A formal definition of karma is:
In Hinduism and Buddhism the sum of a person's actions in this and previous states of existence decides their fate in future existences.
But I just think of karma as being more a cause and effect thing where our actions color and/or define our destiny. Hmm...maybe that is saying the same thing in a less formal way.
The best thing I've ever seen to define karma is this photo though:
That reminds me of what happened yesterday. Yesterday I took the dogs to the dog park and then afterwards we took our normal walk along a wooded path before heading home. My dogs LOVE that walk and always beg to go after leaving the dog park.
Along the path, both my dogs were on leashes, as the park rules dictate when you're outside the dog park area.
We had not been walking long, when suddenly an unleashed dog appeared with a woman following. The woman called the dog, but the dog came on and attacked my sweet, precious, elderly girl, Dolly, anyway.
The dog didn't cause any visible damage to my girl, and the woman apologized, but I was very upset. Dolly will be 12 years old later this year, and she has arthritis. That dog jumped on her back. I know it hurt my sweet girl.
My first reaction was to be very upset at the woman for allowing her dog off-leash in that area, but then I remembered something that happened about three years ago.
About three years ago my boy, Stark, did something very akin to what happened to Dolly yesterday.
We were at a city park at the time. At that particular park the off leash area is not fenced. Stark didn't really understand the boundaries of where he should and should not be. Without a fence, the off leash area is not really well defined to humans, much less dogs.
That day Stark ran out of the unleashed area and decided to try to start a fight with a very large elderly dog who was with his owner and minding his own business. Stark did not hurt the dog, but he made a LOT of noise, and it upset the owner. I apologized profusely, but it didn't help.
NOW I understand exactly how I made that elderly dog's owner feel.
Karma.
Realizing the karmic implications of what happened yesterday, made me think, "How many other things have I done in my life that will come home to me soon? Will they be good things? Bad things? How do my past actions color the days I'm living now?"
Makes you wonder, doesn't it?
Sadly, upon reflection, I believe I do bad things all the time without even knowing it. I'm sure I hurt people's feelings unknowingly. I'm sure I'm demanding and just plain mean at times. I've heard people say behind my back, "She's sweet now, but don't cross her. Alice will bite you."
I could think up excuses for my behavior all day long, but today I'm thinking excuses don't matter. I'm thinking whatever we put out into the Universe comes back to us tenfold, just like the photo above.
This leads me to believe that I need to spread more good. I need to:
- Think positive, good thoughts
- Do nice things for others without having to be asked
- Stop jumping to conclusions
- Have patience
- Smile more
- Work at being happy
- Be more thankful
- Count my blessings every single day
- Meditate more
- Pray more
- Have faith that all things are happening as they should
- If I think nice things about someone, tell them what I think NOW
- BELIEVE that things will work out for the best
- STOP WORRYING about things I can not change
Praying is talking to God. Meditating is listening to God.
I need to listen more for sure.
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