If There Wasn’t Karma
(By Tsem Rinpoche)
If it wasn’t for this horribly little annoying phenomena called KARMA, I would just disrobe, go out every weekend, make lots of friends, party, make stadium loads of money, eat busloads of meat, go be a Hollywood major star, forget all this dharma stuff, no more sadhanas, no more centres, goodbye Tsongkapa, Setrap find another place to get your black tea, tell all the winy losers around me to get lost, all the poor me story tellers to find another victim, Sayonara to Kechara, avoid all teachings, tell my teachers to take a hike, focus on making myself gorgeous and be close to all the whose who’s…probably move back to Hollywood too…and just indulge, indulge and indulge…
Tsem Rinpoche
Read more about Karma
Please support us so that we can continue to bring you more Dharma:
If you are in the United States, please note that your offerings and contributions are tax deductible. ~ the tsemrinpoche.com blog team
If there wasn’t karma, I would just enjoy things that I like and don’t have to think too much. I’ll just follow my desires and feelings. If, only if, there wasn’t karma…
Karma is a dynamic spiritual cycle of actions and effects that we directly control through our thoughts, decisions, and actions. When we create positive choices and thoughts, we will receive positive outcomes. We either create a world of suffering or reduce the suffering and led to liberation.
Thank you Rinpoche a timely reminder for all of us. Karma do exist after all. What comes along goes around the ethical law concerning our voluntary acts and their effects.
I think many people can get superstitious when thinking about karma, but it makes sense to think of karma more as the creative energy we create through our action. It’s actually a concept which means different things to different people.
Thank you for the powerful explanation, I had a clear picture and a deeper knowledge what karma means.
1984 Los Angeles-Left to right: Geshe Tsultrim Gyeltsen, His Holiness Kyabje Zong Rinpoche, monk assistant to Zong Rinpoche and the 18-year-old Tsem Rinpoche prior to ordination. Read more- https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/category/me
I was walking past a second hand shop on Western Ave selling old things. They had a Japanese-style clay Buddha which was beige in colour on the floor, holding the door open. I thought the shopkeeper would collect a lot of negative karma without knowing if he kept such a holy item on the floor as a doorstop. So I went in to talk to him, but he didn’t look like he wanted to talk or that he even cared. So I asked him the price and he said US$5. I purchased it so he did not collect more negative karma. I was 17 years old and that was in 1982.
I escorted my new Buddha home and washed it lightly and wiped it. I placed it on my altar and was happy with the Buddha. I would do my meditations, prayers, sadhanas, mantras and prostrations in front of this shrine daily. When I left for India in 1987, I could not bring this Buddha along and gave it to a friend. It was a nice size and I made offerings to this Buddha for many years in Los Angeles. In front of the Buddha I placed His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s photo. I remember I was so relieved that the price was affordable. But US$5 that time was still expensive for me but worth it I thought. But I was happy to have brought the Buddha home. Tsem Rinpoche
https://www.tsemrinpoche.com
Tsem Rinpoche at Kechara Forest Retreat, Bentong, Malaysia
Thank you Rinpoche for reminding us .What comes around ,goes around that is for sure.All are related to our past and present lives.Always be kind,loving,caring,mindfulness and be compassionate to all sentient beings.
Yes there is Karma….as long we do good,and be good ,we will have happiness in all.
Hi to all, for the reason that I am really eager of
reading this web site’s post to be updated on a regular basis.
It carries good stuff.
Thank you Rinpoche for always reminding us about the effects of karma. Reminding us in ways that are always so easy for us to understand, telling us to watch our words and actions although there might be no one looking around us. I will remember this dearly controlling my thoughts, speech, and actions to the best I can.
Karma is one word describing “what goes around comes around”. It is quite logical and very empowering because we manage the phenomenon that happens in our lives. Karma develops the sense of responsibility towards others and ourselves.
Therefore, if we are in a state that we do not want to be in, we do not blame others, we take responsibility, we take action and we make the change we want.
Thank Buddha there is karma!
Sir: Jesus Christ unquestionably demonstrated His love for every man and woman in the world by voluntarily fulfilling all the ancient prophecies concerning Himself to a “T” from his birth in a a smelly stable to His ministry of healing the hoplessly diseased, raising dead people without making them “zombies” (one was even dead and buried for 4 days). He taught and preached liberating truths at the risk of death by His powerful religious enemies – THEN had the audicity to proclaim that He, Himself was the truth, the Life and the way and that Almighty God was His father! Proof? He dared to give up His life and arose from the dead on the 3rd day afterward and after 40 days ascended into the heavens before above 500 witnesses. Several days before He had said, “I will come again and receive you unto myself. I will not leave you as orphans.” As He ascended two angelic strangers stood before the 500 and said, ” Why do you stand gazing? This same Jesus shall come again in the same manner as He has ascended.”
What was behind all this? If you are truly sincere and have the integrity you seem to have try reading the 4 Gospels and the book of Acts in the Bible. You will realize then that His life, death, resurrection and ascension to His Father in Heaven was/is for a truly magnificent eternal purpose and plan FOR YOU with no guess-work. Not for some twisted desire for fame did He suffer and die. He LIVES, sir, and sooner or later we all have to deal with that and this includes you and me whether or not we choose to accept it.
