by Rabbi Rami Shapiro
KARMA: actions determining future state- in Hindu and Buddhist philosophy, the quality of somebody's current and future lives as determined by that person's behavior in this and in previous lives.....what goes around comes around.....cause and effect.....not punishment or retribution.....not fate but the consequences of acts chosen by
humans with free will
There have been times in my life when I was so angry at the behavior of others that I wanted to make sure that everyone knew what they had done so that they would be made to pay for their behavior. I think we've all been there before. After all, why should that bully get away with that kind of behavior?
Somewhere along the way I realized that there are situations I can do something about and many more that I cannot. After I have done what is in my power to do to be who I am called to be, I must let go of that situation and trust that somewhere down the line others will learn their own lessons. It is not my job to teach them those lessons for their own good. They can and should take care of themselves. By changing my behavior and worrying about what I should do to be my best self, I change what is next...I change my future.
“In Hinduism, karma is usually understood to mean that what we experience now is the product of actions we took in the past. This is not the same as fate or predestination...
fate and predestination remove the element of free will from our lives. We are not responsible for the life we experience. It was mapped out for us by forces outside ourselves. Karma teaches just the opposite. Karma simply says we reap what we sow. Each action we take sets in motion forces that will eventually coalesce to produce a new set of conditions with which we will have to engage, and to which we will have to respond. How we respond is up to us. It is a matter of free will. But once we respond, we cannot escape the consequences of our response, which will manifest in a future karmic moment.” (Recovery, page 16)What a relief to accept that another person's karma is up to them to work out. I do not need to be the cosmic whistle blower...in fact it is a job I an not capable of even of I think I'm qualified. Even when we think no one is watching or sees what is happening, the UNIVERSE is watching.....
"Karma does not allow us to escape having to deal with the consequences....it basically says you have no choice but to choose how you will respond to the suchness of this moment." Shapiro
As a gardener, with not too great a garden this year, I'm thinking the western way of thinking doesn't quite get karma. We're used to "instant gratification." I look for where to order that karma stuff online & click on expedited shipping. It's a huge shift to think about how I want my life & the world to benefit from today's good actions in the future that doesn't even exist yet.
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