Our language has grown timid. We say “karma,” not “justice.” “The universe,” not “God.” But empty words make empty vision. They flatten our imaginations and mislead our aims.
The concept of Karma is almost always misused in the West. I am no expert, but my understanding is that Karma is one soul's work, the stuff you have to do in this incarnation for your soul to advance spiritually. The typical Westerner seems to think Karma is a kind of cosmic revenge for doing stupid stuff. It isn't. Being the work one's soul must pursue in this life, it is the things one is interested in, the times and places one confronts as one goes through life. All are components of one's soul's work. How one responds determines whether or not one learns the spiritual lessons these circumstances present.
One does not have 'good Karma' nor does one have 'bad Karma.' There is only Karma. In one incarnation, one may be a child molester; that is one's karma. In another incarnation, one may be the cop who catches the child molester. In yet another, the child abused by the molester. Every human circumstance is karma for the soul. One's Karma may be to die as a soldier in a lost cause or to be an emperor or to live and work as a tradesman or be a deadbeat.
Dharma is the duty one has in each incarnation. It's the standard your soul aspires to reach. One's Dharma may be to avenge a family member slain or to achieve some task great or small. If you fail to avenge your family member, your soul does not encounter the circumstances demanded of you, and your Karma goes undone. It piles on to the next incarnation. You will bear that Karmic load until you resolve it, doing your Dharma fully.
Dharma and Karma are related. All this stuff gets complex, very complex.
It's not Karma when you run your stolen car while drunk into another car, like some kind of cosmic revenge. It may be the result of avoiding your Karma. It may be the keystone in an avalanche of karmic and dharmic circumstances to advance your spirit toward God.
Very interesting piece Sarah! I wonder if the use of the notion of luck is also metaphysical questionable. Someone who believes in the omnipotent sovereignty of God cannot also believe that things work out by chance.
"Christianity" in America is a vaguely undefined word. Not by design but that has what it has become. The flavors of religions that use the word Christian are many and varying in beliefs and persuasions. Then there's the Bible teachings which are reinterpreted over and over usually based on the defining or redefining one word. In that perspective "many are called; few are chosen" makes sense. How many is a few? we don't know. How many is "many", again we don't know for sure. I embrace Christianity because I am "known" by God. (In that day he will say to many go from me I never knew you") To many people who claim Christianity that will still not make sense to them. But I say emphatically that God makes the choice and I believe He does that not out of random desires of His own, but by being able to see within the heart of all men. He then chooses, sees us as we are, then He spends what time we have on earth creating us into what He has imagine for us, and may work in us to bring other people with us when that time comes. Man cannot save himself. It might very well be at that moment in a dark part of our life making that realization we begin to sense the power of God and we grow from there. Too many "Christians" believe salvation and Gods favor can be accomplished through rigorous religious activities and even political movements. God is not interested in anyone's politics, big church, money, or any of that kind of status, as those are temporal things which fade as quickly as we pass through time in this world. Love one another. Don't let something inane distract you. God didn't save you to stop abortion or give you favor because you say you "love Israel," or dozens more things many American evangelicals believe are cornerstones that make them Christians. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind and then love your neighbor as yourself.’
On these two commandments hang ALL the Law and the Prophets. Again, it doesn't say politics as God in His sovereignty over nation will take care of that. The only thing that holds Him back are the people trying to do it all themselves for themselves or their country. God doesn't need your help or mine. And the days of yours or any country is numbered.
This is why Machiavellian practice was quickly adopted by controlling and adapting language to attain sociological goals. Some at a nearly subconscious level that is the most dangerous by affecting conscience formation.
But the real direction of these processes is not progressive nor conservative politics. There is one who hates mankind more than all the narcissist politicians and malformed conscience totalitarian leaders in business and industry or any other social group. Why such practices as abortion and organ harvesting can be deemed legal.
There is a God and there are also fallen angels. Those who declare there is no God, especially those who do so and are driven to force this lack of belief upon others, are easy prey for fallen angels.
My understanding is that karma and Gods will are one and the same. Gods justice is dispensed thru karma. Of course, one has to accept reincarnation, a concept mainstream Christianity regrettably abandoned.
