Karma

Influenced by my upbringing as a Christian I was never one to believe in the process of Karma, it seemed to belong to a more esoteric Asian world , and creating any liurgurgical

amlgum with any other religion was never encouraged .

However on closer inspection of Biblical stories we hear terms like 'sins of the fathers' , 'he who lives by the sword will die by the sword ' warnings of not to be judged less we be judged . There seems to be an essence of Karma in this .

"Karma" literally means "deed" or "act",cause and effect, action and reaction,

which Hindus believe governs all consciousness. Karma is not fate ,we act with

what can be described as a conditioned free will creating our own destinies.

Some Karma is beleived to accumulate and return unexpectedly in this or other

lifetimes. Human beings are believed to produce karma in four ways :

• through thoughts

• through right attitude words

• through actions that we perform ourselves

• through actions others perform under our instructions

(from Wikepedia )

Everything that we have ever thought, spoken, done or caused is karma, as is also

that which we think, speak or do this very moment. Hindu scriptures divide karma

into three kinds:

• Sanchita is the accumulated karma. It would be impossible to experience and endure all karmas in one lifetime. From this stock of sanchita karma, a handful is taken out to serve one lifetime and this handful of actions, which have begun to bear fruit and which will be exhausted only on their fruit being enjoyed and not otherwise, is known as prarabdha karma.

• Praharabhad Fruit-bearing karma is the portion of accumulated karma that has "ripened" and appears as a particular problem in the present life.

• Kriyamana is everything that we produce in the current life. All kriyamana karmas flow in to sanchita karma and consequently shape our future. Only in human life we can change our future destiny. After death we lose Kriya Shakti (ability to act) and do (kriyamana) karma until we are born again in another human body.

However if we think of it as common sense it is not too difficult to see that every

action will create circumstances because the world is truly connnected . Heres my fun created example :

You go to the shops and complacently discard the peel of the bannana you are eating in a rush . It remains on the pavement , both as litter and as a hazzard . Everyone luckily misses

the calamity of 'slipping' on it . On the way back from the shops it is you who become victim

to your own complaceny . Ta - Da !! Karma !!. In perhaps a more extended model you

are part of a world of 'complacent ' litter bugs , the planet becoming a veritable rubbish tip

tip , exuding methane gas which destroys both you and virtually treads the next generations to come. Ta - Da Karma!! . Indeed everything we do is having an effect , my example is not

judgemental I hope but if we did really think theres a chance always that less harm might

be done . Certainly actions completed with awareness and goodwill have the potential

of creating more of this .

Expand that simple idea of an action , thought or reaction moving through the world and it is not too difficult to accept that the originating action can return to our ' door step ' in some

way . As part of an emerging awareness I have started saying this to myself :

" I fully accept the wages of my own work"

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It has helped me be a little more humble and a little more thoughtful , but I am like

like the rest of us - 'A work in progress'

There is something liberating about taking responsibility , also that we might be ablecon consdsider 'good' and 'right' and thus reap benefits, whilst creating benefit for others

Of course there is the danger of affectation , in that we greedily grasp for 'good' by taking no risks or being falsely too good

It seems to me that to take risks, and to sometimes get it wrong is just human and we must accept this , and I'm open to anyone who wants to discuss this or challenge it . As far as change and therapy goes I have found it to be a good model to start seeing that some circumstances happening to me out of the blue and that I have had some small contribution

to their arrival in my life .

own doing and the result of poor choices , questionable decisions and misdirection .

In Compassionate work , one would say regarding negative actions

" Its not our fault but it is our responsibility " , I agree .

We make going forwards in our life ,how it affects others and how everything seems

to turn out bad for us . It is through awareness of our 'foot-print' I would argue ;

awareness resulting from deep personal reflection arising from or without

the need of the responses of others to see what may be happening in our lives from

a point of view of taking responsibility for word , deed and action. something which is Biblical , Asian , Spiritual ,indeed wholly Universal !!!.

For myself a journey guided by the Reach Approach has created awareness for me to take

responsibility where neccessary , which I can tell you, the revelation of such is really

not easy !!Going forwards, its not really a question of controlling my destiny but some freedom in seeing for the first time that I am a co- creator in it .