Wednesday, December 16, 2015

As long as karma exists, the world changes. There will always be karma to be taken care of!

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 "What goes around comes around" or "as you sow, so shall you reap" is the basic understanding of how karma, the law of cause and effect, works. The word karma literally means "activity." Karma can be divided up into a few uncomplicated categories -- good, bad, individual and collective. Depending on one's actions, one will reap the fruits of those actions. The fruits may be sweet or sour, depending on the nature of the actions performed. Fruits can also be reaped in a collective manner if a group of people together perform a certain activity or activities.

Everything we say and do determines what's going to happen to us in the future. Whether we act honestly, dishonestly, help or hurt others, it all gets recorded and manifests as a karmic reaction either in this life or a future life. All karmic records are carried with the soul into the next life and body.
There is no exact formula that is provided for how and when karmic reactions will appear in our lives, but one can be sure they will appear in some form or other. One may be able to get away with a crime they committed, or avoid paying taxes, but according to karma, no one gets away with anything for long.

Often, when something goes wrong in our lives, and it just doesn't seem to make sense as to why it happened, it can be very bewildering. We can just be left standing there without any answers. I remember a very difficult time in my life, which threw my life into a spin. I asked myself why this was happening, and I came up with three possible answers:
1. God is cruel for letting things happen the way they are.


2. Things are happening completely by random chance and that there is no rhyme or reason behind them.

3. Perhaps in some inconceivable way, I had a hand in my own suffering, even if I wasn't able to recall what I had done.

I didn't like option two because I just couldn't accept that things were moving about randomly. I always felt there had to be some kind of order to the universe. Since I grew up believing in God, I was ready to wholeheartedly accept option one because this option allowed me to point a finger and express my anger and frustration at someone who I had worshiped all my life.
In search for an answer, I started reading our holy book texts which hinted at option three. This was even more difficult than the first option because now I couldn't really point a finger at anyone other than myself. This broadened my horizons about life and encouraged me to take responsibility for my own actions and not to place blame. It explained that each of my previous lives has impacted my subsequent lives and is probably affecting my current life.

A karmic reaction, good or bad, may or may not become manifest in the same life. It may manifest in a future life. It's also possible to get hit with a few reactions -- positive or negative -- at the same time. The simplest analogy I can think of for how karma works is that of a credit card purchase. You make the purchase now, but don't get hit with the bill for 30 days. If you made several purchases during one billing cycle, then you'll get hit with one big bill.

The natural question that arises is: "Why am I getting punished for something from a previous live if I can't even remember it?" Of course, we don't ask ourselves why good things happen to us. We simply accept the good thinking we deserve it or that we've earned it. We forget a lot of things we've done in the past, so what to speak of things done in a previous life. The most important lesson to learn is that we can become more mindful of our present actions to prepare our families and ourselves for a more prosperous future, both materially and spiritually.
An important question we should ask is: "Do we really want to remember our past lives?" The pain of dealing with the hardships of this one life is difficult enough. We can only imagine how long we would actually survive if the weight of our previous lives' pain and suffering were compounded onto our psyche. For the most part, it's probably a good thing that most people don't remember what happened in previous lives, so that we can start to move forward in our present life.
Karma doesn't translate into indifference towards the suffering of others. The mood should never be "too bad, it's their karma." The predominating principle should always be that of sympathy and compassion.

This can seem like such a vicious cycle of action and reaction. It's practically impossible to live in this world without doing some wrong, whether out of anger, revenge, or just inattention. The teachings of Guru Granth Sahib are all about breaking this cycle of karma and transcending the material world and regaining entrance into the spiritual world.

Rab Rakha!!!!!

Friday, December 11, 2015

A vicious circle of life and relationships....


A big hello to all my readers and thanks a ton for so many hits on my blog from all parts of the world who have been reading it and writing to me time and again to update my blog.

When I started blogging little did I know that my blog would get so many hits and likes on different social platform and medium.

I was speaking to few young girls from Degree College yesterday and one of them asked me “Why are relationships hard and why It seems that our life is full of difficulties in relationships with others (e.g. family members, friends, lovers etc.) Why do you think that is?

To which I said......


I heard this quote once, and it really hit home.  I wish I knew who to attribute it to...

"Marriage is spending the rest of your life in a room that's too hot with someone who's spending the rest of her life in a room that's too cold."

Relationships are hard because we naturally see things from our own standpoint and we have an easier said than done time seeing things from the other person's perspective.  As a result we leave the other person feeling like they are not appreciated, cared for, heard, etc, etc, etc.  

Next time you're having trouble in any type of relationship, stop and try to put yourself in the other person's shoes.  What is it that he or she is looking for, what are the things that the other person values.  See if you can find a way to get what you need and at the same time, give that person some of what he or she needs.  Sometimes this means finding the middle ground, but sometimes this also means taking turns (you pick tonight's movie and I'll pick the next one).

If we all are the same, life would be boring. My answer to why relationships are hard? It is because we choose to let them control us. I found that when I am easy going, I tend to let a lot of inconsequential things go by. I have learned that if something bothers me... say it to that persons face. I get it off my chest!  I am well liked from learning this peculiarity. I hold nothing back! (Except issues or anything that is discriminating and/or considered Harassment)People are quick-tempered sometimes.  And, we all have different likes and dislikes. I treat others how I want to be treated.

 To reduce the hard parts of a relationship all you can do is be totally candid from the beginning, say what you really want, don't want, and make it clear the relationship is not a reform school, they are getting you as is, and you are getting them as is.

Because of our human qualities relationships will always be messy. We come from different parents, schools, DNA, etc...

I know I sound like a relationship guru but nah it’s just Life experience and there’s no better teacher than life. Try. Whether you fail or succeed, it will be an experience :)

 Rab Rakha!!!!!

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