One
of the most popular laws that really is not a law is that of KARMA. It is an
ancient Hindu religious concept that has been Americanized over time.
"What goes around, comes around" or "every dog has his day"
and there are other expressions that mean the same thing.
Centuries
ago in India the expression of Karma was not easily understood and today it is
not understood, just accepted.
Karma
is not really a law at all. It is a psychological trick of the mind in order
for other religious aspects and concepts to be accepted when they are against
reality and true life experiences.
Just
what is mean by the "law of Karma" and we need to keep that question
in mind during the rest of this message.
Long
ago in the history of man religious leaders and seers, mystics and sages,
priests and even politicians realized that getting individuals to believe in
some aspects of religion is difficult in the face of reality. What reality? The
reality of daily life and how things really go. Teaching that it is good to
suffer is foolish, but common in early times and also now. In India the
acceptance of suffering is masked by the religious concept of
"reincarnation" to accept the hardships of the present because of
wrongful acts in a previous life. Don't act against it, accept it. That is the
Indian way.
Do
good and good will be done unto you. That also was a long ago concept and still
today it is preached as if it weres some law. What law? The law of
Karma....what you send out, comes back. These are all nice concepts to think
about and even teach to small children, but adults and even older children
realize that this is not true. Doing good does not always result in good being
done back.
REWARDS,
yes religion offers them. Whatever is denied on in this life is promised in the
next as a reward for doing without in this life. Other promises are made by
religions too. How to collect on them is the question.
Experience
teaches that the good do not always prosper and crime does pay or it would not
exist. How to command others to follow some religious tenet when it goes
against the experiences of life?
Karma
teaches one to "wait" the right will happen, the guilty will be
punished, right is stronger than wrong, good will-out. All these sayings are
just that - sayings. If you put your hand into a fire you will be burned NOW,
not in the future or some future life and certainly not in some past life. The
now can only be the now until it is replaced by another now. Memories are the
past, dreams are the future and only the now is now.
Karma
is used to quell the peoples' feelings for revenge which they may not be in a
physical or financial position to take at the moment. Governments also use this
mind trick which was perfected by religion. Karma is not a bad concept, but it
needs to be understood as a concept and not as a law.
Americanized,
"every dog has its day" - people realize that wrong is not always
punished, but we are told that "some day" things will catch up with
the evil doer. Americanized, "what goes around, comes around" that
may be true with a virus, but it is not true with deeds.
Karma
goes further than the present life. Yes, it uses the after-life or next life to
complete its "promise" so that in case you don't live to see your
revenge or the evil doer getting his/her reward or punishment - you can be
certain (by the Law of Karma) that punishment will come in the afterlife or
next life. Truthfully, if you don't see it, as far as you are ever aware of it
- it never comes. Does that make one want to stay on the "straight and
narrow"? No, it does not so in comes Karma again. We teach it, it is
preached, and it is studied and called a law - but it is not.
Whether
it is punishment or reward, the Law of Karma is not a law at all. If it were a
law, everyone would be more careful of their actions, would be planting the
seeds of good, and absolutely reaping the fruit of good. That does not happen.
KARMA must be understood as a psychological concept of religion (and also
politics) and nothing else.
There
is no law that assures that things eventually are made right, rewards
eventually come, punishments eventually happen, good deeds are returned, evil
deeds receive their just rewards.
All
this is entwined into the Law of Karma, which you must remember is not a law at
all.
If
you do good, that is its own reward.
If
you do evil, that evil is now - it might be learned of later, but it is done
now. Pleasures, rewards, gifts and good deeds promised later do not exist until
that time and there is no "law" that will make them become reality.
Anything
outside of your skin and beyond your senses is a belief and Karma has been put
in between your senses and your experiences to make it feel that things are
going to be different, not as they seem, more to your liking - later, in the
fullness of time as the Scriptures term it. You make your own reality in your
mind. Experiences are just that, experiences and they are recalled as memories.
Does
this mean that doing good is never rewarded? No, it does not mean that. It means
that doing good is its own reward and that there is NO LAW that is going to
make something else good happen. Does it work the same for evil deeds. Yes,
doing evil deeds does not mean that punishment is bound to happen.
Every
dog does not have its day - perhaps but not by any law. What goes around does
not come around - perhaps but not by any law.
It
means only this...everything you do, everything you say, everything you think -
is yours and you carry around the memories of your past. Filling your memories
with good is its own reward.
Don't
count upon some imaginary law to reward you...
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