Karma and Me

Karma and Me

Karma

• The relationship of karma to causality is a central motif in all schools of Hindu, Jain and Buddhist thought. The theory of karma as causality holds that (1) executed actions of an individual affects the individual and the life he or she lives, and (2) the intentions of an individual affects the individual and the life he or she lives. Disinterested actions, or unintentional actions do not have the same positive or negative karmic effect, as interested and intentional actions. In Buddhism, for example, actions that are performed, or arise, or originate without any bad intent such as covetousness, are considered non-existent in karmic impact or neutral in influence to the individual.
• Another causality characteristic, shared by Karmic theories, is that like deeds lead to like effects. Thus good karma produces good effect on the actor, while bad karma produces bad effect. This effect may be material, moral or emotional — that is, one's karma affects one's happiness and unhappiness.^[25] The effect of karma need not be immediate; the effect of karma can be later in one's current life, and in some schools it extends to future lives.^[27]

Karma is a very strong principle supported (or believed) by a majority of people.  However, Karma is a principle that requires patience, an attitude (virtue) not in ample supply in most people.  One of the funniest things I remember seeing many years ago was a poster of a man looking up to the sky and the caption read: “God please give me patience, and I need it now!!”

During my early years as an adult like most people I had opportunities to be patient and allow karma to work its magic and right a wrong.  I would dare say that approximately 50 percent of the time justice to some degree was served.  Perhaps up to 100 percent would have been served but I wasn’t about to sit around and wait forever.  One of the things that most people don’t realize is that karma outcomes are not tit-for-tat.  In other words a wrong won’t come back to the individual exactly as he or she did.  As an example a person may cut in front of you while waiting in a line only to step on a banana peel and fall right in front of you while still in line.  Now, that would be karma perfection at work. 

Usually the real payback is that this individual may leave the store after cutting in line in front of you to find that somebody scratched his car in the parking lot or broke a window.  There were occasions in my early 20’s and 30’s when I found myself giving karma a helping hand.  The trick to this kind of activity is not to have the desire to be seen as the person that got even.  You take the action necessary to even the score without needing the credit or to be seen holding the smoking gun (no guns involved in actuality).  Self-satisfaction is the end goal here.

If your perpetrators are in your everyday life, you allow enough time to pass so you won’t be suspected.  I am talking about evening the score by exposing the individual for who they really are.  You may find yourself in a position to interview the individual for a job or promotion (vote accordingly).  You may see him/her by the side of the road with his car broke down (just keep going and act as if you didn’t see anything).  The possibilities are endless. 

On the other hand you may decide to rise above it all and just let karma work it’s magic.  Depending on your personal preference and personality you may just sleep better.  As for me I am getting to a place in life where I need patience and I need it now!  The best is yet to come…..