When I first saw this article's picture, I thought, oh, no, not again, she's gotten into another car accident... Funny thing about "karma" and what people think it is in America, and the West, most modern people... they think it is about 'this world' and 'what goes around comes around.' They've heard the word, but originally, "karma" was not the idea of 'hold a door open for an old lady, and you might win the lottery' nor, 'do bad thing have bad thing happen.' In fact, all one's "karma" was 'spiritual' and had to do with the 'spiritual realm' good or bad and had nothing to do with 'this world.' Aside from the non-Christian philosophy, another one has entered into the minds of people, as a 'Christian ideal' and that is: if you're poor, you deserve it. Your sins have brought you to poverty, and if you're rich, you deserve it because God loves you. I hate to tell EVERYBODY this but, now these bizarre concepts have become the norm... If someone gets run over by a bus, they say, well, they must have deserved it, bad things happen to bad people. God hates you might as well be the philosophy. Unless of course, you're lucky enough to not be run over by a bus, then of course, that is because God loves you. As a human, with many life experiences, I do not have the omniscience to know why someone gets run over by a bus or vice versa, but I do know that bad things happen to good people, and also, you might say, 'fortunate' things happen to bad people. Why? I do not know. The older I get, the less I realize that I know. I do know that the "Karma credit score" philosophy is out there, and mostly accounts for all the bad that happens to people in the world in their view, allowing them to excuse and deny any and all empathy or compassion for anyone. As one very evil person I once knew used to say, "See ya, wouldn't want to be ya." I knew another who preached and read the Bible every day to his family who would spent entire car rides pointing out why has no empathy for certain people who drive certain kinds of cars... "The Universe" is, I can only assume, everything that is, and therefore, I haven't the slightest clue how it All really works, I really don't, and therefore, anybody who tells me how 'the Universe' wills this or that, 'wants' this or that, or 'hates them' or 'loves them' seems to be leaning into assuming omniscience that I do not have and suspect I never will... and here's a statement to ponder, as I think it and say it, "Thank God" Sarah wasn't in another car accident. It's an expression, but what does it really mean? Did God protect or cause previous car accidents? Either way, I have no idea, but I'll say it again, "Thank God Sarah wasn't in another car accident." And hopefully never has another. Hopefully, I'm never in another car accident, and yet they occur, somehow or another. It's neither "Karma" nor "God" (I presume) that causes them, though we all probably think they do...
Deus Vult
The concept of Karma is almost always misused in the West. I am no expert, but my understanding is that Karma is one soul's work, the stuff you have to do in this incarnation for your soul to advance spiritually. The typical Westerner seems to think Karma is a kind of cosmic revenge for doing stupid stuff. It isn't. Being the work one's soul must pursue in this life, it is the things one is interested in, the times and places one confronts as one goes through life. All are components of one's soul's work. How one responds determines whether or not one learns the spiritual lessons these circumstances present.
One does not have 'good Karma' nor does one have 'bad Karma.' There is only Karma. In one incarnation, one may be a child molester; that is one's karma. In another incarnation, one may be the cop who catches the child molester. In yet another, the child abused by the molester. Every human circumstance is karma for the soul. One's Karma may be to die as a soldier in a lost cause or to be an emperor or to live and work as a tradesman or be a deadbeat.
Dharma is the duty one has in each incarnation. It's the standard your soul aspires to reach. One's Dharma may be to avenge a family member slain or to achieve some task great or small. If you fail to avenge your family member, your soul does not encounter the circumstances demanded of you, and your Karma goes undone. It piles on to the next incarnation. You will bear that Karmic load until you resolve it, doing your Dharma fully.
Dharma and Karma are related. All this stuff gets complex, very complex.
It's not Karma when you run your stolen car while drunk into another car, like some kind of cosmic revenge. It may be the result of avoiding your Karma. It may be the keystone in an avalanche of karmic and dharmic circumstances to advance your spirit toward God.
Very interesting piece Sarah! I wonder if the use of the notion of luck is also metaphysical questionable. Someone who believes in the omnipotent sovereignty of God cannot also believe that things work out by chance.
