Karma Happens

Something that came up in our discussion group from a while back is that karma means only action and it is indifferent to good action v.s. bad action. All actions have karmic consequences, even the good ones.

It is these natural results that keep us tied to this world because we must experience those results, whether good or bad.

Karma attaches to us for both good actions and bad actions, but the goal is to have none of it attach.

Sri Krishna’s instructions in the Gita (which we will begin studying together once we finish the Katha Upanishad) are towards surrendering the results of all actions, no matter whether we think they are good actions or we think they are bad actions. We turn them all over to the Gods.

It isn’t only sort of seeking forgiveness for mistakes, it’s seeking grace for every action we take.

When we do this, it really frees us up to move on to the next action, the next thing that must be done.

The consequences will still occur, but we won’t be so invested in those consequences. We won’t feel it as hard. It will be easier to move through the consequences and experience the next thing.

I’ve been seeing these t-shirts and bumper stickers online that say “Karma Happens: Live Life Accordingly.”  I think I must disagree. The suggestion there is that we should do good action because we fear bad consequences from bad actions. I say we should do good actions for the sake of good and we should surrender the consequences of all actions to Sri Krishna.

Karma is still going to happen no matter how you live your life. It doesn’t judge, it just is.

What we are seeking to do is not to be on a constant high from good consequences that are the results we wanted. Rather we are seeking to be balanced and to not get all our joy out of “good” karmic consequences because inevitably there will be experiences we see as “bad” and if the good effects us a lot, so will the bad.

We are not striving to get and build up and hoard more and more “good” karmic consequences. Because we’ll still be stuck! It will be a prettier prison, perhaps, but still a prison.

Freedom comes from doing what is needed when it is in front of you and surrendering the results back to the Gods.