Karma is real. Just because it isn’t instant doesn’t mean it isn’t. Karma is doing what “they” do to us, because they deserve it and we don’t. Retribution. Then they gain power and repeat the cycle. Karma is the opportunity to learn: if it’s wrong when someone does it to us, it’s wrong when we do it to them. “They” are “you.”
Dharma is stepping off the wheel and seeking justice - balance, equitably, harmony. Because when one person levels up, it inspires someone else to put forth effort; and when another chooses to devolve, that inspires others to devolve.
Re-education/rehabilitation, forgiveness, doing the work together is the path of dharma, mastering self first, and helping others to master themselves. Not doing it for them. Not having no clear and enforced boundaries. Truth is on a spectrum, too. That is, there is a tipping point where truth becomes lie. And retribution is that tipping point
Put another way: wisdom without compassion of brutality. Compassion without wisdom is folly.
Eta: This is the ignorance that leads to suffering that Buddha referenced. The necklace of skulls worn by Kali are the heads of ignorance she’s severed. Om Krim Kalima!
…I’m not really following, but I’m also exhausted and shouldn’t be anywhere near the internet right now.
I think we each might be understanding the word “karma” to mean something different. My understanding boils down to: do good to others, good things will happen to you; do bad to others, bad things will happen to you.
My observation is that the version I just described is fantasy. It’s not that it’s not instant, it’s that it’s completely absent. For every oppressor that meets a nasty end (feeding a confirmation bias to the existence of karma) there are dozens live their life of bliss only to die peacefully in their sleep of old age.
And I don’t believe in any afterlife, so I’m not going to count on some kind of ‘hell’ deliver the thusfar missing justice: they reached the finish line and that’s it. If karma - again as I understand it - was real, those fuckers would be much more motivated not to be evil, but here we are, completely surrounded by evil.
So I hear you about afterlife. Buddha didn’t address it and basically said it’s irrelevant. And since it’s not instant, and often returns to people from other sources in many ways, we often don’t associate correlation.
Bear with me a moment. If the kingdom of heaven is within, eg a state of being, look at perhaps the diary of Anne Frank. That is heaven. She lived in inner harmony, with a clear conscience. Dark triads understand emotions, they have them. They just can’t imagine anyone else feeling sorrow, pain, etc. I dare say most of the populace don’t seem to grasp realistic ideas of love. If they’re told they are loved with intermittent rewards and constant neglect, trauma bonds form. But how many who don’t get constant “I love you” in words and cuddles can draw the line from working overtime to provide extras, pay for extracurricular activities, making sure the vehicle is safe and maintained as love? Mowing and raking, cleaning, cooking? We’re so wrapped up in our own traumas, we tend to not consider what led our loved ones to have avoidant or inexpressive attachment style. And it takes work on both parts to resolve serious issue or part with love and forgiveness.
Now imagine the emptiness and inner turmoil inside the dark triad types. Every abusive word and deed is generated by that. Even if they don’t believe they need therapeutic intervention, they live with that.
PTSD, C-ptsd, CTE, were all poorly understood and treatment (societal) was retribution and isolation. We still do that with people we know had suffered abuse, from public leaders to school shooters. What lasting benefit does that bring society? Real solutions are expensive in time, money, consistency, but without them, dark triads keep being in business and social leadership positions, school shootings still happen. That is collective karma for collectively and continuously failing to address issues.
Life isn’t fair. It rains on the day of someone’s long awaited celebration, but also on the garden that yield sustinance. A life ends, another begins. The universe seems equilibrium, not equality and will balance itself. Dharma is the ability to accept that, in peace. The changes we seek in society means facing and fixing the worst of ourselves and strengthening the best. If we want leaders who aren’t twisted and corrupt, we have to take the time to fix ourselves, our own twistedness and corruption, and modeling that best behavior clearly and consistently to the generations behind us. It’s a slow process, not McDonald’s drive-through or you get McDonald’s drive-through solutions with McDonald’s drive - through results, like Bernie Madoff, hrc/djt, retributive segregation like CECOT, Rikers and Guantanamo and death penalities.
We all want better working conditions, better social conditions, better pay, how many are willing to suffer, die, to make it happen, or even get off Lemmy to attend public meetings, talk to neighbors with differing beliefs IRL? So we keep doing what we’ve been doing and keep getting the same results. That’s karma, failure to learn the lesson and correct ourselves. Dharma begins with understanding I can’t fix anything until I fix me, or have at least made consistent demonstrable progress. Then I have to put the same effort in my community where I can realistically contribute, take risks and be willing to suffer personal consequences for rewards I personally may not reap.
Apologies if I have to come back and clean this up. My device is doing a things where my field of vision is the beginning of this post, not where I’m typing.
