Do I believe in Karma?

Short answer: No

Or, at least, I don’t believe in following it as a guiding principle for morality.

Like every religious concept, I respect it and will not presume to know with any certainty if it is real or not.

But if one uses it as a guiding principle for life, it can lead to dark places.

It can justify inaction: I don’t need to do anything, karma will even it all out in the end.

Or lack of sympathy: If something terrible happened to that person, group or race, they must have done something in the past to deserve it.

Imagine this response to slavery: (indifferent shrug), “Karma’s a bitch.”

The concept of karma has the potential for the same pitfalls as the belief in divine intervention and justice in the Abrahamic religions: Indifference and apathy.

There is too much potential for misinterpretation and usurping of religious concepts for me to follow any one of them as guiding principles for life.

I just wanted to clear up a few common misconceptions about the idea of Karma. It is not the black and white, cause and effect, universal justice system that it so often portrayed.

[side note: I’m stepping out of my lane here culturally so I welcome any disagreement with my characterization]

In the same way that the Buddhist concept of compassion very closely mirrors the Christian concept of forgiveness (albeit 500 years earlier), the Buddhist concept of Karma is more similar to say a Christian idea of “following the path of Christ”.

Good and bad karma are sort of misleading terminology. It’s easier to explain through examples. Let’s say I steal something from you. This creates what’s called a negative karmic ripple. You realize your property is missing, you feel hurt. Betrayed. Angry. Then you take that anger and you project it somewhere else, onto your spouse maybe, or your children. And then the process continues. The children project that pain out in school on their classmates, your spouse internalizes the anger and develops negative self worth, etc...

But in the same way, I am negatively impacted by my own bad deed. Let’s say the theft left me feeling guilty, very bad about myself. So I go out and indulge in intoxicants to relieve the anxiety. Maybe that leads to cheating on my partner, or I cause a drunken collision that hurts other people. It’s more of a network of consequences than it is a mystical penal system.

Hope this helps. Feel free to engage this further in comments

[another side note: I read a lot of Buddhist literature so I tend to talk about it in the same language. It can come off mansplain-y af. Sorry about that. ]

what is your definition of karma?

what does it mean?

Has the meaning changed?

Let’s say there’s a wheel that spins and when it stops, where it lands that’ll be one’s fortune.

Well, I don’t see this wheel and if it does exist~ who’s spinning it?

I’ll stick to still decide which way I will go. After all, it’s my decision. Right?

#TheoryofKarma

#DoYouBelieveInKarma.

The truth is, I tried to believe in karma; if that sounds rude, terrible or evil, I apologize.

The truth is, I have been deeply betrayed by the people I have trusted the most.

The truth is, I never wished them any harm. I could never do that. I would feel too guilty. When I was ‘trying’ to believe in karma, I was waiting for the universe to be fair. It was a waste of my time.

The truth is, I do not believe in karma.

Positive thinking, deep meditation and prayer, that is where I seek peace.

With these tools, no one can hurt me anymore...I will not allow it.

Stay strong always,

Benz

You should believe in Karma.

It’s bound to keep you calmer.

Whether you’re a car

mechanic

Or simply just a charmer,

It certainly won’t harm ya.

A businessman or farmer

Should still believe in Karma,

Just like the Dalai Lama

And like the Llama’s mama.

So put your faith in Karma

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmcA9LIIXWw

I’m a strong believer that you get what you give in life. Good or bad. Karma has a boomerang effect, so paying it foward by giving back to society and serving God, as we were put on this earth to do will set you up, bound to receive your blessings.

This can, however, have an adverse reaction when one inflicts pain on another, or does wrong in genenal. Whatever the case may be. Subsequent to every action comes a consequence and as giving as karma is with her blessings, she has no problem collecting her debts, neither. She’s a real, bad bitch when it comes to deliberately wronging others and she comes looking for those who do.

I always used to think that ‘Karma’ worked for God and that's how he worked in mysterious ways. Karma delivers all of God's blessings, as well as his punishments. Ultimately, so one can learn a valuable lesson to become a better person.

I have to believe,

That after all the bad things I,

And the people I love,

Have suffered,

Eventually,

We will get the good we deserve.

