Karma Mechanics -- How to Take Charge of Your Karma

Are you trapped in a karmic relationship? Are you stuck in a bad karmic cycle? Just what role does karma play in your life?

Most people have some familiarity with the Vedic concept of karma. Many such exotic concepts entered the consciousness of Westerners during the Romantic period of the 1800's. The countercultural revolution of the 1960's reintroduced the use of these spiritual and philosophical terms, and the New Age Movement has continued the legacy.

More recently, the award-winning television series My Name Is Earl has contributed to making karma a household word. We have come to speak of good karma, bad karma, your karma, my karma. We say that something or some relationship is karmic.

However, most people use the word karma [English—action] when they are actually talking about karmaphala—the results of one's actions. There is considerable confusion as to the true meaning of karma, leading many to suppose that the information on the subject is generally inexact and speculative—a mere hypothesis incapable of definite proof.

Karma is a term borrowed from the religions native to India. Outside of its original context, the word karma has been most associated with the idea that one is the ultimate recipient of his or her actions. But some call this the law of karma. Which is it? Is it karma, the law of karma, or maybe both, or neither?

And how does it work? How does the source of the action—the actor—become its recipient? Is the law of karma a physical law, a spiritual law, or some act of God? Can or does God ever intervene when it comes to karma? What is the place of karma in religions other than those of India?

My intent here is to present the detailed mechanics of karma and the karmic cycle as they have been known for thousands of years. I intend to show how karma is expressed precisely in our lives every day and how we can make positive changes in our lives that bring the benefits we desire. 

Karma is not the simple subject that many take it for. Its complexities have been preserved by the dharmic traditions of Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, and Sikhism. In comparative religion, the religions that originated on the Indian subcontinent are referred to as the dharmic religions. Each of these great traditions has its own particular metaphysics and offers slightly different perspectives on the topic of karma.

I mentioned here the word dharmic. Few Westerners are familiar with this closely related concept of dharma. There was the television series Dharma and Greg that ran from 1997 to 2002. More recently, there was the "DHARHA Initiative," a secret project on ABC's Lost. But dharma just hasn’t caught on like karma has.

The Indian concept dharma is a fundamental principle found in the same central Asian philosophies that brought us karma. In fact, the notion of dharma may be even more fundamental than that of karma.

Karma and dharma are terms used by adherents of religions originating on the Indian subcontinent, but similar beliefs can be found in almost all religions. Karma is the principle that one will experience the consequences for one's behavior, and dharma is the principle that one has certain duties to perform or roles to fulfill in life.

At a deeper level, dharma refers to the essential truth of a being as well as the essential truth of all being. Our dharma tells us what we should be doing, and karma is the feedback we receive regarding how well we are fulfilling our dharma. In short, dharma is RESPONSIBILITY and karma is ACCOUNTABILITY.ma play in your life?

The Universalist Unitarian Church of Peoria

Well, I attended the Universalist Unitarian Church of Peoria (http://www.peoriauuchurch.org/) in their new building. It’s been 45 years since I’ve been there—yes, since the 1960s. The pews were full, and the congregation friendly. The sermon was good, but I never met the minister. There was a fire drill at the end of the service, which went very well.

I was so very fortunate to run into a dear, old friend of mine who had been essential in the course of my life! I wonder what fate, chance, synchronicity, serendipity, or whatever has in store for me if I return next Sunday. I am hoping to connect with others there who are interested in New Thought, meditation, astrology, reincarnation, theosophy, etc., and/or meet other members of the LGBTQ community.

Sometimes destiny doesn’t reveal itself immediately. That seems to be especially true in my old age. At one time one event quickly led to another. Meeting one person led to meeting the next. My life was obviously divinely guided. This process seems to have stopped since I moved to Illinois.

http://www.peoriauuchurch.org/

The Sylvia Browne Error

Browne rose to fame in part because of her frequent appearances on the Montel Williams Show between 1991 and 2008, where she would claim to speak to the dead and offer information about missing people.

One of her most infamous predictions came in 2004, when she told Louwana Miller, the mother of Amanda Berry, that her kidnapped daughter was dead.“She’s not alive, honey,” Browne said at the time, according to NBC affiliate WKYC's report on the segment. “Your daughter’s not the kind who wouldn’t call.”

In May, it was discovered that Berry was still alive and had been held captive by Ariel Castro for nearly a decade. Miller died in 2006 and was not alive to hear the good news -- or the news that she was exploited by Browne.

Browne responded to media questions with a prepared statement that included this line: "Only God is right all the time." from

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/21/sylvia-browne_n_4317470.html

I hate to call this the Sylvia Browne Error, but it seems that this is the best label for getting the attention that this phenomenon deserves.  Right this very minute there people all over the world giving "psychic" or "intuitive."

An old man came to our group yesterday, claiming that Dale Carnegie was guiding his life and telling him what he is to do. He also claimed that God, his mother, and UFO's were communicating with him. He kept forcibly pushing the planchette in whatever direction he wanted it to go. He was very obnoxious.

I have been attending a Meet-Up that meets several times a week for spiritual advice on metaphysical topics. The local woman (central IL) who gives out this advice claims to have special abilities since birth. She meets online twice a week. She just says ridiculous stuff and these other women believe her without any critical thinking of their own.

These are signs of very poor reality testing in narcissitic personality disorders. And these are things that are going on all over the world right now--all these psychic advisors and their clients.

The guy at the group said that it wasn't hurting anyone, but it is. For exmple, the late Sylvia Browne. These psyhics should make it clear that they could easily be wrong. Sylvia's response to her errors was that only God can be right all the time. Then she shouldn't have been pretending to be God.

I am not saying that I don't believe Dale Carnegie's student or the Meet-Up psychic. What they claim may be true. They both claim that because the thought came to them, is must be true and from a higher source.

I'm 61 and was raised in an atmosphere that was positive towards psychics and others who claimed to have some special connections. I can't even begin to tell of all the people I have meet who claim these special powers and who went on to hurt others and even themselves.

The Journey of Here and Now

"It takes every step of our long, winding journey to arrive to the realization of this moment. We cannot awaken one minute sooner; we can only arrive to this moment right on time - right now. We know this is true because it is the way it is."

- Lynne Forrest