The Laws Of Karma, According To Buddhism
Buddhism is a philosophy and a religion made up of practical teachings, such as meditation for example, which aims to induce a transformation within those who practice it. It promotes the development of wisdom, awareness and goodness to reach a state of enlightenment. However, today we will go further and talk about the laws of karma.
In Buddhism, existence is approached as a permanent state of change. The condition to benefit from this change is to develop a discipline over our mind. This should focus on positive states, concentration and calm.
The objective of the discipline is to deepen emotions associated with understanding, happiness and love. Additionally, for Buddhism all spiritual development is materialized and complemented by areas such as social work, ethics and philosophy.
The nature of karma in Buddhism
The word Karma means action and consists of a type of force that transcends. This type of energy is infinite and invisible and is a direct consequence of human actions. Karma is governed by twelve laws. Each one of them allows us to understand the spiritual meaning of existence.
In Buddhism there is no controlling god, these laws come from nature (like the law of universal gravitation) and people have free will to apply them or not. Therefore, doing good or evil depends on each one and on that decision the consequences for which we are, to a large extent, responsible.
The twelve laws of karma
Next we are going to expose each of the laws of karma that exist so that you can take them into account. All of them are very important. These are the twelve laws of karma, according to Buddhism.
1. The great law
The first of the laws of karma can be condensed into the phrase “we reap what we sow.” It is also known as the law of cause and effect: what we give to the universe is what the universe returns to us, but if it is something negative, it will return it to us multiplied by ten. That is, if we give love we will receive love, but if we give heartbreak we will receive heartbreak multiplied by ten.
2. Law of creation
We must participate in life. We are part of the universe, therefore, we are a unit with it. What we find around us are indications of our remote past. Create the options you want for your life.
Lama Rinchen Gyaltsen affirms that if we let ourselves be carried away by what is arising in life, what happens spontaneously will be old karma. We will be abandoning ourselves to the inertia of old movements. And due to the conditioning that we have, the layers of obstructions, letting ourselves go often leads to distortion. Therefore, according to Rinchen, if we are not actively trying to improve our life, it will most likely become corrupted.
3. Law of humility
What we refuse to accept will continue to happen to us. If we are only able to see the negative aspects of others, we will stagnate at a lower level of existence; on the contrary, if we accept them humbly, we will ascend to a higher level.
4. Law of growth
Wherever we go, we will be there. Faced with things, places and other people, we are the ones who must change and not what surrounds us, to evolve in our spirituality. When we change our interior, our life changes.
There is an inner tendency to blame the outer for our discomfort or our lack of happiness. If we really want to be at peace and achieve personal growth that leads to happiness, we must abandon this harmful habit.
If we begin to flourish spiritually, we will be aware that everything that we previously saw as the cause of our discomfort was largely our interpretation of the world.
5. Liability law
When something negative happens to us it is because there is something negative in us, we are a reflection of our environment. Therefore, we must face the actions in our life with responsibility.
The concept of responsibility is not synonymous with guilt. Guilt paralyzes us, it is a negative emotion that can be very destructive. However, the responsibility consists in thinking about those aspects that we believe can or should be improved and put ourselves to work on it.
If one day someone treats us unfairly, instead of getting angry and being carried away by anger, it is better to think if we have treated someone in the same way in the past. According to the law of karma, perhaps we are only reaping what we have sown.
6. Law of connection
Everything we do, however insignificant it may seem, is in connection with the universe. The first step leads to the last and they are all equally important, because together they are necessary to achieve our goal. Present, future and past are interconnected.
The Buddhist concept of interdependence hints at this connection. It all depends on everything. Behind anything we see there is a set of interdependent events that allow a final result. Today we can make a decision that may seem insignificant to us but that in the future could mean a great change. Our small decision can assume small changes that, in the long run, completely modify our life.
7. Law of focus
It is not possible to think of two things simultaneously. We ascend step by step, one at a time. We cannot lose sight of our goals, because insecurity and anger would take over.
8. Law of giving and hospitality
If you think something may be true, the time will come when you can prove that it is. We must learn to give in order to put what we have learned into practice.
9. Law of the here and now
Staying clinging to our past makes it impossible for us to enjoy the present. Moldy thoughts, bad habits and frustrated dreams prevent us from moving forward and renewing our spirit.
10. Law of change
History will repeat itself until we assimilate the lessons that we must learn. If a negative situation occurs over and over again, it is because there is some knowledge in it that we must acquire. We must straighten out and build our path.
11. Law of patience and reward
The rewards are the result of previous effort. The greater the dedication, the greater the effort and, therefore, the greater the gratification. It is a work of patience and perseverance that pays off. We must learn to love our place in the world, our effort will be honored at the right time.
12. Law of importance and inspiration
The value of our triumphs and mistakes depends on the intention and energy that we deploy to that end. We contribute individually to a totality, therefore, our actions cannot be mediocre: we must put all our heart in each contribution we make.
Now that you know all the laws of karma it is important that you keep them very present to be aware of how everything you give you will receive in increased amounts. Life is a reflection of the actions you take. So you choose whether to act positively or negatively.
