The word Karma. - Theosophy.Net2024-03-29T12:07:32Zhttps://theosophy.net/forum/topics/the-word-karma?commentId=3055387%3AComment%3A125022&x=1&feed=yes&xn_auth=noThere is a good introduction…tag:theosophy.net,2013-05-10:3055387:Comment:1250222013-05-10T05:02:37.284ZCapt. Anand Kumarhttps://theosophy.net/profile/CaptAnandKumar
<p>There is a good introduction to Indian Philosophy <a href="http://www.studentorg.umd.edu/desi/Events/20081122_Vijay_IndianPhilosophy/20081122_Vijay_IndianPhilosophy-talkSlides.pdf" target="_blank">here</a>. Please look at the page 16 where it is clarified that Karma is not a binary system (right vs. wrong, good vs evil etc.),</p>
<p>There is a good introduction to Indian Philosophy <a href="http://www.studentorg.umd.edu/desi/Events/20081122_Vijay_IndianPhilosophy/20081122_Vijay_IndianPhilosophy-talkSlides.pdf" target="_blank">here</a>. Please look at the page 16 where it is clarified that Karma is not a binary system (right vs. wrong, good vs evil etc.),</p> To some, knowledge would cons…tag:theosophy.net,2013-05-08:3055387:Comment:1246532013-05-08T02:53:09.090ZCapt. Anand Kumarhttps://theosophy.net/profile/CaptAnandKumar
<p>To some, knowledge would constitute a sum total of all understanding. Modern Scientific and Psychological understanding included. Once an overview of the entire universal processes is developed, it may be easier to explore the role of Karma in that. From that perspective, Ken Wilber is a very important thinker of our time. A <a href="http://www.kheper.net/topics/Wilber/Wilber_I.html" target="_blank">critic of his theory</a> may help some of us to gain greater understanding of Karma. There…</p>
<p>To some, knowledge would constitute a sum total of all understanding. Modern Scientific and Psychological understanding included. Once an overview of the entire universal processes is developed, it may be easier to explore the role of Karma in that. From that perspective, Ken Wilber is a very important thinker of our time. A <a href="http://www.kheper.net/topics/Wilber/Wilber_I.html" target="_blank">critic of his theory</a> may help some of us to gain greater understanding of Karma. There are some great graphics to peruse.</p> I beleive we do evolve and we…tag:theosophy.net,2013-05-07:3055387:Comment:1244842013-05-07T10:56:52.354ZJeffrey Smarthttps://theosophy.net/profile/JeffreySmart
<p>I beleive we do evolve and we do not return to start over but we start where we left off. Karma doesn't have to be a drag, all pain and misery. It is a learning experience, a process if you will. It is not so much punishment for past wrongs but a learning process in which we gain a growing realization of our mistakes and our successes and evolve through them. At least that is how I view it...Take care.</p>
<p>I beleive we do evolve and we do not return to start over but we start where we left off. Karma doesn't have to be a drag, all pain and misery. It is a learning experience, a process if you will. It is not so much punishment for past wrongs but a learning process in which we gain a growing realization of our mistakes and our successes and evolve through them. At least that is how I view it...Take care.</p> Karma is not either good nor…tag:theosophy.net,2013-05-07:3055387:Comment:1246452013-05-07T01:26:23.494ZMalcolm D. Muir ("Mac")https://theosophy.net/profile/MalcolmdMuirMac
<p>Karma is not either good nor bad. It just is. I think it is often profitable, or perhaps prophet-able, to look on outstanding karma as being out of balance. This is uncomfortable to the soul both in manifestation and while in bardo (between lives). A soul will try to arrange lifetimes in ways which restore balance. Most of the time however the personality does not listen well to the soul and blunders about making still more karma. All of this is creating experience which is what the ongoing…</p>
<p>Karma is not either good nor bad. It just is. I think it is often profitable, or perhaps prophet-able, to look on outstanding karma as being out of balance. This is uncomfortable to the soul both in manifestation and while in bardo (between lives). A soul will try to arrange lifetimes in ways which restore balance. Most of the time however the personality does not listen well to the soul and blunders about making still more karma. All of this is creating experience which is what the ongoing process of creation is really all about. These games (and all of this really is a set of games) vary with the age of a given soul. (For a discussion of soul age see "Earth to Tao," "Tao to Earth" and "The Michael Handbook" by jose Stevens.) For most of our lives karma is a powerful learning tool. It is only the very old soul that has the wisdom to create a personality which really listens to its soul. Namaste, Mac</p> My idea of karma, and this he…tag:theosophy.net,2013-05-07:3055387:Comment:1246372013-05-07T00:08:16.976ZJeffrey Smarthttps://theosophy.net/profile/JeffreySmart
