How do you think karma works?

Question

If you do something good that would normally go in your karma bank and it's not for dishonest purposes, but the motive is not completely selfless either, do you believe it still counts the same? Like giving blood to find out your bloody type? What if you go around doing good things for the sake of building up good karma? Any thoughts?

Answer 1

Jesus said that if you give alms in order to be seen, you already have your reward. I suspect the same would go for karma.

Answer 2

Yeah, I got some thoughts. Like why would you want to live your life based on karma? If you come back as a bug or an animal you have no reason to build up good or bad karma. In fact you wouldn't even understand the diference, so you couldn't do anything about your current state. And what if you came back as a rock? I was told that in that religion it was possible. You would not be able to do anything to change your Karma even if you did understand.

Answer 3

I like your train of thought comparing it to giving blood. That pretty much narrows down your question with out any doubt as to what you are asking and what you want to know. I think Karma, and this is just my opinion, has alot to do with a person shaping their future and their personality to match that future. I have seen so many people that don't understand Karma and how it plays a dedicated role in their everyday lives talk about it and do totally the opposite of personal Karma, later, only to declare that their life just isn't going as "THEY" planned. Well, karma isn't "Planned", it's created through channels of good or bad and Yes, even creating a bad Karma can work for the better, depending on the one, and actual circumstance that began the process of the Karma to begin with. However, BAD karma will ALWAYS come back to HAUNT you and destroy any hopes of positive creation of work in ones life.

Answer 4

Well the way I see it, is everybody is going to face bad times, that can be seen as Karma but I just figure even the people who do no wrong to others will still have "karma" coming to get them. It's all coincidence and opinion (eg. what you'd view as bad; things have a habit of working out, generally speaking, so is that saying that that's good karma in the end?)

Answer 5

Karma works very well.

The best way to handle it is to transform yourself so that you don't have to be worried about doing this or that.... The best thing is "Spontaneous right action" which is probably what Jesus was speaking about when he said "you must be perfect."

Spontaneous right action can be attained... it is a matter of getting in tune with the Soul, or in eastern terms, the "higher Self." The method for doing that is described in this online resource... Gospel Enigma. That will explain the best way to deal with Karma.... You must change yourself... and by the way, that is the central message of the Sermon on the Mount as well.

Answer 6

The notion of karma has been skewed from its original meaning. The original notion of karma was the sum of one's actions and their effects with regard to performing one's dharma - duty. In this sense, performing an act that is in one's self-interest is not inconsistent with the notion of "good" karma as long as the action is within one's dharma.

One of the first examples of this is actually the first known treatise on karma - the Gita. When Arjuna takes up his bow to kill his own cousins, and in defense of himself and his direct kin, the act is not selfless. It *is*, however, consistent with good karma, as Krishna points out.

Edit: It is the Western mind that applies concepts such as good and evil to actions. In the Vedic and Buddhist traditions from which the concept of karma derives these concepts don't exist in the same way. Depending on the traditions you follow I suggest you ask an elder at a temple close to you rather than asking on Y!A which is filled with Westerners who may (unintentionally and with good hearts) lead you astray.

Answer 7

If you believe in karma, then doing good selflessly is better than doing good selfishly but both are better than doing bad. Intending to do good while knowing that there will be some benefit to you (like giving blood to get your blood typed or tested for free) is still a good thing. After all, feeling good about doing good makes it a bit selfish but few would begrudge you good feelings for good works. If you get a bit more benefit, that's okay too.

Answer 8

Karma is like a great pool of force. We bank the good and the bad, as we live our lives.

In the end the tally of our karma dictates whether we ascend in our next life, stay the same, or descend in our next life as we move towards attaining perfection.

Answer 9

I completely believe that Karma is a real force, i think it stems from electric energy that we all radiate with, our brains, body everything around us has "Waves" some people who do good things for the sake of doing them because they want to generally have good energy flowing and it radiates around them and people are drawn to positive energy and the same goes for people who are less than honest about their deeds and good doing..those are the ones people shy away from..thats like the saying misery loves company and positive people stick together.

Answer 10

Aristotle believed intent mattered. Like if you did something good for a selfish reason, like to feel good about yourself, you weren't virtuous- that you had to do good for the sake of it.

I think that applies to karma. I think intent is what matters.