"Christianity" in America is a vaguely undefined word. Not by design but that has what it has become. The flavors of religions that use the word Christian are many and varying in beliefs and persuasions. Then there's the Bible teachings which are reinterpreted over and over usually based on the defining or redefining one word. In that perspective "many are called; few are chosen" makes sense. How many is a few? we don't know. How many is "many", again we don't know for sure. I embrace Christianity because I am "known" by God. (In that day he will say to many go from me I never knew you") To many people who claim Christianity that will still not make sense to them. But I say emphatically that God makes the choice and I believe He does that not out of random desires of His own, but by being able to see within the heart of all men. He then chooses, sees us as we are, then He spends what time we have on earth creating us into what He has imagine for us, and may work in us to bring other people with us when that time comes. Man cannot save himself. It might very well be at that moment in a dark part of our life making that realization we begin to sense the power of God and we grow from there. Too many "Christians" believe salvation and Gods favor can be accomplished through rigorous religious activities and even political movements. God is not interested in anyone's politics, big church, money, or any of that kind of status, as those are temporal things which fade as quickly as we pass through time in this world. Love one another. Don't let something inane distract you. God didn't save you to stop abortion or give you favor because you say you "love Israel," or dozens more things many American evangelicals believe are cornerstones that make them Christians. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind and then love your neighbor as yourself.’
On these two commandments hang ALL the Law and the Prophets. Again, it doesn't say politics as God in His sovereignty over nation will take care of that. The only thing that holds Him back are the people trying to do it all themselves for themselves or their country. God doesn't need your help or mine. And the days of yours or any country is numbered.
Beautifully well written. Thank you.
This is why Machiavellian practice was quickly adopted by controlling and adapting language to attain sociological goals. Some at a nearly subconscious level that is the most dangerous by affecting conscience formation.
But the real direction of these processes is not progressive nor conservative politics. There is one who hates mankind more than all the narcissist politicians and malformed conscience totalitarian leaders in business and industry or any other social group. Why such practices as abortion and organ harvesting can be deemed legal.
There is a God and there are also fallen angels. Those who declare there is no God, especially those who do so and are driven to force this lack of belief upon others, are easy prey for fallen angels.
Our Mother has the answer. Pray always.
My understanding is that karma and Gods will are one and the same. Gods justice is dispensed thru karma. Of course, one has to accept reincarnation, a concept mainstream Christianity regrettably abandoned.
When I first saw this article's picture, I thought, oh, no, not again, she's gotten into another car accident... Funny thing about "karma" and what people think it is in America, and the West, most modern people... they think it is about 'this world' and 'what goes around comes around.' They've heard the word, but originally, "karma" was not the idea of 'hold a door open for an old lady, and you might win the lottery' nor, 'do bad thing have bad thing happen.' In fact, all one's "karma" was 'spiritual' and had to do with the 'spiritual realm' good or bad and had nothing to do with 'this world.' Aside from the non-Christian philosophy, another one has entered into the minds of people, as a 'Christian ideal' and that is: if you're poor, you deserve it. Your sins have brought you to poverty, and if you're rich, you deserve it because God loves you. I hate to tell EVERYBODY this but, now these bizarre concepts have become the norm... If someone gets run over by a bus, they say, well, they must have deserved it, bad things happen to bad people. God hates you might as well be the philosophy. Unless of course, you're lucky enough to not be run over by a bus, then of course, that is because God loves you. As a human, with many life experiences, I do not have the omniscience to know why someone gets run over by a bus or vice versa, but I do know that bad things happen to good people, and also, you might say, 'fortunate' things happen to bad people. Why? I do not know. The older I get, the less I realize that I know. I do know that the "Karma credit score" philosophy is out there, and mostly accounts for all the bad that happens to people in the world in their view, allowing them to excuse and deny any and all empathy or compassion for anyone. As one very evil person I once knew used to say, "See ya, wouldn't want to be ya." I knew another who preached and read the Bible every day to his family who would spent entire car rides pointing out why has no empathy for certain people who drive certain kinds of cars... "The Universe" is, I can only assume, everything that is, and therefore, I haven't the slightest clue how it All really works, I really don't, and therefore, anybody who tells me how 'the Universe' wills this or that, 'wants' this or that, or 'hates them' or 'loves them' seems to be leaning into assuming omniscience that I do not have and suspect I never will... and here's a statement to ponder, as I think it and say it, "Thank God" Sarah wasn't in another car accident. It's an expression, but what does it really mean? Did God protect or cause previous car accidents? Either way, I have no idea, but I'll say it again, "Thank God Sarah wasn't in another car accident." And hopefully never has another. Hopefully, I'm never in another car accident, and yet they occur, somehow or another. It's neither "Karma" nor "God" (I presume) that causes them, though we all probably think they do...