Karma the Universal Law

Very often we are all confronted with the word karma and we wonder why this word is so influential in many lives. Many questions originate in our minds when we hear this word like, after all what is karma? Where is it originating from? Who keeps a track record of this karma? and is it some hidden file that no one can see to rectify? All these and many more…

We generally associate it with punishment for bad actions which includes our previous lives. Who knows what we did in our past lives and that is what makes this word even more dreadful. Whatever happens good or bad the expression is “it’s all the fruits of your karmas…!” Now good is all good but what do I do about the bad that happened by my hands, I don’t even know in what life time. Believe me you are not alone to obsess over this question when things go bad in our lives.

Now lets try to understand the theory of karma one thing at a time and remember if you have any questions then do send me that so that we can help each other learn.

What is Karma?

Karma is a Sanskrit word that means "action or duty."

Karma is neither the judge nor jury, it is simply the universal law of cause and effect . All it implies is that think before you leap in action verbal, physical or mental. Remember even the smallest thought, word and act carries energy into the world and affects our present reality. Karma can be summed as the workbook that we need to complete in this school of life where there is no graduation (enlightenment) till we score a 100%, there is birth after birth and the lessons that carry forward with every birth.

Why is karma important?

Karma is important because there is no going without it. Simply put, as money is important for human survival karma is the survival tool needed for our soul. It is the karmas that give us the base of our existence and changes our thought process which leads us to live. If our deeds are bad then of course our karmas will be bad and if they are both going down then sooner or later we will go down as well. It differentiates the right from wrong, just from unjust and truth from lies. We all know the right thing but the sad part is that many of us don’t accept it. We all know killing of innocent or anything that has a right to live is the biggest sin we can do but we still can’t stop the ones who do mass killings or commit murders or kill innocent animals for selfish reasons. I think we all know it but many believe in challenging it. Imagine if there were no karma then there would be no record of what and how much each of us has to pay. Everyone would do what they wish without any consideration.

Who keeps the track of our karmas?

The track is maintained by God himself- the Universal Force who runs this universe looks after the Universal Law. It does not matter the name we know this power by, what is important is that we acknowledge its being and existence.

Why is this that we can’t amend what we did even if we are so much better now?

Karma book balance is like the pass book of the bank balance we maintain. We have an account where we deposit and withdraw. Sometimes we go in overdraft and sometimes we have saving. Every transaction is recorded with time and day. Once it is done it can’t be changed and the balance is affected. The transactions can be made any number of times but once made the record stays.

Say for example, you had $100 in our savings and you withdrew $10, no problems you had it so you withdrew it but, remember now you have a $10 withdrawal entry marked in your pass book and the balance printed is $90. The next day you come back and deposit $500. This will definitely make you a new entry of a deposit and the new balance would be $590. The fact that remains is that you can’t with what ever you do delete the $10 withdrawal. You put more and more still the entry of $10 stays. Even if you deposited the same $10 immediately after the withdrawal still your pass book would show a withdrawal of $10 and then a deposit of $10. You have balance of $100 again but, still you can’t delete the entry of your pass book or bank records. If you say that not updating your pass book would eliminate it then you are wrong because the bank records has a the date and the transaction recorded. You can take it positively as reminder of why you had to withdraw and teach yourself control for future or accept it as an important expense that you paid for. Now if you are responsible you would make sure that you put more and try not withdrawing once you deposited.

So see we can get better through learning and that can help us forgive a hasty withdrawal but we can’t change the fact that it happened. $10 can pinch a true saver who feels that it could have been avoided but it may not worry another person who believes that he had do what he had to do.

When we deposit more and more of good selfless, honest and truthful actions everyday God knows our intentions and that is the reason that many good people get out of situations that seem unreal to survive. God know who the saver is and who does not care. He can’t pitch for us but because of our good ethic and beliefs he can grant us an overdraft or credit when needed. We may be carrying a huge negative balance with us from past but if we are committed now He will hold our hand and help us through.

That means God forgives some people?

God never punishes anyone so forgiveness is always there, but, when we talk about karmas we have to understand that there was another party (any time) that took a hit when you took an advantage through any kind of play that was not intended (bad karma). For example, you may have spoken a small lie that saved you but remember it took someone that you did not even know down or in suspicion. So how can God be unkind or be partial to his other child. This is the reason that we have to pay sometimes small and sometimes big.

Lets look at it as an example from Real Financial life aspect:

Like in real life when a financial problem strikes it is our credit rating that defines our credibility to get credit similarly in the spiritual world it is our dedication and honesty that helps us get us that credit for our bad karmas. Even if in real life we did get the entire credit we needed to pay off a debt we still have to pay interest for borrowing similarly in the spiritual world when we face a situation in life God intervenes looking at our track record and we pay a small interest to offset the karam. It could be an agony,some pain,seperation or soltitude (which may be put as interest), but the important thing is that you are very lucky that you only had to pay a small fraction of what you were supposed to. The pain that we suffer is fully controlled by Him, so that you suffer just a little bit. What we call suffering is actually a learning that is important so that we never do the same thing again. You may not personally remember the time and day for what you paid but your subconscious where your soul resides does. This is the reason that we humbly accept many times when things happen with tears in our eyes. God is very kind all he wants is His children to learn and return home. He misses us but He has to send us to school to this life and many more till we graduate.

