Instant Karma

[Poeticus]

It happens. I am a smoker. At one time, I did not have money even to buy a single cigarette.

Do many people in India still buy one, individual cigarette from Paan Shops...or, have more and more started to purchase the whole pack? My cousins and uncles in India always buy one, individual cigarette every four to five hours. But, their mouths are always 'round the clock infested with that horrid, equally harmful, Gutkha, Chuno, Tambaku, Paan Masala, Mawa, etc..

Sorry for the digression. Maybe we can tie it back to karma.

 

[NobodyYouKnow]

In my darkest time last night, at about 2-3am, I couldn't sleep.

I was like 'what do you want from me? my blood?'

Then I recalled the Aghori who cut themselves and do lingam abhishekam with their own blood...at least I understand why they do that now.

 

[Aupmanyav]

Do many people in India still buy one, individual cigarette from Paan Shops...or, have more and more started to purchase the whole pack? .. But, their mouths are always 'round the clock infested with that horrid, equally harmful, Gutkha, Chuno, Tambaku, Paan Masala, Mawa, etc.

Sorry for the digression. Maybe we can tie it back to karma.

Yes, many people buy individual cigarettes. These people may not like to smoke 10 cigarettes a day (we generally have packs of 10). Generally two or three a day. Some people smoke costly cigarettes so even one costs 10 rupee or more, limiting their smoking. I smoke about 5 or 6 a day and the less costly ones (on principle, why waste more money). Similarly, there are light and heavy users of perhaps more harmful Gutka/Pan Masala (Tobacco Gutkas are now banned in some places, Delhi is one of them. Lottery tickets also are banned in Delhi). Have been smoking for some 56 years. Perhaps it will be my karma to kick the bucket because of it. God also needs a 'nimitta' (medium, reason). 'Prabhu ichha', 'Samprapti', otherwise it would not have been difficult for him to make me stop smoking.

 

[NobodyYouKnow]

Well, something just made me feel a little bit better about this situation, but not overall, really...

I was speaking to my brother, and he assures me that almost every driver out there gets their license revoked for a period of time, if they've been driving for long enough (I have been driving for 12 years)...

He told me that last October, he went to a party, only had 4 beers and drove home...he was breathalysed on the way home and blew just over the legal limit, but it was enough for him to lose his licence for 3 months (he just got it back), pay a $350 fine and be forced to attend six AA meetings.

He told me that two years ago, my father lost his licence for 4 months, after receiving 2 infringements (costing $500), the first for doing 20kms over the speed limit and then forgetting to wear a seatbelt. Because he is over 70, he had to go for all these medical tests and shizz, and even take a driving test again before he could get his license back.

I made further inquiries, and a friend of mine lost his license for 6 months (paying a $350 fine) for driving an unregistered vehicle to a mechanic for registration inspection, 2 days after the rego was up...he also had to go through a 'government certified inspector' after that, and they found about $600 of 'problems' wrong with the car, that weren't really 'problems enough' to stop a car from being roadworthy.

My flatmate said his motorbike license was suspended for a year, when he was caught doubling a friend home without the second helmet (the friend only lived 5kms away)...

My brother said that every driver loses their license at one point in time, so this is my time for that to happen, and I probably won't even get it back after that month and that the community service will only cover the outstanding fine...he says he has 'been there'....and everybody 'goes there', so it's nothing new and nothing to worry about...just the revenue dept seeking more revenue and bored coppers without any 'real' criminals to catch.

 

[Asha]

Dear sister ,

I realy feel for you in your situation, I have gone through years of making financial mistakes and it aint easy. But for me it has been my faith that has kept me going.

On odd days I felt as if I wasnt going to be able to cope, but some how I allways pull through. I am not good at handling money and it allways seems to slip through my fingers??? I have just realised that that is life (that is karma) you either have it or you do not.

You are going through some real tests , but please do not put this down to God or to Shiva. I have been through simmilar things and there do come times when one more problem just seems like the last straw, but I have allways survived and come out the otherside.

Worship of God is not supposed to solve your material problems. It is supposed to make you more capable of adjusting to and coping with problems until you reach the point that nothing can bother you and you only experience bliss.

