Anyone know how to turn karma into something positive?
 

Hii all,

My karma is usually neutral lately. Just at the edge mostly. Like, if it gets negative I let it wash over me and then it’s a bad week or two and everything is fine again.

How can I now turn it for the positive? I can’t give others healing, as that can cause bad karma (no one asks for it, so I’d have to force it which is bad) and I can’t do nice things as these don’t seem to add to karma at all. So what can I do?

Much kindness,

CW

Ps: I’m specifically talking karma. So not other spiritual laws. Because I’m best at the karma stuff tbh. I’m less good at others laws that might benefit some

Ask yourself why you wish to be a doer. When you heal, who heals? Are you not but a conduit of God’s energy?

Doership results in karma. When we simply celebrate our aliveness in innocent playfulness, no karma accrues. Past karma plays out, like a dream sequence … we can choose not to react.

We wish to enter Gods heart. Can we first open our heart to Him, inviting Him in? In my view, musings along these lines should help.

i found that if i try to affect karma in a good way, i also accrue more bad karma. It kinda makes sense, karma is reaction to what you've done, and trying to create good karma is just something else you've done lol... apparently there is some balance or other, trying to get what you want this way isn't appreciated...

Hey both,

I figured out a way by which I felt it added up: I simply connect to a guide and ask them how I can serve them. When it’s a positive being it results in a playful yet positive effect

Much kindness,

CW

I heard a quote a few weeks ago.

"DESIRE leads to destiny".

They were talking about true desire, desire of the heart and soul, not so much the desires that we might think we "should have" usually for a "because" it will get us sometime else. The something else is the true desire.

Pure desire, something that we move towards and do "just because" we want to, not because we think we should.


I think awareness changes Karma and if you desire a new experience, then you need a new action. All we need to know regarding Karma IMO is what are we sewing right this very moment? As soon as we start sewing something desired, we start to see a change in our destiny and we can start whenever we want to.

I think it's also useful to know that all actions have consequences, both desired and undesired. It's up to us to decide on both, what consequences are we willing to commit to?

Forget the whole idea of positive and negative karma. Better yet forget karma. YOU decide what is positive or negative and what you like or not, that's really what karma is all about. Try turning 'negative' karma into a lesson, you decide the definitions and definitions create your perceptions. Your perceptions are reality.

Yeah I tend to not generalize karma. It’s not about morals in the general way because karma works for a person. For example my karma seems to improve if I openly observe other people and empathize with them (and never tell the wrong person what I saw), however it gets not affected when I’m doing something for someone else when that person has authority and I don’t volunteer. It’s just weird sometimes. I see it a bit as karma tends to steer us towards our purpose. It’s what we are made for. Anything outside of that is neutral, anything against it is negative. It’s why I don’t judge others karma. It’s quite a personal rule.

I do think we can sometimes encounter changes in such rules or laws. Like when we enter this new chapter of our life and we just need something else. Usually that’s what we then desire as well, no (@RedEmbers)?

Much kindness,

CW

Positive and negative are your definitions and therefore your perceptual reality. Nothing is inherently either/or, you decide that but what is meant is like or not like, deal with or not deal with. You get the idea. This is how perceptual reality is created, everything IS until we make something of it.

The actual meaning for the Sanskrit word "karma" was was originally 'action', then later on it became 'cause and effect'. Sometime later the ethical component was added and New Age started all this 'positive/negative' stuff.

Y'see, often in the karma discussion nobody mentions Life Purpose/Karmic Obligations, or "We are here to learn the lessons."

Google "kamma-vipaka" it's much more interesting.
https://www.wisdomlib.org/buddhism/b...d/doc2911.html

Hii Greenslade,

I’m fine by my definition. It works for me. Thanks.

Much kindness,

CW

Then to answer your question in the OP, you can just define something as positive instead of negative.

Thanks Greenslade. Yes, I think that’s an option. Just not totally sure. But yes it’s something I hear more often

I tend to view karma rather objectively also, from that perspective, it's neutral. Some experiences from sewing seeds of desire for me are pleasant and some are uncomfortable.

I choose my own morals and personal ethics independently to karma and each of those individual decisions have perceived benefits and also things which I perceive and experience as uncomfortable.

In every action, there is choice and in every action, there is an outcome which opens up even more choices.

Your reality is defined by your beliefs, your beliefs are defined by your perceptions and your perceptions are defined by your definitions. You make the choice to define it in your reality as negative and in your reality negative it is.

It's really that simple.

You could just as easily define it as something to gain from. Not "Oh, such a negative experience" but "Hey, I can learn something here." Reflections and echoes. So try it sometime, but ask yourself "What are the reasons?" Specifically that question, because that's introspection.

