A dissertation upon Spiritual Work in general and Karma in particular, by Crash

[old_cutter_john]

It's been a long time since I wrote anything about spiritual work, except insofar as it's all spiritual work. I've quit encouraging people because I've discovered that if you pursue the path of knowledge, impeccably and with perfect diligence, regardless of where it leads, sooner or later you're going to get the horrors. You'd be better off on a

Comments

[gmdreia]

My own perception of karma - my own personal insight into it - is that we often filter the whole idea through our western Christian-based moral system (and even if one isn't raised specifically Christian - I'm secular Jewish for example - it's still a Christian-dominant culture and it's just hard to escape those memes). And another thing that doesn't translate very well with nonwestern-based systems is how much of our worldview is based upon taking the word of appointed "experts" relatively unquestioned. You see this a lot with many of the skeptic/atheist contingent (who are not themselves scientists) who basically take their favorite experts' word as gospel while not actually understanding how much uncertainty and mystery is actually involved in real science (and that that's the POINT of it). A discomfort with "not knowing" and or with anything remotely subjective. With these sort of skeptics, the words have changed but the worldview is still basically Christian

[ahunter3]

I've often had that conversation, or attempted to.

When you fail to take the operation of gravity into account and you fall heavily and painfully onto the rocks and break your leg, that is NOT an act whereby God has chosen to punish you for being bad and breaking his Law of Gravity. Similarly, there are laws that govern human social interaction; one can make predictions from some initial starting points that either do or do not reflect a taking into account of those natural laws; it would in my opinion be reasonable to say that God, or the universe (if you prefer) "wants" us to behave a certain way, but it not correct or appropriate to say that God or universe are punishing our misbehaviors when we don't. It's not vindictive.

[angiereedgarner]

Karma =/= the engine by which OT God gets his work done.

[mystic_savage]

I think of karma as something like the air that surrounds me. air: I interact with it, but I don't control it. I take it for granted. I don't see it. But I continue to experience it every moment as I breathe.

[mallorys_camera]

I came here to wish you Happy Birthday!

As to karma... I rather like the Greek Stoics who maintained that we have no real power over our destinies but that we do have the power to choose between Bad and Good. The best metaphor for life is eating dinner as a guest around someone's table. We should behave in a mannerly fashion and we always have the option of getting up and leaving -- no blame. Although, of course, you're likely to find yourself sitting around a very similar table your next time around because there are dishes that Destiny means you to taste.

That last may be my own embellishment -- I'm not sure the Stoics believed in reincarnation, but I do. :-)

Enjoy your day! :-)

[old_cutter_john]

Thankee!