Tricycle | Awake in the World

There’s an old Hindu saying: ”Karma confounds even the wise.” What is your response in the light of what you do?

-Om Shanti, Leonard

Karma Queen responds:

You’ve raised an important point, Leonard. As we’ve noted, the Buddha, too, warned against conjecturing about the workings of karma. To do so would bring “madness and vexation” to anyone who tried, he said. (See Acintita Sutta, Anguttara Nikaya 4.77, www.accesstoinsight.org.) I don’t get the impression, however, that he meant we should shelve the karma issue altogether. From his teachings we can see the importance of examining our thoughts, speech, and actions. Until we’re sufficiently awake to catch mistakes before we make them, it’s the consequences of our deeds that will show us if, when, and how our intentions and behavior are misguided.

Life constantly provides us with opportunities to assess our actions. Even if you can’t pinpoint the past karma that got you where you are today, you can be pro-active in shaping the quality of your life going forward.