Karma is often hard to understand, and leads many to doubt it’s existent in life. When something is visualized it becomes more real. I found this western image/explanation for karma in Rick’s presentation(click to view larger).
Many people, as in the picture, act in the now, without regard for future consequences. Karma, however, is lived in the present. The last domino may take a day/hour or week to actually hit you, which is the effect of pushing the first. The decision to push the first domino over is actually the karma(action). The action(karma) or cause is linked to the effect, and in this way, you are always living your karma.
This is why right thought, right action and the eight foldpath are so practical. Unskilled thought, unskilled action can be seen working in the below diagram. Buddhism, and the path are not about addressing the effects, they are about the cause and intention. They are about making empowering decisions, not de-powering.
Workplaces are generally filled with unskilled thought and action. There’s a mentality of pushing hard now to get something over the line without taking into consideration what the result is of this action later on. We as humans need to change this mentality for good of the individuals and the good of the company. No one wants a domino landing on them.
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Hey Wade,
How’s it going?
I always find it helpful having a concept explained visually. I’m not sure where I stand on the traditional teaching of karma, but I’m totally down with the cause and effect notion. Actions have consequences, that is unquestionable – but will an effect always come back to us? Sometimes we can do something, i.e. buy a cheap pair of shoes made by underpaid Malaysian kids; the consequences here may not rebound on us.
What do you think?
CJx
Hi CJ,
Interesting question you raise. I’d like to know what you think on the topic.
My take on it is we are all connected on many levels, but in this instance, it’s our connection with the global economy and one people that I see karma hurting.
As humans, we should be trying to grow/further all of humanity, not just some populations that can afford to exploit others. Underpaying Malaysians keeps them from reaching a certain GDP[1], which is ‘required’ to reach a level of survival and well-being. It also keeps them from being able to invest into their local economy, which stops their national development. Who knows what they could develop that could better the world if we paid them more.
We are all one people; there is no I, no self, no you, no me. We are all human-beings with different manifestations called consciousness. Hurting what the ego calls other by underpaying, is really hurting ourselves.
Peace,
Wade
[1]GDP graph/data from http://blog.wi.id.au/2007/01/24/interesting-world-values-graphs/
Hi Wade,
Have responed on my blog (http://cjwords.blogspot.com/2007/02/karma-chameleon.html). I’d be interested to hear more of what you think, and more importantly, why. It’s this bit in particular:
We are all one people; there is no I, no self, no you, no me. We are all human-beings with different manifestations called consciousness.
that I’m trying to make sense of.
CJ
Hi CJ,
Thanks for replying. Will check it out. Peace, Wade
It has been said that something as small as the flutter of a butterfly’s wing can ultimately cause a typhoon halfway around the world.
– Chaos Theory