individuals as much as for families, groups,
villages, cities, nations, cultures or even entire planets. "
The law of Karma - how it works
http://www.kriyayoga.com/english/on_your_wings/lawofkarma.htm
The Sakthi Peetam & Spiritual Center Of North America discusses
several aspects of Karma, describing it as a combination of several
laws:
"The Law of Action and Reaction : If there is an action, there must be
a reaction. The reaction will be of equal force and of similar nature.
Every thought, desire, imagination and sentiment causes reaction.
Virtue brings its own reward; vice brings its own suffering. This the
working law of reaction.
All the good and evil habits, thoughts, and deeds are embedded in the
subconscious mind and are transferred to every physical body in its
future births. He / She brings his/her own karma and starts the same
life. Action and reaction are equal and opposite."
[...]
"The Law of Compensation : If you take an individual life as an
isolated event that begins with the birth of the physical body and
terminates with death, you cannot find any correct explanation for the
ups and downs in this life. The present life is nothing when compared
with the total length of the soul life. It is a mere fragment.
Whenever you want to find out the cause of the antecedent for
anything, you will have to go deep into the Karma of the whole soul's
life. Then alone you can appreciate the perfect balance of cause and
effect, antecedent and consequence. You will have to judge from the
broad perspective of the whole soul-life. Life does not end with this
physical body alone. There has been countless births also, not to
mention of the future births."
[...]
"The Law of Retribution : Every wrong action/thought or crime attracts
its own punishment in accordance with the Law of Retribution. The law
of causation, the law of action and reaction, the law of compensation
and the law of retribution - all operate together. He who robs another
person, robs himself first. He who hurts another man, hurts himself
first. He who cheats another, cheats himself first."
Law of Karma - The Ultimate Spiritual Law
http://www.adhiparasakthi.org/karma.htm
Seth Worx cautions that one may not use one's Karma as an excuse to
wallow in a bad situation. Since Karma assumes the ability to shape
one's own destiny, by changing one's behaviors, one can mitigate the
effects of one's prior bad actions:
"You cannot justify or rationalize present circumstances by saying,
'This is because of something I did in a past life', for within
yourself now is the ability to change negative influences. You may
have brought negative influences into your life for a given reason,
but the reason always has to do with understanding, and understanding
removes those influences."
"All probable worlds exist now, all probable variations on the most
minute aspect in any reality exist now. You weave in and out of
probabilities constantly, picking and choosing as you go along."
The Real Law of Karma. Reincarnation and the Simultaneous Nature of
Time
http://www.sethworx.co.uk/quotes4.htm
This ability to shape your own destiny is discussed in further detail
here:
"Man’s will is ever free. Through selfishness; his will has become
impure. He can render his will pure, strong and dynamic, by getting
rid of his base desires, and likes and dislikes.
Man is master of his destiny:
You are not a creature of environment or circumstance. You are the
master of your own fate. You are the architect of your own fortune.
You are responsible for yourself, for what you suffer. You are
responsible for the present state. If you are unhappy it is own
making, if you are miserable, it is also your own making. Every action
bears fruit sooner or later. A virtuous action produces pleasure as
its effect.. an evil deed causes pain.
Charity in your past life, gives you riches in the present life.
Services of humility in your past life, makes you famous as a leader
in the present life. Strong thoughts of your past life make your
character in the present life. Virtuous deeds of your past life give
you good environment in the present life. experiences of your past
life make your conscience in this present life. selfless action of
your past life give you discrimination, dispassion, aspirations in the
present life, through the Lord’s grace.
If you oppress a man, you will suffer oppression in another life, and
reap the fruit of the seed you sown in this life. If you injure the
eye of a man your eye will be injured in another life.. if you break
the leg of a man, your leg will be broken in another life. If you feed
the poor, you will have plenty of food in another life. If you built
rest houses, you will have many houses in another life. Action and
reaction are equal and opposite. There is no power on this earth which
can stop the actions from yielding their fruits. Such is the law of
Karma. Such is the law of birth and death. Such is the circle through
which you must pass on your way."
The Doctrine of Karma
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Academy/9853/index_am.html
Anael.org compares Karma with a cosmic checking account - you may draw
out that which you pay in:
"Cosmic Justice can be compared with a huge bank.
Here in the physical world, if we have a banking account and deposit
constantly (this is equivalent to do good deeds), our balance will
increase. If we draw a check (It is equivalent to pay or to gain
karma), it is logical that it will be paid.
If we withdraw great amounts of money everyday (breaking the laws of
God), our balance will turn into a debit one; in that moment we start
suffering, paying with pain, the pain we have caused.
If we have done bad deeds, we have Karma, it means that we have spent
our cosmic capital, if we deposit, that is, we do good deeds with our
fellow men, we gain DHARMA coming out right in business behind The
Cosmic Court. Then, the result will be happiness, health and success
in our lives."
Karma and Reincarnation
http://www.anael.org/justice/
I hope you've found this helpful! If you need further assistance,
please don't hesitate to ask for clarification. I'll be glad to help.
--Missy
Search terms: [ "law of karma" ]
[ Qpet, I'm sorry this seems to have taken so long. We had a 45
minute power outtage which took better than half of my work along with
it. I had to spend some time re-creating work that was nearly
finished. Please accept my apologies if you had expected this a bit
quicker. ] |