Trying to heal myself,

Is like building a sandcastle,

On that portion of sand,

Where the waves take what they deserve,

Every time,

They make their way,

Up the beach.

The waves take something,

Every time they visit,

Like the taxes of a government,

On its people.

But I have to believe,

There will be good,

For all the bad I have had.

I can’t bear to believe,

That life is just bad,

And that it will never get better.

I have to believe in karma,

Because I fear,

What I would do,

If I didn’t.

I believe in karma,

Because it means,

I will have enough good,

To tip the scales,

In my favor.

I have to believe the scales,

Can be balanced.

If I believe they can’t be,

If I truly believe that,

It means I must stop hoping.

I have to believe in karma,

Because if I didn’t,

I would give up.

I know there is karma, it isn’t much a belief to me as is it a universal truth. It is like the law of attraction - what you spend your energy on will come back to you. If you spend your energy abusing and neglecting others - there will be negativity coming your way, if not immediately. The only people I imagine that can’t get the grasp on karma, are the narcissitic and anti social beings that walk among us. For them, they truly believe nothing is their fault. They can’t wrap their mind around something as simple as a mistake, and use any justification or excuse they can come up with to how what is happening to them is not their fault. I expect upon leaving their earthly bodies, they will see the entire picture.

EDIT: There are those that have been taught by religion that karma does not exist. This is because religion is also a business, needing people to need them. There is no right or wrong in anyone’s beliefs in their saviors - as they manifest the energy they put towards them and yes, I believe Buddha, Krishna, Jesus, etc, exist and came to help mankind. Jesus even studied Hinduism. One must understand that man edited the works from millions of years ago to serve the needs of those in power. This is just another obstacle one must face, and take what they need and leave the rest. No creator would create something to watch it burn or suffer. We were not sent here to suffer but to thrive under an all knowing, all loving higher power, which is also within us and gives us the power to pursue our purpose.

Fortunately, I have been blessed with seeing most of the picture, enough to know that we pay for energy debts for millions of years. When my little brother passed away, I went to a psychic who assured me the man that killed him was paying for karma from centuries of being evil. This didn’t resonate with me as much as my brother being happy and free did at the time, but I had no reason to question it.

I left that psychic, and turned my car on and “I’ll Be Missing You” was playing. If that wasn’t a sign from something greater, I couldn’t tell you what it was. I am just now beginning to dissect what he told me 6 years ago, and seeing things manifest in my life that I never thought possible.

What has happened to our fellow humans isn’t their fault. Their beliefs can’t be blamed on themselves until they have been shown a different way, until they have a spiritual awakening. Unfortunatey, the system that humans have put in place has been used to keep the best, most wonderful things that this world has to offer, a secret. They’ve been being programmed since day one: there aren’t ghosts, aliens, you must work until you die, the economy is bad, fear on media, all put in place to keep the collective conscious in a negative outlook. Fear will only breed negativity, and with negativity, that is what one will attract.

I have been openminded because of my experiences in my life have led me to be. Before college taught me to critical think, I was critically thinking in my dreams, my prayers, and seeing things that normally people can not see. We all have the abilities to tap into the universe - our spirits, higher self, a power greater than ourselves - all we must do is believe.

Karma is energy, we are energy. Like attracts like. It’s the Law of Attraction.

I do not believe that these days

are a sick punishment for mistakes made

in past lives or that I will return

as a turtle,

as a reminder to slow the fuck down

for living this life too quickly.

Do not look through horoscopes

like they’re WebMD to try and diagnose my life;

I am not who am I because of my birthday,

the road map to my existence can not be found

tucked inside Orion's Belt.

I need more faith, you say?

More trust in the power of prayer?

As if the gods really watch down on us

like old men playing chess in the park;

as if I can brown-nose enough through supplication

so my castle will not crumble or maybe

I'll even end up king instead of a pawn.

When the worst of tragedy strikes

DO NOT attempt consolation by mentioning

god’s plan or that he just needed another angel.

By your folklore, we were created by angels

and not vice-versa. We are not plucked

like ripe fruit when he gets a sweet tooth.

This reality is not scripted like reality tv;

do not preach about luck or fate or destiny-

I don't believe in any of it

but...

but it wasn't

supposed

to be like this