Your two cents' worth on karma?

Question

Does it always work, for everybody? Or only for those who believe in it? Can one transcend it?

PS. Why is it not possible to give everyone "best answer"??? Oh drat.

Answer 1

Karma is a logical scientific law of the Nature... so it works for everyone whether they believe in it or not

Like if a person says I dont believe in gravity and jumps from 7th floor ....!

Yes it can be transcended !!

Karmam Gehna Gati.. Karma works in a mysterious ways. One can not expect that there will be 2+2 = 4 in Karmic laws.

The fruit of a Karma...may be got now... or later.. or next birth or even never. The result of a karma depends upon many factors...

Those who are on true path of spirituality.. God starts interfering into their Karmas and normally with-holds results of good karma and hastens the results of bad karma.

This happens for purging... that z why you will see that a sadhaka is more prone to get bad karma results than enjoying his life.

The best way to transcend Karma is... taking all the Karma done as Yagya by Mother Nature....we witnessing as Yajman, for whom the Yagya is being done.

Nature is doing all Karma through us for Krishna !!! We are unnecessarily trying to become the doer !

( I think it is not 2 cents... it has gone beyond 200 cents.. so i stop)

Answer 2

I'm not sure that Pollyanna's Glad Game will help, but it might be worth a shot. For instance, you can be glad you now have most of the money for gas or that someone valued those books enough to put out -any- money to purchase them (a more generous price per book would have been nice). No, that doesn't help at all, does it? (I'm trying to put myself in your place, and thinking of those two things didn't remove the knot in my stomach.) Here's something, perhaps, if you look at it in the most positive light... Someone who would go into a used bookstore to find books is, in general, a person who shares your love of books. (Most people who read only now and then would go for nothing less than new. At least, that is my experience.) Therefore, you are sharing your love of certain books with people who will appreciate them. Some of these people may be those who have only a pitiful amount of money and, yet, they dream of owning a nice collection of good books. By allowing this sale, you are helping fulfill a dream - even if that dream is held by just one person. Imagine the joy that person will feel to see a beloved book he or she doesn't own finally at an affordable price or being introduced to a new book which holds promise and strikes a chord. Think how you, yourself, have felt walking into a used bookstore and discovering a gem at a price you could afford. (I'm supposing it has happened to you as it has to me.) There is absolutely nothing that compares to the feeling. Life seems a little bit brighter and happier. If you look at it positively, you have just given this experience to another person (or maybe even several people). Now that is a lovely gift. Through you, perhaps, many people will be introduced to these good books. If the person who ends up purchasing it sees in it what you do, he or she will inevitably share it with another and on it goes. You may never know the impact, but the potential is there. I own quite a number of books simply because I was able to find them at good prices in used bookstores and little shops. I never would have been able to afford them had they been new. I've also discovered treasures by searching through shelves of used books. I'm grateful to people like you who, for whatever the reason, indirectly gave me cherished gifts. Okay, having said all that, if I can think of something that may actually help comfort you, I'll add it. You could say you have survived one of the worst parts of this experience, as far as your books are concerned, that is. ("That which does not kill us makes us stronger." ~ Friedrich Nietzsche) Survival is a good thing. When you are able, you -do- have the rebuilding of your library to which you can look forward.

Answer 3

Karma only makes sense in the context of a linear time. It's based on ideas of cause and effect within time as the ego understands it. It's related to the idea of opposites. (the cause and effect are one) Both concepts are meant to be transcended, but also, both concepts play an important role in our evolution. Karma teaches us how to understand and use our power. Yes, it works for everybody who believes it.(root assumptions?) Don't forget, karma does not necessarily have a negative connotation.
We should take advantage of this too.

Answer 4

Yep. Works for everyone Meercatz, even you!
Every religion has its way of explaining it. The Christians say "AS ye sow, so shall ye reap". It's the law of Cause and Effect; the natural law of Action and Reaction that Isaac Newton discovered. The depth of understanding (or lack of it) has no bearing on the intensity of the effect. Understanding is not necessary for it to take place, but it can help you discover why you keep hitting the same brick wall, and give you a clue as to how to go around it. Karma works from the most basic of physical causes to the most esoteric of thoughts. You do something - it comes back to you, whether it's a child's toy or a major magical practice.
And no, you can't get around it, transcend it, mind-bend it, or whatever. You can however, take notice of it, and adjust your behaviour accordingly, or ignore it, and suffer the consequences.

Answer 5

Great question, I'm sorry I've only just noticed it!

