What is karma?
We hear more and more often the word "karma", said as a warning by people who want to refer to a bad action that will turn, at some point, against the person who did it. In order to be understood by everyone, "karma" can be explained by a Romanian saying well-known by people: "You reap what you sow".
But still, where does this term come from and what is its true meaning? As terminology, "karma" comes from Eastern culture and philosophy and defines the law of cause and effect. This principle of cause and effect is present in every aspect of our life, meaning that any action will generate an effect over time and no action will go unnoticed. Eventually, we can say that everything is karmic in our lives.
If we want to translate it "mot à mot", the word "karma" means "action" in Sanskrit, but nevertheless, the concept isn‘t something bad and it‘s different from the idea of "sin", it being the essential doctrine of Buddhism and Hinduism.
Swami Vivekananda said of himself that he is "the essence of India." He was a chief disciple of the great Indian mystic Ramakrishna in the nineteenth century, he was a true spiritual ambassador, and he translated into the modern world the profound teaching of the Vedanta, that wisdom which we find in the Vedas, the Upanishads, and the Bhagavad Gita, but presented in a modern way.
The brilliant personality, the combination of Western and Eastern culture, its irresistible, eloquent discourse, and its high inner evolution have become legendary. He was among the pioneers of the vision that aspires to a wise synthesis between East and West, between mysticism and science. It is known in both Europe and the United States in the late nineteenth century - early twentieth century. In America, Vivekananda's mission was to interpret the spiritual culture of India, especially the teaching of the Vedanta. He also tried to bring religious consciousness into American life through rational and humanistic teachings of Vedanta philosophy. In America, he became India's spiritual ambassador and eloquently advocated for a better understanding between India and the New World.
Karma is based on 12 very important laws, some of which we probably already respect or follow, but without knowing their deep meaning:
1. The Great Law – "As you sow, so shall you reap.”
The law refers to the deeds, the attitude, the energy that we transmit around that will return with a force at least equal to the one that we transmitted at a given moment.
2. The Law of Creation – "You attract what you are, not what you want”
The Romanian proverb says "Tell me who you are with so I can tell you who you are". We are surrounded by people who are like our spirit and character.
3. The Law of Humility – "What you resist, persists for you.”
We all have passions, but we are not always encouraged to follow them after they may seem useless. The law suggests that we avoid criticizing other people and not expose ourselves to other criticisms that will not affect. The perception of some people is different from yours, so these projects should be shared with someone who will support you. Where we put energy, it will increase, even if at first sight there are small chances.
4. The Law of Growth - "Wherever you go, there you are."
Every day should be perfected, built from you a better person. The law says that no one is lucky or unlucky in life, but the difference is where you work: to yourself or to things that don't matter. But as you focus more on yourself and increase your confidence, you will see more and more people leave. Although you may seem selfish, in the future people with the same moral values as you will appear.
5. The Law of Mirrors - "Whenever there is something wrong, there is something wrong with us."
What we see in others is reflected in us. The traits that people have, it is possible to be only in our perception because we think about ourselves. Therefore, in order to get to know you better and it is advisable to make a list of the defects and qualities of the people around you.
6. The law of synchronicity - "Whatever you do may seem very unimportant, but it is very important to do it."
All things are connected and any action / inaction or thought eventually brings us closer or further away from our purpose.
Continuing to go in the positive direction, you will reach the desired destination, but you can get lost.
7. The Law of Focus - "You can’t think of two things at the same time.”
If we have more desires or important goals, it would be good to try to follow them in a linear order, depending on the importance of each. Also, if we have negative thoughts or we execute negative actions, we can‘t expect to have spiritual development.
8. The Law of Giving and Hospitality - "If you believe something to be true, then sometime in life, you must demonstrate that truth.”
The importance of ensuring that our actions truly reflect our deep beliefs is encouraged. If we believe in a certain thing, then we will be "tested" by the universe in order to demonstrate our commitment to that faith.
9. The Law of Here and Now - "You can’t go home again, but you must try.”
Following this law, we always remember that the present is all we have and that it is here to make us be fully engaged in living it. Living thinking about the past, we lose the opportunities the present offers us and the chance to evolve.
10. The Law of Change - "The more things change, the more they stay the same.”
We observe that the past repeats itself until we demonstrate that we have learned what we have to do in order to create ourselves a different future. If we feel trapped in a loop, then it means we didn‘t try to change anything fundamental in our lives. Instead, if we see that things around us start to change, it‘s a sign that we are moving fast towards our personal development.
11. The Law of Patience and Reward - "When you focus on your life, good things happen.”
It refers to the fact that all our successes require a lot of work and patience. Success will be minor and we will be disappointed if we will expect immediate results. So joy isn‘t just about reward, it comes from what we do in order to be rewarded.
12. The Law of Significance and Inspiration - "What you put in, you get back.”
Profound and meaningful, this last law highlights the fact that no matter how insignificant we consider one of our contributions, it will always influence the whole universe. Whenever we make positive contributions to the world around us, we will attract more positivity towards us from the others. Even if we don‘t always feel that we have a major significance in this boundless universe, without us, its energy would be modified and altered in a significant way!
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editorial: Maria Elisa Marinescu
Bianca Dima
translation: Maria Elisa Marinescu
Bianca Dima
graphic design: Antonia Vlad
DP(desktop publishing): Antonia Vlad
