Originally posted by Very RustyYou can be a Roman Catholic and believe in karma as well? That's interesting.
chaney3,
I for one do believe in Karma! I have seen it happen to many people.
-VR
Note: had I put this thread in the spirituality forum, I would not have known your views, or that of others from the general forum, who do not visit that forum.
The rule of karma is that you reap what you sow, not necessarily all in one lifetime. And yes, it is possible to be born with bad karma accumulated from previous incarnations. This is not harsh, it is simply cause and effect. The rule of karma is, in contrast to the judeo christian tradition, completely without intentionality --in other words, there is no punishment. There are only the delayed effects of your own previous actions.
Bad karma is not necessarily unpleasant. Good karma is not necessarily pleasant. Bad karma is whatever leads one away from enlightenment. Good karma is whatever leads one towards it.
Originally posted by moonbusNicely put.
The rule of karma is that you reap what you sow, not necessarily all in one lifetime. And yes, it is possible to be born with bad karma accumulated from previous incarnations. This is not harsh, it is simply cause and effect. The rule of karma is, in contrast to the judeo christian tradition, completely without intentionality --in other words, there is no pu ...[text shortened]... arma is whatever leads one away from enlightenment. Good karma is whatever leads one towards it.
I also like the idea that a 'bad life' (for want of a better phrase) doesn't necessarily mean one is suffering the effects of bad karma from a previous incarnation. For example, perhaps it is necessary for a soul to experience poverty or disease first hand in order for it to grow in the direction of enlightenment.
Originally posted by Ghost of a DukeMarco Pallis, a Western scholar who writes about Buddhism with uncommon insight, expressed this very idea thusly: a poor, rustic farmer, with, objectively speaking, a very hard life, might actually have good karma in the sense that he is already very close to nirvana and has only to accept occasional kindness from his neighbors, whereas a university professor with a comfortable life and guaranteed pension may be very far from nirvana, blinded by his own arrogance and erudition.
Nicely put.
I also like the idea that a 'bad life' (for want of a better phrase) doesn't necessarily mean one is suffering the effects of bad karma from a previous incarnation. For example, perhaps it is necessary for a soul to experience poverty or disease first hand in order for it to grow in the direction of enlightenment.