Karma and How It Works

Musings on Karma’s action and its consequences by our member

Karma is conceived as mere action, but, in reality, it comprises both action and its consequences. Here, action includes thoughts, words, and deeds. Every action we take is like a seed that will produce results in our lifetime or future lives. We can't explain why actions have results or when they'll happen.

For instance, in a mishap, not everyone involved may face the same consequences. The concept of cause and effect governs our lives. In this sense, karma is a precise science, leaving no room for omission or error in karma accounting. Karma works over many lifetimes. The seeds of karma stay with the subtle body, even after the physical body dies.

There are three types of Karma, as described by Sri Sri Ravishankar Guruji:

1. Prarabdha Karma: Ripe karma about to fruitify in this lifetime.

2. Sanchita Karma: Accumulated karma acquired over various lives, yet to bear fruit.

3. Aagaami Karma: New karma planted, which will bear fruit later.

1. Law of Cause and Effect: Actions have consequences.

A woman in her fifties fell from her fourth-floor apartment window while cleaning it. She fell between the concrete wall of the party hall and the garden area. She missed hitting the concrete walls by a few inches. She broke her back and legs. She was in the hospital for many months and bedridden for a year. Despite the major injury, she can now walk without help. It's truly a miracle. So Karma works in a subtle way.

2. Law of Creation: We can create a brighter future through positive actions.

Example: This real story of Arunima Sinha is worth noting. She lost her leg and stayed in the hospital for four months. Despite this, she didn't feel sorry for herself. Instead, she worked hard and climbed Mount Everest. She received the Padma Shri Award in 2015. 

3. Law of Humility: Avoid blaming others and accept faults.

This law warns us to be humble and not blame somebody for anything and everything.  Like blaming the weather for some minor changes in weather as per nature.  Similarly, accept your own faults and try not to pass the buck to somebody else to cover personal faults. to attract  bad Karma.

4. Law of Growth: Karma can lead to unexpected heights in life.

In 1964, a middle-class family's oldest son, one of 12 children, got a job at LIC. He earned Rs.600/- per month after completing 10th Standard.  This was a sizeable sum in those days. The family was happy when their son started supporting them early in his life. But, after working for 2 years, he decided to go back to school and study engineering. The family was hit hard by two surprises: losing their monthly income of 600 rupees and not having enough money to support their son's Engineering course.  It was beyond their capacity.  But the boy had a firm goal to come up in life. He received a scholarship and finished his Chemical Engineering degree. He ranked third in his graduating class, joined reputed firms and never looked back!  This shows how Karma can also take a person to unbelievable new heights in life.

5. Law of Responsibility: Take responsibility for your actions.

In a house, husband and wife were frequently quarrelling due to an ego clash. After that, they were not on talking terms for many days. During a fight, the wife blamed the neighbour, hoping to win over her husband. Blaming others for misunderstandings or faults doesn't solve clashes between people. These fights cause a lot of negative emotions in the mind and this will have a spiralling effect on the health of those people.  A prolonged harbouring of such bad emotions will also attract two major setbacks. When you have negative thoughts about someone, they can sense it and feel negative too. Negative thoughts can also cause visible psychosomatic issues in a person over time.

6. Law of Connection: Past, present, and future are interconnected.

This law is based on the idea that everything in your life is connected. It includes the past, present, and future.

7. Law of Focus: Remain focused on goals to avoid distractions.

This Law tells us to stay focused on the main goal and not get distracted by other things.

8. Law of Giving and Hospitality: Charity and kindness bring positive karma.

Offering Daana is held in high esteem in Hinduism and other religions too. When we help deserving people through our charity, we feel positive and blessed. It's good Karma.  This does not need any additional explanations or examples.

9. Law of Here and Now: Living in the present relieves past negative thoughts.

Living in the present is a commonly advised principle. If we stay focused on the present moment, we won't waste energy on negative thoughts or events from the past. This helps us avoid hurting ourselves and losing focus on our current tasks.  This approach also helps us be more vigilant in our daily lives to lead the right path.

10. Law of Change: Avoid dwelling on past negative experiences.

This reminds us of the dangers of dwelling on past bad karma or bad experiences.  Such repeated dwelling on bad memories is likely to recreate the same past experience. This is another offshoot of this. We should practice shifting our minds away from such dangerous topics to avoid such mishaps. 

11. Law of Patience and Reward: Persistence leads to big achievements.

We need to be persistent in our effort to reach the goal by performing positive karmas. A stray single thought cannot reach big achievements without concerted persistent efforts.

12. Law of Significance and Inspiration: Inner inspiration can lead to extraordinary feats.

To reduce bad karma, one can think mindfully, ask forgiveness, forgive others, stay fit, live in the present, and do duties without attachment to outcomes.

In conclusion, as the Dalai Lama wisely said, "Take care of your thoughts because they become words. Words become actions, actions become habits, habits become character, and character becomes your destiny, which shapes your life."

Remember, being happy is a matter of choice, not destiny.

Photographs courtesy: Unsplash & Pixabay

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