<p>My idea of karma, and this helps me understand the role of spiritual evolution as well as psychology to a certain extant, is that karma is a habit that we have built over a life time or life times. Like all habits we tend to do the same thing over and over again and again without thinking. I good habit (showing compassion to those in need) will hopefully go with us through many life times and with this habit we will grow and evolve. A bad or negative habit (abusing people who you consider…</p>
<p>My idea of karma, and this helps me understand the role of spiritual evolution as well as psychology to a certain extant, is that karma is a habit that we have built over a life time or life times. Like all habits we tend to do the same thing over and over again and again without thinking. I good habit (showing compassion to those in need) will hopefully go with us through many life times and with this habit we will grow and evolve. A bad or negative habit (abusing people who you consider your inferiors) can also go with us through many life times and impede our evolution until we figure out, by the reactions caused by our actions, that this is bad. Life is a form of Reality Therapy in which we learn to overcome our predispositions, short falls, imperfections, etc... through experience. Habits we picked up in physical realms may only be able to be overcome in physical realms. We cannot, for example learn to control our appetites for addictions to alcohol, food, or sex with out a body. In this sense, from this standpoint, karma makes sense to me. What do you think?</p> Thanks Malcolm.
As per my und…tag:theosophy.net,2013-04-28:3055387:Comment:1240422013-04-28T04:19:48.620ZCapt. Anand Kumarhttps://theosophy.net/profile/CaptAnandKumar
<p>Thanks Malcolm.</p>
<p>As per my understanding, good or bad Karma is political science and not philosophy, Tao story notwithstanding.</p>
<p>The Standard karma theory, cause and consequence has endured because time's motion is taken as linear. Once the format of the motion of time is grasped such theories are bound to disappear.</p>
<p>Thanks Malcolm.</p>
<p>As per my understanding, good or bad Karma is political science and not philosophy, Tao story notwithstanding.</p>
<p>The Standard karma theory, cause and consequence has endured because time's motion is taken as linear. Once the format of the motion of time is grasped such theories are bound to disappear.</p> Dear Paul,
Mac has given…tag:theosophy.net,2013-04-28:3055387:Comment:1241282013-04-28T03:24:58.929ZHari Menonhttps://theosophy.net/profile/HariMenon
<p>Dear Paul,</p>
<p> Mac has given a really beautiful dissertation on Karma, I do honestly believe that you have to closely read it and think on the same with reference to your life and in general and also reconcile it with your christian beliefs and thus make it seamless and doubt free , repeated readings may be required but if the pains are taken with a sincere resolve to gain knowledge of yourself and understand things as they are , I guess your own reasoned examples and conclusions…</p>
<p>Dear Paul,</p>
<p> Mac has given a really beautiful dissertation on Karma, I do honestly believe that you have to closely read it and think on the same with reference to your life and in general and also reconcile it with your christian beliefs and thus make it seamless and doubt free , repeated readings may be required but if the pains are taken with a sincere resolve to gain knowledge of yourself and understand things as they are , I guess your own reasoned examples and conclusions aided by intution which may supply you examples long forgotten from your own memory at the appropriate junctures plus new intutive insights correlating your musings will be a highly profitable exercise . Sip slowly and stop to think and sip again , after all good advice is like old wine to be savoured and not swallowed .</p> Dear Mac ,
This is a ver…tag:theosophy.net,2013-04-28:3055387:Comment:1239982013-04-28T03:17:16.321ZHari Menonhttps://theosophy.net/profile/HariMenon
<p>Dear Mac ,</p>
<p> This is a very good piece on Karma and honestly one of the best I have read . You have a good idea of both the Gross and subtle aspects of the Karmic situation . I do not think Paul would have to look elsewhere , a close reading of your post with some deep thinking and drawing analogies from his own life , Past and Present would suffice to inhere in the knowledge very sensibly .A really good dissertation on Karma ,if I might say so . </p>
<p>Dear Mac ,</p>
