Indian texts frquently say that you are a product of your karma. is the concept of "action" or "deed", understood as that which causes the entire cycle of cause and effect (cycle of life) originating in ancient India and treated in Hindu, Jain, Buddhist and Sikh philosophies. Whatever you do, howsoever you behave, you will get back in return. It is frequently told, Good begets good and bad begets bad. In you life, if something good happens to you, then it is due to your good karma. And every bad that happens in your life is repayment of your karmic debt. Once you end your cycle of karma, you attain moksha/ nirvana(or liberation of soul)
I shall try to evaluate karma through different lenses and than decide if Karma is really a b*itch.
Origin of karma?
If all I am experiencing is an effect of karma, than where and when did it all start?I think, it must be a continuous process. Actions generate new karma. If those are good actions, than it would be karmic credit, otherwise karmic debt. General tendency of humans would be leading to a huge karmic debt. Whatever good we do must be reducing the debt. Any bad would be adding to it. Thats why we generally hear karmic debt and not about credit. Infact, it is said that if you clear off your debt, than you attain nirvaana.
Science
Newton says that to every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. This law has stood the test of time. The general law of physics are very much applicable to real life too. If we believe that, the karmic effects perfectly fit. If I do any action (karma), than I get equal reaction (karmic effect) back to me. If it is good karma, than one gets good in opposite direction. If bad, same back to u.
Besides, laws of thermodynamics says that energy can never be created nor destroyed, it can be converted from one form to another. If we consider karma to be energy, Whatever good thought (thought has a frequency, so energy) or action is converted in to positive energy (or karma). Negative thoughts would result in negative energy. That is why perhaps we tend to increase in energy (or karma). If we want to move to a state of lower energy (reduce karma), we need to go against the convention (thats why perhaps sufferings reduce karmic debts).
Karma as per thermodynamics can also be correlated to entropy (or disorderness of system or randomness of system of karma of system). Entropy of system always increases, so does the karmic debts. Entropy is negative so is karmic debts. Also, thermodynamics clearly states that entropy of a system at absolute zero is exactly zero in other words, a system ceases to exist when its entropy is zero. Perhaps that is the state of nirvaana, or moksha, or liberation. When there is no disorderness,no entropy, no randomness, no karmic debts you cease to exist and your soul attains liberation.
Karma as per thermodynamics can also be correlated to entropy (or disorderness of system or randomness of system of karma of system). Entropy of system always increases, so does the karmic debts. Entropy is negative so is karmic debts. Also, thermodynamics clearly states that entropy of a system at absolute zero is exactly zero in other words, a system ceases to exist when its entropy is zero. Perhaps that is the state of nirvaana, or moksha, or liberation. When there is no disorderness,no entropy, no randomness, no karmic debts you cease to exist and your soul attains liberation.
Ancient texts
Karma has found its presence in ancient Indian texts including the Upanishads. It has got prominent mention in the poems of Bhagwad Gita. It is also of prominent importance in the religious texts of Hinduism, Jainism, Budhism and Sikhism. Its mention in all those places signify its importance, and make it hard to ignore.
Karma and Rebirth
A non believer of karma would find it irrelevant. But, in the hindsight, if we see, what wrong would a new born baby have done which dies within moments after birth, or someone who is disabled at birth or becomes disabled later in life. There must something of the past life be definitely involved in it. That perfectly explains the phenomenon mentioned in hindu texts of births and rebirths till you nullify your karmic debts. I don see any other reason for which a new born should die, or someone who is born on a street side or someone who is born in a palace. Someone get opportunity and make use of that, some do get opportunity but do not utilize it, someone fail to spot an opprtunity ir someone dont get opportunity at all. There has to be a reason behind all this. Karma is the most logical reason i can conceive of.
Karma as an excuse.
Karma is frequently used as an excuse to cover up the bad. Even if it arises out of someone's deliberate cognitive action, it is branded as karma and used as a cover up. Though it may be right, but it is wrong to attribute any bad to karma. It inappropriately takes away the responsibility and the blame of the doer of the action. It can also make the sufferer passive and defenseless; and in the process, all the more vulnerable. It is wrong for a sufferer to continuously tolerate the injustice of the suppressor in the pretext of karmic effects. One cannot let the bad events occupy ones life, and not trying to change, labelling the events as karmic events. It is wrong for a man suffering from disease not to take medicine thinking that karma is taking its course through the sufferings. Looking through this lens, karma is something which people use as an excuse, use to make oneself feel better, a shinning star in otherwise dark and gloomy life, something to pacify people by the oppressors. It is something which has been attached with religious significance to validate it and fool people; which otherwise is the dark side of human beings!
Non believers of karma
For those who do not believe in karma, it is life as usual. Except for some unanswered questions, they can have comfortable life, take everyday as it comes without worrying of the past or future, keep working continuously in expectations of justice and a fair life. It would be good for them as they would be solely blamed for failures or appreciated for their success. They themselves can enjoy the credits of their life rather than getting it attributed to something that happened many years back or many lives back. They will enjoy their life the way they want and not worry about the future. As it is, no body has actually proved the existence of karma. As long as it is not theoretically or practically proved (proofs of ancient stories thousands of years back is not enough), there is an equal chance that Karma is non- existent.
