To all or none, Nepal avalanche hit climbers as they were sleeping. One of the victims was a doctor from Montreal.His 5th ascent to the top of the world.The Everest,the widow maker. Yesterday ,his karma happened.He did not die because he was never born(attman)only his karma survived and shall be transfered to another carrier. No sadness,just comprehension.All living beings are (born) to( Die).The length of their lives does not matter. This birth/death theme, Samsara ,shall continue until one carrier attains enlightenment,ending the cycle of life and death and also destroying the Karma. This may sound hard to some,but it is a major part of the beliefs of Buddhism. In the Mahayana Lineage when one has attained buddhahood,He may choose to come back to this universe to try to bring enlightenment to all living things. This person is called Bodhicitta. With Metta _/\_ loongdragon

Toall or none, The Bodhicitta prayer With a wish to free all beings, Ishall always go For Refuge To the Buddha,Dharma and Sangha, Enthused by Wisdom and Compassion,today in the Buddha's presence, I generate the Mind for Full Awakening For the benefit of all Sentient Beings. As long as Space remains, As long as Sentient Beings remain, Until then may I too remain, and dispel the miseries of the World. Loongdragon

How sad, but what you wrote on karma was very to the point. In Buddhism we process these events on multiple levels - on one level we can experience the loss or sadness, and on another recognize it's place in the wheel of life.

I'm glad you brought up karma since it's been so long since I had a thread going on that here, and I think it is one of the more misunderstood teachings in Buddhism. People tend to view it as a reward or punishment system, and so they think that in a case like this, the individuals killed must have had some negative karma that came to fruition.

But the teachings are much more subtle than that. We have many karmas or 'energy momentums' active in us at any one time. Which ones rise to the surface are partially related to where our awareness is. And they can't be understood simply by looking at them from the outside.

As an example, a friend of mine once worked with child AIDS victims in Africa, and became almost despondant at the senseless tragedy of watching child after child die. She could not imagine what karma could warrant such suffering. And then one day she had a dream where one of the children told her that it wasn't negative karma that brought this to be but their desire to help others, such as herself, learn about pure love. They triggered this in others.

I'm not saying that's literally the case, but her dream highlights the complexities of trying to understand why things happen, or to ever view them as reward or punishment. Perhaps someone going through a very difficult time has a strong desire to grow, and those difficulties are what they need to do so. And of course karmas are interacting and shifting moment by moment in relation to others in our lives, and we are also part of a web of karmas in our community, country and place in history.

What the teachings do tell us is that we can come to know the part of us that is not subject to the ups and downs of karma. That is how we get off the 'wheel'. And this does not mean that we don't still feel the events of this life as real, but instead that we can feel them deeply as real and at the same time know that we are part of something larger.

Dear Lisa, This time on Bellaonline,I refrain ,to swamp the group with the gifts received through the years, in my various researches. I have a fantastic text on Karma,that I shall eventually ,share with the group. Deeply bowing _/\_ loongdragon

"And then one day she had a dream where one of the children told her that it wasn't negative karma that brought this to be but their desire to help others, such as herself, learn about pure love. They triggered this in others."

This resonates with me somehow.

Hi Jilly, good to see you here! Yes, this story has stuck with me through the years too, I think because it says to me we don't have to figure everything out, indeed we can't possibly figure everything out mentally. We don't have to be able to explain all the negative things that happen in the world, we just experience them with as open heart as we can, and respond in the way that feels right and true, and that will always be the best response for both us and the other person. I think here in the West we are always looking for ways to explain everything, and so we do the same with karma. But there are always thing we can't see or possibly know, and that's OK.

Yes. There is more than what we know.

To all or none,

Lisa ,in a previous post said it had been a while since we had a
thread on karma.I am working on one right now,based on TNH book.
Quite something to summerize the right way.

loongdragon

dear lisa,

Here is an e-mail ,I just received from my Sri-Lanka Bhikkhu.



If Blinded by Ignorance one takes Animal Rebirth! Because of greed one is reborn in eggs of geese, doves or as other animals
obsessed by great passion, like also in the womb of a rhinoceros...
Because of ignorance one is reborn in the eggs of insects and worms.
Because of hate one is reborn as snake. Because of pride and obduracy,
one is reborn as lion. Because of arrogance & narcissism one is reborn in
the wombs of donkeys and dogs. If miserly & discontented one creates
rebirth as a monkey. If foulmouthed, faithless & shameless one is reborn
as crow. Those flogging, chaining & injuring elephants, horses, & buffalos
become spiders, scorpions, & stinging insects of cruel character. Those who
are flesh-eating, angry, & fiery are reborn after death as tigers, jackals,
cats, sharks, vultures, wolves & the like. Those who are generous givers,
but angry & cruel become Nāgas = snake-demons of great iddhi-power...
Any deliberate wrongdoing in thought, speech and/or action can produce
rebirth as animal! Therefore one should always shun all that is wrongdoing

I would appreciate your comments.

To all or none,
In Theravada texts is written ,regarding Karma,that anyone that kills an animal,anyone working on butchering an animal ,anyone selling meat,anyone eating meat ,shall carry the karma of their actions.
The first Precept clearly states that.Imagine a person killing
chickens all day long.the animal being totally counscious,what a karma these persons have to carry.

Good story:A priest is about to sacrifice a goat,the goat starts talking to the priest.The priest says you can speak .The goat answers yes.Please kill me now,it will be my 200 death.

The priest says what horrible job did you have to merit sutch a karma.The goat answers:YOURS.

KARMA big word in buddhism and in life.There is short term karma and long term karma,and group karma.

Whom ever lives in hate resentment, creates one of these karmas.
One may try to deny it ignore it ,but it has been created.

Better to live in karuna and metta,of these only good karma shall
arise.

With compassion for the sufferings.and the sufferers
loong

To all or none,

In S.Rinpoche's book ,he speaks of a book he read on people who had near death experience.

The last lines this man spoke of was:And to realize that every single thing that you do in your life is recorded and that even though you pass it by not thinking at the time,it always comes up later!

Sounds like Karma.

loong