Karma

Before you begin on the journey of revenge, dig two graves. ~Proverb

We went to a class at the Dharma centre about Karma last Saturday and I thought I would contemplate this in my blog. The class was immensely intriguing and we also got to meet a lot of like minded people. It’s lovely that there are so many kinds of people interesting in Buddhism, young, old, male, female and clearly from many different professions and walks of life.

One of the first points that our teacher raised is that there are many narrow and mistaken points of view about Karma (in regards to Buddhism) Karma has undoubtedly become a fashionable belief/idea and many people have been able to perceive and get a glimpse of Karma in there daily life, leading them to the conclusion that cause and effect is a lot more substantial than just luck, or happenstance. However what people fail to understand is the vastness of Karma; how it affects everything we do from the smallest insignificant event to the huge life altering situations we find ourselves in. We are experiencing and creating Karma every single minute or every single day that we live, not only in our actions but also in our thoughts.

Karma is fundamental to Buddhism; to reject the notion of Karma means you reject Buddhism. Many people of different faiths have some ideas about Karma and other religions deal with cause and effect in a similar way. It is very logical to think that if you do good things in life, then good things will follow, and if you do bad things then bad things will follow. The idea of some natural justice is also reassuring as everyone at some point or other has been wronged. Often the belief is that we experience the consequences of our actions after death and a God decides for us if we spend eternity in hell, or heaven. A lot of people have a view that Karma in Buddhism is along the same lines, that it is some kind of natural righteousness for wrong deeds done and its almost tempting to believe that there is someone deciding for us what Karma comes our way.

The class taught us that Karma does not work like this. Buddhism does not believe that there is a God or being deciding for us what Karma we deserve and in-fact Karma is not really about justice or any other human ideal. Karma is just a natural phenomenon; it is simply cause and effect. There is nobody deciding what cause equals what effect. To say that Karma is justice like saying that gravity is justice, if you jump from a tall building you will start to fall (cause) if the building is high enough it won’t be long until you reach terminal velocity (the effect will be that you are injured or die) however gravity is not thought of as justice. Buddhism believes that Karma works in the same way it is just natural cause and effect.

~ Contrary to popular misconception, karma has nothing to do with punishment and reward. It exists as part of our holographic universe’s binary or dualistic operating system only to teach us responsibility for our creations—and all things we experience are our creations. ~
Sol Luckman

Karma is a hidden object we cannot see it but it is all around us, its effects are sometimes apparent and sometimes not. To use Gravity as an example again, Gravity is also a hidden object we do not see Gravity but we experience its effects every single moment of our life. Karma is the law of cause and effect in our mind. We all have a mixture of negative and positive thoughts and actions and so everyone’s Karma is mixed. Buddhism teaches that much of our experience of Karma was created in past lives (but not all). When we weigh up our life carefully we can often see a pattern. Some areas of our life run fluently and other areas are fraught with tribulations. There are many people who live a long and exceptionally healthy life however that doesn’t mean that they are free from suffering or (negative Karma) indeed that same healthy person may endure immense difficulties in relationships or work. This made me consider areas in my life that have such patterns.

I have experienced very positive Karma in my romantic relationships. In my current partner I have met someone that I click with incredibly well, someone who shares my ideals and values and even in my previous relationships that have romantically ended most have completed on a positive note and I still hold high opinion of my ex partners.

I am in a job that I love, and despite the fact that I do not have a lot of money or material things as far as western standards go I do not live in a part of the world that is rife with poverty. I never go hungry or cold and I have my own flat that is comfortable and safe. Compared to most of the world’s population I am exceptionally well off.

Nevertheless there are areas of my life that I do not have such good Karma. My health is a good example. Although I have never experienced a devastating serious physical illness I have been plagued with little flaws in my body that have given me a lot of physical pain over the years, migraines, bowel problems, being prone to bouts of sickness when I see others far more fortunate to miss out on the stomach bugs and flues doing the rounds I have often felt somewhat jealous. I have experienced problems with my mental health that have had considerable impact on my life and relationships. I have experienced difficulties with friendships frequently finding it difficult to make connections with people on a level that is not romantic or sexual.

“The power of intention is the power to manifest, to create, to live a life of unlimited abundance, and to attract into your life the right people at the right moments.” ~ Wayne Dyer

Looking at the areas of my life where there are possible consequences of negative Karma gives me a vague picture of where I am more fortunate and where I may have areas I could develop. It also stops me viewing these circumstances in terms of fair or unfair because when you start to comprehend and value the concept of Karma the notion of fair and unfair is no longer pertinent. If I am self cherishing and worrying about my own happiness above everyone else’s I may believe that many of the events in my life that have past and will come to pass are unjust or unfair. I can suffer with this idea, permit it to make me more pessimistic and angry however when I look on all the events in my life and I see the bigger picture really appreciating the areas that I am fortunate and patiently accepting the areas where I am not so fortunate. I can see that in reality nothing I experience is unfair and I should remind myself when thinking about any suffering that has past or will come my way that there is always someone else who has experienced much greater suffering.

