Karma

Yoga Discussion General Yoga
#1

this weekend I was eating dinner with a homeless man, Joe. Joe got pistol whipped by three guys and then they proceeded to take his wallet. He told me his story and I had no words of encouragement or hope, or consolation. I just listened to him and let it sit. after a couple minutes I looked at how ungreatful I have been at many moments in life. God has Given me so much, time and time again, my only struggles were not letting go if things, never struggled much for money or a Job, I struggled only because I kept myself isolated and alone. However all that leads me to a greater personal understanding of Neil.

Anyways, I thought of Karma, cause and effect, “what goes around comes around”. Joe is humble, joe says thanks and says grace when I feed him. Joe does not take as much food as the others, he is always nice to me, unless I pry too much when asking questions, done that a couple times, LOL. Joe always dresses himself well, keeps his clothes clean. Why is he homeless? he has not shared that with me and that is ok.

This got me thinking about Karma, Joe is as nice as they come yet this “bad” thing happened to him. It changed my thoughts about karma. I believe that for the most part if you do good, good will come back to you. If you do bad, the same. Some may want to tell me of what Joe did in some past life and how he does deserve this, but past lives dont exist, the only things that exist are right now and then maybe the future. I believe the past is gone forever. However I believe that in life there is uncertainty, and it is this uncertainty that makes life worth living, makes life unsure of what will happen. Part of me is scared of accepting that, and that is ok too. A+B=C sometimes, someties it equals P or D or K I believe GOd is that which is above and beyond Karma, for God has not made me pay for all the bad I have done and I am thankful for that.

Just an experience and afterthoughts
my best to all
Brother Neil

#2

I think of all those that perished in the holocaust, how they did not deserve to die!

Just as this man took the hapless cruelty of others. Sometimes the innocent suffer at the hands of the wicked for no good reason at all!

#3

[QUOTE=justwannabe;19104]this weekend I was eating dinner with a homeless man, Joe. Joe got pistol whipped by three guys and then they proceeded to take his wallet. He told me his story and I had no words of encouragement or hope, or consolation. I just listened to him and let it sit. after a couple minutes I looked at how ungreatful I have been at many moments in life. God has Given me so much, time and time again, my only struggles were not letting go if things, never struggled much for money or a Job, I struggled only because I kept myself isolated and alone. However all that leads me to a greater personal understanding of Neil.

Anyways, I thought of Karma, cause and effect, “what goes around comes around”. Joe is humble, joe says thanks and says grace when I feed him. Joe does not take as much food as the others, he is always nice to me, unless I pry too much when asking questions, done that a couple times, LOL. Joe always dresses himself well, keeps his clothes clean. Why is he homeless? he has not shared that with me and that is ok.

This got me thinking about Karma, Joe is as nice as they come yet this “bad” thing happened to him. It changed my thoughts about karma. I believe that for the most part if you do good, good will come back to you. If you do bad, the same. Some may want to tell me of what Joe did in some past life and how he does deserve this, but past lives dont exist, the only things that exist are right now and then maybe the future. I believe the past is gone forever. However I believe that in life there is uncertainty, and it is this uncertainty that makes life worth living, makes life unsure of what will happen. Part of me is scared of accepting that, and that is ok too. A+B=C sometimes, someties it equals P or D or K I believe GOd is that which is above and beyond Karma, for God has not made me pay for all the bad I have done and I am thankful for that.

Just an experience and afterthoughts
my best to all
Brother Neil[/QUOTE]

Beautiful post. It has about everything one needs to understand about Karma.

Karma is not fate or destiny.
Karma does not determine my present or future action.
Karma does not imply I should not help when others are suffering.
Karma is based on the law of cause and effect
Karma determines only my experiences of happiness (sukkha) and depression(dukkha)
Karma is empowering because it always gives me control over my life.

Sometimes the innocent suffers at the hands of the wicked not because the innocent deserved it but it may also be because of the wicked wasted his freewill on acquiring bad samskaras instead of good ones. Only if the wicked could understand he/she is not the doer.

#4

What is now ?

When we think of now we relate it with the events and experiences that are happening now.

But the ‘Now’ is actually infinite.

The ‘Now’ never changes.

‘Now’ is the space that contains everything within it.

Maya imposes Time to limit ‘Now’ by creating ‘Past’ and ‘Future’.

So within the boundaries of Time, Karma exists.

Beyond Time Karma doesn’t exist.

We are unknowingly ‘Now’ in deep sleep.

We are knowingly ‘Now’ in meditation.

Now is God (Self)

Self (Now) is faster than anything but at the same time not moving and it is beyond time but available all the time. (Upanishads)

#5

[QUOTE=PatR;19118]Beautiful post. It has about everything one needs to understand about Karma.

Karma is not fate or destiny.
Karma does not determine my present or future action.
Karma does not imply I should not help when others are suffering.
Karma is based on the law of cause and effect
Karma determines only my experiences of happiness (sukkha) and depression(dukkha)
Karma is empowering because it always gives me control over my life.

Sometimes the innocent suffers at the hands of the wicked not because the innocent deserved it but it may also be because of the wicked wasted his freewill on acquiring bad samskaras instead of good ones. Only if the wicked could understand he/she is not the doer.[/QUOTE]

Pat, I like this. Where did you get it?

#6

I believe that part of the essence of compassion is to not judge those who are suffering. It is not given to us to understand anyone’s karma, except possibly our own. Not everything that happens is the result of karma. There’s a lot of injustice in the world.