The Idea Behind Karma, the Circle of Life
abracad, · Categories: externally authored, karmaAuthor: Mark Jordan
Karma is followed and understood by millions of people throughout the world. Many Christian cultures have assumed an idea of karma. For many, it is a more understandable idea than eternal damnation for the bad. For others it is simply natural that the wicked will be punished in some way and the good rewarded. So how does Karma fit into the cycle of life?
Karma is the notion that deeds (or actions) create the cycle of cause and effect. The cycle of cause and effect already exists, but the causes of the cycle are actions or deeds. Performing positive deeds beget good results in one's life, whereas negative actions beget negative effects. The effects may be quick or delayed until later in life, or in the afterlife. Therefore, good actions may mean rebirth into a higher position in life, such as a better human, while evil actions may result in rebirth as a human living in more poor conditions. Scholars have compared karma to Western notions of sin and judgment by God; still others view karma as an inherent principle of the universe with no intervention of any God. In Hinduism, God is seen as a dispenser of karma. In Buddhism and Jainism, a god does not intervene.
Several traditions, including Indian, believe a higher being plays some role in karma, like a dispenser of the fruits of karma. In general, followers of Buddhism and many Hindus consider the natural laws of causation enough to explain the effects of karma. Some views proclaim that a higher person acting on God's behalf can work out some of the karma of the subject. There are examples of karmic retribution and that type of correlation mentioned in the Bible.
Philosophical ideas of karma could be different between traditions, but the basic idea is the same. In the Law of Karma, the effects of all actions and deeds beget past, present, and future effects, therefore forcing a person to be responsible for his or her own life, and the pain or joy it brings him or her, as well as others. The results or "fruits" of actions are called "karma-phala". In religions that believe in reincarnation, karma acts in a person’s present life and all past and future lives as well. All living creatures are responsible for their karma. The western Christian idea teaches karma as the Law of Cause and Effect. The difference is that this western tradition adds on the idea that the teachings of Christ professed that the cycle of sin and death may be ended through God’s love, which will impart immortality.
To accept the logical idea behind karma is to behave responsibly. If we accept the idea of the Law of Karma which is essentially, "if you do good things, good things will happen to you and if you do bad things, bad things will happen to you", then it is easy to find parallels with other religions that do not rely on karma as a doctrine. Just as the Christian apostle Paul stated "man reaps what he sows", karma does not concern itself with the idea of salvation. It is more of a social and ethical dynamic. The Law of Karma is the judge of one's deeds, similar to the idea of the Christian God as judge of good and bad actions. Most teachers proclaim that being subject to karma is not avoidable and is part of daily living. Each human is advised to avoid, control or become aware of the results of desires and aversions as a way to change karmic destiny.
Hindus believe that the Universe and everything in it is in a state of creation, maintenance, or destruction. The mind itself creates a thought, maintains it for some time, and then the thought dies, maybe replaced by other thoughts. In addition to these three states of consciousness, Hinduism adds a fourth state called Turiya. This is pure consciousness where the mind is not engaged in thinking but just observing thoughts. Actions or deeds while in the Turiya state do not create karma. The idea behind meditation is to give individuals the experience of being in this objective state. If your actions happen as a response to events and not from a thought process, you will not accumulate karma. If you can constantly maintain this state you are considered in moksha.
Karma can also be thought of in a metaphysical way. Since karma is a force of nature and not an entity capable of making judgments (like a person could), karma is not about good and evil actions. Applying those labels would be judgmental. It is about positive and negative energy. Negative energy can include things not normally thought of as "being bad" like fear or depression. Positive energy can be released by creativity, love or virtuous acts. This concept is referred to as omniverse karma or omni-karma since it requires the existence of a space that contains all possible universes or omni-universe. The omniverse philosophy includes ideas involving psychic energy and ability, souls, synchronicity (things that occur at the same time are related), as well as concepts from quantum physics.
It may not be wise to ignore the idea of karma since it may be part of the driving force in the cycle of life and where your own cycle may take you now and in the future.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/philosophy-articles/the-idea-behind-karma-the-circle-of-life-416772.html
About the Author
Mark Jordan is a researcher, freelance writer, thinker and a genealogist living near Harrisburg Pennsylvania. Other good sites for information are, Symbol For Karma, Irish Pennsylvania and Sports 4 Seniors
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