Karma

What is Karma?

This question has come up for me several times in my life. I have wondered what it is, what it means and if it exists.  Whilst in depression I blamed Karma for all the crappy things I had experienced.  I used it as a way of torturing myself.  Telling myself that because of all the terrible things I had done I deserved to be miserable.

Karma is a Buddhist belief.  That the sum of a person’s actions in this and previous states of existence, viewed as deciding their fate in future existences. For every action  there will always be a reaction.  Your thoughts and actions are powerful.  They carry energy, they are like an echo.  We have all taken a different path in life but somehow we are all linked.  Whatever you do will always come back to you.

It has bothered me when I have heard people use karma to belittle others.  “Your car broke down, oh, that’s karma, what did you do for that to happen?”  Or when someone has been betrayed by another and they say can’t wait to see what Karma does to them.. “Karma is a bitch!” Here are a few quotes that show what I mean.  

I don’t believe that Karma works that way.  I believe karma is a way to teach us.  That we chose this life to learn things, karma makes us learn.  We need to tap into the lessons we are being shown to live our life’s purpose.  Buddhists are not spiteful, revengeful people, so I don’t believe karma’s purpose stems from such a negative action.  Plus revenge would attract its own karma.

Wishing karma would pay someone back, is a negative thought, it will also attract karma.  If one spends considerable time willing bad things to happen to another for wrongdoings they have done or being pleased about bad things that have happened to another, will also attract karma into that person.  Revenge keeps wounds open, it doesn’t allow healing.  If you have these types of feelings, you are actually attracting bad energy to yourself.  Forgiving someone, even not to their face, moving on from a bad situation, learning from it, having positive feelings, finding something good from a bad situation brings you good karma.

We need to understand the nature of karma.  Our thoughts our actions carry energy.  When we spend energy on something either in a positive way or negatively, we will receive it back.  It’s personal, I am only concerned with my own personal karma.  My purpose is to attract only good Karma.  Yours or anyone elses Karma is not my concern.  We are all on our own journey.  I am responsible for me, but not to blame. 

I have learnt that I am responsible for myself, but not to blame.  I am always learning.  So I can choose to learn lessons from my experiences.  I have created everything in my life, whether good or bad.  I am responsible for everything that happens to me.  Even the things I am not happy with, I also created.  Learning how and why I create these things allows me to grow.  I cannot use them to blame myself or others.  I learn from them to live my ultimate life.

I see so many people struggling with themselves, sabotaging their lives, I just want to help people, we don’t need to suffer in this existence, life doesn’t need to be hard.  The more great things we do, the more greatness Karma brings us.  This is the part of Karma that excites me.  The good energy that doing good things and thinking positive  thoughts, creates stronger Karma than the negative ones.

If you have wronged me, it is not my concern whether you are punished for it or not.  I have made peace with myself, forgiven myself for wrongdoings and set myself on the path for love and gratitude.