The Law of Karma which is often considered as the trail of consequences of everything we do and think those consequences are said to follow and reflect in the rest of your life. Whatever you put out into the Universe will get returned to you. The Law of Karma states that there is a universal balance sheet recording every single cause and effect. The way you behave in a situation will be the way the situation behaves. The effect is part and parcel of the cause and the action is always followed by the consequences.Your life is made up of the seeds that you plant every day. Every choice, every word, every action – good or bad – can ultimately produce fruit. This is Newton’s Third Law: for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Life is yin and yang – everything has its counterpart, its opposite. Every high has its corresponding low. Every up must come down. In the end everything balances out.Life is not intended to be punitive in some unfair existence. What you are going through is the natural feedback of the universe, the law of karma which is impartial and universal and does not have bias towards anyone and makes no exceptions for anyone. This law of karma, or cause and effect, by whatever name you choose to call it, is always at work and much of what will happen to you in the future is determined by what you are doing now.Ever heard an old proverb “you get what you give” (or “as you sow, so you shall reap” if you will). It’s also a lesson in the Bhagavad Gita too. in and famously. Either way, it’s a nice concept to keep in mind, and hopefully it will serve as a reminder to be more mindful of our actions in life. and receive what we put into it hopefully enjoyably.“Karmaṇy-evādhikāras te mā phaleṣhu kadāchana |Mā karma-phala-hetur bhūr mā te saṅgo ‘stv akarmaṇi”(Bhagavad Gita 2.47)Translation:“Because of your nature you are gorgeously adorned to come, completely conscious, fully capable, fully self-aware and fully empowered. You have a right to discharge your functions and fulfill your duties. But you have no claim to the fruits of those duties. No claim, ever. Do not consider yourself the cause of anything and therefore do not refrain from discharging your duties.”This verse explains that our actions in this life are what we can potentially earn and thus we cannot be obsessively attached to the end results of these actions. We have to live with the very actions we do, hence being mindful of them and having the proper intention to do them is what the Gita teaches and hence this simple proverb.Karma Across Traditions and BeliefsKarma is commonly considered an Eastern concept that is associated with Hinduism and Buddhism. But moral cause and effect is a theme present in the roots of most spiritual belief systems on the planet. Karma is an ancient Sanskrit word used to describe the web of connections between all things that exist on the planet in a cycle of past, present and future. The causes and effects of all things—thoughts and actions—are never-ending and ongoing, and each action in life, right here and now, will have consequences not only in this life, but in future lives as well. The concept of building up karma is also found in Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and Taoism. In each of these systems, people seek to cultivate positive thoughts and actions in order to create meritorious or desirable effects in this life (dharma or merit) or the next life (reincarnation) whereas undesirable or harmful actions can create demerit or suffering (adharma).In many Eastern cultures it is understood that every action has an appropriate effect or consequence. Just as good actions will produce a healthy environment and nurture those around us, equally bad actions will bring suffering. The concept of what we now call karma has long been recognized in cultures around the world. The following African and Native American Proverbs show that an awareness of the cause and effect of our actions is not limited to one modern term but is a long recognized principle of life found in many cultures, including those of African and Native American peoples.Karma is often misunderstood as fate or destiny. But it is not to say that our lives are predetermined and completely outside of our control. Karma actually refers to the cumulative effect of our actions in each moment of time. In a recent book on Karma that I read was an interesting fact that was shared about how karma is NOT just about Karma from past life actions or deeds. While past actions and past life actions can play a role in what is happening in our lives today, in fact the most important time karma is playing out is RIGHT NOW. Yes, you read it right. Right here and right now you are affecting how past actions and karma will play out and you are creating karma for your future experiences as well. And the cool thing is that even a small shift in our consciousness and actions can change our lives.The Principle of Cause and EffectKarma is Cause and Effect. The picture to the left illustrates the massive Cause of an open bar in Tuscany that spawned a multitude of Affects – each in turn able to generate new Causes and Affects. Thus the potential for Cause and Affect is never-ending.Every action we take can have the potential to cause positive or negative effects that come back to us in goodwill or cause us a lot of trouble and pain. Just as every action has the potential to be a new Cause, the results of our actions have the potential to have us deal with the results of our activities. “ Every action we take is like a little seed we plant, and eventually that seed will ripen and we will have to face the result of our actions”.As a person evolving to live a life of spiritual awareness I have been exploring the concept of karma and how it relates to my actions and awareness. I have come to realize that living with the consciousness of karma means being aware of the immediate and long lasting effects of our choices. Many of these effects are bitter while others are sweet. The ripples of good actions such as kindness, generosity and truth also have effects and many of those effects can come back to us in time. None of this is spooky or otherworldly. It is simply a way of looking at the world from a spiritual perspective and there is much written on this subject. Here is an excerpt from an online article.Karma is the sum total of word and action that we set in motion with every choice we make. In the realm of human life, these choices