Do karmas define learning (punishments) through long term ailments like Alzheimer's or cancer?

Many people think that diseases or ailments are punishments but again it is your prospective. People who feel that they are punishments should ask themselves as to why they were punished. A common answer to that is that “we are good humans how do we know what bad we did in our past lives for which we are paying.” I agree but, I would ask them that accepted we can’t remember anything from past but what happened this time. Why did you not work hard to help others or make a difference so that you could have gotten a credit from God? If they did lead the best of unselfish life then all I would say is “ I know it is hard but see how mach less your pain is now as compared to what it could be if you had not been humble in this life time.” Honestly it is the same situation as a glass half empty or half full. As far as Alzheimer's goes I always feel that in some way this is a blessing because how so ever painful it may be remember God took out your plug from the wall of life and you are not bothered by anything past present or future because you can’t remember. You are not scared or bothered about anything but the people who look after you may feel that you are being punished. It is all your own prospective, but believe me we should all try to look at the positive as negative only drains and once you are drained there is no you it is only was you.

What is the best way to look at the Karmas?

The best way is to think that it is never too late to start to save and when you start don’t think about what you did save or withdraw in the past. Just start like it was a fresh beginning and that you have a motive to achieve.

Enjoy life but remember that there are others too who can use your help.

Unanswered Prayers

I wonder many times that why we all turn away from God when our prayers are not answered. It seems like a business deal that we make with him which when not fulfilled takes our trust away. During that time we even forget the times when the most unasked blessings happened and when we got better than what we asked for. After all what is it that makes a prayer effective and 100% granting is the question that everyone asks. The answer to this is acceptance of what we get. We are unappreciative about many prayers that are not answered and of those that went bad. When we love someone we want him/her as a life partner and nothing else. Every moment there's one prayer "Oh God! Please give him/her to me!" at this time three things can happen.

1. Prayer granted:

We are happy and go our way to make another prayer following a ritual that made this one come true so fast.

2. Prayer not granted:

We are disappointed so may be we say that God is not hearing us because he doesn't love us or our Karmas are being accessed or that He is partial to who He give and many more allegations.

3. Prayer answered but something went wrong:

Here again our aim is marked straight to God as He is a tease, He gives and then takes away because He wants to show how mighty powerful He is. Now He is a challenge. Say for example if you got the person you wanted but later he/she because of some reason walked out of the relationship, then there is a sadness that would lead to many questions all aimed toward Him. My question now is that is it always His fault and that are unanswered prayers always depicting the negatives of Him?

Let’s analyse the prayer process from everyday point of view.

What is a prayer after all?

A prayer is a request that we make to the Lord and ask for its fulfillment. This prayer has no boundaries because some people even pray for the worst of others or for their personal benefit. All in all a prayer is the communication that we have with God and during this communication it is us who speak and HE hears.

Is there a format to a prayer?

Yes, there is- the prayer should be said by heart with full belief that He can give whatever there is we want and also that the results should be accepted as is with gratitude and respect whatever they may be. I have seen many times not exactly getting what we need is the first part of the big process towards answering the prayer we made. I know someone who made prayers to get a promotion that he waited for. He somehow had faith but I guess not very stable. Opportunities came and he applied but never got through any, infact he was critiqued on many points that did break his confidence. After failing on every interview at the provincial levels he lost the very hope. One day his boss was let go suddenly and now there came a posting for the National level. His wife asked him to apply, but his answer was, “I couldn't get the provincial level and you think I would get National level!" After a lot of pushing and reinforcements he applied and many days passed until he heard anything. To his shock he was called and not only this he did even pass the first two levels of the interview. Remember he was badly critised so he had a lot of homework that he completed with a lot of learning. This man went for his final interview and he got it. Criticism made him as sharp as a razor and he cut all the hindrances that came his way. He could not get provincial level but this man made it to the National Level God had save the best for him, I guess! HE blamed God for no reason! His prayer was answered almost after two and a half years from when it was made. It was too early for him to think before.

SO BE PATIENT, WAIT AND ACCEPT!

Is there a time frame to your prayer?

No, God takes His time as there is learning that needs to be done admits it all. We don’t get our children everything the moment they demand. We set some goals and the receipt of the gift is based on the completion, isn’t that true? If we can’t fulfill the wish as it is not good for the child we give something else in return. We sometimes can’t fulfill it due to our means, so we get something accordingly.

Sometimes the thing demanded is dangerous for the child to have, which he may not be aware of – in that case we refuse it for example, I find parents who buy their children a Ferrari on there very first day they get their licence or on their 16th birthday are buying a licence to kill or get killed. It is a great car with great speed but that speed in the hands of an inexperienced driver is not only deadly to the driver but for other drivers also. Every fulfilled prayer comes with a responsibility and only our Father knows if we are ready for it. Do we ever analyse the other side of the prayer that we made- maybe that it is better that way?

