I was talking to a friend over online chat (real life friend tho, not virtual), and we started talking about preventing bad things from happening in life, and taking steps to prevent it. Living by the code of "prevention is better than cure." My reaction to that was, I used to be like that, always wanting to see the future so that I can know all the bad things that is going to happen and move around it. It is also one of the biggest reasons why I was so interested in the occult, tarot cards, and divination. As I understood the law of cause and effect, and about karma, that sort of just went by the way side. I told her that we cannot hope to be able to foresee all consequences and control the outcomes, so that the outcomes is as anticipated, or as desired.
As mere humans, we cannot see past our present lifetime, some of us cannot see past our nose. Our journey (soul journey) into this world has been planned since before the day we were born. We planned it together with our guardian angel/s, so that we will have enough resources to go through what we need to go through to learn what we need to learn. We created our own trials and tribulations in order to gain wisdom, so the next time something bad happens instead of saying "why me?" maybe we should ask "what do I take away from all this?" Always remember we are like Avatars in an MMORPG (basically, a character in a Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game, like World of Warcraft). Dying is like deleting that character online, and being born is like starting a new character. The controller playing the game still lives no matter what happens.
When you understand that completely, you begin to see the wisdom of letting things go and go with the flow of things. Things happen for a reason. Past karmic debts need to be repaid in full. So when someone slights you, or does something that pisses you off, tell yourself that its karmic debt being repaid, and "I should be thankful !"
"Does that mean that I should go ahead and do stupid things and let stupid things happen to me ?" That is a loaded question. If you need to do something, even though its going to be stupid but it "needs" to be done anyways, and you at the same time are fully aware of the stupid consequences that will happen, then do it. BUT if you don't know that, then you would not know that it is stupid anyways, and would not be aware of its consequences either. So the choice is still up to you at that point.
Then the big question, "how would I know that I am being stupid?" To that I say, you are stupid when you don't know what you are doing; you are not when you know that its stupid and aware of the consequences, but still do it anyways. However, this does not mean that you should go ahead and do all the stupid things anyways knowing that it is going to have stupid consequences. It also depends on your intentions. For example, know that banging your head against the wall will give you a bump on your head, and hurt like hell, but still going ahead to do it is still just being plain stupid. A positive example here would be a story heard from Reverend Jing Kung.
Lets call this random monk Reverend Kong (this is a fictitious name, he does not exist. Any similarity will just be a coincidence). He is one of the monks residing in this big ornate temple. A lay follower, call him Lenny (again a fictitious name who does not exist in real life. Any similarity will just be a coincidence) usually visits the monk every once in a while to ask for financial assistance. Now, the monk knew full well that he was being scammed, every time Lenny visits him. But he allowed it to happen anyways. He hopes that in so doing, one day Lenny's conscience would spur him into realizing his follies, and repent on his own accord. Everyone around the monk would definitely say the monk was just too dumb to say "No!" But that is not being stupid, it is called being compassionate and having great patience. If giving some money away will save Lenny's soul, bring Lenny wisdom, lighten Reverend Kong's karmic debt, and enlighten Lenny eventually at the same time; that is a worthy sacrifice.
Showing posts with label karma. Show all posts
Showing posts with label karma. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Friday, September 2, 2011
Manage your wastages
I believe that everyone of us is put on this earth with a little bag of "prosperity". This little bag of resources is what we will be using on our soul journey this time round. You can neither have more, nor less, it is all a carefully calculated amount for your use on this trip, to some extent.Buddhist teachings have a similar philosophy. They believe that everyone is born with a little bag of resources called "fu(2) bao(4)" in Mandarin. The amount of this little bag of resources is predestined by what you have accumulated, and your Karma from your past life/s.
