Karma

Originally posted by 0thetrooth0
reply to post by Taupin Desciple

 

If karma didnt exist it would be necessary to invent it. It makes people behave just like with religion...

Good and bad things happen to me, but I never stop and think if it was because of a certain good or bad thing I've done before. I think the main purpose of karma, at least back in the day was to control people. It's like telling someone God is always watching so don't do bad things(sin). Except in this case they call it karma.

Good point....Karma = God - Religion

You can look at it this way too. Maybe karma doesn't exist. Maybe it's just a figment of our imagination. WE made up the idea of karma, therefore maybe WE want some ulterior motive in order to act good. Why else would we make it up.

Maybe you can act good for the sake of it and maybe I can too. But where's the harm if other people need an extra push? I don't know about you, but I've seen my share of people in this life who NEED to be controlled to a certain extent. Some more than others. Without it.......they'd be lost.

I believe in karma but not because I need to be scared into acting good. I can be good without that kind of negative motivation. I believe it because I've seen it and I also believe that I can't sit here and tell you about it and convince you that it's real.

reply to post by Taupin Desciple


What do you mean you've seen it? Can you please elaborate.

If karma is real and you believe it is, there has to be a reason. You saw how everything is energy and you saw it come back to people or what?

Like the movie The Matrix, when Neo sees everything in green/energy. Unless people had an experience watching the energy come back to people who did a good or bad deed there's no reason to believe in, is there?

I am open to the possibility of karma existing, I just want to know people's reasons for believing in it.

Originally posted by LifeIsEnergy

Originally posted by 0thetrooth0

Originally posted by LifeIsEnergy
reply to post by 0thetrooth0

 

Everything that happens to you has a cause, whether you "deserve it" or not, and everything you do has an effect. If you spread hatred then you are increasing the chance it will be spread back on you, but this is not guarenteed. If you never have spread hatred you are decreasing the chance it will be spread back on you, yet you still could be the recipient of it. That is karma.

Essentially you are saying karma plays no role. It's called life and it isn't fair.

Karma can also be understood as "thought", like is mentioned in the end of the OP. So when someone does something you don't like and you hope that karma comes to bite them, really you're just creating for yourself more karma.

So in that way of understanding, there isn't really a metaphysical aspect to it. It's like how your chances of getting in a car accident are a lot higher if you had a recent stressful event, divorce ect. That's how some see karma.

Buddhism being one of the more "grassroots" religions/traditions means that there is a lot of diversity in its teachings. A lot of the lay people that follow it in Asian countries can be somewhat loose as far as their practice and understanding of Buddhism (much like with Christianity in the west... ) so from that you'll find many answers to what karma, reincarnation, ect. really is.

Originally posted by 0thetrooth0
reply to post by Taupin Desciple

 

What do you mean you've seen it? Can you please elaborate.

If karma is real and you believe it is, there has to be a reason. You saw how everything is energy and you saw it come back to people or what?

Like the movie The Matrix, when Neo sees everything in green/energy. Unless people had an experience watching the energy come back to people who did a good or bad deed there's no reason to believe in, is there?

You just won't give up will ya?

Look, it's obvious that you're the type of person who has to actually SEE something physical in order to believe it exists. Your last sentence told me that. That being the case, nothing I can write will make you believe because my words cannot manifest themselves into something physical.

( If only they could ) I'm not laughing at you or anyone else OP, that was meant for someone else.

This isn't a movie. There are no special effects to help accentuate things. Maybe, just maybe, the creators of "The Matrix" used those special effects you were talking about to help drive home the point they were trying to make. It's called an analogy and filmmakers use it all the time in the form of art. That is what a movie is after all. An artistic expression. Movies like that you cannot take literally. There may be truth in them, but you have to read between the lines to get to it. You have to start believing things that you can't see.

My advice, stop watching movies and start watching people if you want to start understanding things like karma.

As far as I'm concerned OP, don't believe what I say about this topic. Let it go and find out for yourself.