set off a chain of events whose end result is consequences to ourselves and others. And so, karma is the law of cause and effect in the realm of human life. Understanding this simple rule can change your perspective to one that I asked in a previous question.In many spiritual traditions our karma is seen as being part of a cycle or a wheel. In Hinduism and Buddhism this is called the “Wheel of Karma.” Whatever actions we took in our past life will bring about the circumstances that we have in our current life. But the actions that we take in this life will bring about the circumstances of our next life. This is a universal concept that transcends spiritual tradition. Even if you do not believe in the concept of past or future lives, you can view unfortunate breaks or circumstances of your life as being a result of karma. Past actions and decisions from this life and even from other lifetimes have brought these circumstances forth. But at the bottom line, it is all up to you and you are responsible for creating all that you are experiencing. And the beautiful part is that you always have the choice to continue on as you are and create more of the same, or you can start anew and create different options and possibilities every moment.In addition to the cause and effect meaning, there is an ethical aspect of karma as well. For example, two people throw trash on the ground. One did it out of laziness and a general lack of concern for others and the environment and the other did it because he was unaware of the consequences of his actions. Most people would say that these two individuals would not receive the same karmic rewards or punishments for their actions. Thus Karma encourages us to be more compassionate to those who have made mistakes and honest about our own intentions. This ODD reminds us to look to see if we are acting with Loving Kindness or with anger and fear, and to take responsibility for the karma we create.Living with Karma Every DayWe think of karma as a long row of dominoes. One action is the first domino pushed by our thoughts and words, and as the dominoes fall, an entire chain of events is triggered. In fact, the more we realize about karma, the more we understand that everything we do, good or bad, brings about the effects of that action. A courteous word to an employee or a long suffering wife can bring forth wonderful karma, while thoughtless words and actions can have the opposite effect. It’s really eye opening to realize the small amount of work it takes to cause huge changes. It’s also very encouraging to realize we go through situations in our lives that call for us to forgive over and over again. The “dominoes” falling for someone with very poor behavior right now will fall for them just the same.For those of you who want to practice the concepts we covered in the previous post, I just wanted to throw out a few practical (karmic) habits that you can incorporate into your daily life.Or not. Up to you.Be aware of yourself. To be patient and compassionate with others we must first cultivate these qualities towards ourselves. That means we need to be mindful of our own behavior, develop self-awareness. This is done through meditation and other techniques to bring us to a state of mindfulness – present moment awareness. Spend some time each day sitting and being still and focus on the breath. As you settle more into stillness, begin to increase the amount of time spent in meditation. Eventually with enough practice you will see things as they are. You’ll recognize when you are about to engage in actions that will cause you harm or bring about regretful results. You can then respond to situations that provoke anger, aggression or irritability through more constructive means such as patience testing behavior.Reflect & Learn: Make reflecting on your day a habit. Look for times when you acted from kindness and also looked for times when you were careless in your words and actions and how they may have potentially hurt others. Reflect & Learn of each day by reviewing the day to acknowledge the good kind things you did as well as the unkind actions or reactions that were careless and possibly hurtful. Receive the mistake you made with kindness and curiosity instead of judgment. What can you do in that exact moment to “un-do” the mistake and “re-set”? Might you need to say sorry to someone? Make a mental note for next time? Remembering that we all make mistakes, and even the small ones have something to teach us, is a powerful way to “interrupt” a downward spin before it’s gone too far.Work Positively: Focus on what you can do instead of dwelling on what went wrong. Have positive intentions and thoughts. Work with gratitude. Practice gratitude for all the good things that are present in your life and work. Work for one minute each day to make a list of the things you are thankful for. Replace anxiety, anger, and blame with kindness. As you work positively, your actions will show it. Smiling at someone, holding the door open for someone, wearing nice pants, giving a genuine compliment, and many other acts can create good energy. Good energy creates good seeds that come back to you. Good seeds get planted. By having a positive thought or expressing gratitude you can spark actions that are really good for you.Practice patience and kindness: Remember that people are exactly where they are due to their karma. Cutting others and yourself lots of slack can help. And remember that small things like smiling at someone, really listening to someone, offering to help someone with something can create a lot of good karma. “Small acts of kindness can have a profound effect and create a wave of goodness and happiness in the world. Performing these actions creates good karma for the person receiving your kindness and for you also, bringing health, happiness and wellness and drawing kindness to you.”Accept Responsibility: Personal Power is demonstrated when we accept responsibility for our mistakes as well as our successes. Blaming others, circumstances, or our genes for our problems and poor behaviors takes away our Personal Power. Accepting responsibility for our actions means taking ownership of them. This includes owning up to our errors, and apologizing to others for the harm we have caused. By seeing both the negative and positive impacts of our behavior at work, we can learn from them and take steps to do better in the future. Taking ownership for whatever happens is good karma in