Karma 102515

• published: 26 Oct 2015
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Karma is the Milwaukee Compassionate Heart Interspiritual Community Message from October 25, 2015. The speaker is Craig Bergland. The readings the message is based upon are as follows: First Reading: from “Karma and Rebirth” on DharmaNet.com Buddhism has a strong moral dimension. It advocates acting in ways that are helpful to oneself and others while at the same time advising against actions that lead to one's own suffering or the suffering of others. Underpinning this moral dimension is the concept of karma. Karma literally means 'action' and refers to the process by which our moral actions have consequences for us in the future. Put simply, our good deeds lead to happy states; our bad deeds lead to unhappy ones. The word 'deed' here refers not to just physical actions but words and thoughts too. Indeed, the mind is the source of all our deeds, whether good or evil: 'Mind foreruns conditions, mind is chief, mind-made are they'. Thus, 'if one speaks or acts with wicked mind, because of that, pain pursues him' Similarly, 'if one speaks or acts with pure mind, because of that happiness follows him'. At its core, therefore, Buddhism has a sense of moral justice, though there is no overseeing arbiter or judge, and no judgment day as such. It might be better to see the process of karma as a natural phenomenon. If you look after a fruit tree carefully, pruning it at the right time and feeding it appropriately, good fruit ensues. If you fail to look after it properly then it will not bear fruit or the fruit will be sparse. In short, we reap the rewards of what we do that is wholesome, and suffer for what we do that is unwholesome. One crucial aspect of the Buddhist teaching on karma is intention. In Buddhism, harming living creatures is seen as morally wrong but this does not mean that if you step on an ant by accident that you are morally culpable. Intention is everything, (though even good intentions have to be handled with intelligence and skillfulness). To fully appreciate the Buddha's teaching on karma, it has to be linked to the teaching on rebirth. The consequences of our actions can be fairly immediate but often they are not. They can occur in this life or future lives, maturing when the right conditions are in place. The teaching on karma can influence the moral choices we make in life, knowing that whatever short-term benefits we might gain from doing something morally wrong we will inevitably have to pay the consequences. Like borrowing money from a bank, it has to be paid back at some stage in the future. On the other hand, we know that any good deeds are do will have benefits for us in the future. It is here, however, that we need to be careful. The most beneficial actions have their source in a selfless heart - if we do good deeds merely because we hope to gain something in the future, the motivation is impure. Linked to good moral action should be a spontaneous desire to help others without any thought of how we, as individuals, might benefit. Second Reading: Mark 10:46-52 Jesus and his followers came into Jericho. As Jesus was leaving Jericho, together with his disciples and a sizable crowd, a blind beggar named Bartimaeus, Timaeus’ son, was sitting beside the road. When he heard that Jesus of Nazareth was there, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, show me mercy!” Many scolded him, telling him to be quiet, but he shouted even louder, “Son of David, show me mercy!” Jesus stopped and said, “Call him forward.” They called the blind man, “Be encouraged! Get up! He’s calling you.” Throwing his coat to the side, he jumped up and came to Jesus. Jesus asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man said, “Teacher, I want to see.” Jesus said, “Go, your faith has healed you.” At once he was able to see, and he began to follow Jesus on the way.