Karma

 

Is there Karma?

What is Karma? It is a cause-and-effect relationship, as we understand it.  Is that really the case?  Have we wondered or try to find the actuality of the theory of Karma.  Like any other ideology or concept, Karma theory is being used as a concept to maintain harmony and keep the societies regulated. 

Is Karma - a watertight theory? Karma has been very loosely described and used these days because it cannot be explained.  Karma is not only the action that takes place and its subsequent consequences. It is much more than that, or we can say it is another feel-good theory. :-)

Karma begins with a thought.  Say, I got a thought of anger for one of my relatives.  The next subsequent thought is to harm that relative. Though I may not put the second thought to action, these thoughts have made an impression in my memory, and due to this impression in my memory, my future actions may be influenced.  Thus, the future story may not immediately happen but is happening due to past events.  Though action may happen in future, Karma is in play then and there with these thoughts arising in my mind.  And if we dig a little bit, we might attribute this thought of anger and subsequent opinion to harm the relative from some past incident.  So that incident is the cause, and the thoughts in my mind are the effect, and the story goes on. 

Is there a possibility that these thoughts of both anger and harming the relative may not come to my mind at all?  Yes, there are chances of such ideas not arising at all.  This scenario will depend on how my mind is conditioned to react to various situations and how that relative is related to me.  So there can be different effects altogether if some parameters are changed. If yes, then the cause and effect relationship is not directly proportionate.  So there can be multiple effects to one cause and vice versa.

Thus, we can conclude that one kind of cause may or may not result in a predetermined kind of effect.  Now the most crucial question arises.  How is Karma in function, then?  Can you say that good deeds always result in a right end and evil deeds will result in bad lots? No, it does not. 

There is no one responsible cause for one effect to occur, and similarly, there can be multiple effects for one reason. Agreed?  How can we establish a Karma theory for the happenings in the world?  This world, in its reality, is a Maya.  Such an extraordinary experience that cannot be explained in the way of any theory. It is just it is.  An example of a Movie can be loosely used to this Karma theory. It is a play or drama. :-)

Why of anything is very difficult to find in this world of Maya.  In this world of Maya, every particle is so designed to function in the very right way for which it has been manifested.  And this reason cannot be explained. 

This may arise a fundamental question about the evil that happens around.  Yes, if a person commits any crime, though there may not be one direct cause for such a crime, even then, if the person gets caught and somehow his crime gets proved, he/she must be punished according to the law of the land.   

Cause and effect are not two different aspects.  It is the same.  The reason is the effect, and the result is the cause.  But due to mind at work, there is a division. As mentioned earlier, rules and regulations have been made for society's smooth functioning. It makes life in this world more manageable. 

But we should not confuse these rules and regulations as the cause and effect theory of Karma.  Even the wisest person cannot define or describe what Karma is. Hence, for a better manageable society, they concluded by saying do good. 

And we all know that what is good or bad is also debatable.  Hence there is no ground on which the Karma can stand the way we understand.  So we can conclude that there is no Karma.  At best, we can say is, do whatever you think is right at a given point in time. Results will happen as it has been determined to occur.