What Madhuri says is so so true, having faith is like having a vew of the bigger picture, every time more rubbish happens in my life (allthough it feels painfull at the time)I realise that it is a test, and the more tests that happen the more my faith seems to increase. If I didnt have that bigger vision I would be realy lost, scared and self pitying.
The preist has given you the best chance not only to overcome your problems with the police but also he is giving you the chance to help others. I firmly beleive that when we are suffering helping others is the best thing we can do it reminds us that suffering is not just our problem it affects many others too. If it were me I would be thanking my god for giving me yet another chance, so please dont abandon your Shiva
he is allways there for you even when you cant feel his presence.

So please hold firm It will be ok , and please if you have debt talk to people dont run away talking finds solutions .

wishing you well

 

[Madhuri]

My brother said that every driver loses their license at one point in time, so this is my time for that to happen, and I probably won't even get it back after that month and that the community service will only cover the outstanding fine...he says he has 'been there'....and everybody 'goes there', so it's nothing new and nothing to worry about...just the revenue dept seeking more revenue and bored coppers without any 'real' criminals to catch.

You didn't actually receive knowledge of the fine until now right? Have you considered challenging their claim against you? One of my mum's friends had a bunch of fines and challenged them. She had to go to court but I think because it costs them so much money to go to court, they let her off.

 

[Madhuri]

All I know, is that if it is Karma, then God must not be beyond the laws of Karma and the laws of Karma also apply to God, or else bad things wouldn't keep on happening to good people...

Why do you think that God must be bound by karma?
And what book do you mean?

 

[NobodyYouKnow]

Why do you think that God must be bound by karma?
And what book do you mean?

1. Because all the prayers and supplications in the world will/can never change what is 'meant to be' and
2.

 

[NobodyYouKnow]

You didn't actually receive knowledge of the fine until now right? Have you considered challenging their claim against you? One of my mum's friends had a bunch of fines and challenged them. She had to go to court but I think because it costs them so much money to go to court, they let her off.

My father wants to challenge the claim because it took them so long to acknowledge it, after I notified Centrelink (Social Services) and the RTA (car registration place) about my address being where he lives about a year ago, and we just got the court appearance notice now.

I am tired of getting my hopes up only to have them shattered to pieces...I am tired of giving 'the powers that be' any more reasons/excuses to screw with me. If the past 30 years of my life is anything to go by, I know it will only be a total waste of time.

 

[NobodyYouKnow]

Dear sister ,

I realy feel for you in your situation, I have gone through years of making financial mistakes and it aint easy. But for me it has been my faith that has kept me going.

On odd days I felt as if I wasnt going to be able to cope, but some how I allways pull through. I am not good at handling money and it allways seems to slip through my fingers??? I have just realised that that is life (that is karma) you either have it or you do not.

You are going through some real tests , but please do not put this down to God or to Shiva. I have been through simmilar things and there do come times when one more problem just seems like the last straw, but I have allways survived and come out the otherside.



What Madhuri says is so so true, having faith is like having a vew of the bigger picture, every time more rubbish happens in my life (allthough it feels painfull at the time)I realise that it is a test, and the more tests that happen the more my faith seems to increase. If I didnt have that bigger vision I would be realy lost, scared and self pitying.
The preist has given you the best chance not only to overcome your problems with the police but also he is giving you the chance to help others. I firmly beleive that when we are suffering helping others is the best thing we can do it reminds us that suffering is not just our problem it affects many others too. If it were me I would be thanking my god for giving me yet another chance, so please dont abandon your Shiva
he is allways there for you even when you cant feel his presence.

So please hold firm It will be ok , and please if you have debt talk to people dont run away talking finds solutions .

wishing you well

Thank you. I will take your advice on board...the only thing I can think about doing, is blaming/hating satan, not god...so, maybe that's a step in the right direction...

 

[Jainarayan]

so helping out at the Church's soup kitchen may be of benefit there...I am the one that needs to be served for a while and not do the serving

You may have answered your own question. It may be that these travails you are experiencing are karmic effects for you and for others. It's very possible that this is going to give others a chance to increase their merit. By extension, you may have some enlightenment.