Understanding this does not mean that I should sit back and feel depressed and helpless believing that because I have already created so much negative Karma in this life and in past lives there is nothing I can do but accept all the negative events that will eventually ripen. Karma can be changed. Karma concerns specifically our mind because it is formed principally in our mind. We have to mentally think of an action before we can physically act and in-fact just by thinking and pondering on negative ideas we create negative karma even if we never get the chance to act on such impulses. The same goes for positive thoughts and intent. Our intention is more important than our actions. Whatever thoughts we have and subsequent actions we perform leaves us with an imprint on our very subtle mind. This is the part of us that is passed on from life to life. This imprint remains until all the conditions come together for that imprint to ripen. Certain circumstances may need to be present before we can undergo the results of the Karma we have created and this may take several life times or more but if we do nothing about those seeds they are guaranteed in time to ripen and we will undergo whatever effects have been caused (good, neutral or bad). Nonetheless before that seed/imprint ripens there is always a possibility to change our Karma by creating more positive Karma (merit) and by purificication.

Buddhists believe we can change our Karma by purification. To do this we must think about our mind and find out what Karma we may have or may be creating. Most people find there mind is more prone to negativity and thus have more negative than good Karma. We need to try and change those negative currents in order to change the potential for negative Karma – to cultivate positive intentions and avoid all negative intentions. Everyone regardless of faith will agree that 2 people may experience the same situation and perceive it in a very different way. A simple example of this is one person waking up looking out of the window and thinking “I hate the rain, I wanted it to be sunny, its not fair that its raining on my day off” they then go on to feel despondent for the rest of the day, not motivated to do anything and feeling pessimistic and aggravated. Another person on waking thinks “It’s raining today, I find the rain beautiful and refreshing” they go on to have a positive day enjoying the sensation of the raindrops and the subtle sounds and atmosphere of a stormy day. This is a very simple example but it can apply to any situation.

I am learning far quicker than I ever expected that through mindfulness and meditation it is possible to change those negative attitudes. The effects on my peace of mind and well-being have been profound. I am at such an early stage with all this and yet I already catch myself when my thoughts turn to negativity and I am able to change those old patterns and prevent small irritations from ruining my day. I am still working on the bigger things that get me down but at least I now believe it is possible to change my attitude to any situation.

The Buddha taught purification practice which relies on 4 thoughts,

Regret – “I wish I hadn’t done this” being self aware of our thoughts and actions and understanding when we have done or thought something to cause suffering and in turn created for ourselves negative Karma. So thinking about all the living beings we have hurt or caused harm too. Regret does not necessarily equal guilt it is simply understanding that we have caused ourselves negative Karma. Guilt is self centered people tend to focus on themselves when they feel guilty however one can regret wisely.

Reliance – Going for refuge to the Buddha and trying to repair some of the damage we have caused because of our harmful action. Saying sorry, wishing sincerely that the suffering will end and making peace and repairing the damage caused in our own mind.

Opponent Force – Being determined not to repeat the action however being realistic about what we can achieve. Also the act of giving, to make up for some of the suffering we have caused.

Promise – Committing to change in future and taking realistic action to change, example “I promise I won’t get angry again for the next hour”.


If everything we do is creating Karma both good and bad then it seems wise to be mindful of our thoughts and actions. There are many people who decide on a rational level that very little good can come of destructive thoughts and actions, even non Buddhists frequently agree with this and yet it is rare to come across somebody who really takes the time try and break these kinds of inclinations. Believing in Karma means letting go of the idea of luck and if there is no such thing as luck – only Karma then we can make a positive impact on our lives and future lives by creating positive merit instead of negative. By wishing other people free of suffering and doing all we can to help alleviate suffering we are doing something to change our situation. I can admit that I often have fleeting thoughts of I could do this, or I could do that (to benefit another person) and often those thoughts are quickly forgotten and replaced by more selfish thoughts. I am trying very hard to change this because ultimately I am no more important than any other living being. Just looking at the world around and observing all the war and poverty it is apparent that we are depleted on good merit. Gradually people are focusing more and more on there own happiness and wellbeing and forgetting to be kind to each other. I am asking myself now what good does this achieve long term? If I look back over my own life I have felt at my most peaceful and happy when I am not putting myself first and instead doing something to help others.

Currently I am going to great lengths to try and see the positive in other people no matter how conflicting our points of view or actions I am starting to see that every single person or living being adds something of value to my life. Even those people who have hurt me have taught me patience and forgiveness. I can see from the way my life is unfolding that I have a mixture of Karma good and bad and even though there is still part of me that is very wary of the idea of Buddhism as a religion I still agree with the philosophy I have been taught so far. I certainly do not believe it will do me or anyone else any harm if I try and change my attitude and focus on making more good Karma. At the very least it will be interesting to see where this takes me.