My Understanding of Karma So Far.

Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.

But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; for

he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

It is illogical to believe a higher power causes us to suffer in this life time, for sins from a previous lifetime,

I have seen many good people suffer and many evil people prosper.


Cause and effect, is a different thing, you touch a hot stove you get burned.
JMHO

reply to post by Stormdancer777

Without going into the religious side of things, your reference to the common (though perhaps only apparent; who are we to judge?) injustice of fortune is the reason why I say the concept of karma demands a belief in reincarnation to make it viable. If its actions were said to be limited to one lifetime, any such concept would be a demonstrably false.

Over the span of time, however, karma does accumulate. Not in an individual human life (or string of lives if you believe in reincarnation), but in the world and among humanity at large. Consequences pile up and give rise to other consequences.

So it isn't enough simply to think good thoughts and undertake only well-meaning actions. All actions have results and the results may not be what we hope for or foresee. In the end, nothing may be enough, for in a universe ruled by the Second Law of Thermodynamics, all choices, all consequences lead ultimately to dissolution. Action hastens it by using up energy.

As another poster said, there is no such thing as good and bad karma. We are bound to the world, be it for one lifetime or several, and while we live we are obliged to act. Nature gives us no choice.

I am somewhat disappointed because people are expecting some kind of "merciful rightneousness" out of the universe, or god, and it's laws.

I am not saying that universe (or god) isn't "righteous", for surely it is, but it's rightousness isn't something we can understand from our personal viewpoint. Surely, some bad people prosper and some good people suffer, but there are not just handful of bad and good people whom got what they deserved. Besides, who are we from our personal standpoints to judge what someone may deserve?

I kinda dislike this human hybris which is so evident in their beliefs, that universe should run according their wishes and expectations. We are so limited in our understanding, that we cannot possibly even begin to know all relations of causality. If we are expecting the existence in bending on our will, wishes, theories and philosopihies, we are committing grave error and also injust towards the existence.

Yes, usually bad and good people receive according to their deeds, and sometimes someones we may notice that "evil one" seems to receive truckloads of good fortune and so on. It has nothing do with past lives, but rather just the complex strings of causes and effects, which run favorably from evil one's viewpoint, sparing one from reaping the harvest one sowed.

Again, this what I just said, just like everything else on the level of metaphysics, is very irrelevant and propably even false.

-v

reply to post by Skid Mark


I too thought that this is what happens. But then, why do some people get punished who has not done anything to deserve it?

I have always done what I could to live an honest life. The two biggest things I despise is a thief and a lier. Well, a couple years ago, I had one of my employees steal $20000. Dollars in cash from my house! Yes, that is 4 zeros. The state BCI was never able to figure out who took it. There was only 4 possibilities.

In my whole life, I have never so much as even taken a lollypop if it did not belong to me. So if karma is true, I sure would like to know what I did to deserve that!

reply to post by xyankee


I've tried to point it out on reply above your post. But it doesn't include karma as understood in metaphysics.

But you might not like the answer..

-v