Is Karma a Punishment?

I was speaking with a client yesterday. She had been unceremoniously dumped by a boyfriend.  Justifiably, she was hurt.  Then she said something to me, "Will he get his Karma soon, I hope he does."  Now I have heard this line and variations many times. This time it hit something in me, so I thought I would explain my understanding of the principal of Karma.

First lets talk about what Karma is not:

• Karma is not an excuse for why you can not better your position, ie. "I was just born this way, it is my Karma", or "It's just my Karma". 
• Karma is not fate 
• It is not a punishment

Having said this I want to tell you what Karma is, at least in my understanding of the complex term.  Karma has to do with action and reaction.  There is a scientific premise that says for every action there is a equal reaction. Ok I paraphrased that, but that is the general premise.  Karma has to do with the moral fiber of the universe. It says generally similar actions will lead to similar results.  Also that each action we perform affects the world around us.

I want to veer off for a minute and discuss Karma in the terms of humanity.  Karma can explain much better the condition of the world and its people than any other theory I have come across. If you believe we live many lives, and I do, this will make great sense.  On this planet we all are at different levels. Some are born into poverty, some into wealth. Some are righteous people, some dysfunctional. Some people are kind, some mean, and you get where I am going with this.

The Law of Karma says something we did or wanted to do helped us get where we are.  It seemed to me in regard to suffering that some people just never get a break, a good chance to have a different experience. Africa in general is a great example. There are other places in the world also but, when I was young and would see these pictures of tall thin women with their starving babies, with bloated bellies and flies buzzing around them, it broke my heart.  I wanted to know how God could do this.

As I understand Karma more, maybe they contracted before they came here, to help us improve our humanity and compassion. Maybe they had lessons that it would teach them. Is the Karma for them or for us who view them and can help?  The honest truth is that while we are here we don't know for sure.  I tend to not think of Karma negatively, because we don't know.

I want you know the older I get I realize that spirituality is very simple, and the most complex thing I have ever been exposed to. It is simple in that prayer and meditation are the bedrock, that we do not have to be perfect to be loved by the creator, or people, and that more effort we expend the more we get. That giving almost magically works to bring in abundance.  Those are simple principles.  I say this because understanding Karma is sometimes complicated.

I read that Karma can be good or bad. How do we know what the effects will be? I read that Buddha said, the good or bad effect of the action must be looked at from the point of view of the long term effects. Again I poorly paraphrase. He goes on to say that bad or unwholesome acts have 3 doors or parts. They have body, mind and speech. How many times have you said something that you wish you could take back?   The 3 acts of the body are killing, stealing and sexual misconduct.  The 4 acts of the speech are lying, slander, malicious gossip and harsh speech.  The 3 acts of the mind are delusion, greed and anger.  I want to tell you the conditions on which these occur  make a difference in their Karmic effect.

The weight of the Karma can be affected by several things; persistence, repeat the action, do the action with intention and determination and action is done without regret. If this done, it is like using a highlighter on the action and then circling it. It stands out. These determine the weight of the Karma. Sometimes you can see it in your own life.  I have noticed that things done to me as a small child, I have had the chance to change to another as I have aged.  There times I have done something in my life and as I have aged, it has happened to me. As a youth I was sure of my ideals, and judged, sometimes harshly. I aged, I have been judged and sometimes harshly.  Sometimes Karma takes more than one lifetime.  Sometimes it is a pattern over and over. Can we change it?

I want to say this clearly. With every thought and interaction we can make a dent in our Karma.  It is with  living beings that we can practice each and everyday. In our hearts and in our minds, and in our actions.  So you can effect Karma, and it is not a sentence, but a process by which you grow more spiritual and closer to our creator.