The 12 laws of karma and Buddhist philosophy
Do you know the 12 laws of karma? Surely you've heard someone say that life "is a matter of karma," or that something good or bad has happened to you because of karma. The truth is that this concept so linked to Buddhist philosophy is closely related to the idea of justice that is had through that religion.
But it is not a model of justice that must be followed by the threat that others (people or gods) will punish us if we do not, but that, according to the laws of karma, we must make that notion of justice part of the law. our lives for ourselves.
Buddhism and the laws of Karma
The concept of laws of karma arises from the Buddhist philosophy, a religion that is based on a set of knowledge, habits and teachings that, through meditation and small gestures of everyday life, allow us to go working a transformation of our inner self.
Many people argue that this philosophy makes us wiser, opens our conscience and makes us more consistent people with our acts. In fact, the influence of Buddhism has had a decisive impact on great European philosophers, such as the German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer, who was greatly influenced by this current of Eastern thought at the time of developing his ethics.
In search of karma
Buddhism has a particular way of understanding the existence and relationships between humans . This religion states that life is a process of constant change, a process that requires us to adapt and reeducate our mind to make ourselves stronger. This is only achieved by being people with discipline (and, therefore, self-control) and being generous and grateful towards others. In this way, we can be able to improve our mental state, achieving focus and spiritual calm.
People who practice this discipline often say that Buddhism in general and the laws of karma in particular allow them to better connect with their emotions, achieve better levels of understanding and be closer to happiness and well-being. Besides, and Buddhism seeks spiritual development based on a holistic and humanistic understanding of reality , trying to be careful with the way we relate to other human beings. The laws of karma are a way to translate this philosophy of life, which seeks harmony between oneself and others, in a series of concrete points communicable verbally.
What are the laws of karma and what do they tell us about life?
First, let's start by defining the concept of 'Karma'. It is a term of dharmic origin and comes from the root kri, which means 'to do'. So, karma is a concept closely related to action, with the act . Karma is an energy that transcends us, and that is the direct effect of the actions of each individual.
exist twelve laws of karma that explain how exactly this transcendental energy works . These laws allow us to know the ultimate meaning of our existence, through the teachings and advice of Buddhist philosophy.
It should be noted that Buddhism is not a religion to use, from a Western point of view. Buddhism is a religion non-theist, since there is no omnipotent and creative god. In Buddhism, laws come from nature, and the freedom of every human being is trusted to adhere to the advice of this philosophy, or not. In short, to act well or not so well is an individual decision and, based on these decisions we make every day, we are equally responsible for the consequences and effects that we have made.
The 12 laws of karma and their explanation
But, What are these essential laws of karma proposed by Buddhist philosophy? And more important: how can we apply them to our lives to be a little happier and live a life full of love and respect for others?
We explain it to you in the following lines.
1. The essential law
You make such, you receive . It is the law of laws when we talk about karma. We collect what we have been sowing during our life. This has an obvious relationship with the cause-effect principle: everything you do has its return. Above all, the negative things we do will be returned to us multiplied by 10.
2. Law of generativity
The mission of every human being is to be a participant in life, and that implies creation . We are an inseparable part of the world and the universe, and with them we form the same thing. Ours is the responsibility of taking the good that we find in the place of the world that we inhabit, to build our own life.
3. Law of humility
Everything that we deny, ends up influencing us negatively . If we only see the bad side of things and other people, we will be renouncing humility, that virtue that allows us to grow morally and intellectually.
4. Law of responsibility
We must accept responsibility for the things that happen to us . If bad things happen to us very often, we may be doing something wrong ourselves. This is one of the laws of karma that focuses on the direct consequences of everything we do, which can be good or bad. Every act has its consequences, we learn to assume them and face them.
5. Law of connection
Everything is connected . Every act, as inconsequential as it may seem, is connected to many other elements of the universe. As they say, the flutter of a butterfly can start a tsunami. Reality is complex and absolutely all our actions have an echo in the future.
6. Law of development
We are constantly changing, in a permanent flow . Whatever we do in our lives, we must be aware that we are sovereign of our destiny, and for that we must evolve spiritually. If we can improve our mind, everything around us will also change ... for the better.
7. Targeting Law
We are learning things little by little, in a sustained way . We are not able to access high levels of wisdom without having been in intermediate stages before. We must pursue certain goals in our lives, and move forward little by little towards them. The effort almost always has its reward.
8. Law of generosity
It is vital that we act with generosity and kindness with other human beings . Living in a mental state of respect and compassion towards others makes us more connected with our condition as beings that inhabit the same planet.
9. Law of the present
To live thinking about the past, about what could have been and was not, is a perfect way to disrupt our present and our future. Everything that anchors us to the past must be revised : we have to renew ourselves to be able to go ahead and find what makes us happy.
10. Law of change
Misfortune tends to repeat itself until we find the courage and the means to change our lives . This is achieved based on the knowledge and experiences acquired, from which we learn and improve. With them we must be able to correct our course and build new objectives.
11. Law of patience
The fruits that we collect after a lot of work know better . The more dedicated we are to the tasks that occupy us, the greater will be the happiness in collecting the reward. We must succeed in making patience a fundamental value in our life.
12. Law of inspiration
The more effort, energy and courage we dedicate to our daily life, the greater the merit of our triumphs . eye! Even mistakes can be learned, as we have seen in previous laws. Karma recognizes that we are individuals with the ability to create and evolve, even in circumstances that are not entirely favorable. At some point the fruits will come, and we will have traveled a path of effort and courage, according to the laws of karma.