<p> This is a very good piece on Karma and honestly one of the best I have read . You have a good idea of both the Gross and subtle aspects of the Karmic situation . I do not think Paul would have to look elsewhere , a close reading of your post with some deep thinking and drawing analogies from his own life , Past and Present would suffice to inhere in the knowledge very sensibly .A really good dissertation on Karma ,if I might say so . </p> Paul and Anand.As I understan…tag:theosophy.net,2013-04-27:3055387:Comment:1241192013-04-27T12:24:58.061ZMalcolm D. Muir ("Mac")https://theosophy.net/profile/MalcolmdMuirMac
<p>Paul and Anand.<br></br><br></br>As I understand it the word karma literally means action. Specifically any action which disturbs a balance, any balance. There is no inherent judgement here, no good and bad, just is.<br></br><br></br>I find it is often useful to look at the human experience as a combination of four models: Life is classroom where we function as both teachers and students, Laboratory where we conduct experiments, Inventors workshop/Artists studio where we create and Playroom where we play…</p>
<p>Paul and Anand.<br/><br/>As I understand it the word karma literally means action. Specifically any action which disturbs a balance, any balance. There is no inherent judgement here, no good and bad, just is.<br/><br/>I find it is often useful to look at the human experience as a combination of four models: Life is classroom where we function as both teachers and students, Laboratory where we conduct experiments, Inventors workshop/Artists studio where we create and Playroom where we play games. Yes, sometimes the games get very rough. Within this framework, we can if we choose explore using judgement or we can set it aside. Either way the exploration, the unfoldment continues.<br/><br/>I find the Taoist farmer story to be an important piece of the puzzle. What seems bad turns out to be good and vice versa leading to an ultimate good. This requires an attitude of allowing, of being in the flow.<br/><br/>There seems to be an idea within Buddhism and Taoism of living in such a way as to go through life while remaining in balance. Wu-wei.<br/><br/>To respond to Paul’s question: It seems to me that illness is just another part of the play, possibly a karmic result, possibly a karmic cause, it is a tool. In the end we are always responsible. But I come back to the idea that karma is not a system of rewards and punishments even though it may seem like it when you are in the middle of a karmic drama. Mac</p> "As You sow,so shall ye reap"…tag:theosophy.net,2013-04-27:3055387:Comment:1240312013-04-27T04:16:44.577ZCapt. Anand Kumarhttps://theosophy.net/profile/CaptAnandKumar
<p>"As You sow,so shall ye reap" and several other attribute based (Good or Bad - reward and punishment) cause and effect based meanings of the Karma belong to the realm of political science (how a society organizes itself) and not spirituality.</p>
<p><a href="http://archive.org/details/hindurealismbein00chatiala" target="_blank">The Hindu Realism</a>, a treatise on the ancient Hindu system of Physics links the word Karma to two others namely Dharma and Adharma. Dharma being the principle that…</p>
<p>"As You sow,so shall ye reap" and several other attribute based (Good or Bad - reward and punishment) cause and effect based meanings of the Karma belong to the realm of political science (how a society organizes itself) and not spirituality.</p>
<p><a href="http://archive.org/details/hindurealismbein00chatiala" target="_blank">The Hindu Realism</a>, a treatise on the ancient Hindu system of Physics links the word Karma to two others namely Dharma and Adharma. Dharma being the principle that causes motion, Adharma being the principle that cause rest (deceleration) and Karma being the motion itself. The word Motion is very curious here and I am yet to develop even a working understanding of it. However <a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2867571262?profile=original" target="_self">Spanda Karika</a>, available from our English Language download section may help those interested in understanding of motion.</p>
<p>Motion by itself is secular without good or bad attributed to it. But Karma being linked to Dharma & Adharma will mean the actions that either add to the motion or decelerate it. There is no algorithm to tell us that what the result of each Karma will be, good or bad, or to how many will be affected by one's Karma. But Sri Krishna in verse 4.7 of the Bhagvad Gita declares that every time the motion decelerates, he incarnates to restore motion. It implies that there is a built-in component in the universal software to detect the deceleration of motion and restore it to the original.</p>