Own Your Karma
Often we seek guidance, through God or gods, angels, praying, giving offerings, etc., but yet they are all external – they are not you. You are here to learn lessons and transcend the mind/ego/personality/etc that is creating or is attaching to the problems in your life. The external may be able to offer solace but in the end it is you that must go beyond the ego to find the divine within.
The mind is creating your world and interprets things as either good events or bad events. When we feel stressed even small events can become big. And so, in this modern world in which we are constantly and perpetually confronted with challenges, we see a world of stressed-out, overwhelmed people.
In the practice of Zen mediation we learn to train the mind to not exaggerate the events that befall us, both the bad and good. Thus we can live more at peace rather than in pieces by approaching life and all its experiences with equanimity. That is to say, that we strive to not indulge into the emotions that not only negative experiences bring but also the positive experiences. Thus we can live in a sweet state of serenity no matter what transpires in our lives.
When things go bad we can ask God or angels to assist, or chant mantras, or pray, but it is still ultimately up to us how we will perceive the external world and how we will react.
When we move towards prayer, worship, chanting, it is our conscious decision to make a positive change and move into the higher energy. And this is a good thing. Life will always present its ups and downs, but choosing to avoid extreme emotions benefits us in that we do not lose contact with the silent center within.
All challenges we encounter present unique lessons and reveal to us what we need to work on. Sometimes we think life is so beautiful and how blessed we are but then a difficult experience arises and suddenly we hate life, hate others, hate God, or even hate ourselves. This shows we have much to learn!
That’s all we can really do: either get caught into the dramas of life or consciously choose use the experiences as a catalyst to direct us upwards. Love, patience, forgiveness, compassion…these are the frequencies of transcendence and healing.
In Buddhist teachings it is said that we are all responsible for our own karma. Once you have fired an arrow into the sky the wheel of karmic motion has been set in motion and even a Buddha cannot undo this. Therefore we must own our own actions, take responsibility for the decisions that we make, and grow in wisdom and awareness in order to guide us towards positive outcomes.
Realize that all this, the pain, the suffering, the challenges, and so forth, serve a purpose. When you are angry, it is a lesson to show you that anger still resides in you. When you are violent, it is a lesson to show you that violence still resides in you. When you are hateful, it is a lesson to show you that hatred still resides in you. You must own this realization and deal with it, sooner or later, or epect karma to follow you like a shadow.
No amount of prayer can undue what has been done. However, true prayer is the surrender of the ego, and to surrender the ego is to walk with the will of the Divine. The Divine is the light that guides you through the darkness…Karma is the shadow that follows you.
If you choose to live in the ego expect consequences. Remember the arrows of your thoughts, words, and actions are your responsibility. Or give up this illusion of who you think you are and all that you have been conditioned to be. Then you will live in harmony with existence and serenity will replace anguish, peace will replace violence, and love will replace hate.