What did Helen Keller do to deserve to be born blind, deaf and mute? What horrible karma! But how much good did such horrible karma for one person do for millions? And who knows how Ms. Keller has been reborn because of the work she learned to do for others, not to mention how she rose from being institutionalized and forgotten to being a world celebrity (not in the sense of fame and fortune, but respect and love).

I think blaming God is a western concept. My family, off the boat from Italy and Sicily, used to say "si vuo Di!" (God willing), or "it's God's will" when someone was struck with disease or misfortune, or a baby died. Bull ****... God doesn't do such nasty things.

 

[Fireside_Hindu]

NYK, you've received a lot of great advice and I feel the need to try and help too, although I feel inadequate about that because I feel my life has been very blessed and the "hard times" have been brief and infrequent. I'm not so sure God actually "tests" anyone - I think life is a refining process - We are put under pressure to work out all the impurities so that we can emerge more spiritually pure and whole - we literally find out what we're made of through overcoming difficulties.

Also, here is what I try to remember - there have been instances in my life when we had a financial misfortune, or my artwork wasn't selling, or I got cheated on something and spent long hours saying to God, "This really sucks right now, but I can't do anything about a lot of it, so I"m going to trust that it will work out in the end, even if it isn't working out now."

And you know what? Eventually, in most cases, things not only got better, but something better came along. I let go of the reigns and said, "Alright Devi, it's all you."

Obviously you have a lot of material issues to fix in your life, and some of it you can do and some of it you can't, but anything you can you should. Anything you can't, well, let Shiva know that you're letting go. You may just find that he catches you when you least expect it.

Also in terms of volunteering at the church - I have never felt closer to God (No puja, no mantra etc) than when I was volunteering my time to help others. Perhaps this is the prescription that Siva has given you, to help you - to take you outside yourself. Give it a chance and let yourself help others because it's very rewarding.

:camp:

 

[NobodyYouKnow]

I shall reply to the previous 2 posts later - it's 2am and I am still too stressed out to sleep, but I need to try...

The reason why I don't want to take this to court...what started this...

In my previous address, the electricity company overcharged me by thousands of dollars. I tried to fight it for months...I took it to the ombudsman...(I couldn't afford a lawyer), but there was a loophole in the contract that basically says 'we can charge whatever we like, irrespective of how much electricity you use' and I was ordered to pay it...I appealed and it was also rejected.

So, I went to a place to help with my debt, and I said that if I gave up my internet, car and food for a year, I can afford to give the electricity company $100 a fortnight until the debt is paid.

The counselor put that offer to their lawyers, and they said 'a year is too long for us, we can accept payment in 6 months only at a rate of $200 a fortnight, no less and no longer'.

I said 'must I also give up my accommodation and live on the street to pay you'? and they said 'we don't care what you do, as long as we get our money within that time, or we'll cya in court'...yeah, I just said 'eff you' and started running away.

So, talking about it and going to see people don't work. Everything I try and do never works (I was silly to even believe a resolution could have been reached).

This is why, I will never put myself in that position ever again.

 

[ShivaFan]

Namaste NYK

Oddly, the recent conversation I had with "David the Hindu" (Devananda - see my post 'Secret to True Wealth') was perfect timing for your story.

There IS instant karma, but none of your story has anything to do with Shiva, I just asked Him and He told me so.

You continue on using your judgement as you see fit, it is your own soul (or what some call "brain") because you are not a slave. You can become a "slave of Gauri" (Devi) but that is a different matter than you understand at this time, but you can never become a slave of Siva (nor a puppet either, pushed one way or here and there), Siva has no one but those who are free.

Basically, either you are posting this to ask for "help" or you just want to blame Siva for something because you are looking at huge debt and a night in jail, so I suppose you will tune me out as soon as I talk (or even brag) about myself but "whatever".

Let me just call your post a "frustrated howl in the night" (funny... Siva may like that howl part, in His Vedic Name as Rudra He is the "Howler"). You seek a response, but just to let you know how this is going to work, YOUR prayers to Shiva for a Monopoly "Get out of Jail" card isn't going to work, all He's going to do is hold His skull cap begging bowl out to you for a token and if you are burned to ashes He might smear some of the ash on Himself.

He won't be bothered with THAT PRAYER, that is "not cool", HOWEVER if OTHERS pray for you to Shiva then He just might get you out of jail.