Suffering depletes karma
If this is true, than someone suffering from cancer, arthritis etc will get very close to nirvana. If it is true, than what of the sufferings acquired by the lifestyle like sufferings of diabetes, hypertension etc., do they reduce bad karma or increase it? Can there be any link between one born with disability and high karmic debt.
Karma and Fate
If karma decides your fate, than what is the role of human free will. I feel a man chooses his own fate. The decisions you make, the opportunities you seize, the path you tread are all conscious decisions taken by a free and open human mind. There are stories of rag to riches, riches to rags, stagnancy; all these are free human minds and human will to do or not to do. It is difficult to attribute karma to free will. Through this lens, the role of karma in fate is rudimentary. Its role can be explained only if karma (as energy) clouds and affects decision making of a person.
Karma and Animals and Microorganisms
If karma is like any other law of nature like gravity, than it should be equally applicable to all the humans, animals, birds, microorganisms, plants etc. If we take the example of a tiger, its dharma (duty) is to eat up domestic animals, just as the duty of domestic animals is to eat up grass. In effect, tiger is taking a life to satiate his hunger. From the karmic view, his should be under immense debt, but from the dharma (duty) view, a tiger is an ideal. Lord Krishna had advocated both karma and dharma in his poem to Arjun. Than will the effects of karma affect them in lives to come? What about plants? Going by the universal law of karma, they should be very close to salvation. Poor microorganisms, they are so small that it would be difficult to attribute karma to their actions even if they cause you food poisoning, inflammations, allergies or untreatable diseases!
God and Karma
It is known that praying is known to reduce the effects of bad karma. Infact, many believe that divine intervention is needed to attain nirvana. But God is supposed to be just and impartial. How can he just favor someone who sings his praises or talks to him? If it is just limited to the positive energy that arises within one when praying, than it is acceptable, but praying God reducing karma is slightly unacceptable. If I killed someone, than I should be aptly punished and no amount of praying should reduce the punishment. This is the only just course of action, this is the course of action that God should be taking coz he is just and fair. If what I just mentioned is wrong, than what exactly is the role of God in a person's life. God would be left with no role to play except for fulfilling everyones desires and needs.
Unfair life and continuity
I would like to quote few lines by PV Vaidyanathan featured in "The Speaking Tree".
He says,
" However, existence does not work according to our needs, desires, wants, ideas or beliefs. In fact, no one really knows for sure how existence works, why life unfolds for each of us the way it does. While some might call it fate, others believe in past life karma, luck or chance. Still others say it is the law of cause and effect playing out. You might feel that the person who is having some benefits today must have done some good in the past, and is reaping the rewards of his past good deeds. And so we advise our children that they must be good, honest, humble, giving, fair and forgiving. Despite many of us living good, honest lives, existence does not seem to shower its blessings on us. It is then that we wonder if life is unfair.
In reality, life or existence is neither fair nor unfair. Existence just is; life flows as it is meant to. Is there a master blueprint somewhere which has the details of how life should proceed every second on earth for each of us? There is no concrete evidence or proof of this. In reality, existence does not favor anyone more than the other. Swami Vivekananda would say, “Not even an atom in this universe can be different than how it is, for that would destroy the balance of the universe and the entire system would collapse.”
For the universe to run smoothly, events and occurrences have to be in a certain way, and life moves not in a straight line, but in infinite cycles. This much we know by looking at life, where rich and poor, good and bad, happiness and sorrow, life and death – all come in cycles.
While life may seem unfair, if things changed as per every individual’s desires and wishes, imagine the chaos and confusion that would result. In a matter of a few days, the world would come to an end. The apparent unfairness that we see is needed for continuity."
Conclusion
After seeing through the above lenses, Karma can be discarded as a modern day gimmick to fool people of their sufferings or justified with a much deeper meaning. Karma and its role is both amusing and confusing. For me if karma really exists, its aim is to fear the bad of past, so that it is not repeated and be good in the present. If this happens, future automatically becomes good. The larger underlying reason in for non believers would be pointless, for believers of material life could be to make this world a better place to live; and spiritually, it has role in liberation of soul.
After seeing through the above lenses, Karma can be discarded as a modern day gimmick to fool people of their sufferings or justified with a much deeper meaning. Karma and its role is both amusing and confusing. For me if karma really exists, its aim is to fear the bad of past, so that it is not repeated and be good in the present. If this happens, future automatically becomes good. The larger underlying reason in for non believers would be pointless, for believers of material life could be to make this world a better place to live; and spiritually, it has role in liberation of soul.
Is karma really a b*tch?
I am not really sure.
(P.S. This post is my response to a very close friend who is a staunch non believer in Karma)
(P.S. This post is my response to a very close friend who is a staunch non believer in Karma)
