Karma
14 Many religions (mainstream and otherwise) believe in a cyclical system of reincarnation rather than a one-way trip to the afterlife, and they typically have some version of karma involved in these beliefs. 2Though it's been mentioned as we discussed each faith earlier, it deserves to be discussed as a topic on its own. 31t s more complex than you think.
Faiths that Embrace It
4As mentioned, the concept of karma goes hand in hand with reincarnation. 51t cannot exist if you believe in a final afterlife after our earthly human existence. 6The religions that accept karma as part of their teachings include Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism. 7Various neo-Pagans also embrace the idea, though it wasn t originally an ancient Pagan concept.
8Even though these specific religions hold karma as part of their doctrine, this doesn t mean you have to follow these faiths in order to believe that it exists. 9Since karma is simply a force of nature, there is no deity involved and therefore no specific path required. 1O1n other words, you can believe in karma without being a practicing Hindu, Sikh or Buddhist.
The Nature of Karma
11Karma is a force that operates outside any deity influence. 121t s not a god nor being that acts upon us with any conscious will. 13Think of it as a constant force that operates naturally, such as gravity.
140ver the course of your lifetime, every action you take has an impact on your karma. 15This goes for all the positive as well as negative actions. 161t s best described as the sum total of all you have done. 170nly once you die and everything has been tallied up does the force of karma step in to direct your next life. 18As such, a life filled with negative energy will attract further negativity in the next life.
19Since karma only acts on the sum total of your actions, this means that no single action can determine your next life. 2OAny negative behaviours can be cancelled out by good ones, and vice versa. 21There is no forgiveness for acts either. 220nce they are done, they are forever part of your life s karma. 23You can only rebalance the scales with better choices as your life continues.
24Depending upon your specific religious path, you may even have the opportunity to reincarnate as something non-human, if your karma warrants it. 25Whether or not this would be seen as punishment or reward depends on the person.
26Be aware that each faith has its own specific views on karma – this is just an overview that covers the main points.
What Karma Is Not
27Though the term is widely known throughout the Western world, it is generally not well understood. 28The common (and inaccurate) idea seems to be that karma is a universal force of justice that metes out punishments and rewards as life goes on. 29That's not how it works, at least not from the original Eastern interpretation of the concept. 301f you steal from someone, and then find yourself losing money in a similar fashion a week later, people often attribute this to karma. 31Not so.
32Karma is the effect of an entire life of actions and it plays out in how your next lifetime is formed. 33Karma does not control the actions (or reactions) of the world around us to punish or reward immediate actions. 34You should consider karma as something that takes place between lives, not during.
Learning Life’s Lessons
35This is another concept that goes along with reincarnation but is not quite the same. 36Still, it provides another potential way of looking at reincarnation and how our actions can impact our many futures.
371f you consider your spirit or soul to be similar to a child, then each lifetime represents more and more maturation and development. 38The cycle of reincarnation provides the perfect scenario for this learning and each lifetime has its own lessons. 39As you complete each cycle, your soul returns to the next life in such a way that you can learn something that your soul has yet to understand. 401t s not about punishment or reward, simply a continuous selection of environments to be experienced.
41Someone who is cruel may need to learn how it feels to be treated poorly in order to understand empathy and compassion. 42As such, their next lifetime may be filled with cruelty. 431t may seem like a direct punishment for bad behaviour but that is not the purpose. 44Some lessons may need to be taught simply based on attitudes rather than actions, or sometimes just because it's something that your soul requires.
45This theory would help to explain why some people spend their entire lives in a state of self- absorption. 46The likelihood is that they are newer souls that make decisions just as a child would. 470nce they have lived a few more lifetimes, they start to become more mature and enlightened. 48We see people in various states of maturity like this all the time, maturity that has nothing to do with their natural chronological age.
49This is more of a New Age or neo-Pagan viewpoint that doesn t necessarily fit into a specific religious outlook.
A Darker Side of Karma
50The Hindu caste system is partly the result of the belief in karma. 51The caste system places certain families above others in a social hierarchy, with the belief that it is their karma that has led them to be born this way. 521t creates a system in which certain people are heavily oppressed (and others highly privileged) simply by the family they were born into. 53Though the system may have its roots in karmic beliefs, it persists today due to long-standing cultural tradition. 541t is becoming less acceptable in Hindu society, though it is still prevalent in countries like 1ndia.
55While it may seem somewhat logical to base on the concept of karma, it also creates an artificial environment for living souls. 56The purpose of each life is to learn and improve your karma, which the caste system doesn t allow for. 571n other words, the universe should be the one to dole out karmic justice, not us.