karma, your views.

[famouspoet1999]

I am posing this question because I am new to the religion and still studying. However I want to find out what others thing about karma. I firmly believe in it and I truly believe that the energy you put out comes back to you stronger. However I am conflicted with this subject lately. I leave all things to karma but lately I have been wondering when can you start taking care ofthings yourself. I mean i tell myself not to worry about those how have wronged me or others but nothing but good seems to happen for them. I don't want bad back on me but I feel like not doing something is already putting bad vibes back on me an y suggestions

[Shub Niggurath]

The concept of Karma is not only about waiting for something bad happen to those who hurt you. If you're waiting for this kind of sign to prove you that Karma exists you might never actually see it done.
First and foremost, Karma is about living a good, righteous life. You need to be true with yourself and actively work towards evolving and expanding your mind and your talents.
You're never going to see Karma strike the "bad ones" if you weren't honest with them and you didn't take actions you would normally take (because you waited for Karma instead). If you never shared your feelings with the person who hurt you or you didn't do everything you could've done to find justice, it's as if you didn't bother enough to turn the Wheel of Samsara. So why would Karma bother?

[Siona]

I firmly believe in it and I truly believe that the energy you put out comes back to you stronger.

There are a lot of different ideas on what karma is and how it "works." I believe in cause and effect, that every action has consequences (good or bad), but for me it's not at all as simple as good for good, bad for bad, you get what you put out but stronger. It's just not personally what I've seen. Yeah, often if one does something bad, they end up facing negative consequences for their actions, but the universe is a complex place and it doesn't always work out so neatly. I think many of us know awful people who seem to be getting along fine (although perhaps the reality is more subtle than that), and we all know bad things sometimes happen to good people. Is it because they actually did something bad? I don't think so, sometimes stuff just happens.

Sometimes sitting back and letting things play out on their own is the best thing you can do, but there are also times when you need to step up and take action. There's certainly nothing wrong with standing up for yourself or people close to you. On the other hand, if you get too caught up in revenge, that's not good either, it's just another way to let that person keep hurting you. Sometimes it's best to let things go. Like I said, the universe is a complex place, different situations require different actions... you have to figure out what's really best for you, and where your own ethics guide you.

[famouspoet1999]

Thank you Levitating Cat and Siona for your remarks. I think I should have clarified what I meant better. I wasn't talking revenge or waiting for something bad to happen to the other person. I was more or less confused on where the boundary line was between self defense or defense of others and actually sending out the negative energy. I know that I can stand up for myself without worrying about it coming back on me in a negative way, I was wondering to what extent you can do that without crossing over the line of being too much. For example a friend was cheated on by her husband after many years. She waited till he left one day for work. Moved out and had a copy of a tape with him and his mistress sent to him certified mail with a business card of her new divorce lawyer. I personally think that was just and fair. However she then waited until he was at a family get together and played it on the family big screen to embarrass him in front of his family. I personally think that is crossing the line. Am I wrong in this belief. I am just confused I guess on what you can do and what you can't do when it comes to karma and the three fold law. If anyone can help me clarify the gray area I would appreciate it.

[SnowCat]

I think putting that on the screen for the family was going too far. She wasn't protecting herself, she was hurting his family. But she may not have seen it that way, and maybe his family was complicit in his behavior in some way.

I like to try to do little nice things for people as a way of spreading good karma and positive energy. I thank grocery checkers and courtesy clerks by name. They wear name tags for a reason. I hold dors for people. The other day at the bank, when the teller apologized for the long wait, I sympathized with her position . I told her I didn't figure getting mad at her for the wait was going to move the line any faster. And I always tell trainees, anywhere I go, that they're doing a good job.

I can pay negative energy forward, or I can pay positive energy forward. Either way, that energy will come back around at some point.

