how karma wins the day...every time

Believing in karma or not believing in karma makes no difference. It just is what it is. The word karma is Sanskrit meaning “action.” All action creates another action, either positive or negative here on the yin/yang plane of existence. Karma in one form or another shows up in all sacred texts, because it’s the truth of life. My teacher and spiritual father, Dr. and Master Zhi Gang Sha teaches,

“The cause of all success and all failure in all aspects of life is karma.”

You cannot take a step or have a thought or step a step without creating karma of some kind, good or bad. There is big karma and little karma. Master Sha also teaches, “Heaven is entirely fair.” How could it be otherwise? When the bible says that God has his eye on the sparrow, we can take this to mean that from the smallest to the largest, atoms to planets, a blade of grass to countless universes is seen and acknowledged by the Divine, because all is an expression of the one infinite mind of the Source.

What does this mean to us? Well, we may be experiencing lack, rocky relationships, sickness or depression. We might look at our situation dispassionately, instead of waving our arms at heaven and spending our energy on a sense of victim-hood. Understand that we are actually full participants in all aspects of our life experience, and responsible for it. Ask meaningful questions, and observe our lives with the intention of understanding Divine justice as something that is exquisitely and excruciatingly exact and fair.

“What have I done in this life or a past life that has brought this too me? Have I caused others to suffer because I withheld good? Judged them? Caused them physical, mental, emotional and spiritual harm? Lied to them? Betrayed them?”

“If you’re really a mean person you’re going to come back as a fly and eat poop.”

Kurt Cobain

If we can wrap our heads around the idea that we have had hundreds or thousands of lifetimes, it would be delusional to think that we were fully awake, loving, serving, kind and self-less in all of them. All of us have probably shown those qualities, yes, but we have also been mean, cruel, selfish, vindictive, greedy and entirely unconscious. How do we undo that web of dark behaviors? One of Master Sha’s statements about karma is “don’t create new bad karma.” That may sound easy on the surface, but it means a pretty comprehensive stock-taking of our habits of thought and action. Karma can be subtle, and so are our thoughts. Little teeny thoughts crop up all the time, “she’s pretty but those pants…honestly.” “I love him but….” “If they just had a little self-discipline…” and so on. Each one puts a little mark on the bedpost of how we react to life, and how others react to us.

“Forgiveness brings inner joy and inner peace to all life.”

Dr. and Master Zhi Gang Sha.

Start a forgiveness practice. It can start as easily as “I’m sorry God, (or Susie or Allah or whoever) for that negative thought! I truly am. Please forgive me. Thank you.” Mean it. I have heard it takes 21 days to firmly set a new habit, try a three-week program with yourself and see where it takes you. A person can take that to ever deeper levels of forgiveness and apology for harm. Here is the big enchilada of forgiveness practice.

It’s the human way, probably one of self-protection, to fail to grasp the countless ways that it’s possible to hurt and harm others, and that we have done those things. It is humbling and heartbreaking to contemplate.

​ This is my often my forgiveness practice.

​”Dear all Divine beings, Holy ones and beings of Light anywhere and anywhere, all beloved ones who walk with me and bless my journey. Dear my Yuan Shen, my Shi Shen and all souls that make up the entirety of my being.

Dear all souls in all universes, all lifetimes, all souls in Heaven, all souls in Hell, all souls in all infinity and all eternity,

I love you, bless you and honor you all, and bow down before you. Beloved, I am sorry with all my heart and soul for all harm, pain, suffering and unhappiness, and negative service that I have caused you or offered you in this and all lifetimes, or that my ancestors and descendants have caused you.

I apologize with all my being for all loss, tears, grief and anguish, for all oppression and injustice, impoverishment and want, for all cold, dark, hunger, rage, fear, violence, hopelessness and despair, depression and anxiety that I have caused you, that we have caused you. I am deeply sorry for ever having turned to the dark side to serve it, and for the harm that came from that wrong choice.

I am sorry for all physical, mental, spiritual, emotional, psychic, material, financial, institutional, governmental, religious, educational, relationship, sexual and soul journey harm that I have caused you, that we have caused you in all lifetimes, and I ask your forgiveness.

Dear all Divine beings, I am sorry most sincerely for all disavowal, disrespect, disobedience, unconsciousness, sleep state, spiritual laziness, blame, hatred, doubt, lack of faith, accusation, falsehood and betrayal that I have ever offered you or caused you, that we have caused you.

Dear all souls, I am sorry with my heart for all torture, agony, bondage, use of handcuffs, manacles, ropes, wires, whips and chains, iron bars, cells, pens or cages with which we have caused you pain and suffering. I am deeply sorry for all suffering that I have caused any animal in this and all lifetimes.

I am sorry for causing the death of any soul in any lifetime.

With my heart I ask your forgiveness, not because what we did to you is forgivable or excusable, but that you might be free and have peace. I bless that you might be released from the harm, darkness and ongoing negative karma that comes when we do not forgive that original harm. That suffering is bound tightly to us until we forgive and release it. Please forgive and release us so that your souls might soar free to their highest possibility of love and liberty, joy, beauty and Divine potentiality, oneness, Light.

I ask the Divine to please fill all those spaces created by forgiveness with its perfect love, light and living presence, to prevent the return of those darknesses, and prevent new ones.

I offer myself in unconditional Divine Service, to The Tao, to my teacher, to the Mother Earth planet and her inhabitants.

We have learned our lessons and will do everything in our power to not repeat those mistakes.

Beloved, I forgive all souls that have hurt or harmed me and my ancestors and descendants (on their behalf) in this and all lifetimes, unconditionally, with joy and deep relief. Please accept our heartfelt forgiveness, and let us all go forth together on this great journey of Light.

thank you thank you thank you all, love you love you love you all.”

It’s a lot. This kind of intense practice can bring tears and an overwhelming sense of remorse. That’s ok! It can also bring a great sense of releasing, humility, compassion. If it’s too much, then don’t do that. But do something. It will assist the process of awakening and inter-connectedness. Start small, but start. Karma is big, it almost doesn’t pay to think about the immensity of an infinity of the thoughts and actions of trillions of souls. The Akashic records must be a biiiiiig place! Let’s just set about to cleaning up our own little corner of it.

Kristin Strachan

compassionbuddha.net