Generally not, we want what we want and we will want togged it at any price. Isn’t that right for most of us. I have known people who want boys and only boys with no girls. It is a shame but true.When they get the boys they feel they are the luckiest of all and that now there is nothing more to life. When kids grow they take there own way and in this family’s case the boy lost track and went the wrong way. Now the same parents blamed God to have given them a boy. They said that if this is what was to happen He should have left them childless. Now you tell me there was an answered prayer and after so many years there is a blame coming for it. Was getting a girl

better, may be they would have brought her up better or do we blame our karmas and destiny again?

Story:

A story was told to me during my mediation sessions one day by my Guru Sadashiva who resides inside me and does talk to me. He told me that there was once a lady who led a good life and always worshipped Shiva.One day she asked for a diamond necklace that she wanted because she wanted to wear it and possess it. She generally never asked for much so Lord Shiva thought

“I can’t give her that but I can give her a $100000 instead as lottery winning.”

He did give her the money. She was happy for a while but even with that money she could not buy the necklace of her dreams. She asked again this time Lord Shiva gave her husband a big promotion. She was happy but not contented after all she wanted what she wanted. One day she again went to the temple and asked God to give her this gift for all her love and affection for her as she felt deprived without it. This time God could not do anything to please her as he had given her way more that she could have dreamt for just so that she would forget about her demand. He granted the wish. She won the Necklace in a fashion exhibition that was held in the city. She was excited and knew how everything happened. The same night there was a big party at the City Town Hall where all the rich and famous were invited along with her husband. She went to the party wearing that necklace, the latest and the most expensive one. That night due to some emergency her husband had to leave and so she decided to walk home, after all how could she miss any moment of showing off. On the way home she was caught by two men who robbed her and killed her. They cut her throat to get the necklace and then dumped her body in the lake where it was found the next day. After she died and went up she blamed God to have given her the reason of her death. To that God smiled and said, “My child,now you see why I was not giving it to you all this time. I knew it would write the last day of your life.” To this the lady commented, "that is fine but at now stop those men and send my necklace to my family.” God laughed and said “you still did not understand what you lost!”

This story makes us look at the moments when we may have thanked God or credited our good luck when we did not do or complete or accomplish what we wanted. We all have had those moments- those moments of unanswered prayers that came as a blessing.

What will happen if all the prayers are answered?

Just like we spoil a child by always listening and getting him everything this world would become a home of spoilt brats who would not only be ruthless but also selfish. We are all His children and he can’t spoil us. He knows what would happen with the grant so He tries to hold to protect, He does not do so to get back to us or punish us.

Is it important for all the prayers to come true?

No, sometimes not getting what we wanted is the blessing. Say your prayers with faith and try to ask to accept the results that the prayer will hold. We can only pray we can't push- Prayer is a request and requests need to be made humbly with the promise to acceptance because you never know when and what will change. Pray for a happy and healthy time with humbleness to receive. I have seen many ups and downs in life but all I could share is that HE is listening and HE is the father who knows what is good for his children.

The Timetravellers Wife

Time Travelling

Today I watched the movie "The Timetravellers Wife" which initially seemed to me like a total waste of time but somehow during the middle of the movie an inside thought that I know as the Voice of God told me to see it deeply. In our lives we time travel all the time may be not physically but definitely in our thoughts, dreams and states. This movie was a work of fiction so it got carried away but, think about it don't we all travel back in time or dream of the future which seems very real. We try to relive moments good or bad but the important part to notice is that the more we travel the more clarity we get into the time we think about.

The painful situations seem to relive in a slow motion every time we visit back and if the part is the one that wounded us deeply in the past we automatically seem to accept it at what ever speed we can but it is the attitude (ego) that makes it hard. See there is learning and fixing going on at the same time. Sometimes moments are beyond repairs or there is too much time that has fallen into it , but remember we can look back to learn. The thing is that our subconscious maybe accepts it but our emotions and egos do not let it seep into the deeper us making our soul restless all the time.

Many of us have found healing by visiting the old moments just like we derive happiness when we look into our albums and thoughts of great moments. Our not accepting does not change anything; all it does is make our lives a living hell not only for ourselves but also people around us. I am not suggesting to be a coward, all I am saying is, be brave to fix it or learn from it. Time is a healer, travel back, as many times as you can and try to heal as the healing lies in you. Don’t be angry at anyone nor blame your karmas just try to accept and see if there is room to fix in what ever way you can –by forgiving, forgetting or simply accepting-"Relive to Relieve". Life is hard and acceptance in many cases is impossible but life is also like a game that has its rules and levels, you can't go ahead till you finish a level - fix it or not is a different story.

I have been adamant in what I received but now when I time travel, I try to see closely VERY MINUTELY may be I could fix it. I do so because ego needs to go and healing needs to come. I know that without accepting what I got, I can’t move forward and without moving forward there is no going. I don’t want to be stagnant I want to flow washing away everything that keeps me to pile - as in literal life the piling is depression. Travel with positive thoughts to the future and go back to the good moments and to the bad ones. Ignoring or walking away will not let you get the peace you are looking for. Watch every moment as nothing will stay, all it will do is leave impressions which sooner or later will fade away or will go with us in our next life.