Hii RedEmbers,

Yes I agree. Lots of paths to take that eventually define us.

Greenslade, you’re not wrong. But you’re, in my personal case, not right either. Yes I can change the rules, but it’s not like that. And there’s consequences to change the rules (because it means the mechanics will be different from then on). I sometimed change the rules, but it isn’t by changing believes. I have to go through a lot of stuff to fulfill the wish of a change of rules. And that too isn’t defined by believe. Believes are more a way to make a solid request for me. I have modelled it often and tried to even mechanically (almost mathematically) simulate such stuff. I am not a mind that then decides on something to believe. Rather I still take my turns in discussing it with myself. And I came to sometimes believe in one model, another time in another. Sometimes I decide to fine tune it. Usually it gets fine tuned in discussion. It’s fine if you believe something else. I sometimes take turns with myself in arguments about how things work. So I did after I read your post.

Much kindness,

CW

PS: it’s nice to hear something else again, something similar to what I’ve heard before. But I always get quite aggravated when hearing things I’ve dismissed before. I think that might be a personality flaw of mine. But it’s me, so I just hide it as much as I deem necessary. Anyway, thanks for elaborating

Hi ameliorate,

Yes can agree to that mostly. I do also see the cause and effect thing. However I usually just call that cause and effect, and see it as common sense. The thing with karma is that there are a lot of definitions to it. I agree that negative self-talk is detrimental. Usually thinking positively is very healthy.

Much kindness,

CW

Here's a question that I've yet to have answered. What makes positive positive and what makes negative negative?

There are consequences in holding your belief of karma.

If you're going to go down this road, in the Eightfold Path Right Thinking leads to Right Understanding, which is the basis for Right Thinking.

Use the word 'constructive' instead of 'positive'.

Hii Greenslade,

Positive and negative is in my personal life mostly something I discover due to life experience. Usually a bad experience results in naming it negative, while a healthy and constructive event leads to positive

Positive thoughts, positive deeds. Of course, you can give healings. Send the healing to the person with the intention that it is given freely and can be accepted or not as the person desires. Karma is simply getting back the energy you give out. Like attracts like, so to speak.

Yes that way it’s possible @Traveler :)

It is also lengthy. Don't look for immediacy. It is like a conversation going on. Your body may be saying rest because do we take in energy as well. It is also a learning curve, is there a teacher. I've noticed, unless I missed it (and missing), what of spiritual practice of mediation. I know if I could heal I would (want) do it all the time and be angry if I didn't.

Hii lemex,

Yes that could very well be. I only spend some slight thoughts about karma and patience.

I wonder what makes us believe in karma anyways. What triggers us to such an understanding of the world around us?

Much kindness,

CW

May I butt in? :tongue: If you have never read or believed in what the masters have written for 1000s of yrs...no problem.
-Steal something, see what happens.
-Be rude to people for a week, see what happens.
-Be wonderful to everyone for a week, see what happens.
-Plant corn ...see if tomatoes come up.
-Give away money, see what happens.
-Eat junk for a month, see what happens.

Seeing is believing...it's the best teacher. :glasses9:

In practical terms, perhaps:

- Smile at strangers
- Give some unconditional warmth to strangers
- Increase charity (resources) with no strings attached

Hii Miss H.,

Couldn’t agree more. Totally true lol.

Hii Izz,

Yes, seems very valid. Only thing is that unconditional warmth shouldn’t be forced, or it will result in creepiness

Much kindness,

CW

I liked the article you posted earlier, but too many Indian words was hard to understand.

It's a pretty complex subject because like the article said, kamma is fundamentally about the volition, and what we rate as 'good or bad' relates to goodwill and ill-will. That's not an arbitrary classification and it takes honesty to discern the difference. Due to truthfulness being essential in matters of will, it is a moral issue, and you can a take a negative volition as learning, but pretending ill-will is goodwill is a deception.

Ya I guess thats a good way to describe it....

Which is what I said a little while back, 'naming' is defining and it becomes your reality. It's called namma-rupa or name and form, so when you name something you give it form.

You decide which is what, welcome to the creation of your reality.

Look in the mirror, ask yourself the reasons you believe what you believe. And be honest with yourself or you'll never find that answer.

What happened to there being no time?

If you steal something it's not a cosmic force that puts you in jail.
If someone is rude to you, you're not going to put up with them for too long. Are you a cosmic force?
The season turn and the earth goes round the sun, karma doesn't make the plants grow.