Karma is real. Just because it isn’t instant doesn’t mean it isn’t. Karma is doing what “they” do to us, because they deserve it and we don’t. Retribution. Then they gain power and repeat the cycle. Karma is the opportunity to learn: if it’s wrong when someone does it to us, it’s wrong when we do it to them. “They” are “you.”
Dharma is stepping off the wheel and seeking justice - balance, equitably, harmony. Because when one person levels up, it inspires someone else to put forth effort; and when another chooses to devolve, that inspires others to devolve.
Re-education/rehabilitation, forgiveness, doing the work together is the path of dharma, mastering self first, and helping others to master themselves. Not doing it for them. Not having no clear and enforced boundaries. Truth is on a spectrum, too. That is, there is a tipping point where truth becomes lie. And retribution is that tipping point
Put another way: wisdom without compassion of brutality. Compassion without wisdom is folly.
Eta: This is the ignorance that leads to suffering that Buddha referenced. The necklace of skulls worn by Kali are the heads of ignorance she’s severed. Om Krim Kalima!
…I’m not really following, but I’m also exhausted and shouldn’t be anywhere near the internet right now.
I think we each might be understanding the word “karma” to mean something different. My understanding boils down to: do good to others, good things will happen to you; do bad to others, bad things will happen to you.
My observation is that the version I just described is fantasy. It’s not that it’s not instant, it’s that it’s completely absent. For every oppressor that meets a nasty end (feeding a confirmation bias to the existence of karma) there are dozens live their life of bliss only to die peacefully in their sleep of old age.
And I don’t believe in any afterlife, so I’m not going to count on some kind of ‘hell’ deliver the thusfar missing justice: they reached the finish line and that’s it. If karma - again as I understand it - was real, those fuckers would be much more motivated not to be evil, but here we are, completely surrounded by evil.
So I hear you about afterlife. Buddha didn’t address it and basically said it’s irrelevant. And since it’s not instant, and often returns to people from other sources in many ways, we often don’t associate correlation.
Bear with me a moment. If the kingdom of heaven is within, eg a state of being, look at perhaps the diary of Anne Frank. That is heaven. She lived in inner harmony, with a clear conscience. Dark triads understand emotions, they have them. They just can’t imagine anyone else feeling sorrow, pain, etc. I dare say most of the populace don’t seem to grasp realistic ideas of love. If they’re told they are loved with intermittent rewards and constant neglect, trauma bonds form. But how many who don’t get constant “I love you” in words and cuddles can draw the line from working overtime to provide extras, pay for extracurricular activities, making sure the vehicle is safe and maintained as love? Mowing and raking, cleaning, cooking? We’re so wrapped up in our own traumas, we tend to not consider what led our loved ones to have avoidant or inexpressive attachment style. And it takes work on both parts to resolve serious issue or part with love and forgiveness.
Now imagine the emptiness and inner turmoil inside the dark triad types. Every abusive word and deed is generated by that. Even if they don’t believe they need therapeutic intervention, they live with that.
PTSD, C-ptsd, CTE, were all poorly understood and treatment (societal) was retribution and isolation. We still do that with people we know had suffered abuse, from public leaders to school shooters. What lasting benefit does that bring society? Real solutions are expensive in time, money, consistency, but without them, dark triads keep being in business and social leadership positions, school shootings still happen. That is collective karma for collectively and continuously failing to address issues.
Life isn’t fair. It rains on the day of someone’s long awaited celebration, but also on the garden that yield sustinance. A life ends, another begins. The universe seems equilibrium, not equality and will balance itself. Dharma is the ability to accept that, in peace. The changes we seek in society means facing and fixing the worst of ourselves and strengthening the best. If we want leaders who aren’t twisted and corrupt, we have to take the time to fix ourselves, our own twistedness and corruption, and modeling that best behavior clearly and consistently to the generations behind us. It’s a slow process, not McDonald’s drive-through or you get McDonald’s drive-through solutions with McDonald’s drive - through results, like Bernie Madoff, hrc/djt, retributive segregation like CECOT, Rikers and Guantanamo and death penalities.
We all want better working conditions, better social conditions, better pay, how many are willing to suffer, die, to make it happen, or even get off Lemmy to attend public meetings, talk to neighbors with differing beliefs IRL? So we keep doing what we’ve been doing and keep getting the same results. That’s karma, failure to learn the lesson and correct ourselves. Dharma begins with understanding I can’t fix anything until I fix me, or have at least made consistent demonstrable progress. Then I have to put the same effort in my community where I can realistically contribute, take risks and be willing to suffer personal consequences for rewards I personally may not reap.
Apologies if I have to come back and clean this up. My device is doing a things where my field of vision is the beginning of this post, not where I’m typing.
Edited typos