Sometimes I hear family members or friends bitterly lament of having to suffer some grave "injustice" when they encounter a phase of bad luck.
A close relative is suffering for many years ever since she married her husband, a good-for-nothing who does not work, borrows money from others, pawned off his wife's jewellery. She is supporting the whole family. She was told nothing can be done as this is her destiny, her karma. No one, even her children, can help her as its her karma accumulated from past lives, perhaps owing to this husband of hers.
Another friend whose business crumbled, and is facing law suits, has been bitter because she feels she has not done anything to anyone to deserve such a bad situation, in terms of her business and relationship. She too has been told its her karma, and she needed to do her something to "repay" her debts of her past lives, in order to avert more trouble.
As Shen Shi'an put it: "It is much wiser to believe in the impartial law of moral cause and effect (karma) than not to. After all, in nature, we reap only the fruits borne of the seeds we sow - not random fruits. It makes more sense to believe in karma. The immoral tend to be caught by the human law anyway - a means through which karma manifests! It is worth noting too, that no experience is totally "good" or "bad" - since each can lead to the other eventually. Doing good brings its own happiness in the moment, as we rejoice in bringing happiness to others."
"Can karma be inherited? While there is collective or common karma that binds a family together, every individual creates and bears "uncommon" personal karma too. Buddhist or not, bad things can happen to good families. Then again, if we are truly good, we would be Buddhas already! Surely, we have the burden of negative karma (created in this and previous lives) which bears fruits occasionally, even as we do good. Good karma too, might not ripen as timely as we wish, or in ways we wish - when it isn't good enough! Experiencing "injustice" badly also means we are not well-practised enough to trust the law of karma, which ensures moral justice."
"Anyway, whether one believes in karma or not, surely, it is not healthy to be bitter about "injustice" or to believe the world is a completely injust place. We will definitely not be better off if we cease doing good - for goodness' sake or to dilute the ill effects of negative karma. Strive on doing good!"
A close relative is suffering for many years ever since she married her husband, a good-for-nothing who does not work, borrows money from others, pawned off his wife's jewellery. She is supporting the whole family. She was told nothing can be done as this is her destiny, her karma. No one, even her children, can help her as its her karma accumulated from past lives, perhaps owing to this husband of hers.
Another friend whose business crumbled, and is facing law suits, has been bitter because she feels she has not done anything to anyone to deserve such a bad situation, in terms of her business and relationship. She too has been told its her karma, and she needed to do her something to "repay" her debts of her past lives, in order to avert more trouble.
As Shen Shi'an put it: "It is much wiser to believe in the impartial law of moral cause and effect (karma) than not to. After all, in nature, we reap only the fruits borne of the seeds we sow - not random fruits. It makes more sense to believe in karma. The immoral tend to be caught by the human law anyway - a means through which karma manifests! It is worth noting too, that no experience is totally "good" or "bad" - since each can lead to the other eventually. Doing good brings its own happiness in the moment, as we rejoice in bringing happiness to others."
"Can karma be inherited? While there is collective or common karma that binds a family together, every individual creates and bears "uncommon" personal karma too. Buddhist or not, bad things can happen to good families. Then again, if we are truly good, we would be Buddhas already! Surely, we have the burden of negative karma (created in this and previous lives) which bears fruits occasionally, even as we do good. Good karma too, might not ripen as timely as we wish, or in ways we wish - when it isn't good enough! Experiencing "injustice" badly also means we are not well-practised enough to trust the law of karma, which ensures moral justice."
"Anyway, whether one believes in karma or not, surely, it is not healthy to be bitter about "injustice" or to believe the world is a completely injust place. We will definitely not be better off if we cease doing good - for goodness' sake or to dilute the ill effects of negative karma. Strive on doing good!"
