When you truly understand karma, then you realize that you are responsible for everything in your life. It is incredibly empowering to know that your future is in your hands. Keanu Reeves
As warriors, we tend to think of karma in terms of what is going to happen to those who cross us some day down the line. We hear people talking about how “karma will take care of him” or “he will not escape his karma.” The majority of the time we see karma as what is going to happen to the other person.
But there is always the other side of the coin. We all have to contend with our own karma. Everything in your life can be traced back to your actions or your decisions. We may not be able to see the exact cause of each and every thing in our life at this time, but it is there. Nothing happens without a reason or a cause.
Many will argue that it is not always your fault; that there are many times that things happen which are not in your control. For example, I was rear-ended by a drunk driver back in January. What does that have to do with karma?
It is easy to blame it on the drunk driver, as it was that idiot who slammed into me while drinking and being three times over the legal limit. But what put me at that exact time and place? My decisions. If I would have not been in that exact place, at that exact time, I would have never encountered this drunk driver.
Was there anything wrong with my actions on that day? Absolutely not. But I was the one who made the decision to be where I was, therefore I am responsible for being there. While it is true that I was not directly responsible for the drunk’s actions, I can think back to a time in my life when I rear-ended someone. I can also think back to things I did when I was in my party years.
Was this my karma for my rear-ending someone else? Was this my karma for how I conducted myself when i was not the man I am today? I don’t know, but I do know that, if we had the ability, we could trace everything in our lives back to our own actions or decisions.
On the flip side of this issue, if everything in our lives has to do with our actions, thoughts or decisions, then we have the power to decide what our future will be by properly managing our actions, our thoughts, and our words. If we live in such a way that we are banking only good karma for the future, then our lives will be filled with good karma.
If you believe that everything you do, say or think comes back to you, then you have control over your own karma. This means that you control your own future; all you have to do is think, act, and speak correctly. Maybe this is why Buddha taught so much on the Noble Eightfold Path which teaches us that in life we must strive for:
Right Understanding
Right Thought
Right Speech
Right Action
Right Livelihood
Right Effort
Right Mindfulness
Right Concentration
Just imagine how pure someone’s karma would be if they consistently lived by these eight tenets of Buddha’s teachings. It would be completely life-changing!
Focusing on continually having right mindfulness in everything we do would be a great start. That, combined the with right understanding, would pretty much take care of the all the rest, if we only had the self-discipline to control our mind, all the rest would fall into place.
When you take the time to focus on these teachings throughout your day, maintaining good karma becomes easier. Problems come because we continually forget to focus on one or more of these. Maintain your mindfulness and you will find that your future is truly in your hands. Bohdi Sanders ~ author of the book, BUSHIDO: The Way of the Warrior, available from Amazon at: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1937884201 or from The Wisdom Warrior website at: https://thewisdomwarrior.com.
Warrior Philosophy 