I've been reading a series of articles by Ken Mcleod (a Tibetan Buddhist teacher with Taoist influences); it is his thoughts on Karma that make up the gist of this blog. To read the articles for yourself go to http://www.unfetteredmind.org/karma-genesis-conditions
I am not a Buddhist, not in the religious sense anyway. What attracts me to Buddhism are its many psychological and philosophical principles, particularly it's teachings on compassion, kindness, awareness, ego and mindfulness.
Karma is another principle that captures my attention. In particular I have found Gary Zukav's chapter on Karma in his book "The Seat Of The Soul", well thought through and I have often returned to that chapter many times over the last 20 years. Ken Mcleod's writings have now gifted me with a deeper understanding - another layer. So I wanted to share some of the highlights.
I often see "cause and effect" references to Karma posted on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and other social media. It's a very black and white, mechanical view. It's a westernized view that is almost scientific in nature - a law, like the law of gravity. It's viewed as punishment. Ken immediately progresses from this western concept by giving the Tibetan translation of the word "Karma":
The full term for karma in Tibetan is las.rgyu.abras which in translation yields Action-Seed-Result.
What a different implication! Action-Seed-Result.
The idea of Karma is removed from a linear view of cause and effect and becomes multidimensional. If you're familiar with my writings you know I love developmental or evolutionary world views, so this definition easily makes sense to me. Karma can now be viewed as how our actions grow from a seed into a result. There are a chain of events from each decision we make. He postures that these chain of events are similar to an acorn becoming an oak tree. Ken writes:
"Compare this chain of cause and effect to the growth of a tree. An oak tree starts with an acorn. An acorn is not a tree. The acorn, under the right conditions (we’ll come back to this point in future articles) starts to sprout. After a short time, the acorn is gone and a shoot with growing roots and a growing stem has formed. Bark, branches, and leaves form. Totally new features emerge at different stages. An oak tree consists of many different kinds of structures, all of which have grown from the original acorn. Karma describes growth, not causation. An acorn doesn't cause an oak tree. It grows into an oak tree. Actions don’t cause our world of experience. They grow into our world of experience."
So rather than just a result from an action, there is this growing myriad of results from our actions - for us personally, for others whom our lives touch and for the relationship/interaction of us with others.
For example, our actions/choices can either reinforce a negative or positive behavior which will continue to grow; they can influence how we view the world and everything and everyone in it (are people to be used or do we treat everyone we meet - and don't meet - as sacred). Our actions will also influence how others view us (are we acting as someone who can be trusted and continuing to grow in our relationships or are we losing credibility and growing in our own self deception). Karma has internal as well as external results. There is always growth. It's a matter of what we are seeding to grow. For me there has never been a greater argument for Mindfulness or Contemplative Practices. If every action shapes our personality and our experience of the world and also takes part in the shaping of others, it is essential to develop a practice of paying attention. Mindfulness, Meditation and Contemplative Practices allow us to see what's behind certain patterns and they offer us the opportunity to let it go.
Ken elaborates on this view of Karma by writing:
To see what you've done, look at what you are.
To see what you’ll be, look at your actions.
In other words look at the person you are today. How did you become this person? Look at the actions, the decisions you've made along your past - that's how you got here. Now if you want to know what kind of person you'll be in the future, take a close look at your current actions and decisions. You don't have to be psychic to see your future.
(Before we continue, I need to pause and elaborate. While some of my language has been dualistic - positive versus negative actions - it is important to remember there is an implied hierarchy when we look at growing, at evolving. This is not an issue of good versus bad. At one level we are all one, on equal footing - this the ground of being, where we humbly and lovingly acknowledge there is no difference between us. In another sense we are in the process of becoming. Becoming implies growth. Now in order to grow, it is imperative to look at our choices through the eyes of Compassion and Loving-kindness. Looking with critical self-hatred will not yield the kind of growth that benefits us or those around us. So one of the first steps in looking at the difficult places within us is to cultivate a sense compassion and gentleness towards ourselves)
This goes way beyond a set of rules regarding our behavior. It exceeds simplistic notions that treat Karma as a "sin", where we believe in Instant Karma as punishment. In this sense Karma means paying attention in the moment to proceed with the right choice.
Each moment brings to the forefront something that will grow out of the decisions we make in those moments.
And let's face it, paying attention, being ever mindful isn't the most natural way of proceeding. We have to cultivate this practice. It means showing up for ourselves. It means showing up for the others in our lives. When we do this Karma is a beautiful thing.
Here's to the end of suffering,
John
