Do You Believe in Karma?

[megamania]

There's Karma in your current life

There's Karma in the afterliife

There is karma related to when one returns to improve on mistakes made in prior life.


and yes, I read a lot of Edgar Cayce.

 

[Atanatotatos]

Oh, neither I am
Just the way I have always pictured "karma" knowing the little I know about Induism.

 

[WhatGravitas]

Nah, don't believe it in.

However, I do acknowledge that human interactions are driven by complexity and the desire to see "fairness", which means that if you keep annoying enough people, you probably build up a certain reputation.

On the other hand, I don't think "doing good" will have any special benefit for you in the long run, usually nothing comes back. I think every man is the architect of his own fortune.

But you still should "do good", because... we can.

Cheers, LT.

 

[mathogre]

Do you believe in Karma? Do you believe that what goes around, comes around?

(I know that this is primarily a Hinduism/Buddhism concept, but I would like to avoid derailing this thread. So post in this thread only if you agree to keep religious discussion out of it.)

The definition of Karma includes the idea that your current station in life is in part established by how you lived in your previous life or lives. In the other direction, how you live this life establishes the basis for your next life.

Going just by your second qualifying question, "Do you believe that what goes around, comes around?", I'd say yes.

In my experience, I see "doors" opening and closing for everyone based on how they live. Mostly people are rewarded in life based on their actions. If you live a good life, treat people well, live justly, et al, your life is open to the society of good people who will treat you in kind. That doesn't mean you'll be wealthy or that bad things won't happen to you. What it does mean is that you will be rich in experience. Good people will be a part of your society. In contrast, if you live to hurt others, you are closed from good society. People will not treat you better than you are. Somehow people know, whether they read it in your face, your words, your body language, or moreso your actions.

Emerson's essay Compensation presents a good set of ideas on the idea of "what goes around, comes around."

The league between virtue and nature engages all things to
assume a hostile front to vice. The beautiful laws and substances of
the world persecute and whip the traitor. He finds that things are
arranged for truth and benefit, but there is no den in the wide world
to hide a rogue. Commit a crime, and the earth is made of glass.
Commit a crime, and it seems as if a coat of snow fell on the ground,
such as reveals in the woods the track of every partridge and fox and
squirrel and mole. You cannot recall the spoken word, you cannot
wipe out the foot-track, you cannot draw up the ladder, so as to
leave no inlet or clew. Some damning circumstance always transpires.
The laws and substances of nature -- water, snow, wind, gravitation
-- become penalties to the thief.

On the other hand, the law holds with equal sureness for all
right action. Love, and you shall be loved. All love is
mathematically just, as much as the two sides of an algebraic
equation. The good man has absolute good, which like fire turns
every thing to its own nature, so that you cannot do him any harm;
but as the royal armies sent against Napoleon, when he approached,
cast down their colors and from enemies became friends, so disasters
of all kinds, as sickness, offence, poverty, prove benefactors[.]

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

If I believed in karma, I probably wouldn't be a pessimist.

Karma makes for a pretty good music cd, though.

 

[Skunk]

Only if karma involves the kama sutra.

 

[Relique du Madde]

Only if karma involves the kama sutra.

When you are lucky it does.

 

[CleverNickName]

Only if karma involves the kama sutra.

If it does, you have much better karma than I do...

 

[LightPhoenix]

Very much no. An episode of Babylon 5 summed it up best for me: "Wouldn't it be much worse if life were fair and all the terrible things that happen to us, come because actually deserve them? So now I take comfort in the general hostility and unfairness of the Universe."

 

[Darkwolf71]

Oh c'mon, somebody had to do it.




On topic:
Like Mustrum, I don't believe in Karma as a Force of Nature. If you step on a kitten, rocks will not fall on your head.

Hmm, and after trying to find a way to further explaine my beliefs, I find it impossible to do so without breaking the rules. So, I stick with 'No', but 'Not exactly' would be more accurate... kinda.