Originally the Sanskrit word karma meant 'action' nothing more. Later on it became 'cause and effect', so it was fairly 'mechanical'. Somewhere along the line an ethical component was added. Now what's happening because of it? Are people trying to do 'good deeds' because they live in fear that karma is going to bite the on the backside? What happened to creating your own reality? Oh wait, karma IS people creating their own reality but it's fear-based.

In the Eightfold Path, Right Thinking leads to Right Understanding, which in turn leads to more Right Thinking. Nobody figures out the karma of believing that karma will bit your backside.

The fun part is that there's no real understanding in karma, Google Kamma-Vipaka instead, it's much more Spiritual.

What makes positive positive? There's the challenge.

Like attracts like, so karma is the paw of attraction?

It was actually you that gave me this, many years ago.

Kamma-Vipaka begins with intention that sets the volition, but yes, that's about good-will or ill-will. Then comes the action/cause itself and the effects. Then there is the 'results', which is essentially the feelings or what comes out of that process and it can also mean feeling bad for the other person too.

What karma doesn't go into much is what happens before and what comes after, and really they're probably the most important aspects.

I have to think about that for a moment, Greenslade


@Greenslade

Are you saying just my internal world thereby controls the entire cosmos, or more that it’s all just a matter of perception? I could interpret your words as both

Related to Posts 23, 24 and 31
 

Hi, sorry, I don't know why all these questions to me, but don't want to ignore you.

I don't know how to answer them...time? cosmic force? Fear-based?
For me life is pretty simple and easy...these questions are too complicated for me. I mean, aren't we all cosmic forces?
The last thing I am is fear-based- the last. I can't get into time here related to Karma.

You plant corn you get corn. You don't water it, it doesn't grow.
You are nice, you get nice back. You are mean, you get mean back.
So simple for me. I'm afraid you would have to expound on your post yourself without me. You must know I'm not an intellectual.

CW just asked how we came up with the concept of karma...that was my answer.
It can be seen in our actions - sow, you reap, cause and effect...after awhile ya see that in your life or in others.
If there is some other complicated reason why humans came up with the concept of karma...go ahead
and answer him with your idea; that was mine specifically to CW...perhaps
I should have done it in a pm...now that it has become so complicated.
...................
And to Cosmic Wonder - another way I personally see karma as positive is because I see all the workings of life being about
more knowledge, wisdom, growth...why?
My understanding, as simple as it is, is to realize a bunch of things: Who we really are, where we came from, where we are going,
to be happier, to chose love above all else...and to get back Home...and that takes purity.
So all the good, bad and ugly is a process of lessons to purify our hearts and minds...My opinion.

I don’t believe the modern idea of karma is that weird tbh. It’s quite acceptable. I see it all the time. It’s not that it came into being by me deciding it should

Hii Miss H.,

Yes I can find myself in such a belief. After all, home is the best I’m missing. So it makes sense that a benevolent spiritual side would always want me there.

Also, I’ve seen in my life that karma causes higher understanding and eventually moving on from the lies we tell ourselves.
It can break us or build us, but it’s meant to build.

Much kindness,

CW

Heh, I can't remember that, and I don't even know what 'Vipaka' is.

My usual way of categorising will is deliberately paying attention to things as they already are, and the volition to make things as you want them to be. In that way you can have intention without volition (just observe), and also generate volition unintentionally (reactivity). Within that framework, reactivity, which is retrospective, incites volition which is future orientated, perpetuating ego from past to future (rebirth) and giving rise to belief in an enduring self.

The concept of goodwill, I think should be called 'pure-will' because we don't want desire to be mixed up in it, so that compassion isn't a volition. It's more like love of the way things are now, and you can want people to be happy without trying to make people be happy...

I am reading your thoughts and thinking how much you already know. I'm always cautious about saying I don't believe as that means I already disbelieve. I've already created the reality. It entirely possible a person actually is suppose to feel, ie; know as one feels. Karma is an experience and an observation but it is not fate. Free will is part of it though I am sure no such word is used by traditionalist. Don't ignore knowledge because it's suppose to be (that way). Modern ideas versus old ones. Many (parts) new ideas are wrong however what if what (part of) they said in the beginning was to. We know far more in modern ears then they did, they didn't even have the words we use today and no concept of them. Karma and reincarnation are linked. Saying disbelief is acceptable probably sets us up for disbelief. But regarding the idea of positive my own feeling is if I see something wrong I am not positive about it, and don't think I should. Am I suppose be. I just consider it knowledge. In the end, karma is lengthy though many incarnations. Each incarnation is not a destination. Is the experience being tied to karma on a physical level or spiritual level.


added: Is enlightenment real?

I think this is the point where my comprehension is too limited. By depth internally does not reach out to the current discussion. Any advice on how to learn to continue?

Much kindness,

CW