Karma is a concept of causality (cause and effect) that says - if we do something good, something good will happen to us; and if we do something 'bad', something 'bad' will happen to us.
Some people may think that karma is the governing law in Nature, it's not. Love is the governing law in Nature. The Truth transcends karma. The Truth is that - nothing bad has ever happened to us, others or all of Nature. We're surrounded by love, we just have to realize it.
Karma tends to be associated with eastern religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism etc. It's also in The Bible, as it is written, "As you have done, it will be done to you; your deeds will return upon your own head." (Obadiah 1:15, NIV) Also, one of the greatest rules in the Bible is "... love your neighbor as yourself." (Leviticus 19:18, NIV) Jesus also said, "Do to others as you would have them do to you." (Luke 6:31, NIV)
Karma isn't something to believe, it's something to observe. It's a law in nature, just like gravity.
You can be a scientist and observe the law of karma in your life. Think back to all the things you've done ... things that have also happened to you. For example, one time I slapped someone, and years later, I got slapped - karma. Or, do something positive and wait and see what happens.
Some people who know about karmic forces, do good deeds, not because they're seeking to benefit others/Nature but because 1) they're expecting a reward - for something good to happen to them, and/or because 2), they don't want something bad to happen to them. Either way, they're not actually seeking to benefit others/Nature, they're seeking to benefit themselves, which is selfish.
Other people get caught up in balancing their karmic forces, trying to figure out what they've done and whether or not it's connected to what they're going through. This can be exhausting, a burden, leading to fear and paranoia.
Never think that 'bad' things are happening to you because of something you've done. Never think that 'bad' things are happening to others because of something they've done. This isn't the right approach. The right approach is to justify everything as love.
It's important for us to understand the laws of Nature so we can operate safely within them. Just as we know gravity and we know how to operate safely within the law of gravity, so too we should know karma so we can operate safely within the law of karma. However, just as we don't dwell on gravity, so too, we shouldn't dwell on karma.
To operate safely within the law of karma, the easiest thing to remember is: Seek to benefit others/Nature instead of yourself, and do so to bring contentment to others/Nature and to The Creator.
Knowing that The Truth transcends karma doesn't nullify karma - karma continues to operate, we just have to learn how to operate safely within it.
Also, knowing that The Truth transcends karma doesn't mean that we can do whatever we want. Not at all. In everything we do, we should seek to benefit others/Nature instead of ourselves.
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References:
- Karma. www.en.wikipedia.org. Retrieved Feb 4, 2015.