In layman's terms, we can look at it as a storage bank of resources of sorts. The amount of money we have now, or will have in the future, and all our material wealth comes from this storage vault. Because this resource is very limited, hence it is very precious to all of us. When we are frugal with it, we are only taking out what we need to use. When we are generous, we give some of what we have to others, as a result we gain more (as a result of good merits accrued), and are also saving what we gave away for our own future to use at a later date. When we squander it, we are taking more out of it than we need; not only does this mean we are shrinking our own pool or resources, but we also pay out more from the bag in the end.
For example, when we order food to eat at any eating establishments, at a buffet, or even at home; we should always finish all on our plates. If we left over any food, all the effort that goes into making what was left over, including those who made it, or grew it, will be paid for from our little bank vault. That makes our little bag of resources shrink even faster.
In light of the above information, lets not waste any more resources, and leave no more morsel of food on our plates.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
About Karma
On a few previous occasions, I have mentioned the concept known as Karma. Unfortunately, that concept has not been explained. I shall now attempt to elaborate a little more about the concept of Karma.
To many of us, Karma has been commonly associated with the practice of Buddhism. Contrary to this, Karma is not an exclusive concept to Buddhism. The concept of Karma predates Buddhism, to some ancient religion with Hindu origin. Therefore, Karma has its place in many Indian religions.
What is Karma then? The term "karma" has its roots in Sanskrit, which means action, or performance. Thus, Karma as a concept, refers to the actions, or deeds, that causes the entire cycle of cause and effect. Simply, it is the consequence that results from the performance of an action, or deed. Sadly, such simple reactions rarely do happen. In reality though, the consequence/s resulting from action/s can cause further consequences, and so on and so forth; becoming a chain reaction.
I am quite sure many of us know by default what the cycle of cause and effect is. It could have been mentioned in different religions in their own ways, or explained to us by our close relatives, and family members, from their own perspective. All of which drill down to one common line of thought, "you reap what you sow." That line of thought has given birth to many more well known quotes such as, "do unto others as you would have others do unto you", "revenge is a bitch", "hell hath no wrath like a woman's scorn", "before you begin on the journey of revenge, dig two graves", "Our deeds determine us as much as we determine our deeds", "Sin makes its own hell, and goodness its own heaven", "Every action of our lives touches on some chord that will vibrate in eternity", to quote just a few.
From my own personal perspective, I view Karma as a bank account. This Karma bank account records all the good deeds and all the bad ones as well, and keeps a running total of both. As far as I understand, they both do not cancel each other off, which means having equal amounts of both good and bad deeds does not mean one has NO karma. Meritorious deeds begets good karma, and hence rewards. Devious deeds begets bad karma and thus punishment, or suffering. If one has equal amounts of both good and bad karma, then he/she will benefit and suffer equally. As a result, because of the enjoyments reaped from the benefits, the suffering may not be as bad.
To illustrate this with a real world example, lets assume that such a person exist. Lets assume that he/she is fated to have a near fatal accident in a deserted part of town where rarely anyone goes there (middle of no where). He/she suffers the accident, but will be saved by a passerby calling for help.
On the other hand, lets assume that his/her good karma account was lower then the bad karma debt. The result of such a situation could be that he/she would have the accident, but could die as a result of the accident, or may have to agonize over his near fatal injuries for hours before being saved. Each outcome depends on the amount of amount of good and bad karma accrued.
In short, we each receive the payout from each account accordingly. None of us may escape the effects of karma. However, having an overly positive karma account would not hurt anyone. But how do we differentiate between a deed that would produce good karma, from one that would produce bad karma?
I am quoting what a very respectable monk said once - as a rule of thumb, if the deed was done not to gain personal benefit, but solely for the benefit of others then it is a great meritorious deed and will gain good karma. If a deed was done for the sole benefit of oneself, then it is most likely a deed that will accrue bad karma.
To many of us, Karma has been commonly associated with the practice of Buddhism. Contrary to this, Karma is not an exclusive concept to Buddhism. The concept of Karma predates Buddhism, to some ancient religion with Hindu origin. Therefore, Karma has its place in many Indian religions.
