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Wellllll...I don't think I believe in karma, personally (tried that one on for size, saw way, way too much to contradict it) but if karma is your thing, I did hear this one story:
A student of Siddhartha once asked him, "Master, if I pass a pool and see a man drowning in it, should I pass on by? After all, what if it is this man's karma to drown?"
"It may well be," the Buddha agreed. "On the other hand, it may be your karma to save a drowning man."
I doubt I'm telling that story right but you get the gist. In this case what Siddhartha was saying (if Siddhartha actually said it) was: always do what you think is right. Because really...you never do know. And because, well, the right thing is the right thing.
IME - karma and religion in general being taken out of the equation - I find the gnawing, eating guilt of not helping if I knew I could have helped to be punishment all by itself so rather than twisting yourself into a pretzel justifying not helping, you may just want to help next time. But that's just how I feel about it. At the same time do realize you're just one person. If you're helping to the point of harming yourself (resentment, exhaustion, tapping out your own funds on someone else's behalf, allowing a needy but untrustworthy person to borrow your car...etc.) or harming those you love (neglecting your family to help a "needy" friend again and again and again, for example) then that's no help at all and it's time to pull back...again, just IMO.
Wellllll...I don't think I believe in karma, personally (tried that one on for size, saw way, way too much to contradict it) but if karma is your thing, I did hear this one story:
A student of Siddhartha once asked him, "Master, if I pass a pool and see a man drowning in it, should I pass on by? After all, what if it is this man's karma to drown?"
"It may well be," the Buddha agreed. "On the other hand, it may be your karma to save a drowning man."
I doubt I'm telling that story right but you get the gist. In this case what Siddhartha was saying (if Siddhartha actually said it) was: always do what you think is right. Because really...you never do know. And because, well, the right thing is the right thing.
IME - karma and religion in general being taken out of the equation - I find the gnawing, eating guilt of not helping if I knew I could have helped to be punishment all by itself so rather than twisting yourself into a pretzel justifying not helping, you may just want to help next time. But that's just how I feel about it. At the same time do realize you're just one person. If you're helping to the point of harming yourself (resentment, exhaustion, tapping out your own funds on someone else's behalf, allowing a needy but untrustworthy person to borrow your car...etc.) or harming those you love (neglecting your family to help a "needy" friend again and again and again, for example) then that's no help at all and it's time to pull back...again, just IMO.
To me Karma is God for non believers, or part of the spiritual universe.
I get your analogy.
To me my question is if you could have done something but chose not to, do you think there is karma to be paid even if you think you did nothing wrong.
First, you do know karma is not punishment, right?
It is a System set up in this Universe of your everyday basic cause and effect.
You eat very hot food...next day, whoa!
You do a George Kastanza, placing a lit cigar down in a wood cabin...whoa!
You plant a seed of corn correctly...you get corn...not a tomato.
If I say I have too much on my plate to a friend...and I know I simply can not
help them.. why not? Because I have too much on my plate...it means I have clear boundaries
and know my abilities. My conscience is perfectly clear.
If I say no to the friend because of some convoluted laziness, selfishness, spite, revenge...
well, that is a whole different animal, isn't it.
Your own conscience will condemn you with guilt...you will then see for yourself that
'what you put out, comes back to you'.
Your everyday sowing and reaping at work.
It is a brilliant System set up by the One that is Brilliance Itself.
To me my question is if you could have done something but chose not to, do you think there is karma to be paid even if you think you did nothing wrong.
I think (going on your assumption that karma exists - I'm not convinced), if you're thinking karma is going to come bite you, you know deep down inside that you're doing something against your conscience, so therefore...yes.
Because I don't think the whole point of karma is a literal checks and balances thing where you can check off enough boxes and avoid enough traps, via loopholes or self-convincing, to achieve Nirvana. The way I see it, anyway, it's a more wholistic/holistic sort of thing than that, and involves real change in how you perceive, how you react and your attitude toward the world, toward yourself and others, etc.
you know deep down inside that you're doing something against your conscience, so therefore...yes.
That creates karma. Karma is also known as Destiny, Kismet, Fate, Fatum and some other words I forgot. In some form, karma is known to humanity and perceived consciously or not. Sometimes we simply "get that feeling" that this is happening to us as the result of some action done by us. Or, inaction. As inaction is as much an action as action itself. Both result in some manifestations, normally involving from one to many humans.
We do not really follow the path of exact mechanics because they are stretched sometimes over the periods of many many existences. Thousands of years if not longer. It takes roughly, very roughly 500 human years for Self to re-exist in a new body on Earthly crust, while its "karma" is awaiting on the form plane of the physical world.
Every, but every action, decision being one of them, is preceded by a thought. We may be aware of that - or not. This is why taking control over one's thinking is cornerstone of practically any teachings that have any value to them, religious ones included.
A thought, unless it is purely "non-physical" one, eg - a math solution - creates a thought that is presented for consideration to part of conscious Self that is in power to judge that thought against the rightness and reason. If that thought does not pass that judgement, that entity will express its concern to Self in the body. THAT is what we perceive as the voice of conscience. That voice will not tell you what to do RIGHT. It will only tell you if what you are intending to do is WRONG.
The only way to stop creating karma, or destiny, is to immediately listen to that voice and do not proceed with action intended. Then, a "wrong" thought will be dissolved. Otherwise, any thought that is done against the judgement of the rightness and reason, will stay with that Self, as its destiny and, eventually, under circumstances proper, will exteriorise itself in a physical manifestation of some sort.
This is not a punishment for Self. It is education. this is how Self learns - from experience.
Those who learn how to not create thoughts, by listening to the voice of conscience, resolve their destiny and progress.
Karma is not to be taken as literally as Newton"s Laws of Motion. It is not necessarily true that for every social action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
Your own exercise of responsibility is far more likely to have a direct bearing on the outcome of your behavior.
I wish I could believe in karma but in my experience it doesn't really happen. The people who have wronged me are not paying for their actions at least not in a way that it comes back to me because I don't want revenge. I just want what's taken from me if it has been taken.
I think sometimes it may happen but if it does happen I feel like it has to be helped along. That's why when someone is rude I will not be nice. I will be blunt to say the least.
I know that bit about conscience is supposed to be the karma but even then I don't know. I often wonder if some people really have one. Otherwise they wouldn't maliciously hurt a generally decent person. I think even if they are living with that karma..even then karma isn't really doing its job because they don't bother to do anything about it. I know my ex for example has no friends now but he continues to have no friends because he's a damn fool.
The only thing I can come up with is I am experiencing karma because I was bad in another life. If reincarnation was real then karma is probably real but it's a weird thing to think about because you won't typically remember your past lives so you shouldn't suffer for them.
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But that's just how I feel about it. At the same time do realize you're just one person. If you're helping to the point of harming yourself (resentment, exhaustion, tapping out your own funds on someone else's behalf, allowing a needy but untrustworthy person to borrow your car...etc.) or harming those you love (neglecting your family to help a "needy" friend again and again and again, for example) then that's no help at all and it's time to pull back...again, just IMO.
