I have really been spending a lot of time meditating and thinking about Karma. Being honest in my meditations means that I have to be honest about the reality of why things are happening in my life. One of my favorite things my teacher, Lama Marut says, is that we can either believe in karma or not. Most of us choose to buy into it only when good things happen to us or to those we like. Or when bad things happen to those we don't. When bad things happen we don't stop to think that it could be karma and we are working out an old past deed. When good things happen we think "It's about time- I totally deserve this."
We would all believe in karma 100% if there was not "the gap." Karma operates on the law of cause and effect. Things would be so much easier if when we killed a spider our arm would immediately break. But that is not how things work. We have no idea when the effect will happen. And when it does we often cannot connect it back to something we might have done previously.
During the gap between cause and effect the seed grows larger. So whatever it is we do in the past comes back at us in greater force by the time the seed ripens. The good news is that this is a universal law so when we do a positive action in the past it comes back at us greater in the future as well.
But now for the really hard part- when we are in the middle of a negative experience how can we actually stop ourselves from responding the way we usually do? We have absolutely zero control over what is happening to us in the present. The present is simply past karmic seeds ripening. What we do have control over is how we react. Can we stop ourselves from doing the same thing we did in the past that brought us this negative experience?
Can we 100% take credit for EVERYTHING that is happening in our life in the present? Can we begin to play with the idea that EVERYTHING is coming from us and nothing is coming at us. That may seem extreme in a world where we are so used to blaming others and the outside world for our challenges and problems. But what if I were to say that according to Tibetan Buddhism literally our entire world is coming from us. If we change our minds we can change our world. Nirvana and Samsara are in the same place. Think about it as a possibility and next time we will go deeper into how to change our future karma through meditation and monitoring ourselves throughout the day.
Whether any of this resonates or not, I ask that you think about it. Meditate on it. Is everything completely random? Is everything under the control of God? Is it possible to create the exact future you want by making the right choices in the present?
When I sit with the idea of Karma, what works for me is that it is neither good or bad. Those are maybe labels I have worked with at times in the past but they always make me feel quilty or trap me in "ego". Which leads me to ask the fools question of "Why?" or "why me?" So it helps if I can quickly let go of the "Whys" because honestly, "Why not!" would be the better question.
ReplyDeleteNot sure if this makes sense but I feel like if I act on something, then that act has energy behind it. That thread of energy then travels around bumping into like (same) energy until it builds on itself and when the tread is saturated with enough momentum it comes back to me with re-action. So I guess for me "the gap" makes sense because it's not so much a time line but a measurement of energy or the force behind it that returns it back to me. (what did I just say?) I'm not sure if I can articulate it after all but I do believe in Karma for sure and feel as though I experience it on a daily basis.
At this time, I do not believe in coincidence of any kind mostly thanks to my yoga and meditation practice. Practice has shown me that if I get quiet enough I can trace the threads and connect enough of the dots to believe otherwise. And although I embrace the idea of a higher power, I believe control lies more in the forces behind our nature, our energy patterns, our dream reality, and ultimately our individual soul's purpose for reincarnating or being here in the first place...Shoot! I need to meditate. Thank you for the thoughtful blog and topic shannon!
Thank you Lana for your thoughts- I am so glad you mentioned the "good, bad" thing. It is where things really changed for me as well. By looking at it as a law of cause and effect I have been able to let go of my guilt and shame attached to past actions. I tend to really fall into that trap if I forget. You explained karma beautifully, I loved everything you said- Thank you so much for sharing, I am so grateful.
ReplyDeleteThank you. The timing of this could not be more appropriate, then again, I guess that's always the case.
ReplyDeletei've been struggling with my work situation recently and this has been so helpful. i need to take responsibility for my part in the situation ;) and i need to meditate - xo!
ReplyDeleteWhat A lesson in karma I had this week. it only took a microsecond slip on the ice and a broken ankle for me to come face to face with this lesson. As I lay on the sidewalk unable to move I thought "how can this be happening to me?" by which I meant - I did not want this to be happening to me and also, if karma is real, what seed did I plant for this to happen? My injury forced me to confront how 'attached' I was to my 'stuff' - even my yoga 'stuff.' Even without an ankle I could still walk the steps of Mahamudra mediation which truly saved my sanity and helped me hang on to what mattered and remain at peace.
ReplyDeleteI talk to Joshua, who is 10, about the Buddhist teachings all the time. I can never tell how he is taking it all. When this happend to me he asked my wife "Dad says the things that happen to us are caused by the things we do and say in our past. What did he do to have this happen to him." I was amazed and kind of happy that he is looking at things that way. The truth is that this injury is a kind of a gift - a gift of retreat, reflection, of letting go and of opening up my heart a bit more than I thought it could be opened. Thank you karma.