Since Living In Thailand Do You Believe Everthing Is Due To Karma?

[Pepe']

I was introduced to the concept of karma in 1971 in Vietnam. I have heard my Thai wife speak about it only from time to time.

The idea that we have had many, many previous lives and the body will continue to die and take form again as the soul reincarnates into yet another human body, or one of the other species of life.

Until of course one reaches Nirvana or perfection and does not take birth again.

The belief that according to activities in our previous life we receive a body and set of circumstances, fortunate or unfortunate, seemed very strange to me until spending time in SEA.

Now it seems to make perfect sense to me.

What do you think?

[meom]

As a philosophy it makes sense to me but in daily life I do not think to much about it and usually deal with things as they happen.

If I am at present a product of a previous life I find it a pity that I can't remember anything from this previous life so I have my doubts if I will remember my present life in a future life.

[Pepe']

As a philosophy it makes sense to me but in daily life I do not think to much about it and usually deal with things as they happen.

If I am at present a product of a previous life I find it a pity that I can't remember anything from this previous life so I have my doubts if I will remember my present life in a future life.

Do you ever here Thais speaking relative to karma?

[garro]

I was introduced to the concept of karma in 1971 in Vietnam. I have heard my Thai wife speak about it only from time to time.

The idea that we have had many, many previous lives and the body will continue to die and take form again as the soul reincarnates into yet another human body, or one of the other species of life.

Until of course one reaches Nirvana or perfection and does not take birth again.

The belief that according to activities in our previous life we receive a body and set of circumstances, fortunate or unfortunate, seemed very strange to me until spending time in SEA.

Now it seems to make perfect sense to me.

What do you think?

The Buddha denied the existence of any soul which passed from life to life.

[soundman]

In my past life I was a superstar disc jockey & sleaze bag.

In my recent past life i was a trash bag.

In my present life i am a law abiding family & business man.

In my future life ... i don't know .... maybe a serious stomach parrasite.

GNFI?????

Cheers to karma,

and what it may do for your future.....

(thought I'de cover a few bases here, whilst we are at it I've ordered a christian, buhdist, & chinese funeral just in case my time is up before I do anything about it)

Soundman.

[lannarebirth]

I believe in karma in this life, with acts nearer to birth having a karmic factor approaching a zero limit, and most recent acts having a karmic factor to the Nth power.

[lannarebirth]

As a philosophy it makes sense to me but in daily life I do not think to much about it and usually deal with things as they happen.

If I am at present a product of a previous life I find it a pity that I can't remember anything from this previous life so I have my doubts if I will remember my present life in a future life.

Do you ever here Thais speaking relative to karma?

Sum Num Na

[Thaifan2]

Yes, i believe in Karma ,for actions and results in this life .

[November Rain]

To me, it's an easy excuse. "If I have bad experiences, it's because I was bad in a previous life." Do nothing, change nothing & don't try to solve your problem or alleviate your "suffering".

I have had a lot of unpleasant or bad experiences in my life, despite trying to do "good" things. The idea that any problems I have encountered are directly due to my behaviour in a previous existence is hogwash, IMHO.

[meom]

As a philosophy it makes sense to me but in daily life I do not think to much about it and usually deal with things as they happen.

If I am at present a product of a previous life I find it a pity that I can't remember anything from this previous life so I have my doubts if I will remember my present life in a future life.

Do you ever here Thais speaking relative to karma?

The wife speaks about it sometimes and when she does it's more related to her actions in this life which have positive or negative consequences in this life. She never talks about next life.

[garro]

To me, it's an easy excuse. "If I have bad experiences, it's because I was bad in a previous life." Do nothing, change nothing & don't try to solve your problem or alleviate your "suffering".

I have had a lot of unpleasant or bad experiences in my life, despite trying to do "good" things. The idea that any problems I have encountered are directly due to my behaviour in a previous existence is hogwash, IMHO.

Sorry NR but I think you are mixing up karma with fatalism. Karma is about the fact that our deliberate actions will have consequences both good and bad depending on the action.

[Heng]

The belief that according to activities in our previous life we receive a body and set of circumstances, fortunate or unfortunate, seemed very strange to me until spending time in SEA.

Now it seems to make perfect sense to me.

What do you think?

Karma makes sense from the point of view (to me) that it's simply people having an intuitive sense for one of the basic laws of physics... every action has an equal and opposite... Sure, you do good things, *you seem to and sometimes actually get good things.* You do bad things, *you seem to but do not always get bad things.*

IMO it becomes a cop out though when folks try to apply it from life time to life time, and I don't think living anywhere in particular on Earth should somehow make people believe it to be true.

[kratindaeng]

tham dee dai dee, tham chua dai chua......

nae norn na krap!

KD

[garro]

This thread is a bit confusing for me. The belief that a soul passes from life to life and that its destination is determined by karma (kamma) is a hindu belief and not Buddhist. As far as I am aware the number of Hindus in Thailand are very small comparitively.

[kratindaeng]

hmm yeah but, didnt Thailand adopt Buddhism from India? or was it the UK?

[garro]

hmm yeah but, didnt Thailand adopt Buddhism from India? or was it the UK?

and your point is?

Islam and Christianity both come from the Middle East but I would imagine their followers would be offended if you said they believed in the same thing.

[tuky]

I believe in two things...

One is Xtian...as I have read the bible front to back a couple of times including new and old testimonies...

"Do unto others as they would be done by"

and then...

"What ye shall reap, thoust have sown"

Whether I have quoted in context I do not care, but I do try my best to live by these principles and duly I fail miserably.

[kratindaeng]

hmm yeah but, didnt Thailand adopt Buddhism from India? or was it the UK?

and your point is?

