“K” is for Karma
The start of the new year is not far behind us… it’s a good time, (anytime is a good time actually), to think about the energy or karma you are procuring in the world, in your community, in your life, and in the future. This new calendar year represents new beginnings with the chance to begin anew, cultivating good, joy, love, gratitude, peace, happiness, and all positive sentiments connected to any of these words. One of the best ways to think about cultivating your future is by thinking about what you want to give to the world, which in keeping with the Karmic philosophy that all you put out, will be returned to you. Creating good karma is a gift to others as much as it is to you.
Karma is that force that keeps us on the straight and narrow. It governs our actions, helps us to maintain integrity (doing the right thing while no one is watching), and is sometimes grouped together with “the golden rule“, the idea that we treat others the way we want to be treated. Many think of Karma as a simple law of cause and effect. Some are afraid of it. Many think of it as that thing that is their moral compass, helping them decipher right from wrong. In truth, Karma is a whole lot more than any of these simplified modern-day views. However, we choose to think about it, define it, embrace it, is all good… after all if it is something that pushes us along the path of self-awareness, spiritual awakening or a more profound sense of self, then who could argue with that!
A Brief History of Karma
To fully understand something, I always think it is good to start from the beginning. Where does Karma originate from and how has it become the mainstay in Western decorum that it is today.
According to Wikipedia, the word karma comes from the Sanskrit word for “action, word or deed”. It could be broken down further by two different connotations, the Western view, and the universal view. The Western view is also referred to as the psychological view, which is naturally all about the psychological impact of doing good deeds, as is written in the “Western Buddhist Review“
“intentional actions of body, speech and mind have psychological consequences for the agent, such that good actions bring positive experiences in their train, and bad actions bring negative experiences.”
The Universal view is the more traditional view that emerges from the Eastern religions of Buddhism, Hinduism, Sikhism, Jainism, and Taoism. It is centered around the idea of doing good to ensure that one’s future lives will be blessed with good fortune, a major distinction from the modern-day view that it is in this life, we will reap the benefits of our good deeds. The BBC has an archived page on karma which has a helpful summary on the teachings of karma from a Buddhist perspective.
“Skillful actions that lead to good karmic outcomes are based upon motives of generosity; compassion, kindness and sympathy, and clear mindfulness or wisdom. The opposite motives of greed, aversion (hatred) and delusion, when acted upon, lead to bad karmic results.”
Something that is true in Eastern religions and also, I think, appealing to the West, is the idea that karma is self-determined. Meaning that we can influence the good or bad karma that befalls us. Our karma, or moral decisions also shape who we are, our character which is also in keeping with much of the Western take on karma.
Creating Good Karma in Popular Culture
Karma has been around in Western culture for quite some time, a few hundred years even. Though back then, communication, especially transnational communication was not what it is today, obviously. Therefore, suffice it to say that many were unfamiliar with the Eastern religions from which it came, however, the idea around karma was appealing, as it offered a way to think about how we can influence our lives for better or for worse. In essence, creating good karma is how we can gain control over our future or our fate, also known as luck in Western culture.
What’s Cultural Appropriation again?
There is just a tad of cultural appropriation here as well, I think (yes, read that as sarcasm). I had no idea in the 90s that a favorite alternative rock band, Nirvana, was actually the final stage of enlightenment, where one is released from the karmic cycle of death and rebirth. Though in the 90s, I had no idea what cultural appropriation was either… as time marches on we learn and we evolve…
Karma was also, for some time that new age thing that hippies or earthy-crunchy people talked about, and practiced (or so it was thought) by eating with their eyes closed and embracing the spiritual realm. Today, it is just plain and simple, the mainstream idea around energy, positive and negative… that what you put out, you get in return, in one way or another.
What this Means for You and Me
Few of us could ever hope to embrace the karmic teachings the way Amma has, in case you are not familiar with Amma, she is known as the patron saint of hugs. She was born and raised in India, spreading love and devotion in the form of a hug. She actually goes on hug tours throughout the world. I have seen her twice and it was a remarkable experience. She has built an empire of charity on the foundation of hugs as a way to ease suffering. She truly is an amazing example of humanitarianism. And we need those people as role models, to remind us of the possibility that’s in all of us, the good that we can do.
The idea of bringing good karma into your life is as simple as it gets. Live your best life by thinking of others as often as you think of yourself and doing what you can to bring positive energy and kindness to the world around you. It could even come down to that teaching we learn as kids, to leave things better than you found them!
There are many campaigns out there around this idea, in schools they abound, as the Kindness Campaign or Kindness Challenge, emphasizing a positive school culture, teaching kids the values around right and wrong. We too can incorporate these challenges into our own lives, every day. In truth, it can be hard to live up to these ideals and we do need to keep things in perspective, we’ll most likely never truly get there, not all the way there, but that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t try. It’s all about putting your best foot forward and embracing the moment. I do believe that if we seek to create positive change for ourselves, we will be creating good karma and those positive vibes will be felt by those around us.
Creating Good Karma with Gratitude
If you aim to bring positive energy to your life and those around you, looking for ways to feel gratitude is a surefire way to cultivate good karma. Gratitude could come down to being that sentiment of appreciation for what you have, rather than focusing on what you don’t have, which tends to be the direction that we go in when having a tough time in life. It can be difficult to practice gratitude but I can assure you, it will be worth it.
Mantras and Quotes
We could all use a good mantra or two. I often talk about them in client sessions. There are lots of great quotes and mantras that come from the teachings around karma and putting good karma out into the world.
Find that phrase that means something to you that will help you come back to yourself and help to inspire and motivate you, to continue on and conquer the situation. My personal favorite is: “And this too shall pass”. It’s simple and helps remind me that although things feel horrible in the moment, these moments will come to an end and something new will begin. When you are in the depths of it… be it anxiety, depression, loneliness, sadness, despair, anger, or fighting addiction… it can be hard to even utter a phrase so simple, which is why they are so powerful and important. When you find your mantra, write it down, several times and make sure it is in several different places (a wallet, a backpack, a notebook or a screensaver for example) so that it is someplace that you will see it, unprescribed, it will be there for the inspiration that you need.
Wrapping it up…
I hope you found this article to be inspiring and helpful as you find your center and discover the way in which you want to give to the world. It is more than just avoiding bad karma or thinking about what will come back to you as a result of your missteps. It does take an intentional and purposeful way of being which we can all embrace, one step at a time.
And as I wrap this one up, I will leave you with one last thought…
Imagine if we could think of creating good karma as a commodity in the same way we do money… now wouldn’t that be something!
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