What is Karma then? The term "karma" has its roots in Sanskrit, which means action, or performance. Thus, Karma as a concept, refers to the actions, or deeds, that causes the entire cycle of cause and effect. Simply, it is the consequence that results from the performance of an action, or deed. Sadly, such simple reactions rarely do happen. In reality though, the consequence/s resulting from action/s can cause further consequences, and so on and so forth; becoming a chain reaction.
I am quite sure many of us know by default what the cycle of cause and effect is. It could have been mentioned in different religions in their own ways, or explained to us by our close relatives, and family members, from their own perspective. All of which drill down to one common line of thought, "you reap what you sow." That line of thought has given birth to many more well known quotes such as, "do unto others as you would have others do unto you", "revenge is a bitch", "hell hath no wrath like a woman's scorn", "before you begin on the journey of revenge, dig two graves", "Our deeds determine us as much as we determine our deeds", "Sin makes its own hell, and goodness its own heaven", "Every action of our lives touches on some chord that will vibrate in eternity", to quote just a few.
From my own personal perspective, I view Karma as a bank account. This Karma bank account records all the good deeds and all the bad ones as well, and keeps a running total of both. As far as I understand, they both do not cancel each other off, which means having equal amounts of both good and bad deeds does not mean one has NO karma. Meritorious deeds begets good karma, and hence rewards. Devious deeds begets bad karma and thus punishment, or suffering. If one has equal amounts of both good and bad karma, then he/she will benefit and suffer equally. As a result, because of the enjoyments reaped from the benefits, the suffering may not be as bad.
To illustrate this with a real world example, lets assume that such a person exist. Lets assume that he/she is fated to have a near fatal accident in a deserted part of town where rarely anyone goes there (middle of no where). He/she suffers the accident, but will be saved by a passerby calling for help.
On the other hand, lets assume that his/her good karma account was lower then the bad karma debt. The result of such a situation could be that he/she would have the accident, but could die as a result of the accident, or may have to agonize over his near fatal injuries for hours before being saved. Each outcome depends on the amount of amount of good and bad karma accrued.
In short, we each receive the payout from each account accordingly. None of us may escape the effects of karma. However, having an overly positive karma account would not hurt anyone. But how do we differentiate between a deed that would produce good karma, from one that would produce bad karma?
I am quoting what a very respectable monk said once - as a rule of thumb, if the deed was done not to gain personal benefit, but solely for the benefit of others then it is a great meritorious deed and will gain good karma. If a deed was done for the sole benefit of oneself, then it is most likely a deed that will accrue bad karma.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
About Gossip and Idle Talk
Ever since I was young, the bigger people around me are always saying "sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me." To an extent, it is true. Sticks and stones will inflict physical harm, but words will never inflict any physical harm. Whoever coined that phrase must have been a very smart person to use those words to console another who felt hurt by words from another.
I did say "hurt" by words didn't I? Yes they do hurt! I am sure most of us have heard of the saying that "the pen is mightier then the sword." Words do hurt, and they cut deeper then sticks and stones. The physical wounds that sticks and stones inflict, if they do not kill you, will heal over time albeit with some scarring. The severity of the scar, and the time taken for the physical wounds to heal will depend on how severe the physical damage was. Obviously, the more severe the damage the longer it will take to heal, and the deeper the scars will be.
However, the damage words inflict are emotional. They are hidden from plain sight, no one will know you are bleeding inside, figuratively speaking. None outside will know the severity of this bleeding with just a look. This bleeding could last for days, weeks, months, years, even decades. Yes, that is how severe this kind of injury can be. The emotional hurt inflicted by words can be immeasurable. Sometimes it can even be contagious and the people around the person hurt might also feel hurt, like a disease. This bleeding can sometimes manifest itself as depression, very commonly, and at other times manifests itself as other forms of mental disorders like personality disorders, abnormal behaviours, etc. The ironic thing about all this is that it can be started with just a single sentence, a small phrase, or a word. For example, a father telling a child that he/she is worthless, or a child calling another insecure kid that he/she is fat, etc. This does not only happens to children, it happens to adolescents and adults too. One need not look far to see examples of this.
