Karma Defined

The easiest way to explain karma in simple terms is that it's like a cosmic cause and effect cycle. Every action you take leads to a specific effect. For example, if you do a good deed for someone today, there's a good chance that someone will do a good deed for you in the near future.

While karma may be a new idea to many of us, the concept of cause and effect is not. We all know that if we drive too fast on a wet road then apply our brakes quickly; the effect is likely to be skidding and possibly an accident. We all know that when rain falls it causes the grass to grow.

However, karma has a significant impact on our lives.

The Twofold Impact of Karma

Karma works in our lives in two ways:

*Guiding us towards our purpose in our present life - Each time we are reborn; we come with a purpose, usually to rectify something from our past life. Karma manifests itself as certain themes in our lives, perhaps problems with relationships and by paying attention to these themes and taking steps to change them in our lives we can achieve our karmic goal.

*Repaying us for our actions - In physics, we are taught that each action has an equal and opposite reaction. Karma teaches us this as well. What you do today will have repercussions in your life. That is inevitability.

By understanding these two ways in which our lives are constantly being affected by karma, we can be prepared to recognise the difference between good and bad karma.

Good & Bad Karma

Often we hear "that person has all the luck" but what should really be said is "that person has good karma." What most of us consider luck is simply the work of karma repaying us for our actions. Sometimes those actions are from our current lives; sometimes from our past experiences. We may not always be able to trace the cause of our luck - good or bad - but we must know that it exists and guides karma's hand.

Good karma brings us fortunate turns in our lives. We may meet a friend, find happiness, be blessed with financial security, come across a job opportunity, etc. Bad karma, on the other hand, plagues us with misfortune.

However, do not assume that every time something bad happens to you it is because of bad karma or because you have acted badly during one of your lives. In some cases, what we perceive to be an unfortunate turn of events now can lead to wonderful effects. For example, if you lose your job, it may not be a punishment but a way of opening a path to a brighter job opportunity in the near future.

Because we cannot determine the effect our actions will have, we can only strive to do what we think is the right thing and follow the path we believe we are destined to travel.