A lot of people dread the word, Karma.
Their fear is a reflection of a one-sided grasp of the concept. Because, the same law that brings pain also brings the greatest joys. What we receive is simply a function of what we have sown and, the state of our spirits, when the harvest returns.
We hardly think of the law, when life is going on as we’d like. We hardly think of the love when we sow a grain and reap a hundred fold. We even think it’s merely because we’re hardworking and smart.
The omniscient, omnipotent Creator is not human in any way. He’s not interested in inflicting pains and deprivations on us. Only joy and peace lie in his will, which is reflected in the laws that gave birth to and operate in creation, from eternity to eternity. We are products of these laws, so we cannot ignore or circumvent them.
The laws are impartial and impersonal, for the Creator is justice. Justice, love, and purity are some of his key attributes. So, we can rest in the knowledge that the laws reflect perfection.
A perfection that transcends what we can ever imagine, because these laws embrace everything, even the slightest stirring of our souls and what we often hide from our fellow-men. The laws embrace all.
Our human-earthly laws are limited, thus, we often see myriad cases of injustice. A man beheads his wife! Would simply asking for forgiveness restore the balance? A civil servant, a politician, a respected bank CEO steals 20 billion.
Would a simple request for forgiveness restore the balance?
Some religious fanatics storm a sleepy town and murders 70 people as if one were killing ants! Would simply asking for forgiveness restore the balance?
Our own laws cannot apprehend and deal with many criminals. In fact, there are some deadly crimes that some of us ”innocent and decent” souls commit, that are not illegal and perceptible. But, we will answer for every thought, word, and action before these perfect, eternal, Divine laws.
Our illusory conception of forgiveness is one of the best ways for fostering evil! If I can do anything I like…and just ask for forgiveness, where is the incentive to be noble, to be an obedient child of the Creator? Where? Who would not like to game this kind of system?
But, we cannot game the system. We cannot pretend or divert the returning harvest. Our attitude to the karmic harvest is fundamental. We only make things worse when we try to be cunning or when we complain. We must look back in time and see when we gave cause to the realities that afflict us.
Because each time we flout a law, we’re really asking for trouble. True forgiveness comes from reformation. There cannot be forgiveness, without atonement. We must bring about a balance. We cannot luxuriate in evil and expect forgiveness. Can we?
Mercy and love, are integral to Karma. The karmic burden that a soul that’s genuinely striving for purity bears is made lighter, in time, if its volition is earnest and strong. Some redemptive imperatives are merely symbolic. What could have killed him, may just rob him of his beloved Hat!
The Divine laws are perfect, they bring back only what we have sown. So, we are the ones to be feared. The feeling of dread that some people have is understandable and apt, because it shows that deep in their spirits, they know that someday Karma will knock on their doors.
But karma is not static! Life is not a series of disjointed snapshots, but an integrated movie. Life is motion. Thus, karma, on its own is not what’s decisive. The volition of a human being is also powerful. That’s why two people who once committed the same grave evils, often meet with different ends.
There are so many inner processes going on that we’re not privy to. We cannot judge. That’s why a thief was promised paradise while many priests will be denizens of hell.
We’re not supposed to be worried about our fate, we should just do good, from the deepest part of our being, without calculations, all the time. The simple truth is, that doing good is our default-setting. It’s the easiest and most natural thing. We’re fragments of Divine love and we should reflect genuine love, for all, in all we do… then, Karma will no longer be feared, it will be our friend.