Sincerely hoping your best in life and one to come. – Budd Wicker
oops I had the wrong idea at first I thought… “gosh I hope if that were true he would still be MY friend…” Then I was thinking of how much fun it would be except… That is a fantasy and Karma exists… And it hurts to receive. Excellent post. Shattering pre-conceptions. Also it taught a valuable lesson because almost everyone agrees that Rinpoche could do all those things if he wished to abandon Dharma.
So if a Hollywood rich selfish indulgent life cannot be lived by a man who could live that life… if he wanted… That sends a powerful message…
A timely reminder to all. Well put Tsem Rinpoche, thankyou.
just lastly..
http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2010/12/14/5649289-the-sun-is-yours-on-a-computer
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32662504/ns/technology_and_science-space/
Dear Rinpoche,
I’d would love to share this with you. .
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/5/20110206/video/vwl-sun-s-entire-surface-pictured-for-fi-89eb865.htm
i’m not sure how long it will last – as it’s a news report)
I’ve always love finding out about the universe…^
and with your perspective above
whose to say that isn’t where i’ll wake up tomorrow – so better
get things straight. . 🙂
thankyou so much..
Haha! nice one Rinpoche! Although it sounds funny at first, but when i read it the second time… it’s very true indeed.
If there wasn’t Karma… probably nothing will exist, i think…
The law of karma explain why each individual has a unique mental disposition,a unique physical appearance & unique experience. We cannot find any 2 ppl who have created exactly the same actions of history of actions throughout their past lives. It is because our karma or actions that we are born in this inpure, contaminated world & experience so many difficulties & problems. Actions inpure cos our mind is contaminated by inner poison of self-grasping….fundamental reason why we experience suffering….cos we performed many non-virtuous actions in previous lives. The source of our non-virtuous actions is our own delusions, such as anger, attachment & self-grasping ignorance. Once we have purified our mind of self-grasping & all other delusions…we will find true happiness from within our mind.
As Rinpoche says,Karma, the universal law of cause and effect, operates all the time, whether we choose to believe it or not.It has been operating all the time through our countless past lives and will go on operating into all our future lives.
That being the case, I would rather believe it and take refuge in it.This will make me mindful of my actions. It will lead me to abandon non-virtuous actions which will create causes for suffering and misery for me.It will propel me to engage in virtuous actions which will create causes for my happiness and freedom from suffering.
Dear Rinpoche
thank-you for answering my question
you have given me plenty to ponder. ^
em
As I listen to Rinpoche’s teachings and practice more dharma, I look back to my life and see how karma worked in my life. When I worked selfishly in the past, I attracted many ppl that were selfish towards me. I then was selfish with them and they continued being selfish towards me. I hurt me and they hurt me back and I in turn hurt them more and the vicious cycle continues on and on.
As i practice dharma and started operating for the benefit of others, I realize I am meeting more ppl that operate for others too. Ppl that are more giving/generous. Although the selfish ppl still do come along, they are less now. This is because our karma takes time to purify and we have spent alot of time accumulating these negative karma. So why not start as soon as possible. As Rinpoche always says, IF NOT NOW, WHEN?
Thank you Rinpoche for continuing your efforts in sharing your wisdom with us.
With folded hands,
[…] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Tsem Tulku Rinpoche, Ethan Hoo. Ethan Hoo said: RT @tsemtulku: My personal blog: : If There Wasn't Karma http://blog.tsemtulku.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/2011/01/if-there-wasnt-karma.html […]
Its like saying when there is no reward/punishment system, why do good?
This is not morality.
It’s not reward or punishment. It is universal process. Karma happens without your belief.
Thanks for your reply. Perhaps my knowledge on karma is too shallow. But every action can be good or bad if interpreted from different points of view. How can karma then decide which is good and which is bad and from whose perspective?
I personally think it’s hard to defend absolute morality; but to do so fall into uncertain but perhaps less satisfying relativism.
Thanks
Dear thinking.
I just saw your interpretation of karma. Its interesting because karma is a system of cause and effect or action and reaction. It is not a system of judgement like what you have implied. So, nothing is judged, we just reap what we sow. Whether we believe in it or not, we experience it. Some say life is not fair, well we had created the cause for it.
Hence, the law of karma is the foundation for the possibility of previous and future lives. Hence, causes could have been created in previous lives and what we do in this live creates the cause for future lives. Just observe, some people are born in utter poverty in this life and some live in utter luxury. So who decides this? If its a God, he’s not a fair god. If its karma, it makes a lot more sense and to me, it empowers me to make a change. There’s more to this simple explanation but this is enough for now.
The law of karma does not answer all questions but it answer almost all of my important questions that I have regarding life. I recommend you to delve deeper into the Buddhist understanding of karma. It will change your whole perspective and eventually change the course of your life if you let it.
Thank you for your kind reminder. I shall continue to apply the dharma in my daily life and transform such that every action of body, speech and mind shall be spontaneously align with the Dharma for the benefits of all sentient beings.
Thank you very much Rinpochela, for this precious reminder – so many times, i have been tempted, almost gone berserk; but was held back by that sole consideration – don’ t create anymore negative karmic connections (haven’t i suffered enough, from my past bad karmic connections?). Then i also look at my life, and thought, “How inadequate my store of good karmic connections is!”