Have a gentle survey of the office at which you work at, keep your keen ears out for idle talk and gossips going round. Or in a school environment in areas where people tend to gather, one is bound to catch wind of some "juicy" gossip or a little idle talk. Most people think that this kind of talk is harmless. In some cases it is, in others it is NOT. The scary part is, none knows when the talk is harmful or harmless.
When idle talk, or gossip, harms someone, the Universal Law of Cause and Effect goes into play. The creator of any harmful talk starts accruing karmic debt for all the harm the talk has harmed. Propagators of such talk also accrues karmic debt, and the original creator of the talk also accrues debt again for causing the propagators to accrue debt. As the talk starts to inflict hurt on the people around surrounding the subject of the talk, debt mounts on the propagators, and the creator yet again. As this carry on, it is not hard to see that the creator of such talk starts to accrue karmic debt many fold as the idle talk spreads. The bottom line is all this karmic debt will have to be repaid some day. And the only the owners of the debt can repay the debt, none will be able to help.
Let all be warned when you feel like talking about something related to someone, especially if you are not sure if it is true or not. Even if it was true, do you have any business discussing someone else's business with someone else, if it was not for the purpose of therapy?
I did say "hurt" by words didn't I? Yes they do hurt! I am sure most of us have heard of the saying that "the pen is mightier then the sword." Words do hurt, and they cut deeper then sticks and stones. The physical wounds that sticks and stones inflict, if they do not kill you, will heal over time albeit with some scarring. The severity of the scar, and the time taken for the physical wounds to heal will depend on how severe the physical damage was. Obviously, the more severe the damage the longer it will take to heal, and the deeper the scars will be.
However, the damage words inflict are emotional. They are hidden from plain sight, no one will know you are bleeding inside, figuratively speaking. None outside will know the severity of this bleeding with just a look. This bleeding could last for days, weeks, months, years, even decades. Yes, that is how severe this kind of injury can be. The emotional hurt inflicted by words can be immeasurable. Sometimes it can even be contagious and the people around the person hurt might also feel hurt, like a disease. This bleeding can sometimes manifest itself as depression, very commonly, and at other times manifests itself as other forms of mental disorders like personality disorders, abnormal behaviours, etc. The ironic thing about all this is that it can be started with just a single sentence, a small phrase, or a word. For example, a father telling a child that he/she is worthless, or a child calling another insecure kid that he/she is fat, etc. This does not only happens to children, it happens to adolescents and adults too. One need not look far to see examples of this.
Have a gentle survey of the office at which you work at, keep your keen ears out for idle talk and gossips going round. Or in a school environment in areas where people tend to gather, one is bound to catch wind of some "juicy" gossip or a little idle talk. Most people think that this kind of talk is harmless. In some cases it is, in others it is NOT. The scary part is, none knows when the talk is harmful or harmless.
When idle talk, or gossip, harms someone, the Universal Law of Cause and Effect goes into play. The creator of any harmful talk starts accruing karmic debt for all the harm the talk has harmed. Propagators of such talk also accrues karmic debt, and the original creator of the talk also accrues debt again for causing the propagators to accrue debt. As the talk starts to inflict hurt on the people around surrounding the subject of the talk, debt mounts on the propagators, and the creator yet again. As this carry on, it is not hard to see that the creator of such talk starts to accrue karmic debt many fold as the idle talk spreads. The bottom line is all this karmic debt will have to be repaid some day. And the only the owners of the debt can repay the debt, none will be able to help.
Let all be warned when you feel like talking about something related to someone, especially if you are not sure if it is true or not. Even if it was true, do you have any business discussing someone else's business with someone else, if it was not for the purpose of therapy?
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