Discussion in 'The Sanctuary' started by Geedorah, Aug 7, 2013.
you will change your life if you get rid of your negative thoughts.
we control our minds. SO go forth, be happy.
Ah yes, hipster Buddhism. A bastardization of something good, turned into laymen speculation and a whole bunch of "It's cool because reasons."
noway man, i was buddhist before it was cool
Life's short. Do good things. It's as simple as that.
meh, easier said than done.
always found the concept of karma to be a selfish one.
so the only reason i'd do something good for someone else is hope karma comes back and sucks me off?
well if thats your only motive no, you wont acquire "good karma" for that.
good people do good because that is their nature, not because they want good karma.
If this is the case, and doing 'good' (self-sacrifice) is just a matter of programming, then what would be the point of karma? It's kind of like rewarding someone for breathing.
I think the idea of karma necessarily rests on the premise that humans are motivated by self-interest.
Besides.. I think a selfish person fighting their natural inclinations and putting others before themselves is more praiseworthy and of greater moral worth than somebody performing good works reflexively.
i dont agree with you
i believe in karma and im a good person, i dont go around constantly doing things thinking about all the good karma im going to get. Its never been the reason ive done a good deed.
and i dont think im unique in that
I just think karma needs human nature to be utterly selfish but capable of overcoming in order to make sense.
Otherwise it's silly.
Yet somehow the idea of doing good things to earn god's favor is somehow less selfish? Not even actual good things either, just things god commands as good.
I share your sentiment - not to mention it's almost arsonal for the "do-gooder" when things aren't reciprocated.
If I'll do something it's because I wanted to help, not because I want something in return - simple as that.
I dont think its anyones nature to do good persay. like no ones born into that type of nature. but moreso theyve experienced life in ways that they understand or see the value in doing good for others. usually because theyve seen the opposite.
Its only selfish if you make it selfish.
Its a law of nature not a magical creature with a punishment and reward system. Most people have a very terrible understanding of what karma is.
They think its punishing or rewarding you. Which is not the case, youre punishing or rewarding yourself. NOT karma. Karma is the law of nature in which this works... kind of like how physics describes how a ball is thrown through a pane of glass.
it doesnt do stuff TO you. YOU DO IT.
the concept of good karma and bad karma is also incorrect (but for humans sake is a simple way to describe it). There is only karma. Karma just means deed. WE make it good or bad. Its just saying that the things you do create your "future"
i see what you're saying, but if they're doing good for the sake of karma then like nu said that's ultimately still a selfish motivation. so in that case they aren't actually 'overcoming' their selfishness - they're just playing the end game.
sounds utterly meaningless. maybe that's why we have such a poor understanding of it?
could be the reason im not sure
seriously though i don't understand what karma is by your explanation.
i thought the idea was that if you do good things to you then you could expect good things to happen to you, and if you do bad things then you'd expect bad things.
but you're saying it isn't magic and just means you create your future. that's true a basic way, but that means that doing good doesn't mean you'll reap good things and vice versa? because doing good things doesn't necessarily lead to more good things happening to you naturally. without some magical force of checks and balances, you can do great things and still get shit on by the universe. so in that case then what the hell does karma even mean?
ok yeah, sorry for the confusion
this is the error in what most people think karma is. I hope i can explain it better here.
i think the problem here is that youre looking at it as if youre "getting the karma" . Thats kinda the wrong way to look at it. What you ''get'' is the event or your "future" and karma is just the law of nature that makes it work.
saying "youll get bad/or good karma" is just a simplified way to say it. But causes the confusion.
the proper thing to say would be "youll get a negative future for that negative thing you did"
does that help a bit?
im not good with analogies and shit.... so im sorry if im still not being clear. Maybe were saying the same thing, i dont know everything about it and theres deviations between buddhists and hindus on the matter.
Karma isnt punishing you or rewarding you. karma is the positive or negative deed you put out into the world. What comes next is your future which gets created using the negative or posiive energy you put forth......You punish/reward yourself. Its your fault for putting out that negative vibe by doing the negative thing. Not karmas fault for giving you what you asked for.....
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