Snow

[Shub Niggurath]

Well, as I said before: "First and foremost, Karma is about living a good, righteous life. You need to be true with yourself and actively work towards evolving and expanding your mind and your talents."
Of course everyone can define righteousness and goodness in multiple ways. But the thing is... in order to be able to tell if "this behavior is okay" and "that behavior is crossing the line" you need to look at your emotions, thoughts and actions from a distance. You were able to tell that your friend showing the tape was crossing the line because you could analyze the situation from outside, with a fresh point of view. You need to work on applying this kind of perception to your own thoughts, emotions and behaviors. When you learn that, you'll be able to live a good, righteous life. And, trust me, once you can easily switch to the "outsider perspective" you will also notice many more subtle but important details about any situation. It comes from being able to "read" your emotions and, especially, the intentions hidden behind your emotions.
Emotions are not always righteous - people go wild, like your friend, because they feel betrayed, hurt, cheated etc. And they still think: "I'm a good person". If you're letting yourself feel all those nasty emotions and even let other people get affected by those emotions then you're a bit lost on your way to be a good person, sadly.
Always forgive those who hurt you. Always say sorry to those you hurt.

[YanaKhan]

I've always thought "Don't do to others what you don't want done to you" is a good formula for living your life. And it has always worked for me.
As for your friend's situation, if I have to be fair, I would probably do the exact same thing. Or maybe even worse. It's not that I don't realize this is crossing every line possible. I just find it absolutely equally humiliating being cheated on and being embarrassed in front of the people you love. I do realize this would hurt other people too and it's not the best way of acting. With me it's the pride talking. I don't know what is it for your friend, nor am I trying to justify her actions. Just, sometimes people do feel they deserve revenge.
As for karma - I kinda view it as a more distant thing. Like what matters is not your every action, but the general way you live.

[thethrone]

I surely believe we bring some issues from past lives, something like a duty for a major subject of our current life... example for myself in a card reading i did for past life and karma i was a man who didn't care for women and was a doctor and gambler and of course died because of the second, my karma i curry from that past life is to be a successful as a woman and trust me is not the easiest thing ... I agree that karma is about life style and not specific actions... actions from current life i sense are payed to current life and not in a future life.

[Sakura Blossom]

I'm really glad you brought this up, as it's something I've been thinking about a lot lately.

I don't know if it's just doing something good for others, that is going to make this happen. Rather, I think doing things for the intent of hoping that they will bring good your way, or bad to those who might deserve it, is the wrong way to go about it. Of course, this is just my personal belief based on experiences I have had and recently had.

I do nothing but good things for other people, because I genuinely want to help. However, I also try my hardest to do good things so that the bad things (and I mean bad things. I've been through a lot the past year) will stop and I'll finally catch a break.

After much thought, and confusion as to why karma wasn't helping me, I thought about it for awhile and realized that I was going about it all wrong. If you assume that things are going to happen, they will not because you aren't genuine with your actions. You're doing them for slightly selfish reasons because you want something to happen either for yourself or to another person.

However, if you start doing good things selflessly and for the genuine good of others (and of course, I'm not saying everyone does this. I do this, though, at times) then you might really start to see a difference.

I think it's all about the intent and not just the intent, but HOW you think about the intent.

Also! Another thing I just thought of that is good to keep in mind, is that sometimes bad things happen because those bad things can lead to good things. As horrible as it seems, it is true what they say. There's always sun after a storm, so sometimes karma is working when it doesn't seem like it is. Just another thought~

[AnaisStar]

I do believe in Karma but more as seeds that we plant that will affect your life in the future (or maybe even in future lives).

Also I think that when Karma comes back to your or to others its never as you expect it to. And sometimes what you think is bad karma can actually be something good in disguise, or vice versa. Good things don't always come in beautiful packaging.

[SnowCat]

The other night my hubby and I took my daughter and the grandkids to dinner at Joe's Crab Shack. The restaurant us trying to raise money to help provide school lunches. For $5, a person can pop a balloon and win a prize. I bought four balloons, one per kid, because I wanted to help, and because I knew they would have fun popping the balloons. We got instant karmic payback in the form if a free appetizer, two free desserts, and $20 off the bill. I paid that forward with a 35% tip to our extremely attentive server. Then we took dinner to my son in-law, who was working a double shift on his birthday. The other security guards at the hospital were jealous.

Snow