Karma is one of those often misunderstood concepts in the western mind. Most of the time people think it has something to do with "what goes around, comes around", and while that may be part of it, it is so much deeper and more applicable to life.
This is my understanding (at this time)
Everything is empty. By this we mean, every object and experience has no meaning in and of itself except for the meaning we bring to it. Literally the only input the outside world is giving us is waves (of light and sound) and electrostatic repulsion.
Every time we have an experience (or a thought or feeling.. Which are also kinds of experiences) we lay down a seed inside of us. This seed will grow inside of us to shape how we receive our future experiences. This is Karma. In the west we call these seeds neuropathways.
This process, which begins before we are born and doesn't end until we take our last breath, informs every aspect of our experience of reality, from our fundamental experience of our basic senses to our ideas of philosophical concepts.
Now for an example.. Dog.
I have had a rich and varied experience with the concept dog. In my brain there is stored various sights, smells, textures, expressions of body language, experience with particular animals, general dog code of conduct.. Etc.. All of these immediately and subconsciously accessed the moment I see a dog walking toward me. The result is that I calmly and confidently approach and interact with them (I have trouble walking past without saying hi), usually with predictable results. Afterwards, usually, my mood has brightened and that spills out into whatever I do next.
Another person may have only experienced the concept dog as a horrible creature who would come on to their property to brutally attack their livestock, generally to be chased off with a shot gun. The only good dog is a dead dog. Now this person might try to ignore a dog who was walking past with its owner, but would probably feel their anger rising, and that feeling might spread out into whatever they are doing next.
Yet another person may have been attacked once by a dog. Their pulse would begin to rise the moment they saw even a friendly dog coming down the street. They may not even be able to force themselves to walk past the dog.
There is also the thought that we also carry a responsibility for (and are influenced by) the karma of others. Every time we cause someone else to have an experience, thought or feeling, we influence their karma, which effects us as well. Makes you see how much responsibility we carry as parents, doesn't it?
There is this idea of good and bad karma, and that we are supposed to accumulate as much good karma as we can and eliminate the bad. I understand now that we are supposed to be trying not to accumulate good or bad karma, but seeking neutral karma instead.
I wonder if good and bad karma might have something to do with grasping and aversion (which are the root of suffering). When we have positive experiences that we like, we become wired to seek and expect them. When we have disturbing and painful experiences we become wired to expect and avoid them as well.
I also wonder if good karma might be when you really feel like you get it, you understand, and you are right about something. We get really stuck on an idea when we feel like we are right, and it makes it hard to learn something new, or understand someone else's perspective.
When we carry around this karma (just like in the concept.. Dog) it informs and influences our experiences and actions. You can see how it would drive a kind of narrative that can be ongoing and far reaching... right?
Do you see how it might reach it to all aspects of everyone's life because all of these things.. These social constructs.. Families, government, traffic, schools.. Are all held together by rules and ideas that are all stored inside of our brains!
I think maybe we can neutralize our karma by simply becoming aware of the seeds and where they came from. The process can be much more complicated and different for each of us. I think it is called healing, and is a beautiful, although sometimes painful process.
The goal of all of this is to be able to see things clearly, empty, just as they are. This is, I think, called enlightenment. The result is non judgement, the ability to be niether for nor against, the ability to surrender to what is and allow the processes that are happening to happen. This way we can walk into a situation without expectation, although still able to carry with us the wisdom of our past experiences, just holding them lightly.
Imagine..
The kid walks into the room after your huge argument and you can smile and see them with fresh eyes, leaving open a space for something new and unexpected.
You can drive through that intersection without fear, even after you saw that horrible accident.
You were ready, although relaxed, when that dog unexpectedly lunged at you.
The lady on the phone is yelling and she is mad at you, but you can hear her frustrations and understand her perspective, and calmly the two of you can come to a wonderful solution.
The examples are endless.
Anyways, these are just my ideas right now. I found them in Pantanjali's Yoga Sutras. You should read them!
Like many ancient texts, sometimes things are vague or omitted. This is intentional. It was done so that the wisdom of the teachings needed to be transmitted directly from master to student. Since masters are not always easy to come by, it is sometimes nice to have a commentary, and my favorite for this one is The Path of the Yoga Sutras by Nicolai Bachman.
And also, there is a lovely fictional commentary that brought it all together for me, called How Yoga Works, by Christie Mcnally.
Happy learning!
