
Karma—everyone everywhere knows the word. India’s two biggest exports are Karma and Yoga. Is it ironic or expected that India makes no monetary gain from its two biggest exports? Anyway, Karma has been around in Western consciousness since the heydays of the Beatles. Everyone knows the word, everyone uses it, but what does it really mean?
1) What goes around comes around?
2) What you do unto others will be done unto you?
3) Be careful or this might come back to bite you in the ass?
4) Shit happens?
5) etc.
These are part of the Karmic scheme of being. But there are some fundamentals about Karma that most people don’t realize when they toss the word around.
The word Karma comes from Sanskrit , Hindu philosophy and a Hindu conception of the universe. This universe is one without beginning and without end. This is also a universe inhabited by one vast, interconnected consciousness that also has no beginning and no end. The kar in karma quite simply means “to do” or “to act.”
Here’s a couple of parables that illustrate Karma:
1) You’re in a tiny boat is a vast ocean. You have a paddle. The ocean’s currents are taking you somewhere, and you don’t have to do much to get there. But you can choose to paddle and work hard to steer yourself in any direction you want to any destination you want.
2) You’re an archer about to launch your arrow. The arrow is strung on your bow, ready for release. There is a quiver full of arrows on your back. There is also one arrow flying through the air right now that you launched moments ago.
The ocean is your karma in the first parable. You’re afloat on the sum of your past actions. Your present is always taking you somewhere. But you always have the choice to take your life in a different direction.
The arrows are your karma in the second parable. The quiver of arrows is the sum of your past actions. You’ve already launched one arrow, and it’s going to affect your future –you can’t pull it back. But there’s the arrow you’re about to launch. Once again, you have the choice to launch it in a different direction at a different time.
Karma is where you’re coming from, what you’re doing, and what direction you’re going.
Karma means you’re always in charge.
1) What goes around comes around?
2) What you do unto others will be done unto you?
3) Be careful or this might come back to bite you in the ass?
4) Shit happens?
5) etc.
These are part of the Karmic scheme of being. But there are some fundamentals about Karma that most people don’t realize when they toss the word around.
The word Karma comes from Sanskrit , Hindu philosophy and a Hindu conception of the universe. This universe is one without beginning and without end. This is also a universe inhabited by one vast, interconnected consciousness that also has no beginning and no end. The kar in karma quite simply means “to do” or “to act.”
Here’s a couple of parables that illustrate Karma:
1) You’re in a tiny boat is a vast ocean. You have a paddle. The ocean’s currents are taking you somewhere, and you don’t have to do much to get there. But you can choose to paddle and work hard to steer yourself in any direction you want to any destination you want.
2) You’re an archer about to launch your arrow. The arrow is strung on your bow, ready for release. There is a quiver full of arrows on your back. There is also one arrow flying through the air right now that you launched moments ago.
The ocean is your karma in the first parable. You’re afloat on the sum of your past actions. Your present is always taking you somewhere. But you always have the choice to take your life in a different direction.
The arrows are your karma in the second parable. The quiver of arrows is the sum of your past actions. You’ve already launched one arrow, and it’s going to affect your future –you can’t pull it back. But there’s the arrow you’re about to launch. Once again, you have the choice to launch it in a different direction at a different time.
Karma is where you’re coming from, what you’re doing, and what direction you’re going.
Karma means you’re always in charge.