Karma, Destiny, & Past Lives: Things that don't make sense about them

[Rock]

Also Rock,
You didn't answer something. Why do you never give out compliments? In the intro thread of the forum advisors here, I gave you a lot of compliments and highlighted your strengths and valuable qualities, and gave you credit where it was due. I was more than fair to you.

But you aren't fair to me in that manner. Why?

For instance, you can't even say that I am good at figuring out cell phone menus, even though I helped you find a function in yours that you couldn't and the cell phone sales lady couldn't, and a few days later I helped a German guy at the hotel change his phone menu from Chinese to German, even though I couldn't read any Chinese at all! So I am obviously good at that. Yet you won't acknowledge it or give credit where it's due.

A normal nice positive guy would have said, "Hey thanks Winston! You're pretty good at figuring out electronic stuff like this!" That's what a typical friendly nice Western guy would have said in that situation. But you're never that complimentary for some reason.

It seems that you are very biased toward looking for reasons to criticize me and down me instead. Are you aware of that? Why is that? Is it from the Chinese mentality in you? Why are you overly critical and unfair and never give compliments, even where it is due?

I get the impression that you strongly prefer nitpicking and downing me rather than giving any earned compliments or praises. And I don't think that's fair. I have given you many compliments where it was due. The intro to the advisors thread is just one example.

Isn't there something wrong with that? Or am I missing something?

I might compliment you more if you didn't put so much energy into praising and promoting yourself already. I figure, you've more than made-up for any lack of compliments from third parties, lol.

Anyway, you are:

- good with cellphones and gadgets and seem to be capable of figuring them out even when a language you don't know is involved.

- a very fast and prolific writer

- a success at creating and running a movement based website and using it to generate a significant monthly cashflow while attending to the information needs of many frustrated men

- a very decent chess player (I believe your claims here)

- very ballsy: openly exposing your whole life online and to the physical world

OK, that's 5 compliments. Is that enough? Next time you claim I never compliment you, I'll just refer to this thread.

BTW, who ever said I was a typical friendly nice Western guy? Certainly not me.

[ErikHeaven]

I guess the moral of you story is this if GOD asks you to do something just say no. You pretty much know what the outcome is going to be.
Destiny well to me life only is a series of choices with limited knowledge of how those choices will play out. JFK should have known about the secret societies that he was tampering with their "Cut" of the profits.

[odbo]

I guess the moral of you story is this if GOD asks you to do something just say no. You pretty much know what the outcome is going to be.

Don't listen to your conscience? What kind of moral is that? There are billions of people who shut out their inner voice and they sure as hell aren't happy as a result of it. They were fooled that material "progress" is more important than the spiritual journey. Better to live like a man for a day than a slave your whole life. There is no death, your spirit lives on so what is the hold up here? I think the moral of the story is that Winston will never get that you can't understand this part of life only using your left brain. You will only go around in circles and either have an undeserved sense or you will drive yourself insane.

The right brain gives you instantaneous understanding. The left brain is calculating and using it to understand creation is like a dog trying to understand everything a human is thinking. Are people so arrogant that they think using their intellect they can understand what made them?

Another false paradigm is the belief that life is about being happy all the time. Keep in mind that this is Winston's foundation and by which he measures endeavors "logical" or not. Most people don't realize they were culturally programmed to looking for constant joy like a child. Who do you think benefits when people are like this and ignore serious issues because they are depressing? Life is about a wide range of experiences. Looking for the most joy is not the meaning of life, get that through your head. If you can't find a reason to raise your son beyond guilt, you fail as a human being. You can dress it up any way you want but theres no getting away from that fact. If you continue to look at things "logically" you will only live in self-delusion and never find the truth.

Logically, if god or the big bang created the universe, what created god or the big bang? People have been linguistically programmed to make certain words their god. Just listen, "LOGIC". It's all knowing isn't it! Logic has its merits as well as its limits. A person who doesn't use their right brain is like a computer not plugged into the internet. You can do all the calculations you want on it but its utterly hopeless for understanding the big picture.

