Inner  Frontier
Fourth Way Spiritual Practice

 

Justice: As We Sow, We Reap

Does it matter what we do? The ancient idea of personalized, hidden cause-and-effect states that our actions determine the events of our life, even those that seem completely unrelated. We find this notion of universal justice enshrined in the Hindu and Buddhist concept of karma, in the Old Testament and Koranic God rewarding goodness and punishing misdeeds, in Christ’s parables of sowing and reaping. But not until we see this principle actually operating within our own life, do we notice how truly remarkable and strange it is. When some unwanted occurrence overtakes us, and our mind intuitively connects it with some long past action of our own, an action which does not appear to have caused the new occurrence, at least not in the ordinary causal chain of events kind of way — only then do we begin to look in awe and wonder at the law of karma working behind the scenes. Morality abruptly takes a new, imperative hue as we see that doing the right thing eliminates one source, perhaps the major source of ill fortune in our lives. Acts of kindness toward others suddenly transform into ways of creating good karma for ourselves. This attitude of acting responsibly and with honorable intention so as not to create bad karma serves as a legitimate motivation for right action — a motivation that eventually may transform into unselfish love.

But questions abound. Is this karma business true? Do our actions have both an obvious and a hidden impact on our lives? Is karma merely our imagination that sees connections between events, connections that are not actually causal in a physical sense? Is the law of karma the power behind the Golden Rule of doing unto others as you would have them do unto you? Is karma one of the governing principles of the spiritual ecosystem? If we bear guilt for our past actions, and who among us has led a completely innocent life from day one, then does that guilt color our perception of the connection between our prior misdeeds and current events? Does our guilt create expectations of punishments to come, expectations inevitably fulfilled? Are these “punishments” just random acts of nature, which we interpret as karmic events? And once we have paid the price, voluntarily or not, are we indeed less burdened by the wrongs we have committed and for which universal justice has now exacted payment? As yet, science has not risen to the stage of proving or even giving a theoretical basis for the law of karma. So we each rely on our own experience and judgment in assessing these crucial questions. The questions themselves guide our investigations into how this world really works.

The flip side of the karmic coin implies that those who give receive. Through kindness and generosity we can pay in advance, though best without expectation of any return. Advance payment to clear away the dregs of karma can also take the form of extra prayers and meditations, penance, austerities like fasting, or forgoing indulgences. A sacred vow to carry out such a self-imposed program can help ensure its actual implementation and efficacy. We leave it to universal justice to determine whether, when, and how to repay us. Sometimes, what seems like misfortune turns out to be the best possible thing that could have happened to us. Conversely, what seems like good fortune can turn to ashes in our mouths.

The more we see it all at work, the more faith we have in an inexorable and universal principle of justice. Like Newton’s third law of physics, we realize that for every action there is an equal reaction, that the wrongs we intentionally commit eventually rebound on us in kind. Insofar as we hew to the spiritual path, our perception of the hidden workings of the universe establishes our faith that the events that enter our lives are not accidental, but are “meant” for us: to heal us, help us grow, or present us with opportunities to serve. We see that the invisible scales of justice weigh our karmic accounts of good deeds and bad, of actions in accord with conscience and those opposed to it and motivated instead by grasping, attachment, and egoism. We begin to live with great care and attention to doing the right thing with wholesome intention in all circumstances. We may even undertake right action intending that its results redound to the merit of others.

We should not forget, however, that justice and karma do not represent the ultimate authority over our lives. In India, for example, the popular understanding of karma has led many to a fatalistic approach to life, that everything is foreordained by our actions in previous lives. However, the law of karma does not erase free will and does not prevent us from rising above past mistakes. We can change our behavior and change our karma. With enough inner work, we may even arrive at being able to act unselfishly, without ego, without attachment, and without regard to reaping the fruits of our actions, and thereby cut the knot of karma. To the degree that we are empty and free, karmic consequences, though painful, do not cause us to suffer. And at any time, the Divine compassion may grant forgiveness to the remorseful and forgiving.


     

About Inner Frontier                                    Send us email 

Copyright © 2001-2024 Joseph Naft. All rights reserved.