Heaven/Hell, karma and rebirth?

[SHroomtroll]

Ive been pondering this for awhile now, i fell that karma is real in the sense that i usually get cosmic feedback if i do good stuff for other people and generally act in a nonselfish way.

I also see alot of suffering in loved ones simply cause they dont see the bigger picture and constantly complain or self pity etc..

In other words they bring suffering to themself by not staying true to their path or chasing quick thrills.


This brings me to the people who are born with very bad chances of living a good life, like children in poor countries or people born with extreme dissabilities etc.


Well what if its karma? Maybe if you are born in a country full of war and chaos because of karma for actions of past lifes?

Maybe every life we have here is just another test to pass before we can move on?

Cause i cant say ive had an easy life at all, shitty alcoholic parents, almost becoming disabled at the age 25 and alot more stuff that is alot worse that i dont want to go into.


Ive been in hell and felt pity and despair but nowadays im so glad that life has kicked my ass so i can grow and become a strong compasionate human being.

What do you think about this very non serious thought of mine?


Edited a part to make more clear.

 

[Creo]

There's no evidence that this theory is true.

I also find it morally repugnant. Babies aren't born with birth defects as punishment for sins they committed in a past life, they've just been unlucky in the genetic lottery. It's not their fault and it's not anything they 'deserve'.

It doesn't punish,
It doesn't reward,
It doesn't judge at all.
It just is.
And so are we.
For a little while.

- George Carlin

 

[SHroomtroll]

Take it easy man, im not saying its true or that i even beleive in it.

Its just something i thought about and wanted to discus a bit.

I dont believe that iam right or wrong but if you read what i said without any knee jerk prejudice it makes some sense.

Why is it that some are lucky to be born with loving parents in a rich home where others live in the most horrible conditions?

Im not saying anyone deserves being poor or going through horrible things but maybe its the purpose of their lives to have the shittiest possible odds and still make the right choices so their next life could be better.

 

[Pup Tentacle]

I think a lot of times the word "karma" may not be understood or it taken for only part of its meaning.

karma means action and it's really interwoven with and inseparable from reincarnation

The western simple "tit for tat" explanation really does humanity a dis-service and doesn't help to understand it.

In my opinion, heaven and hell are human constructs used for 1 of 2 reasons - either to try and understand or to try and control.

I think the best ways to try and understand karma is read what the great saints/thinkers of Hinduism & Buddhism have to say about it.

The Bhagavad Gita is a good place to start IMO but even beyond that, a good commentary is very helpful. I'm very partial to the one by Paramahansa Yogananda.

 

[Creo]

At first I thought it was a knee jerk reaction on my part but I could have sworn that you used the word 'derserve'. But then I did a google search on this post and sure enough you did.

This brings me to the people who are born with very bad chances of living a good life, like children in poor countries or people born with extreme dissabilities etc.

Well what if its karma? Maybe if you are born in a country full of war and chaos cause you deserve for actions of past lifes?

It's not cool to go back and edit your post and then talk about knee jerk reactions. You should have just said that your wording wasn't quite right and that's not what you meant.

Peace.

 

[SHroomtroll]

I did use it, but i edited it since when i reread it looked alot worse than i meant.

 

[alert]

You will never be able to explain away needless human suffering.

Personally, I like the advaita vedanta take on things. We are all the same "Self" who is "dreaming" through individual selves. Sure, someone might have a shitty life but it is really just an illusion. The thinking goes that if you are the Omnipotent/Infinite "Self" that you may at first live all your wildest dreams, being famous, being very rich, living in paradise, etc. Eventually, that would get boring and you would want to experience in different ways. While a person's life may seem like a nightmare, in reality it is just the "Self" choosing to experience itself in this way. While it may seem torturous, if none of it is real it is simply a "bad" dream.

Of course, this is merely my take on things and I'm not trying to write off the hardships of anyone else.