Get it?

He is going to say, "See, these Sadhakas do not pray to get out of jail, They pray to free someone else. Hmmmm... ok"...

Now that is not 100 percent true. You CAN "pray for yourself", but it is more tapas than prayer. Meaning, for example, you could stand on one leg for a long time, or live covered in a termite mound, and Shiva might give you a "boon".

But the boon isn't a "get out of jail" card, it is a "power" or a siddhic ability. But then it is STILL up to you to use the "power" to get out of jail. YOU are not a slave, YOU have to do it, You or you may screw it up also and instead of getting out of jail you get yourself a gold chariot from a Sura, crash it in the sky and go to jail anyway (what an idiot).

I might pray for you, or others, anyway... back to myself which you are not interested in.

Funny you noted the church guy, I had the sort of same thing happen to me but in the opposite direction. There have been, well rough estimate, probably a 100 Christians or more who were blaming everything on God and Jesus, mostly is was often debt or money or bad health. After hanging around in my and other company, having a wonderful time with adventures, they then said "Siva helped me after hanging with you" as if Jesus was "mean" and Siva "wasn't". What idiots. I didn't bust their balloon or nothing, just said things like "I am glad blessings have helped you", but really they only helped themselves and I sort of let them know that, too. There is no such thing as "mean".

Now my personal ambition, which probabaly will come to fruit soon, is to be a Gana in Siva's army under the command of Ganapati. But even the Ganas are not slaves they are soldiers, they may be given marching orders and any soldier who does not follow orders can be court martialed, but such soldiers do not have "bad things put on them" by Siva or wacked here or there like they are puppets, it doesn't work that way. But just to cut to the chase, even though I am "rich" I live very simple, and since young have travelled all over the world (I have relatives by the way in Australia, actually most Aussies are not "whimps" certainly not my relatives but I have both "white" and Indian relatives in Australia and all over actually, neither are "whimps" ever and family is important), but I am really pretty much interested in travel to India, Nepal, Indonesia, like that (but I love UK and besides South India will probably be heading to Holland soon) and the point is there are a lot of folks way off in a worse way than you in the world and they still love Divine Ones, frankly a thousand times worse than your laughable "issues" and no I don't "feel sorry" for you (you can hang up now if you like, but just have a little fun please), but I am basically known that I am not about that nor "rescue" or such, I am about running around with good companionship, devotees, family and having Hindu fun and adventures.

These adventures included and include sleeping on mats in a shed, god-forbidden hotel hells with bugs crawling on the walls and even crawling on me (ever see a 4 inch stinging centipede in Orissa?) and stinking black "water", but loving the devotees around me. Funny, while I have had plenty of crazy things happen un India for example, the only "assault" that ever haplened to me was in Italy when I was mugged by gypsies but I beat the buggers off with my umbrella.

I love all these moments. When you are about to die, you will mostly tell these one's and then laugh and kiss everyone, then you burn up your body and throw it in the Ganga.

You have to lighten up and start having fun. When the cops come, it is only a game. You are not suffering. One I had a Sikh open a briefcase full of rupees in bands in front of me and a Hindu friend (white guy friend) in Delhi, he wanted to tell us about "Khalistan" and if we could help. We didn't help, but that was one of the most craziest taxi rides I ever had. Then some other guy, which another guy I knew who knew this other guy, well the other guy gets blown up in a Delhi bathroom by some nut terrorists. The other guy is dead, so you haven't been blown up yet so things are "good". I remember coming out of a Greek bank on the first floor of a 3 story office complex, then 10 minutes later an Islamic Terrorist from Cyprus shot a shoulder mounted rocket into the second floor above the bank which was a Greek guvernment office and blew the crap out of the top part of the bank and then the screaming sirens of ambulances, police, etc., but it could have been me or my friend, but life's good. Today I laugh. I laugh a lot. I will laugh for you.

Om Namah Sivaya

 

[Sb1995]

When I'm in situations like these I just think to myself about how many others don't have food to eat, place to sleep and have passed away within the past 5 minutes. Stay humble for what Bhagwan has given you.