[Winston]

In Buddhist psychology, when you do an unwholesome action you create a sankhara ( a reaction, mental conditioning) which causes you suffering now and in the future. When you are in a mode of creating sankharas, they multiple, and cause you to do more unwholesome actions which leads to more sankharas, and you are in a viscous circle. The only way to break the chain and reverse the process is to meditate and condition your mind to a level of subtleness that you can just observe with equanimity the sankharas as they manifest as feelings on your body. Then they start going away. When you can stop generating sankharas, you reverse the process and reduce your misery. Buddhism doesn't really have a concept of conscience (although morality is considered essential for stabilizing your mind), but rather a concept of heightened awareness (which I think is much more broad). Buddha said there are four types of people - 1) those in darkness moving to darkness, 2) those in light moving to darkness, 3) those in darkness moving to light, and 4) those in light moving to light. Psychopaths are in darkness moving to darkness, so they are certainly suffering.

That's interesting. This reminds me, one time when I was in a rage, I kicked someone in the shins. That person was writhing in pain from it. Later that night, while I was sleeping, all of a sudden, I had a sudden Charlie Horse in my shin, in the exact spot that I had kicked that person earlier. It was excruciating, as my muscle there suddenly pulled by itself while I was lying down and doing nothing. It lasted maybe one or two minutes before it stopped, while I was trying to reset my muscles to reverse the pull. I do not usually have sudden Charlie Horses like that. So it was very uncanny, especially when it happened in the exact same spot that I had kicked the person earlier.

Do you think this was a case of karma? Did my sankharas in my subconscious mind cause this Charlie Horse to happen as punishment?

If so, how come other people don't get punished in this manner? Is it because I am more spiritually attuned, and therefore more subject to karma than others?

To me, it was validation that karma was real. But then again, I also wonder why I keep stepping on bubble gum on the floor, when I myself never throw out bubble gum on the floor. Doesn't that seem like unjust karma?

[Winston]

Another false paradigm is the belief that life is about being happy all the time. Keep in mind that this is Winston's foundation and by which he measures endeavors "logical" or not. Most people don't realize they were culturally programmed to looking for constant joy like a child. Who do you think benefits when people are like this and ignore serious issues because they are depressing? Life is about a wide range of experiences. Looking for the most joy is not the meaning of life, get that through your head. If you can't find a reason to raise your son beyond guilt, you fail as a human being. You can dress it up any way you want but theres no getting away from that fact. If you continue to look at things "logically" you will only live in self-delusion and never find the truth.

Logically, if god or the big bang created the universe, what created god or the big bang? People have been linguistically programmed to make certain words their god. Just listen, "LOGIC". It's all knowing isn't it! Logic has its merits as well as its limits. A person who doesn't use their right brain is like a computer not plugged into the internet. You can do all the calculations you want on it but its utterly hopeless for understanding the big picture.

If that's so, then maybe me suffering in Angeles City is a lesson to me to appreciate the fresh air that I took for granted before in other places I lived? As they say, you can't appreciate the light unless you experience the darkness first.

Either way, I'd rather be happy than sad. Get real. Ultimately, we all have to do what's best for ourselves. Or else someone else will devour you.

Star Trek, which used the word "logic" a lot, made that word my God. lol

[Winston]

Also Rock,
You didn't answer something. Why do you never give out compliments? In the intro thread of the forum advisors here, I gave you a lot of compliments and highlighted your strengths and valuable qualities, and gave you credit where it was due. I was more than fair to you.

But you aren't fair to me in that manner. Why?

For instance, you can't even say that I am good at figuring out cell phone menus, even though I helped you find a function in yours that you couldn't and the cell phone sales lady couldn't, and a few days later I helped a German guy at the hotel change his phone menu from Chinese to German, even though I couldn't read any Chinese at all! So I am obviously good at that. Yet you won't acknowledge it or give credit where it's due.

A normal nice positive guy would have said, "Hey thanks Winston! You're pretty good at figuring out electronic stuff like this!" That's what a typical friendly nice Western guy would have said in that situation. But you're never that complimentary for some reason.

It seems that you are very biased toward looking for reasons to criticize me and down me instead. Are you aware of that? Why is that? Is it from the Chinese mentality in you? Why are you overly critical and unfair and never give compliments, even where it is due?

I get the impression that you strongly prefer nitpicking and downing me rather than giving any earned compliments or praises. And I don't think that's fair. I have given you many compliments where it was due. The intro to the advisors thread is just one example.

Isn't there something wrong with that? Or am I missing something?

I might compliment you more if you didn't put so much energy into praising and promoting yourself already. I figure, you've more than made-up for any lack of compliments from third parties, lol.

