A high-pitched sound or a gun shot in the mountain can cause a huge avalanche that crushes buildings, uproots trees, sweeps trains off the tracks and destroys many lives down below. We may find it difficult to relate the devastation to the seemingly innocent sound up the mountain, yet it is that sound that causes the destruction. That is how it works with karma, the spiritual law of cause and effect which makes sure that we experience the effects of what we do, think and feel! We may not be able to relate our current experiences to what we sowed earlier in our lives as we “thought“ or “felt“ but, indeed, they are related. Our experiences may even be the result of our deeds in a past life.

How We Fell Into the Karmic Cycle

We are souls or spiritual beings that are living in bodies. In the beginning we knew who we were and we lived according to the spiritual laws of God. We thought, felt and acted in godly ways and therefore our lives were paradisical. Gradually we lost our way as we focused more on the physical side of our being instead of our spiritual side.

We spent more time and energy pleasing our appetites and accumulating material things, while distancing ourselves from our true spiritual nature. With time, new generations learned only about thriving for material things and bodily satisfaction and lost the truth that they were spiritual beings. We became prodigal and powerless. That was the fall of man, the loss of the idyllic life, and the beginning of the life that we live today where we have to struggle for everything.

Now we have to find our way back to our godhood, and the route to goodhood is filled with detours, humps, delays, errors and transgressions that create karma.

karma-way

How We Create Karma

As spiritual beings, we are very powerful enough to create everything that happens in our lives intentionally or unintentionally. Most of the time it is unintentional because we have no idea who we are and how powerful we are. The Bible says, “As a man thinks, so is he.“ (Proverbs, 23:7). What we think and feel deep down in our mind or in our hearts creates our circumstances. As we lie awake at night, thinking deeply or worrying about a particular subject, we are creating new circumstances. Then we are surprised when that which we worried about comes true.

A mother who lies awake worrying that her son will end up in jail because of the company that he keeps, creates the circumstances that will send that boy to jail. His behaviour contributes to his going to jail, but it is the mother’s deep feelings that seal the deal. That is how powerful our imagination is. The mother might say “I knew it“ without knowing of her contribution to the situation.

A father who abuses his wife and children in this lifetime, creates a karmic debt for everyone involved. He comes back in the next life to reap the results of his actions as an abused wife or child. If he endures he pays off the debt. If he fails to endure he has to come back again in another lifetime under similar circumstances.

A robber who kills other people as he takes their property, might be killed in this lifetime in the same way that he kills others. That is instant karma. But he might still come back in another lifetime and be the victim of robberies too.

A person who criticises and judges others for what he perceives to be “bad“ deeds might end up committing the same deeds or his child might do it. That is embarrassing instant karma if the judgment used to be loud.

The Law of Karma is Fair

The Law of Cause and Effect gives each soul an opportunity to repay karmic debts. Because karma cannot always be paid back in one lifetime, a soul is given many lifetimes to learn its lessons. The soul comes back in one lifetime to live the results of the karma that it creates in a former lifetime. The former robber might be born in a country and neighbourhood in which he will be the victim of robberies. That is the end of one lesson.

After the change called death, that soul will come back in another body to learn yet another lesson, and in its lack of awareness, may transgress again and create yet another karma. On and on the cycle of birth and death goes on for thousands of years as the soul leans its lessons and becomes refined.

A Person Can Decide in this Lifetime to end Karma!

Karma creates a continuous cycle of births and deaths. After a soul has gone through hundreds of lifetimes, it learns a lot of lessons and becomes a “better“ person and begins to look for God, probably starting with religion. Later, the soul yearns for God as it discovers that religion is not enough, and it becomes more inerested in spirituality, the personal relationship with God. With that new state of mind, the soul no longer needs any religious guidance for morality; it simply does not feel the need to harm anyone or anybody. With the right type of support, that soul may find itself merging with God in what is known as ascension. If that does not happen in one lifetime, it certainly happens within one or two more lifetimes. That is the evolution of souls at spiritual level.

There is no need to wait for thousands of years for the natural evolution, however. We have been given free will. Any person, through the right knowledge, personal effort and the right type of guidance and support, can transcend the continuous birth and death cycle that comes with karma.

Anyone can avidly seek God and attain godhood, or at least make great strides towards that goal, in this lifetime. Any soul will stop creating new karma as it understands the spiritual law of cause and effect. It does more good until the doing of good becomes natural to it.