 

[Asha]

Dear Sister

Thank you. I will take your advice on board...the only thing I can think about doing, is blaming/hating satan, not god...so, maybe that's a step in the right direction...

can I let you in on a secret,

this guy Satan, he dosent exist, we llonce you realise he doesent exist he dosent exist! he is just a bad energy, part of our own past negative thoughts and actions.

all this bad stuff is our past karmas ripening, and once they ripen they are gone the secret here is not to allow the illusionist satan to fool you into hate.

Just fix your mind on Siva and he will carry you, what ever you do dont let the illusionist fool you, if you get rapped up in hate or even fear you just gennerate bad karmas, gennerate only good karmas and these actions however small will change the situation, just hold on to Shiva.

praying you get a good rest

I am going to go home to a freinds house where I am staying at present and have a word with Ganesha on your behalf.

So just have faith

 

[Jaskaran Singh]

I shall reply to the previous 2 posts later - it's 2am and I am still too stressed out to sleep, but I need to try...

The reason why I don't want to take this to court...what started this...

In my previous address, the electricity company overcharged me by thousands of dollars. I tried to fight it for months...I took it to the ombudsman...(I couldn't afford a lawyer), but there was a loophole in the contract that basically says 'we can charge whatever we like, irrespective of how much electricity you use' and I was ordered to pay it...I appealed and it was also rejected.

So, I went to a place to help with my debt, and I said that if I gave up my internet, car and food for a year, I can afford to give the electricity company $100 a fortnight until the debt is paid.

The counselor put that offer to their lawyers, and they said 'a year is too long for us, we can accept payment in 6 months only at a rate of $200 a fortnight, no less and no longer'.

I said 'must I also give up my accommodation and live on the street to pay you'? and they said 'we don't care what you do, as long as we get our money within that time, or we'll cya in court'...yeah, I just said 'eff you' and started running away.

So, talking about it and going to see people don't work. Everything I try and do never works (I was silly to even believe a resolution could have been reached).

This is why, I will never put myself in that position ever again.

Pardon my language, but they are treating you like CRAP. Suing you because they overcharged, pathetic. Still, something must be going good in your life, reach out to your friends, family members, or something. Don't let your struggles overwhelm you. Relax, today's Friday and the weekend's coming up (I only work 4 hours on Saturday and my Sunday is completely free so I'm kind of looking forward to it, lol). If you need someone to talk to, I can always Pm you.

 

[punkdbass]

NYK, you once told me the following while I was struggling to find God:

"In quietude, in the spirit of love and total surrender, just open your heart and see what's inside there...open it up to all the possibilities of the universe...pray like prayers are meant to happen, even if you don't believe...it just may make you believe. This is how I found Siva."

I know that deep down you still believe this. I could tell that when you said this, despite being over the internet, that this was not a mere abstract intellectual statement.. but rather the result of a truth you have deeply experienced yourself. You also told me, after I shared with you some "pleasant mystical experiences I've had" to hold onto these things and not let them go. I urge you to do the same.

Although I have never met you in person, for some odd reason I feel a strong connection to you (sorry if this is creeping you out haha ) - you seem like such a unique, interesting person with such a full personality, and you are very wise in your own unique way. Sorry I am bad at using words to describe things like this but please, please don't give up. Take the offer to do community service with the Church, I have a feeling this will be a very spiritually nourishing experience for you. As regards to stress/anxiety and depression(I've struggled with both for almost 8 years now.. although I've been in a really good streak for a few months) - I have found meditating during the morning and night every single day, and japa with breathing exercises throughout the day, to be the biggest help in my life.. the most important thing is you have to get in a regular habit of doing so otherwise it won't really work in terms of helping anxiety.. Also, taking up some sort of hobby or activity that can help you get out of yourself is really good too - like working at that soup kitchen (for me, I tutor other students in math and stats.. and in doing so I met a really interesting girl today ).. this is really important, at least for myself anyway because a large portion of my anxiety used to come from being overly introspective - I'd become obsessive about trying to make sense out of every seemingly "imperfection" of my being.. ironically, too much self-awareness/introspection can be detrimental to one's health, and so it's good to have activities to help you take your focus outside of your self. I suppose everyone is different when it comes to this kind of stuff though and I'm sure you've heard this advice or tried it before.

