Thread: Do you believe in karma?

I totally do.

When I was eleven, I went to Iraq with my family and my cousin's wife told me I was fat. I cried over it. Seriously, who says that to an eleven-year-old girl?

We went again last December and she had gained over 100 pounds in the last five years.

If that ain't karma, then I don't know what is.

What goes around comes around ? So many people i know buy into this belief my daughter being one of them who says endlessly that bad karma is gonna get you or thats bad karma coming back to you. I'm not one way or the other i think if you do something good then it's likely that something good will happen in return and the same if you do something bad.

If i was to hit a policeman he would lock me up, is this bad karma ? or is it just the result of my action !

If i saved a drowning person and that person rewarded me is that a kind of Karma in reverse?

I do think we can read into Karma whatever we choose to. People who believe in spirits and ghosts find them because they are looking for them or are very aware of their existense and so are convinced they exist.

I do think there is some universal gravity that corrects something that is not right or returns a kindness. However i do think if you are nice to folk they are nice back. (Karma) If you are nasty then people are nasty back (Karma).

In the end Karma is a buddist term if i'm right and relates to the balance of things in the world. Make of that what you will ?

We can twist it anyway we like.

Given some of the things I've been through lately, I'm starting to think there might be something out there like a cosmic kick in the pants to encourage a person to be more generous, in every sense of the word. Still working on that last bit, myself.

I find it impossible to believe in karma. There are too many instances of bad things happening to good people, and vice versa. Similarly, I know of many people who treat others with respect but get treated badly in return.

The Buddhist belief is, I think, that for every bad act in the world there has to be a good act to balance it out. But it doesn't necessarily mean that the good acts have to happen to good people.

Originally Posted by yingguoren

The Buddhist belief is, I think, that for every bad act in the world there has to be a good act to balance it out. But it doesn't necessarily mean that the good acts have to happen to good people.

Unfortunately, this is the case.

Still, I find that situation amusing, in a sad way, Dream.

I don't believe in karma, but some things do turn around and bite you on the bum.

I laughed at your post, Dream. If anyone said something like that to my daughter I think I'd have a serious word. A child's self-esteem can be so delicate, harsh words can affect someone so young for years to come.

Humorous story, Dream. If it wasn't karma it seems to be her just rewards. I have trouble imagining you as "fat" anyways. You are quite lovely (face) actually. I was thinking about converting to Islam so I could propose to you.

Originally Posted by yingguoren

I find it impossible to believe in karma. There are too many instances of bad things happening to good people, and vice versa. Similarly, I know of many people who treat others with respect but get treated badly in return.

The Buddhist belief is, I think, that for every bad act in the world there has to be a good act to balance it out. But it doesn't necessarily mean that the good acts have to happen to good people.

My understanding is Buddhist concept of karma impacts the type of life one has in their next life (reincarnation). For example, in the movie Lovely Boxer, the protagonist based on a real life Thai person, is paying for past sins in his previous life, ergo his gender identity problems. Karma can also place the person in one of the several levels of hell (or heaven). Animal life (excepted human) is considered one of the levels of hell.

Karma is much more complicated than "What goes around comes around". And certainly not as simple as "she said something nasty to me and something bad happened to her". Karma involves past lives and actions as well as present life and actions. The incident with your cousin's wife is ironic, but not necessarily karmic.

Too many bad people get away with their evil actions & have lovely lives for there to be karma.

If there was karma, old Frank Murdock would have had his printing presses burn down, like he set his Adelaide competition on fire all those many decades ago.

The closest thing to karma is that people do get trapped in a web of hate and it adversely affects them. But this it just as likely to affect good people as bad.

I believe in Karma wholeheartedly. I believe what goes around comes around, and when it comes to bite you, it'll be 10 fold! But hey, that's just what I think.

I think bad things happen to good people to teach us surrow and pain. I think good things happen to bad people to pull them in a new direction. I think bad things happen to bad people because they've done mean things and their actions are coming back around. And, I think good things happen to good people for the right things they've done, and how well they've treated others.

Yes. I believe in karma. But I don't believe that what comes around goes around. Or that good actions balance out bad actions. Karma is a little more...down to earth than that.

Originally Posted by Sunny

I think bad things happen to good people to teach us surrow and pain. I think good things happen to bad people to pull them in a new direction.

That last sentence I can really buy into. Though, I would have trouble with it about certain questions and events. The first sentence I would find much harder to buy into.

