| *Karma* |
| I suppose that karma is another subject that can get you into trouble when you discuss it. There are just so many different ways of looking at the same thing. In my opinion no one way is correct nor incorrect. Here is what I have come up with on this subject tho... In Buddhist teaching, the law of karma, says only this: `for every event that occurs, there will follow another event whose existence was caused by the first, and this second event will be pleasant or unpleasant accordingly. this makes plenty of sense to me because even if you do not believe in karma per say it is almost impossible to say that there are no effects from your actions. If you put your hand on the burner of a stove it is most likely going to be how you know! Now getting into whether your karma follows you from lifetime to lifetime gets even trickier... First I think how could it not? If you believe in reincarnation and if you believe you can recall your past lives then it only seems logical to me that you would also remember those you have loved and hated as well. I believe we meet the same people over and over again. I heard a good discription once.. if I shoot you and we meet again in another life and you shoot me and then you shoot me again, eventually someone at some point will have to break that chain in order to change that outcome. So yes I do believe our actions or inactions and therefore our karma does follow us from one lifetime to another. Some people would not even call this karma but the law of cause and effect... Then I have another theory. Many people that I have spoken to believe karma to be a punishment/reward type system. I have a problem with that <being the control freak that I am!> I believe we punish/reward ourselves based on how we feel deep down about ourselves or a specific circumstance. For example if I do something and then regret it horribly I think whether conciously or unconciously I punish myself for that action eventually in one way or another. If I do something and feel extremely proud of it I also will eventually reward myself for it as well. So, my question here would be just exactly who is in charge of all of this?... let me know if you figure it out:) |