itself. It shows you are grown up and capable of learning and growth. As you take more ownership people will start to trust you more and more. And you will start to trust yourself more and more. Remember the whole point of karma is growth and learning. The rewards and punishments are just a means to that end.The Impact of Stress & Anger on Karma: Stress and anger can create so much bad karma if we are not careful and react negatively in the moment. Pausing a moment before speaking or acting helps to prevent negative karma. Take a few deep breaths, go for a walk, or meditate. Cultivate inner peace and the world will benefit. React negatively due to stress and anger with mindful, wise responses. By staying calm, you will be likely to act well.The habits in this book have been cultivated and are woven throughout the book, and they took many years to develop. Habit cultivation is a slow process; that is why it is called a garden. And it is not just the big things in life in which karma plays a hand. Each daily choice we make has repercussions in the karmic bank account. Cultivating mindful speech, sharing karma, acting with fairness, and being a better listener all deposit positive sums into our account.Reflection and Wisdom from KarmaFrom a universal perspective the law of karma is a guiding principle not dogma. The sages remind us that we are constantly aware of the web of actions we are weaving with every move we make. We do create our own reality. Our kindness and diligence inspires trust and earns reward. Anger, greed and deceit bring unrest and isolation. It’s a natural law, very simple yet often overlooked.Unlike our bank accounts, our karma is not fixed. What we did in past lives is not cast in stone; most of our karma can be worked out in this life. Remembering this powerful truth encourages us to think about how our actions in this life will affect our future lives. Since our actions in this life can help to offset negative effects of our karma from past lives, the process of working off our bad karma can be completed in the life we’re in right now. When we act well, we make deposits into our “life account” to bring ourselves back to zero from our overdrawn negative balances.Knowing karma can increase our compassion for others. We’re all going to make mistakes, knowing that our mistakes will come back to us can evoke a lot of compassion for others. Because most negative reactions ultimately hurt the doer more than the target, forgiveness is the best karmic policy. Anger that is carried to completion to the very end, frees up the energy so that you don’t have to carry it around anymore.Integrity is promoted by karma. Nothing ever goes away, everything has consequences in the afterlife. So there is really no need to do anything unwholesome. Karma does not require enforcers because it is fair. “Fair” here means impartial and unbiased. You get what you deserve without interference from external sources. We throw our experiences of how we live into the mix.There is something so peaceful about knowing that we are not separate from the world around us and that our actions can have an effect on others. By using our actions to light up this web of causes and effects with kindness, responsibility and awareness we can help ourselves grow and evolve as human beings, while also contributing to the evolution of the world. The law of karma is a challenge, or rather an invitation to greater awareness, greater evolution, more consideration and compassion. The seeds we sow today will one day become the fruits we reap.So what does the law of karma really mean? It means what you put out into the world, what you sow, what you put energy and attention into, is what you will receive in return. As we cultivate more awareness, kindness, gratitude and accountability in our lives, we can create more goodness and watch it flourish. Here are some takeaways and practices to help you cultivate more positivity in your life and watch it grow!Your karma is incarnate in the world around you. To live in harmony with it, take a few breaths before you transition between activities, reflect on your actions and emotions at the end of the day, and show as much kindness as possible to others through words and actions. Finally, reflect on all the things for which you are grateful each day and acknowledge their presence in your life. By doing these simple things you can grow into a more peaceful and meaningful human being. Remember every day is a chance to plant new seeds.The Gentle Power of KarmaThe Law of Karma is NOT about Karma being a punisher or rewarder it is the Law of Awareness. Awareness that every word we speak, every thought we think, and every action we do will bring forth movement. Life is not random; it listens, reflects, and returns what we give.Internalizing Intention –radical simplicity of transformation: When we become aware of our intention, our lives change in radical and simple ways. By becoming aware of our intention, we act with more awareness, care, and precision. Our efforts manifest as action and create the world we wish to experience. The energy we put out into the world returns in gentle, subtle, and sometimes powerful form.You don’t have to be perfect to start. Start here. Start now. With one thought, one breath, one movement.
If this spoke to something within you, we invite you to explore more. At Masi Wellness, we blend spiritual wisdom with grounded, everyday practices to help you connect deeper with yourself and the world around you.Whether you’re just starting your journey or deepening your path, we’re here to support you one peaceful step at a time.Visit masiwellness.com to discover soulful resources, gentle guidance, and a like-hearted community.
ReferencesThe Holy Bible – Matthew 5:7 (“Blessed are the merciful…”)https://www.biblegateway.com The Holy Quran – Bismillah al-Rahman al-Rahim (In the name of God, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate)https://quran.com Buddhist Teachings on Compassion (Karuna) – Metta Sutta and Bodhisattva idealhttps://www.lionsroar.com Hindu Philosophy – Concepts of Ahimsa and Kripa (divine grace)https://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/ Sikh Prayer “Sarbat da Bhala” – Welfare of all beingshttps://www.sikhiwiki.org Judaism – Teachings on God’s mercy (Rachamim)https://www.myjewishlearning.com Choa Kok Sui, The Existence of God is Self-Evident (teachings on Law of Karma, Forgiveness, and Mercy)https://www.globalpranichealing.com