Namaste

 

[NobodyYouKnow]

Pardon my language, but they are treating you like CRAP. Suing you because they overcharged, pathetic. Still, something must be going good in your life, reach out to your friends, family members, or something. Don't let your struggles overwhelm you. Relax, today's Friday and the weekend's coming up (I only work 4 hours on Saturday and my Sunday is completely free so I'm kind of looking forward to it, lol). If you need someone to talk to, I can always Pm you.

Problem being that most people IRL treat me this way...

I just have to accept that life is nothing more than a constant struggle to stop other greedy people using whatever means possible to take everything that you own away from you...therefore, no-body really 'owns' anything.

When I first heard about it, I just didn't want to drive my car anymore...this was one more thing Shiva is making me 'give up' in my quest for self-realisation.

He doesn't want me to have/own anything, because all He wants me to have is Him...

I told my father that I want to renounce driving...and renounce everything until 'renouncing living' is all that is left for me to renounce....my very breath, but he told me that I am being stupid and that this is NOT a message for me to 'renounce driving'.

At least if I have nothing left that others can take away from me, I may find some peace at last though...if I have no human rights, then I will have no human wrongs....that's how I look at it now.

Yes, I also apologise for my whining and ranting on here, but maybe if I actually bottle it up inside until I am ready to explode, things may actually start to get better for me and I can re-direct that energy and focus towards getting what I want.

I realise now, that any effort to get others to help/listen takes 24/7 dogged determination and persistence, bugging people over and over until I get what I am owed, just so I will go away and leave them alone.

Life is meant to be an exercise in pushing marbles uphill with a rake, and if this has been my existence thus far, my learned helplessness should have been pretty much ingrained by now....but it isn't.

I should be accepting my 'lot in life' because I cannot change my circumstances...something always stands in the way and prevents me from getting ahead in life....accomplishing my goals and that something is external...so whatever that is, I really don't know what it is.

Maybe I should go and see a Hindu priest...maybe a malevolent entity has attached itself to me somehow - as this is the only other logical explanation left.

 

[NobodyYouKnow]

NYK, you once told me the following while I was struggling to find God:

"In quietude, in the spirit of love and total surrender, just open your heart and see what's inside there...open it up to all the possibilities of the universe...pray like prayers are meant to happen, even if you don't believe...it just may make you believe. This is how I found Siva."

I know that deep down you still believe this. I could tell that when you said this, despite being over the internet, that this was not a mere abstract intellectual statement.. but rather the result of a truth you have deeply experienced yourself. You also told me, after I shared with you some "pleasant mystical experiences I've had" to hold onto these things and not let them go. I urge you to do the same.

Although I have never met you in person, for some odd reason I feel a strong connection to you (sorry if this is creeping you out haha ) - you seem like such a unique, interesting person with such a full personality, and you are very wise in your own unique way. Sorry I am bad at using words to describe things like this but please, please don't give up. Take the offer to do community service with the Church, I have a feeling this will be a very spiritually nourishing experience for you. As regards to stress/anxiety and depression(I've struggled with both for almost 8 years now.. although I've been in a really good streak for a few months) - I have found meditating during the morning and night every single day, and japa with breathing exercises throughout the day, to be the biggest help in my life.. the most important thing is you have to get in a regular habit of doing so otherwise it won't really work in terms of helping anxiety.. Also, taking up some sort of hobby or activity that can help you get out of yourself is really good too - like working at that soup kitchen (for me, I tutor other students in math and stats.. and in doing so I met a really interesting girl today ).. this is really important, at least for myself anyway because a large portion of my anxiety used to come from being overly introspective - I'd become obsessive about trying to make sense out of every seemingly "imperfection" of my being.. ironically, too much self-awareness/introspection can be detrimental to one's health, and so it's good to have activities to help you take your focus outside of your self. I suppose everyone is different when it comes to this kind of stuff though and I'm sure you've heard this advice or tried it before.

Namaste

I was lying about all that. I was only fooling myself and everybody else on here.

I don't really love Siva at all, or else I'd be able to love Him always and unconditionally, not only when 'circumstances permit'.

I am only deluding myself (and you all) into believing that I could ever be a Hindu or a Shaiva.

So, your respect has been misplaced and you should find somebody else to believe in, not a liar like me.