Islam and Christianity both come from the Middle East but I would imagine their followers would be offended if you said they believed in the same thing.

you cant see my point? OK I will unzip my pants.

KD

[lannarebirth]

This thread is a bit confusing for me. The belief that a soul passes from life to life and that its destination is determined by karma (kamma) is a hindu belief and not Buddhist. As far as I am aware the number of Hindus in Thailand are very small comparitively.

The Buddha, and therefore Buddhists accept karma (kamma) as natural law; a given.

[qwertz]

This thread is a bit confusing for me. The belief that a soul passes from life to life and that its destination is determined by karma (kamma) is a hindu belief and not Buddhist. As far as I am aware the number of Hindus in Thailand are very small comparitively.

The Buddha, and therefore Buddhists accept karma (kamma) as natural law; a given.

You get from your life what you put into it. Simple arithmetic............. As a believer in no particular religion I can only suppose it's the same formula for religious people.

[cdnvic]

This thread is a bit confusing for me. The belief that a soul passes from life to life and that its destination is determined by karma (kamma) is a hindu belief and not Buddhist. As far as I am aware the number of Hindus in Thailand are very small comparitively.

The Buddha, and therefore Buddhists accept karma (kamma) as natural law; a given.

"The" Buddha was one among many.

Buddha Gautama also warned against taking his word as gospel.

IMO I see karma as being on and the same with the laws of physics. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.

[suegha]

The idea of karma (or kamma) is a difficult one when you think a little outside of your own experiences. What about the multitude of suffering experienced by millions day to day. Those suffering starvation or disease? All those children wo die in their early years, have they done evil? Do they deserve their suffering? Victims of natural disasters? Those who are victims of terrorism?

Here's a quote from Ecclesiastes 9:11+12 "The race is not to the swift nor the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favour to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all.

12 Moreover, no man knows when his hour will come: As fish are caught in a cruel net, or birds are taken in a snare, so men are trapped by evil times that fall unexpectedly upon them."

To put it in modern parlance, "Sh1t hapens!"

And yet we could put a NT slant on it from Romans 8.28 "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."

This, of course, does not mean that good things will happen to those who love God, but that all things will 'work together' for the good, to those who love God. What this means for those who do not believe in a God, I don't know.

[Yamantaka]

I started taking Buddhist teaching in the U.K. more than 20 years ago and shortly after began "practicing" Buddhism. One of the first teachings was that if there are facets of the teachings that don't make sense to you, put them aside and listen to the rest. I had to do that with some things. After months and years of more teachings, everything finally fell into place.

My Thai girlfriend of two years had almost no understanding of Dharma. I had to teach her. She only knew that giving monks money would bring good luck (not based on Buddhism); having a spirit house would protect a dwelling (not based on Buddhism); having a household Buddha would protect the family (not based on Buddhism); and wearing amulets would protect the wearer from evil spirits and bad luck (not based on Buddhism). I read recently that over 40% of Thais have never had any teachings in Buddhism. So there is probably not a widepread understanding of Karma.

[Heng]

People extend the belief of karma from lifetime to lifetime because it doesn't add up (it does seem to for some cases, sure... and these folks will be quick to jump to the conclusion that these cases are *proof* of karma) in single lifetimes.

It's similar to other religions when bad things happen to innocent people, quickly writing these things off as the will of God, Allah, etc. Any good things are also the will of... and really good things are automatically miracles.

Organized religion is sometimes a convenient and perhaps needed outsourcing of will power, "logic," and hope for the world's masses.

[qualtrough]

Karma? Wouldn't it be pretty to think so? (apologies to Hemingway)

[canuckamuck]

Karma? Wouldn't it be pretty to think so? (apologies to Hemingway)

Brilliantly put

Believing people who arrive on earth in destitute circumstances is a result of their poor character in a previous life is a ready excuse for classest bigotry which is rampant in Asia.

Most who die rich and powerful spent their lives stepping on others and judging them inferior.

Karma if it existed would create a massive middle class, then eventually, a community of selfless, average, untalented robots.

The real question is if there is karma, then where does evil come from?

[Pepe']

I started taking Buddhist teaching in the U.K. more than 20 years ago and shortly after began "practicing" Buddhism. One of the first teachings was that if there are facets of the teachings that don't make sense to you, put them aside and listen to the rest. I had to do that with some things. After months and years of more teachings, everything finally fell into place.

My Thai girlfriend of two years had almost no understanding of Dharma. I had to teach her. She only knew that giving monks money would bring good luck (not based on Buddhism); having a spirit house would protect a dwelling (not based on Buddhism); having a household Buddha would protect the family (not based on Buddhism); and wearing amulets would protect the wearer from evil spirits and bad luck (not based on Buddhism). I read recently that over 40% of Thais have never had any teachings in Buddhism. So there is probably not a widepread understanding of Karma.

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Now that is very interesting...

[Pepe']

The real question is if there is karma, then where does evil come from?

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Ignorance?

[LinkPopularity]

some day you'll die and then that's the end of it, no more no less, for most people that's just too hard to accept, so they believe whatever to avoid the truth ... stupid !

[camerata]

People extend the belief of karma from lifetime to lifetime because it doesn't add up (it does seem to for some cases, sure... and these folks will be quick to jump to the conclusion that these cases are *proof* of karma) in single lifetimes.

The concept of karma always applied over multiple lifetimes, or states of existence. That's why we might only see the effect of some actions in the current lifetime. There can never be any proof, of course, because the workings of karma are infinitely complex. Even the Buddha said that trying to figure out karma "does not tend to edification."