The immediate question that I would challenge myself (not you) with pertaining to the first sentence is... what is the "purpose" in a small child being abducted, tortured, raped, and murdered? The "purpose" in the "teaching" the parents, family, friends and community sorrow and pain in that?

And I would challenge myself about the last sentence as it pertains to questions and events like serial killers like the Grimm Sleeper of L.A. that got a way with murdering women for so long. Admittedly, he did have a wife (who is still committed to him while he's in prison now), home, son and was a respected and liked member of his block and community. So, one could argue some intelligent karmic force was attempting to pull him in a good direction back to his wife, child, home, job, and friends in the community. But I wouldn't be much persuaded by that reasoning as to why the Grimm Sleeper got away for so long.

Suffering and sin do have a mysterious quality. Why do they exist is the timeless question.

Originally Posted by Sunny

I think bad things happen to good people to teach us sorrow and pain. I think good things happen to bad people to pull them in a new direction.

Writ responded to the second part, so I'll get the first one. I think bad things happen to good people so that the good people can learn from them and grow stronger as a result. Also, to expand on your "teach us sorrow and pain" thought, I'd say it's important to experience those things so we can appreciate the times we don't have to worry about them. If you don't know what sadness is, how valuable is your happiness?

That said, I don't believe in karma beyond obvious axioms like "hard work gets rewarded." I'm where I am today, not because I've been a nice guy, but because I worked darn hard to get here.

Sigh... The traditional concept of meaning, as talked about by Siddhartha Gautama indicated that Karma is something we suffer under and are trapped by. In the Pali Sutras "Kamma" which is pali for the Vedantic "Karma" is very much similar to the term "Samsara" which indicated a concept like "Existential Angst". "Karma" as talked about by the buddha, indicates that we have this Existential Angst because we are trapped by "Karma" which is cause and effect. The meaning being that every action creates another causal action after it. One must not confuse these actions with good or bad judgements. Results of actions are simply the result of an action, whether they be painful or not. What the buddha taught is that we can be free from Kamma(Karma) by engaging our free will. The typical example might be that if someone hits you, you would hit back blindingly. If someone causes you pain, you will respond in rage and cause more pain. Suffering begets suffering. At the same time, however, someone who is free from "Kamma" understands that when they are hit by someone, to hit back simply adds more suffering. Indeed, that person realizes that the reason they were hurt in the first place is because the person who clocked them was under pain. A person free from "kamma" can be clocked roundhouse style, and still turn the other cheek. They can be raped, abused, robbed, swindled, and spat upon, but they do not reply in kind because to do so would have no purpose and would just further suffering. That is, further "Samsara".I apologize for writing like this, but I had to get that off my chest. I feel better now.

Originally Posted by Writ-with-Hand

That last sentence I can really buy into. Though, I would have trouble with it about certain questions and events. The first sentence I would find much harder to buy into.

The immediate question that I would challenge myself (not you) with pertaining to the first sentence is... what is the "purpose" in a small child being abducted, tortured, raped, and murdered? The "purpose" in the "teaching" the parents, family, friends and community sorrow and pain in that?

And I would challenge myself about the last sentence as it pertains to questions and events like serial killers like the Grimm Sleeper of L.A. that got a way with murdering women for so long. Admittedly, he did have a wife (who is still committed to him while he's in prison now), home, son and was a respected and liked member of his block and community. So, one could argue some intelligent karmic force was attempting to pull him in a good direction back to his wife, child, home, job, and friends in the community. But I wouldn't be much persuaded by that reasoning as to why the Grimm Sleeper got away for so long.

Suffering and sin do have a mysterious quality. Why do they exist is the timeless question.

I guess without sorrow and pain, we wouldn't have compassion. To be a good person, that doesn't intentionally inflict pain on someone else, I think we have to learn in some shape or form what that pain feels like. We learn how to treat other people by the things that happen to us in our lives. I think the more we suffer, or the hard things that we have to endure, the more understanding and empathy we have towards others, teaching us to be better people. So it takes the bad deeds, and the bad people doing rotten and unheard-of things to show us understanding, consideration, and sympathy for others.

Like the beginning of this thread. If that girl had of been fat 5 years ago, there is no way she would have told someone else they were fat. A child at that. Making them feel bad about their body image at such a young age. Now, maybe she would understand what it would feel like to have someone tell her she's fat. Maybe she has to look in the mirror everyday, and she tells herself how fat she is while trying to squeeze into her old "skinny" jeans. Karma... it is a biatch!

I guess whether Karma is true or not, I guess I just believe you should be kind to everyone anyway... and I'd like to think the people that don't... well... they'll get theirs!