Understanding Karma

[absvan]

I am trying to understand if Law of karma actually exists or if its something created by my own consciousness.

The law is similar to Newton's law "Every action has an equal an opposite reaction". So if your deeds are good, then good comes to you else bad comes to you. But how can one decide if a deed is good or bad. There is no definition for good or bad, its how one feels so. So if I have to rephrase the law to make sense, then it would be "Every feeling has an equal an opposite feeling". Feelings attracts similar circumstances and so we end up in the circumstances based on our actions.

Example 1: This is a bad example but it helps me convey my message. In a war people on both sides are good from their own view and at the same time bad from their enemy's view. Though their actions are bad(killing), their intentions are good (freedom or whatever be it). So do we call that bad karma or good karma??

Example 2: If I take an action that keeps me happy but makes my parents unhappy, is it bad karma? The action is right from my perspective and I intend only good for everyone. But the natural consequence of the action is hurting my parents, something which cannot be avoided. So am I practising bad karma?

Hope I have made myself clear. Any thoughts??

[RedneckGyrl]

Hi, I am new to this board. However, I would like to respond to this with my opinion on this topic. In my faith system, if I want to determine rather the karma will bring back good or bad results, there is one way I determine rather or not to do a certain action.

I look further than how a certain action compares to the same or similar action from others. I look further than rather or not it will hurt the other person. Face it, reality says that not everyone will be happy with an action from another, when that other person feels a strong conviction when doing the action. I look further than these factors as well as others.

While I think it's important to consider the above factors, what matters the most to me, in order to decide rather bad or good will come out of some action I do, is to consider is how would I feel if that action I am contemplating about was done to me. If I am totally convinced that I wouldn't have a problem with that action if I was on the receiving end, then I would have no problem giving it.

Even if I had a slight to medium issue with that action if it were done to me....AND I KNOW for sure that in time I would be able to work through it and not come out resenting the other person in the end....then, would at that point carefully decide if I want to proceed with it or not, even if I have the best of intentions. I have never been the type to enjoy Karma coming back to bite me, sorta hurts!

I just feel that if I totally apply the Golden Rule in every decision of action to take, then I have a better understanding of the karmic results I will either be blessed by or cursed by. Not that I always apply this rule, as I tend to stray from that rule on occasions....but, I try to do my best to stay with that rule.

May You Be Blessed,
Amanda

[ethereal]

Karma is just a concept that's vastly oversimplified in normal usage. According to Dr. Hawkins, the true meaning of karma is "the totality of what's happened in the universe since the beginning of time." Basically, everything in the universe affects everything else, no matter how small. Quantum mechanics, Butterfly effect, Holographic Universe, Karma -- however you want to call it. Nowadays, Karma is taken to mean "bad actions give bad results, good actions give good results" but that's not really it. Once we start going into right/wrong or good/bad, things get hairy.

So in your questions regarding karma, everything is taken into account, including your good intentions. If you just do what you think is best and intend the highest good in whatever you do, that is enough We are responsible for the effort but not the outcome.

I'll give my perspective on the two examples, see if it works for you:

Ex. 1: On both sides, soldiers are often drafted and forced to fight without a choice. Also, they are acting out of loyalty to the country and to their ideals (or have been tricked and deceived by politicians/tyrants), not out of hatred or spite. Without a war and without being manipulated, they would never dream of doing harm to another person. Karma takes all this into account, so often in a war, all soldiers are earning karmic merit / undoing karmic debt, no matter the side.

This starts to make sense when you realize that after a war has ended, the soldiers of both sides are the first to celebrate with each other. Soldiers on both sides honor each other as opponents.

War and extreme situations often bring out the best and worst in people. We see soldiers dying for each other (this calibrates over 500 if you're familiar with Dr. Hawkins' levels of consciousness) and healing the wounded of both sides, but we also see pillaging and rape and torture. It's basically a huge karmic training ground where you can undo or accumulate lifetimes of karmic debt in a very short time.

Ex. 2: This would depend on the specific situation. A good rule of thumb to follow is that you are free to do anything, granted that you don't impinge on other people's free will or intend harm. From what it sounds like, your parents are the ones impinging on your free will! But they're also feeding and housing you, so you got responsibilities too

Their happiness should be the same as your happiness and vice versa, or else there's miscommunication and misunderstanding somewhere. See if you can explain your perspective to them and hear their side as well. In the end, just do what you think is best and it will all work out

[absvan]

I have to do what I feel happy about. As with my parents, its cultural differences which cannot be resovled. As a son I know I have always made them feel proud of me. I guess you are right that I cannot keep everyone happy. I guess RedneckGyrl is right about the fact that I cannot keep everyone happy.

I liked what ethereal said "We are responsible for the effort but not the outcome." Reminded about something I had learned before.

Thanks a lot for your replies.