Anyway, you are:

- good with cellphones and gadgets and seem to be capable of figuring them out even when a language you don't know is involved.

- a very fast and prolific writer

- a success at creating and running a movement based website and using it to generate a significant monthly cashflow while attending to the information needs of many frustrated men

- a very decent chess player (I believe your claims here)

- very ballsy: openly exposing your whole life online and to the physical world

OK, that's 5 compliments. Is that enough? Next time you claim I never compliment you, I'll just refer to this thread.

BTW, who ever said I was a typical friendly nice Western guy? Certainly not me.

Well I might compliment myself in the online world. But I'm talking about compliments in the offline world. But thanks for the five compliments. I've notated and logged them. They are fairly accurate I guess. We all have our strengths and weaknesses and both should be pointed out, to be fair, not just one.

[Winston]

I never have denied "skeletons in my closet" nor claimed to be morally superior nor even morally average. So its not like I'm a hypocrite. I'm not one of those Fields Ave. braggarts.

I've traveled and stayed in many third world countries and have learned that its prudent and wise to remain as invisible or unknown as possible. Its kind of the opposite to your approach. I've been lucky but seen others who were too trusting ultimately get burned, one way or another. The expat communities in a lot hot-spots are fairly small, transparent, and exposed. Foreigners in a given place talk a lot and exchange gossip. One Colombian American I knew in Cali got too involved with the local community and ended up getting shot dead point blank in the head just 2 years ago in broad daylight, right in front of his daughter. I think he was just late on paying someone back a modest sum of money. He was easy for them to research and find cus he was a high profile character among the gringos. Haven't you ever been stalked by a girl before? Why do you think a certain person on this forum recently had to change his number and tends to avoid certain areas where he's more visible?

As for you showing me your first and last name on your passport, etc. What's the point? I've already seen so much more, right on this very forum. And as I've said before, your recklessness towards privacy may cause others around you to be hesitant about sharing personal info. Because your life is basically an ongoing online saga. And those in the background sometimes get unwittingly exposed. I bet if your former American gf ever finds out about your illustrated posts on her, she won't be happy to say the least. And I bet William Two Feather regrets his casual hostel chats with you with you too.

Who here recently changed his number and became less visible? I don't know who you are talking about. Oh nevermind. I think I might know who you are talking about.

But you must have had some bad experience to not tell anyone your real name, and to check into hotels with pseudonyms.

If you never do anything morally wrong though, what do you have to fear?

I didn't say anything bad about William Two Feather. Others did. I didn't realize he had so many skeletons in his closet. I only told the truth about my ex-girlfriend. I didn't lie about it.

That Colombian got shot in California? Wouldn't the police get involved? Why would someone shoot him? Killing him isn't going to get the debt repaid. Plus it will have the police on your tail.

[momopi]

Star Trek, which used the word "logic" a lot, made that word my God. lol

In the fictional Star Trek universe, the character "Spock" is a contrast of learned logic and Vulcan mysticism. Leonard Nimoy is Jewish and incorporated some Jewish influences in his character. For example, the Vulcan hand salute is based on Rabbi blessing with the Hebrew letter "shin":

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vulcan_salute

[odbo]

If that's so, then maybe me suffering in Angeles City is a lesson to me to appreciate the fresh air that I took for granted before in other places I lived? As they say, you can't appreciate the light unless you experience the darkness first.

Either way, I'd rather be happy than sad. Get real. Ultimately, we all have to do what's best for ourselves. Or else someone else will devour you.

Star Trek, which used the word "logic" a lot, made that word my God. lol

That's not what I mean Winston. I'm not saying you shouldn't be happy. But your misery is a result of your own laziness, it is not "necessary" suffering that purifies your soul or teaches you anything, brought about by doing the right thing. You're not suffering because you're standing up for good, you're suffering because you're too lazy to change your current situation. We've all been there. Isn't it funny how you're too lazy to make yourself happy, but at the same time refuse to help the world because it might be depressing and you desperately want to be happy.

Compare native peoples living in the wilderness who just are, to socially engineered westerners who want to be in a constant state of euphoria. Modern Americans get anxious if they're not entertained by electronics for 10 minutes. The media has made being happy the only thing important in life and this concept which people naively accept works as a mind virus. As a result of this clever meme most Americans are miserable in addition to not being a threat to the system (because they're endlessly chasing the elusive happiness which they will never find). They've been sold joy as happiness, and happiness as the meaning of life. Or something along those lines. Naturally you should be happy and strive to be happy but it shouldn't be priority #1 in the grand scheme of things. That is not be the most eloquent way of putting it but hopefully you get gist of it.

