Karma, Kramer

Karma: The law of cause and effect,  where actions, both good and bad, affect future outcomes; the belief that your actions and choices can shape your life.

"The law of karma describes the way that cause and effect govern the patterns that repeat themselves throughout all life.  Karma means that nothing arises by itself.  Every experience is conditioned by that which precedes it.  Thus our life is a series of interrelated patterns.  The Buddhists say that understanding this is enought to live wisely in the world."

Jack Kornfield

I didn't put much stock in the concept of karma for the longest time because I ascribed esoteric principles . . . well, that is one awful sentence where I was trying to sound smart and ended up sounding like someone who doesn't know shit and is pretending like he does.  Let's start over.  The point is that for me karma was all wrapped up in what happens in a future life - like if I'm good in this life I'm going to come back as a puppy in my next life and if I'm bad I'm going to come back as a sea slug.  And, again, maybe sea slugs are perfectly content with their respective lots in life.  Who knows?  But if I apply the simple principle of good actions leading to good outcomes and vice versa I think I've got a satisfying way forward.  It isn't always an iron clad concept - there are plenty of examples in our flawed and imperfect human world of bad people "getting away with it" and good people suffering what seem to be unjust and cruel fates - but if I behave well I enjoy great peace of mind.  I don't want any lingering feelings of guilt and remorse because I've behaved poorly.  

Now that I've inarticulately stumbled over the idea of karma here's Mr. Kornfield: "We live in a sea of conditioning patterns that we repeat over and over, yet we rarely notice this process.  Our social karma - parental, school, and linguistic conditioning - creates whole patterns of consciousness that determine the way we express ourselves.  These patterns and tendencies are often much stronger than our conscious intentions.  Whatever our circumstances, it is old habit that will create the way we live.  When Lama Rinpoche was asked what was reborn in our next lives, he joked, 'Your bad habits.'  Our personalities become conditioned according to past causes."

I made a very low-key amends to a man I really respect because I was unsure whether or not some of my gentle ribbing had rubbed him the wrong way.  He was per. fectly okay with it and had taken no offense but I didn't want to live with the doubt.  I used my tongue to reduce people when I was drinking and - although I believe today it's almost always received well - I insist on complete clarity.  This guy is one of those members who has clearly internalized the principles of Right Living.  This is my point.  I may have finally wound my way around to my point while getting trapped in a semantic maze of circular logic.  I think.  The point is that it takes a lot of good actions and good speech to overcome all of these deeply ingrained past patterns to get to a place of true inner peace and beauty.  Today, when I act well and speak well, I rarely think about it.  I just do it.  It's who I am.  I don't have to parse each act or word or thought to gauge whether or not they're healthy and pure because most of the time I'm acting on good motives that are part of my inner core.  It's who I am.

THIS is how I understand karma.  It's enough with the sea slug versus puppy conundrum.  Just act well, speak well, and try to think well . . . most of the time . . . and this is who you will become.

Watch your thoughts, they become your words; watch your words, they become your actions; watch your actions, they become your habits; watch your habits, they become your character; watch your character, it becomes your destiny.”

― Lao Tzu