- Published on
Tibetan teacher Orgyen Thukchok Dorje observes: “In Vajrayana, we accept that the pain and difficulty one undergoes are a direct result of the actions and karmas of one’s past lives. We do not think that we suffer from injustice committed by someone against us, or that someone has wronged us. We place the blame on our own karma and not on others. That really changes the dynamic of how one deals with suffering and how one attains freedom from it.”
Though I’m not as certain about past life karma philosophy as is the writer, I do see karmic connections between decisions I’ve made earlier in my present life and how my life has played out today. Any personal suffering I feel because of my personal past history is softened by realizing it’s not an injustice or that someone has done something to me. Rather, I made decisions earlier which continue to impact me later in life. My understanding of karma is simply this – it’s a life lesson gained through direct experience. Those lessons can be positive or negative.
Though I’m not as certain about past life karma philosophy as is the writer, I do see karmic connections between decisions I’ve made earlier in my present life and how my life has played out today. Any personal suffering I feel because of my personal past history is softened by realizing it’s not an injustice or that someone has done something to me. Rather, I made decisions earlier which continue to impact me later in life. My understanding of karma is simply this – it’s a life lesson gained through direct experience. Those lessons can be positive or negative.
0 Comments