Is Luck Karma?

Originally posted by parry noid
I think I figured it out.... I meditated on it last night and came up with a few things. Not to mention the very well written descriptions, thanks guys.
Here are a few things affecting my karma Im guessing,

1. I smacked (not hard, and on the butt) A cat that attacked my kitty
2. I took 5.00 from my wife without telling her
3. I thought bad things about other people
4. probably a little longer of a list than this

I have however changed the first 2 things, I apologized to the cat and gave it some food, and told my wife about the $5. I have stopped thinking bad thoughts, and will attempt from now on to remain neutral!

Great work man!!

Sounds like you have gotten a grasp on your Karma level!
Keep us posted if anything happens, good or bad.
I'm not sure if just thinking about someone in a bad way will effect your karma.....As long as you don't act upon your thoughts or tell that person straight up....."You smell like a monkey and I hate you."

Thanks for the follow up

Things are turning around already.... I got a call for a job offer today, nothing Great but a jobs a job. Plus you never know this could lead to several other windows of opportunity! Not to mention I am feeling a little better, almost like less pressure on me. It's going good so far, I haven't done anything positive or negative in the last 2 days. I've even done my very best to maintain a cool attitude. I would like to learn more about the yoga mentioned previously. Things are truly looking up since your guys help. Thanks to you all!!!!

Originally posted by parry noid
Things are turning around already.... I got a call for a job offer today, nothing Great but a jobs a job. Plus you never know this could lead to several other windows of opportunity! Not to mention I am feeling a little better, almost like less pressure on me. It's going good so far, I haven't done anything positive or negative in the last 2 days. I've even done my very best to maintain a cool attitude. I would like to learn more about the yoga mentioned previously. Things are truly looking up since your guys help. Thanks to you all!!!!

Wow thats great!
Thats really cool your little experiment with karma is producing results. Keep posting....
Well done

WOW things are really looking up, today I got a check in the mail for 150$ when I woke up. I am really glad I talked about this. I have managed to keep nuetral for 3 days, going on #4!

Karma is about neutrality -- if you can't get neutral, then at least put out good vibes. The idea with Karma is that you learn to stop the 'rings of consequence', if you will. (The best image is that of a pool: Standing in a pool, you act -- that action creates a ring that continues outwards and bumps into other people in the pool. Everyone creates rings, and so the point is to learn how to control your reactions so that a) you can handle other people's rings, and eventually your own, and b) not create any new rings.)


Here's a thought that I've been rolling around with regards to society in general --

Is it fair to say that most people are trying "not to be bad" rather than "being good"?

Logically, not being bad simply makes you neutral, whereas (if I'm understanding the general populous' thinking) not being bad automatically makes you good. One is either good or bad. Ex. "I'm NOT going to hit this guy with my car, therefore I am a good person because I did not do a bad thing." vs. "I'm going to help this old lady across the street, even though it'll make me late to work, because it's the right thing to do."

But neutrality doesn't make a good person, nor a good society. (Granted, I'd take a neutral society/community over a bad one any day.)

So, to be a virtuous person is to have 'bad' karma because you are, in effect, still creating rings. Good rings, but rings nonetheless. To be a virtuous person is, I would argue, one of the hardest journeys a human can make. Most likely, the renunciation of rewards still applies to being virtuous, so that you do not expect anything for doing good.

Don't confuse the consequences of a good action (in this case, karma), with simply doing the right thing.