Karma is Eye for an Eye

[Sleeppy]

Would it be considered "revenge" if a very charitable person won the lottery? what would it be considered then?

Revenge would be repayment for the negative.. So, whatever word there is for repayment of the positive.

 

[YmirGF]

Isn't it a bit against its own morals for Buddhism or Hinduism to believe in Karma, since Karma is merely revenge in itself?

Beats me, Sum. I do not believe in karma. I used to believe in karma, but when you really get down to it, the concept simply does not make sense. At best, some will describe it as an impersonal, universal law.

I think the only thing that can be safely said is that action (or inaction) has consequences. Whether those consequences haunt the individual from life to life is a bit of a stretch and should be taken with several boxes of salt.

 

[The Sum of Awe]

Either you don't understand what karma really is or what revenge is or both.

Revenge means to take vengeance upon someone. It requires a will and a feeling of being wronged in someway. Karma has neither of these. Karma is a universal balance of energy concept. A simple 'what you send out you get back' as a means of balancing the energy in one's life and the universe in general.

Think of it like hormones, you have a particular balance of hormones in your body. If those hormones get out of natural balance it can mess with your physical wellbeing. If a woman loses estrogen, as happens in menopause, she takes in estrogen to rebalance her hormones. What is lost must come back in order for there to be balance.

This is much the same as the concept of karma. Only karma deals with the spiritual and with energy instead of hormones and the physical. If you send out positive energy then it must be replaced, so you will receive positive energy to rebalance you. If you send out negative then it must be returned to you as well. It has nothing to do with vengeance or revenge, it is just a balance thing. That is all.

It's very possible I don't understand, but I'm sure I do, as when I tried to get myself to define it, it was just about word-per-word of what others had said it was.

I understand it's unintentional, and sure revenge has to be intentional, but I didn't really mean revenge, at least not literally, but it is very similar to revenge or an eye for an eye. It's just unconscious revenge?

If I punch a tree branch, and the branch flies back and hits me in the face, even though it isn't a conscious move, therefore not revenge, it is still very similar to revenge, the only thing missing is that it wasn't intentional.

That's how I was understanding Karma^ If I'm wrong, please say.

 

[Willamena]

It's very possible I don't understand, but I'm sure I do, as when I tried to get myself to define it, it was just about word-per-word of what others had said it was.

I understand it's unintentional, and sure revenge has to be intentional, but I didn't really mean revenge, at least not literally, but it is very similar to revenge or an eye for an eye. It's just unconscious revenge?

If I punch a tree branch, and the branch flies back and hits me in the face, even though it isn't a conscious move, therefore not revenge, it is still very similar to revenge, the only thing missing is that it wasn't intentional.

That's how I was understanding Karma^ If I'm wrong, please say.

Imagine working on a task, and as you work you forget yourself. You suddenly realize you've finished--it's all done, and you did it right, mostly because you weren't even trying.

Now imagine working on the same task, and this time you're trying to repeat what you did. But the more you try, the harder it becomes, because you're trying too hard. You're putting "yourself" into it. That's where karma arises, where you put yourself into the picture and try to force things to occur. That's where the world can "strike back" at you, and stymie you, where you've put yourself into it. Where there's no you in the world, there's nothing for the world to "hit."

Edit: Go rent The Karate Kid again.

 

[The Sum of Awe]

Imagine working on a task, and as you work you forget yourself. You suddenly realize you've finished--it's all done, and you did it right, mostly because you weren't even trying.

Now imagine working on the same task, and this time you're trying to repeat what you did. But the more you try, the harder it becomes, because you're trying too hard. You're putting "yourself" into it. That's where karma arises, where you put yourself into the picture and try to force things to occur. That's where the world can "strike back" at you, and stymie you, where you've put yourself into it. Where there's no you in the world, there's nothing for the world to "hit."

Edit: Go rent The Karate Kid again.

Then why have some said things of doing something negative and it unintentionally will come back to you?

 

[Willamena]

Then why have some said things of doing something negative and it unintentionally will come back to you?

Not everyone "gets" wu wei.

 

[The Sum of Awe]

Not everyone "gets" wu wei.

Yes I have looked into Wu Wei, just doesn't see why it is a positive thing, if that's what you're saying.

 

[Willamena]

Yes I have looked into Wu Wei, just doesn't see why it is a positive thing, if that's what you're saying.

And maybe why you don't get karma?

 

[Student of X]

Does it matter what does it? Whether it's nature or another man, there's still some force doing it, getting back at your "crime"

Don't think of karma as a force outside yourself. It's not looking over your shoulder from above. Karma is more like the state of mind you are in than an external force. That's why enlightenment liberates you from it.

 

[zenzero]

Friends,

Karma theory: Can only share what have understood which is
Say you do something and this something is done to fulfill a DESIRE then the action/reaction is back with more of it and desires keep increasing and one keeps falling in the trap he set for himself. To get out of this trap of karma is first to become conscious of the DESIRE which compels the action and when the desire is watched it slows down and then the watcher becomes further conscious of it and then realization that ultimately the desire is endless and so just stick to a point and then forget it. This follow through of travelling consciously is that meditation is about and then the total desire drops off to free oneself of karma and what remains are desire less actions but conscious acts.

Love & rgds

 

[The Sum of Awe]

And maybe why you don't get karma?

This has been said, and I said it's possible, but I doubt it because when I define it it's almost exactly word for word of other posts of others explaining what karma is.

 

[The Sum of Awe]

Don't think of karma as a force outside yourself. It's not looking over your shoulder from above. Karma is more like the state of mind you are in than an external force. That's why enlightenment liberates you from it.

If it truly was a state of mind, why couldn't we control it?

And, either way, since it isn't entirely controlled by you, you hit someone X hits you back, whatever X may be, whether intentional or not intentional. Whether conscious or not living, it still is very little in difference than revenge.

 

[Willamena]

This has been said, and I said it's possible, but I doubt it because when I define it it's almost exactly word for word of other posts of others explaining what karma is.

We can only define by what we've learned (that's empiricism). Learn more, and you can define more.

 

[Willamena]

If it truly was a state of mind, why couldn't we control it?

By definition, a "state" is something you are (in this case, mind is), not something outside you (that you can control).

 

[The Sum of Awe]

We can only define by what we've learned (that's empiricism). Learn more, and you can define more.

It doesn't seem to matter though, the OP still stands in all definitions of karma I've seen in this thread. Maybe not exactly revenge since it isn't consciously intentional, but still just like it otherwise.

 

[The Sum of Awe]

By definition, a "state" is something you are (in this case, mind is), not something outside you (that you can control).

You can control something you are though.

 

[Willamena]

It doesn't seem to matter though, the OP still stands in all definitions of karma I've seen in this thread. Maybe not exactly revenge since it isn't consciously intentional, but still just like it otherwise.

:slap: Learn more.

 

[Willamena]

You can control something you are though.

Like what?

 

[The Sum of Awe]

:slap: Learn more.

Why though, if the OP still stands? If I need to learn something more than what I keep understanding it as when I read it, they can provide additional details at least.

 

[Willamena]

Why though, if the OP still stands?

Why learn? Um... maybe to overpass the OP?