There are different ways to perceive the agenda, I'm sure there are many good books on the subject that will help you un-learn the toxic indoctrination similar to this. The whole thinking process they feed you is a trap, a technique to keep you in their rat race.

Good point about Star Trek and their use of logic, the series was pure propaganda and possibly the most important production for mind control in Hollywood's history.

[Rock]

I never have denied "skeletons in my closet" nor claimed to be morally superior nor even morally average. So its not like I'm a hypocrite. I'm not one of those Fields Ave. braggarts.

I've traveled and stayed in many third world countries and have learned that its prudent and wise to remain as invisible or unknown as possible. Its kind of the opposite to your approach. I've been lucky but seen others who were too trusting ultimately get burned, one way or another. The expat communities in a lot hot-spots are fairly small, transparent, and exposed. Foreigners in a given place talk a lot and exchange gossip. One Colombian American I knew in Cali got too involved with the local community and ended up getting shot dead point blank in the head just 2 years ago in broad daylight, right in front of his daughter. I think he was just late on paying someone back a modest sum of money. He was easy for them to research and find cus he was a high profile character among the gringos. Haven't you ever been stalked by a girl before? Why do you think a certain person on this forum recently had to change his number and tends to avoid certain areas where he's more visible?

As for you showing me your first and last name on your passport, etc. What's the point? I've already seen so much more, right on this very forum. And as I've said before, your recklessness towards privacy may cause others around you to be hesitant about sharing personal info. Because your life is basically an ongoing online saga. And those in the background sometimes get unwittingly exposed. I bet if your former American gf ever finds out about your illustrated posts on her, she won't be happy to say the least. And I bet William Two Feather regrets his casual hostel chats with you with you too.

Who here recently changed his number and became less visible? I don't know who you are talking about. Oh nevermind. I think I might know who you are talking about.

But you must have had some bad experience to not tell anyone your real name, and to check into hotels with pseudonyms.

If you never do anything morally wrong though, what do you have to fear?

I didn't say anything bad about William Two Feather. Others did. I didn't realize he had so many skeletons in his closet. I only told the truth about my ex-girlfriend. I didn't lie about it.

That Colombian got shot in California? Wouldn't the police get involved? Why would someone shoot him? Killing him isn't going to get the debt repaid. Plus it will have the police on your tail.

1. I think you know who I'm talking about. At least one girl kept harassing him and wouldn't leave him alone.

2. I've had some mildly bad experiences but as I said, I've basically been lucky. So the real bad stuff I've seen has happened to others. I try to learn from experience of others when possible.

3. Cali is a large city in Colombia, not the US state. That's where I knew the guy. In Colombia, vendetta murders are a daily occurrence and very cheap to execute. The police generally do not investigate much. Even on the rare occurrence the perp(s) are caught and prosecuted, they typically just get sentenced to a few years in prison at most. Violent criminals there worry a lot more about rivals than the police.

4. First of all, I never claimed to have never done anything morally wrong. But that's besides the point. Even if I was morally perfect, do you think that will protect me from bad people and psycho girls in poorer countries. When a predator choose his mark, he scouts for weaknesses and vulnerabilities, not poor moral character. Taking precautions not to expose yourself is a lot more important than being a morally perfect. Of course, if you cross the wrong people in anyway, that can be very dangerous too. That might include chatting up the wrong girl, causing a loss of face, or competing in the wrong business.

5. Most people do not want the whole truth about themselves exposed publicly, especially when it involves personal details. Don't you get that? Perhaps you have no personal facts or details you wish to keep secret about yourself. But believe me, that makes you an exception. Most people have plenty of secrets they don't wish to expose to strangers and/or casual acquaintances.

[MrPeabody]

In Buddhist psychology, when you do an unwholesome action you create a sankhara ( a reaction, mental conditioning) which causes you suffering now and in the future. When you are in a mode of creating sankharas, they multiple, and cause you to do more unwholesome actions which leads to more sankharas, and you are in a viscous circle. The only way to break the chain and reverse the process is to meditate and condition your mind to a level of subtleness that you can just observe with equanimity the sankharas as they manifest as feelings on your body. Then they start going away. When you can stop generating sankharas, you reverse the process and reduce your misery. Buddhism doesn't really have a concept of conscience (although morality is considered essential for stabilizing your mind), but rather a concept of heightened awareness (which I think is much more broad). Buddha said there are four types of people - 1) those in darkness moving to darkness, 2) those in light moving to darkness, 3) those in darkness moving to light, and 4) those in light moving to light. Psychopaths are in darkness moving to darkness, so they are certainly suffering.

