15.06.2016
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As Justin Timberlake famously said: “What goes around, goes around, goes around, comes all the way back around.” It’s true that JT isn’t necessarily an expert on the subject of karma but his much loved lyrics speak the truth. The Sanskrit word karma actually means ‘work’ or ‘deed,’ but it also refers to the spiritual belief of how a person’s actions will influence their future, which is a philosophy found in many Indian religions such as Buddhism and Hinduism. This important philosophy shouldn’t just be restricted to Indian religions however, as I believe it’s something that people of all belief systems should try and live by. To believe in karma doesn’t mean a belief in God or the afterlife is necessary, it’s just a way to ensure that you are being kind towards others always with the hope of forging an honest and positive path.
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The lotus flower is one of the symbols for the philosophy within many Asian religions as it’s one of the only flowers which is a natural representation of it – the lotus carries its seeds within itself while it blooms, which is like the cause and effect of karma. Spiritual blogger Rich Solomon describes the philosophy in a way that more recent generations could perhaps understand better: “Karma is a cosmic point system invented by the Buddhists to determine who gets the good controller when the next game of life starts.” Within most Indian religions there is a belief in rebirth, which is mostly what karma refers to – it is the belief that your actions in this life will change the course of your next one once you have died and been reborn.
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For its believers karma ensures that they lead a moral life and also explains to them the presence of evil. I have to say though that I know a lot of lovely people that bad things happen to without them doing any wrong and therefore it may sometimes be a little hard to believe in the philosophy. In Western societies ‘good,’ ‘bad’ and ‘evil’ are measures of a person or action, however Buddhists use the words ‘wholesome’ and ‘unwholesome.’ In their eyes a wholesome action would come from selflessness and loving kindness, while an unwholesome action would be the result of greed, anger and ignorance. I read a story recently of a hitchhiker who was picked up by a kind man who drove her with him from the East to the West Coast of the US. When the hitch hiker got out of the car she stole the pack of cigarettes in his car, and then later that evening he found her bag with all of belongings which she’d left behind; a small example of the effects of karma.
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Buddhists believe that the present is influenced by the past and the present is also shaped by the actions at that time too. Walpola Rahula explains in his writing ‘What the Buddha Taught’ (Grove Press, 1959, 1974) why this is significant: “Instead of promoting resigned powerlessness, the early Buddhist notion of karma focused on the liberating potential of what the mind is doing with every moment. Who you are — what you come from — is not anywhere near as important as the mind’s motives for what it is doing right now. Even though the past may account for many of the inequalities we see in life, our measure as human beings is not the hand we’ve been dealt, for that hand can change at any moment. We take our own measure by how well we play the hand we’ve got.”
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Recently I travelled to Bali and I noticed how the strong beliefs in karma of its people, as well as their natural kind natures, made communities so friendly and helpful to one another and travellers. How nice it was to be greeted with a smile from everyone you spoke to or even simply made eye contact with on the street. Returning to London was a slightly different story. It’s sad that in some parts of the world, especially the UK’s capital, that some seem to go out of their ways not to help each other or avoid eye contact. Even though it can’t be disputed that every day I encounter things that reinstall my faith in humanity, and shock me at the kindness of others, we can all do things to improve our karma a little. Simply start to regularly do selfless acts and eventually you will do them without even realising.
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“Like gravity, karma is so basic we often don’t even notice it,” Sakyong Mipham, head of the Shambala Buddhist lineage, famously states. As with everything in life it’s all about balance – the good has to be followed by some bad to remind us of how good the good actually is. None of us know what is going to happen even in the same day, but the best we can do is try to always be kind. So today and always be a good Samaritan and make sure to continue to do selfless acts and the laws of karma should eventually reward you in the future; however even if they don’t then at least you get that warm feeling that comes with making others happy. Zen teacher John Daido Loori said, “Cause and effect are one thing. And what is that one thing? You. That’s why what you do and what happens to you are the same thing.” Let’s all remember that one.
Karma's a bitch