It comes back to a similar question i asked the other week about faith and fate. I guess I could quote the infamous line "no fate but what we make".

Personally i believe some things are beyond are control regardless. To me religion and mysticism seem to play a huge part of everyday discussions...why? Well we like to believe in right and wrong, we believe that we'll get back what we put into life...some sort of reward.

Me...well i believe in the here and now, like John's comments you learn to deal with every obstacle in your path...and that is what I will do in this life and the next...

The reward of life is how you cope with every situation..it's survival...and life is full of tests and choices...

You are the core of humanity, everyone is their own god.

Answer 6

Great question, thanks.

1. No it doesn't always work, for everybody. I believe that it works ( like most things ) on three primary levels. Individually, in groups, and collectively for all humanity, but with certain reservations. It has been described as a 'wheel', a rotary kind of concept, and I am sure that this is true, i.e. it has more influence at certain periods or moments than others.

2. It clearly appears to work more for those who believe in it, if only because their 'focus' is more aligned to it.

3. Yes, I believe one can 'balance' one's Karma, and thus move beyond the need to be bound to it. Without going into too much detail, I have had some experiences with this, and my last life, in which I believe that I re-lived the actual moment of 'balance' just before my last 'death'. That's a gross simplification, but I just want to say that I believe this experientially, not theoretically. My focus in this life, in part, is to avoid re-starting my 'wheel' by doing something, for want of a better word, dumb ! ;-)

Answer 7

The subject of the Bhagavad-gita entails the comprehension of five basic truths
1. Isvara-the supreme controller,
2. Jivas -the controlled living entities.
3. Prakrti-the material nature
4. Kala- time (the duration of existence of the whole universe or the manifestation of material nature)
5. karma (activity) are also discussed.

The cosmic manifestation is full of different activities. All living entities are engaged in different activities. From Bhagavad-gita we must learn what God is, what the living entities are, what prakrti is, what the cosmic manifestation is, how it is controlled by time, and what the activities of the living entities are.

KARMA
The effects of karma may be very old indeed. We are suffering or enjoying the results of our activities from time immemorial, but we can change the results of our karma, or our activity, and this change depends on the perfection of our knowledge. We are engaged in various activities. Undoubtedly we do not know what sort of activities we should adopt to gain relief from the actions and reactions of all these activities, but this is also explained in the Bhagavad-gita.

Material nature itself is constituted by three qualities: the mode of goodness, the mode of passion and the mode of ignorance. Above these modes there is eternal time, and by a combination of these modes of nature and under the control and purview of eternal time there are activities, which are called karma. These activities are being carried out from time immemorial, and we are suffering or enjoying the fruits of our activities. For instance, suppose I am a businessman and have worked very hard with intelligence and have amassed a great bank balance. Then I am an enjoyer. But then say I have lost all my money in business; then I am a sufferer. Similarly, in every field of life we enjoy the results of our work, or we suffer the results. This is called karma.

The living entity forgets what to do. First of all he makes a determination to act in a certain way, and then he is entangled in the actions and reactions of his own karma. After giving up one type of body, he enters another type of body, as we take off and put on clothes. As the soul thus migrates, he suffers the actions and reactions of his past activities. These activities can be changed when the living being is in the mode of goodness, in sanity, and understands what sort of activities he should adopt. If he does so, then all the actions and reactions of his past activities can be changed. Consequently, karma is not eternal. Therefore we stated that of the five items (isvara, jiva, prakrti, time and karma) four are eternal, whereas karma is not eternal.

Answer 8

In my opinion... Karma is a word designed to instill the thought of "reward" and "punishment." As many believe, "If you do good, good comes to you; or, if you do bad, bad comes to you."

When we do good, do we have the right to beleive we deserve good? If we do bad, do we believe that bad always follows?

Is it so hard to think Karma is nothing more than the natural law of energy in life? The law that binds and moves all...

We are Karma, and we use Karma. When did "good" and "bad" come into the picture? And why?

Answer 9

Karma is the only law in the universe. Who is karma happening to? Can this person be found? Anyway that's my two cents worth. Good question. ~ : )

Answer 10

What goes around comes around. If you want to call it Karma, or Reaping What You Sow, the Golden rule applies, either way... Some prefer to think in terms of a cosmic reward or punishment, some prefer to think in terms of a God figure "smiting" those who don't toe the line, and some prefer to consider it mis-directed energy seeking to regain balance. Some consider it cosmic punishment or reward, while others may think it self induced. Your mileage may vary.....