The Nature of Karma

       Much has been written over  thousands of years by Hindu’s Jan’s and Buddhist about Karma. In its basic nature I was taught that it is pure cause and effect, that it simply is justice in its purest form. Karma gives no one a pass. Karma I was taught has a few simple principles that once known can help you be the architect of this and future lives.

       The first principle of karma is that it is assured. Karma is definite. Every intentional action of mind body and speech will have a result. Karma exhibits the ultimate fairness and equality. There are no results without a cause there are no actions without a result.
       The second principle of Karma is that like begets like. It is we who assign the labels good and evil, positive and negative to the fruits and actions that generate Karma. In other words as you sow so shall ye reap. Karma in the end is only moral because that is what we call things dealing with ethics. Some folks in Zen become upset when you add the labels like good and evil, but what the heck, Dogen had no problem saying morality was based on Karma. Buddhist have used the terms good and evil karma for centuries so I say lighten up, don’t be so dogmatic. They are just words after all.
       The third principle of Karma is that it has a tendency to take root and grow. This is why many Buddhist speak of Karmic seeds. Karma expands in such a manner that actions become habitual and these habits leads to others of similar nature. These habits seem to travel with us from life time to life time. This means what we call good or bad habits, and their like results do carry over from life time to life time. The good news here is that if your practice becomes so ingrained as to become habitual it will travel with you. I know there is no you, get off my back I am trying to make a point here ok.
       The fourth principle is once an action is done its results are never lost. But karmic actions and their fruits propagate through time and space like waves traveling through water or air and you can create interference patterns that can cancel or at least mitigate the results you experience. This is true of both good actions and bad. What there is room to do there is also room to undo, or at least mitigate. We do not accept predestination and Buddhist totally reject the kind of karmic analysis that resulted in the caste system in India.
       The really great thing here is that now with these four simple principles you can take control of your karma by accepting absolute and total responsibility for your life. Every moment you live a human life there will be no end to your opportunities to create joy and happiness.
       As the sun rose on the first day of the new millennium a happy little monk named Tenzin Gyatso also know as His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama published a post on the internet  what  he called 20 ways to assure good Karma.


1. Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.

2. When you lose, don’t lose the lesson.

3. Follow the three R’s:

- Respect for self,

- Respect for others and

- Responsibility for all your actions.

4. Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.

5. Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.

6. Don’t let a little dispute injure a great relationship.

7. When you realize you’ve made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.

8. Spend some time alone every day.

9. Open your arms to change, but don’t let go of your values.

10. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.

11. Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and

think back, you’ll be able to enjoy it a second time.

12. A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life.

13. In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation. Don’t bring up the past.

14. Share your knowledge. It is a way to achieve immortality.

15. Be gentle with the earth.

16. Once a year, go someplace you’ve never been before.

17. Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.

18. Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.

19. If you want others to be happy, practice compassion.

20. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.

I am not much into formulas for good living but these
sound ok to me, I say we give em a shot.