The Chinese philosophical symbol of Yin and Yang illustrates the one great Truth of the Universe that all things are held in balance, even this great globe upon which we minutely sit rests in space in a majestic circular state of finely balanced tension. Upset that tension and it will either readjust, or fall apart ! The same applies to such abstracts as good and evil, sound and silence, health and sickness, life and death they are all relative to each other, all depend upon each other, all the finely balanced the one with the other.
Each one of us has a soul to keep in balance. Upset that balance with some foolish and hurtful misdeed and we spend a succession of lives re-establishing the Law of Opposites reaping that we have sown. The process of balancing is what we call Karma. It owes nothing to religion, but relies upon the knowledge and responsibility that we should (but usually don’t!) have.
Karma is basically the law of cause and effect, action and reaction. Karma is set in motion by the deliberate actuation of events that have a direct effect on other people. Karma is a non tangible element, it is a universal force or power.
Whilst not a religion as such, Karma does have some very profound religious teachings. The Buddhist teaches that the law of karma stipulates “For every event that occurs, there will follow another event whose existence was caused by the first, and this second event will be pleasant or unpleasant according as its cause.”
Yin and Yang is the oriental understanding of karma and that there are positive and negative forces in the universe that balance each other out. They balance due to how karma equalizes the energy flow and irons out all the ripples in the multi dimensional planes.
Yin and yang is not good versus evil as many westerners believe. Yin and yang is actually similar to a set of scales and symbolizes the perpetual harmony and balance of the universe. Karma is the governor that ensures that this balance is maintained, second per second.
Karma is in effect a universal force that governs actions into reactions, for either better or for worse. The religious aspect is that many people who believe in karma state that it was one of Gods active enforcers of justice and fairness. That God, this almighty consciousness instigated an automatic self activating element of universal justice. This element rebounds energies back to a person who made decisive actions towards another person. There is definite purpose and design by karmas intricate nuances and how it works, it did not come about by accident or evolution.
Karma, it seems, was already an intricate part of the science and theology of life itself. An irrefutable law of action-reaction in the inconceivable dimensions of space, time and life. Karma is a multi dimensional, a reactive payback system that operates like a universal policeman. If you do wrong to another, then wrong will be done unto you. In the west there are many subliminal stanzas and adages that reinforce human spiritual knowledge of the laws of karma.
We may say “What goes around comes around.” or we might say “He who lives by the sword will die by the sword.” or “You will reap what you sow” These are just a few examples of how karma is subliminally interpreted in today’s society. But is it right? Does karma really work? Or is it all just poppycock? When we review many of the actions that occurred throughout history, we can soon see that there are many elements of truth surrounding the laws of karma.
Julius Caesar was seen as a tyrant by his entire senate, he often ordered captives, slaves and enemies of Rome be put to death by the sword. He also constantly organized horrific displays of fights to the death in the Gladiatorial games. His karma payback was to be stabbed to death himself, on the Ides of March by his own senate and in the very senate foyer where he gave out so many death warrants.
Gaius Caligula Caesar who also had many people cruelly tortured and executed had karma payback when he was sliced across the face with a sword and then stabbed to death by members of his own Praetorian guard. Caligula’s wife and young daughter were cruelly slaughtered and those that did it were themselves slaughtered by Claudius Caesar. Claudius Caesar was later poisoned to death, as karma indeed self perpetuates.
The El Paso Chain of Death was a series of karma occurrences in the days of the Wild West and surrounded the murder of gunfighter John Wesley Hardin who himself was receiving karma payback. Charles Webb was initially killed by Hardin, Hardin was later killed by John Selman, John Selman was killed by George Scarborough, George Scarborough was killed by Will Carver, Will Carver was killed by Elijah Bryant and so on.
Only when somebody forgives a person does the karma stop self perpetuating. Indeed karma is perpetual too, as it can go on for ever. Anyone can get caught in the flow of karma, either for good or for worse. Karma reactive payback always happens in multiples too, and criminals, fraudsters, con artists, bad guys, liars, cheats and thieves find this out on a day to day basis. If a thief steals somebody’s possessions, later that the thief will be robbed, will have a spate of bad luck, will lose money or his liberty. Little do they realise that they cannot cheat karma, it reciprocates like to like, every time and all the time.
When Christ said “turn the other cheek” when you are smitten in the face, he meant is as an act to stop the perpetuation of karma and not as an act of appeasement. Those that smite will be smitten, you do not have to smite those as return payment, but it sure feels good. It’s up to you on this score and it can be deemed as instant karma to smite those that smite you. I choose this rather than turning the other cheek and take my chances. But be aware of the perpetuation of karma in this instance, as it is not the conclusion of it.
The absence of peace is the thriving of war, so we must harmonize peace and let peace reciprocate in favor of war. War is any action that disrupts another’s peace. You are viewing your own universe, through your own viewpoint and nobody else’s. Hence, whatever you do, will effect you, relative to you. It is though space, time and life is a still and clear pond, when we make an action, it is like dropping a brick into that pond. There is a big splash and the ripples go outward, they hit the edge of the pond and then reverberate back.
When speaking in analogies, it is as if every action is tied to the end of an elastic band. When the action is done, the elastic band stretches out, later that elastic band has to snap back under the force of its own condition.
Sir Isaac Newton determined that every action has an equal yet opposite reaction. Is this the same for spiritual matters too? When a bullet is fired from a gun, the firer experiences the same amount of force coming back as sent the bullet up the barrel, called recoil. In many ways, karma has the same properties of recoil.
Karma reactive payback can take a few days, a few weeks or can even be instantaneous. Either way, whatever action is done, it becomes mirrored and reflects the instigator of it. It is not just negative elements that are rebounded; positive actions are also paid back. We have all heard of the adage “One good turn deserves another” well this is where it derives from and what it means. If you do a good deed, help someone out, show mercy, kindness and generally do a good action then that good is also attached to the elastic band. Goodness, mercy, and kindness, then comes back to its originator….the face in the mirror.
When a good action is repaid on the wheel of karma, it is thought to be on a scale of five to one, But when a bad action is done, the karma payback is thought to be on a scale of ten to one or even higher. Nobody knows why, it is just a universal law…karma law.
As with the brick in pond analogy, only one brick is dropped into the pond, but how many ripples are created as a result?
Understand how karma works and realize that it cannot ever be circumnavigated or negotiated with, it is therefore best to avoid its determined and resolute wrath. Henceforth, it is strongly advisable never to commit crimes, as you are committing them against yourself.
Towards Better Life 