Why Karma is not a b*tch, but a teacher that guides us.

Photo by Damir Spanic on Unsplash

I believe you may have encountered this term on multiple occasions in your life one way or another. The term that’s familiar to us all needs no introduction. Depending on which end of the stick we are getting, some of us may have a love-hate relationship with it. The term that I would want to introduce is “Karma”.

In Sanskrit, karma literally means “action.” It is equivalent to Newton’s law of “every action must have a reaction”. When we think, speak or act we initiate a force that will react accordingly. This returning force may be modified, changed, or suspended, but most people will not be able to eradicate it.

This law of cause and effect is not a punishment but is wholly for the sake to teach us and educate us with invaluable spiritual lessons that are needed to be learned.

What is exactly is Karma?

The true definition of karma may vary depending on who you would ask. Some people adhere to the traditional meaning grounded in Eastern religions, while others interpret it from more of a Western view of good and bad. As a result, this can lead to different views on how karma applies to life.

Karma is a term that many people are familiar with but relatively few people understand. They might tell you that karma is when people get what they deserve. Good things happen to good people, while bad things happen to bad people. That’s a very simplified version of the concept of karma, but it isn’t terribly far from the truth.

Karma, which is not to be confused with its common misspelling “kharma,” is a concept related to Buddhism that has been described by the saint Paramhansha Yogananda as a “law of justice” that determines who we are. Yogananda stated that we cannot escape our basic patterns, but we do have the choice and free will to follow our basic nature or to work against it. Therefore, it is not the outward appearance of our actions that determine what effects they will have in the future, but our intentions that we carry behind them. Buddhists believe that we must accept the consequences of our actions and learn from them on our path to enlightenment.