believe in it baby.

What is karma?

Cause and effect. Whatsoever a man soweth, that he shall also reap. For each action there is an equal and opposite reaction. There are a lot ways to describe karma, but it is essentially the belief that your present circumstances are the product of previous actions, and what you do today will affect what happens tomorrow. Karma is also associated with past lives -- each time you're reborn, the energies from your previous lives influence the conditions of your current life.

taken from astrology.com


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Thursday, September 12, 2002 Dear Yahoo!:

What is karma?

Darija Clearwater, Florida

Dear Darija:

We meditated on this question for a little while, and then headed toward Yahoo!'s Hinduism and Buddhism categories. Once there, we found many sites willing to play guru and explain the doctrine of karma, a concept found in both religions. This Hindu primer sums up karma as the law of cause and effect. The principle is similar to that expressed by the Christian verse, "As ye sow, so shall ye reap." The word karma means action, and it's used as short-hand for the idea that every action you take causes a reaction in the future. Positive, caring actions will bring positive results back to you, whereas negative, hurtful actions will result in your suffering. Many people believe that both good and bad karma can return to you at any time, even after this lifetime. Hindus believe that the soul is immortal and is reborn in a new body after a person dies. Thus, you have an endless series of lives to work on your karma. In each life, you should strive to do good works and evolve spiritually so your next life will be better than this one. Hindus seek to eventually break free of the cycle of reincarnation and attain eternal bliss of the soul, called moksha. A god does not administer the law of karma. There is no cosmic judge who doles out punishments and rewards, although some suggest that there is a "cosmic accountant" who tracks each person's karma. Ultimately, each individual is responsible for his or her own actions and karma. Siddhartha Gautama, who became the Buddha and upon whose teachings all of Buddhism is based, was born into Hindu society and believed in the doctrine of karma. The Buddhist perspective on karma isn't very different than that of Hindus. Every action you take will have a repercussion in the future, and you have to live with the consequences of your actions. Most Buddhists believe in reincarnation, and their goal is to transcend constant birth and rebirth to achieve nirvana, similar to the Hindu moksha. Buddhism also places importance on the intent of one's actions. For example, if you accidentally step on a bug and kill it, you won't create bad karma. But if you purposefully kill it, you create bad karma. Likewise, if your actions unintentionally benefit others, you do not create good karma. Only when you mindfully do good, do you create good karma. * * * * * Karma's a Bitch "Your writing is like a sick addiction for me," someone once told me. A boy. I drank a lot and was mean to him. He stayed. I got him to agree to let me see other men while he had to remain faithful to me. He was loyal. He stayed. He loved me with an intensity I didn't understand so I didn't see it. I couldn't acknowledge or reciprocate that kind of love. I did a lot of heroin and fucked other guys. I remember being at a party with him and starting to feel queasy. I got him to let me use his car so that I could go downtown and score. I told him I'd meet him at home and that he would have to find a ride from someone. When I went into rehab for the 5th time -- that horrible county-run facility for people who have used up all their mental/chemical dependency coverage already; where they strip search you when they admit you and the nurse put on a plastic glove and saw me so terrified she couldn't go through with it -- he waited with me until they kicked him out, sitting next to me in a plastic chair holding my hand while thorazine zombies shuffled around us. When I came out of another hospital he waited for me with flowers. I broke up with him. He told someone "I had no idea it would hurt this much." taken from Allison, one of my newest inspirations and her journey