http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karma_in_Hinduism

“Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami explains in the lexicon section of his book, Dancing with Siva, that karma literally means "deed or act" and more broadly names the universal principle of cause and effect, action and reaction which governs all life." As he explains it, karma is not fate, for man acts with free will creating his own destiny. The Vedas tell us, if we sow goodness, we will reap goodness; if we sow evil, we will reap evil. Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami further notes that karma refers to the totality of our actions and their concomitant reactions in this and previous lives, all of which determines our future. The conquest of karma lies in intelligent action and dispassionate reaction. Not all karmas rebound immediately. Some accumulate and return unexpectedly in this or other births.”

I think that I know this, I think
It sounds right. I know I desire goodness,
Even though I might deny it for myself.
Concomitant actions are as relative as hell.

I seem to understand this. I seem
To sound it out in vowels of the soul,
But, maybe not values of the mouth itself.
Broadness of actions are an illusional vent.

I am sure that I once knew this,
The sound of Karma caresses my soul,
Equalized, however, with other religions,
As a tangled mess of enthronement.

I know that I did know this, lexicons
Create sounds, not folly in their alphabets,
Only, with all of the things that we thought
We had found, A commitment must be sought,

To shelter our human shells of fragile intent.

To shelter our human shells of fragile intent,

I know that I did know this, lexicons
Create sounds, not folly in their alphabets,
Only, with all of the things that we thought
We had found, A commitment must be sought.

I am sure that I once knew this,
The sound of Karma caresses my soul,
Equalized, however, with other religions,
As a tangled mess of enthronement.

I seem to understand this. I seem
To sound it out in vowels of the soul,
But, maybe not values of the mouth itself.
Broadness of actions are an illusional vent.

I think that I know this, I think
It sounds right. I know I desire goodness,
Even though I might deny it for myself.
Concomitant actions are as relative as hell.

“The benefits of understanding the Law of Karma are that this understanding discourages one from per-forming unwholesome actions which have suffering as their fruit. Once we understand that in our own life every action will have a similar and equal reaction, once we understand that we will experience the effect of that action, wholesome or unwholesome, we will refrain from unwholesome behavior, not wanting to experience the effects of these unwholesome actions. And similarly, understanding that wholesome actions have happiness as their fruit, we will cultivate these wholesome actions. Reflecting on the Law of Karma, of action and reaction in the moral sphere encourages us to renounce unwholesome actions and cultivate wholesome actions. We will look more closely at the specific effects of karma in future lives and how karma conditions and determines the nature of rebirth in our lecture next week.”

http://www.buddhanet.net/fundbud9.htm

Erin Elizabeth Kelly-Moen
© Copyright 12/9/05