That's interesting. This reminds me, one time when I was in a rage, I kicked someone in the shins. That person was writhing in pain from it. Later that night, while I was sleeping, all of a sudden, I had a sudden Charlie Horse in my shin, in the exact spot that I had kicked that person earlier. It was excruciating, as my muscle there suddenly pulled by itself while I was lying down and doing nothing. It lasted maybe one or two minutes before it stopped, while I was trying to reset my muscles to reverse the pull. I do not usually have sudden Charlie Horses like that. So it was very uncanny, especially when it happened in the exact same spot that I had kicked the person earlier.

Do you think this was a case of karma? Did my sankharas in my subconscious mind cause this Charlie Horse to happen as punishment?

If so, how come other people don't get punished in this manner? Is it because I am more spiritually attuned, and therefore more subject to karma than others?

To me, it was validation that karma was real. But then again, I also wonder why I keep stepping on bubble gum on the floor, when I myself never throw out bubble gum on the floor. Doesn't that seem like unjust karma?

If you are more aware (Buddhism doesnt use the word "spiritually attuned"), you will be more likely to notice the effects of an unwholesome action on your body. A Buddhist meditator that does an unwholesome action quickly realizes it in his meditation where he will receive the karmic effects of an agitated mind. Buddhism doesn't have an extensive list of moral does and donts like Christianity or Islam, but rather you naturally start acting ethically because the karmic retribution during your meditation period is so immediate.

[Winston]

Mr Peabody, but Buddhism does have dos and don'ts. Remember the eightfold path in traditional Buddhism? My mom uses it to lecture me all the time.

http://www.thebigview.com/buddhism/eightfoldpath.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noble_Eightfold_Path

[MrPeabody]

Mr Peabody, but Buddhism does have dos and don'ts. Remember the eightfold path in traditional Buddhism? My mom uses it to lecture me all the time.

http://www.thebigview.com/buddhism/eightfoldpath.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noble_Eightfold_Path

The eightfold path is a path and not a set of rules. Although, the Buddha did get into some specifics on Right Speech. Buddhism will go into more specifics for practicing monks but keeps thing pretty general for householders. I still can't figure out what "sexual misconduct" means in Buddhism - one of the five precepts. It is more of a general guideline and you are suppose to act with wisdom in a way that doesn't harm anyone. If you want to see does and donts then study Islam - fatwahs have been produced on about every conceivable type of sexual conduct telling you what is and isn't permissible. Buddhism is on the other end of the spectrum where you are expected to develop your own wisdom and avoid harm.

[Winston]

There's something about karma I don't get. Suppose I did something wrong to someone, or even killed him. Now if he deserved it due to something he did in the past or bad karma in a past life, then I would have dealt him the karma he deserved. So in that sense, I would have been an agent of karma right? If so, then would I be punished and accrue bad karma for my action too? The thing is, if I was delivering someone his own karma, then why would I be guilty of anything?

But on the other hand, if he had no bad karma, then why would karma let me do something bad to him?

Have any of you ever wondered about this?

[MrPeabody]

Here is my view after thinking about it some more. The people who believe these things actually believe in some kind of after life. From a spiritual perspective, if you believe this life isn't all there is then their beliefs make more sense because the infinite time frame puts it into perspective. For example, believers in karma actually believe that the mind stream continues from life to life suffering until there is liberation. Thus, someone doing evil in this life will eventually have to work through the karma in this and multiple other lives. A monk who believes in karma can give up sex because he believes he has many lives and so he is just giving up sex in this life and will have a family in the next life. If you, in fact, are a materialist, then it makes sense to do whatever you can to obtain power in this life and you don't really have to worry about doing evil, because this is it. That's probably a good reason in itself to spread religious belief because if everyone decides there is no afterlife the world could get even uglier than it already is. Personally, I am not satisfied with any of the explanations and I doubt anyone knows. I also find materialism - the notion that everything just came out of nothing for no reason - to also be equally unsatisfying. The smugness of the atheists is not justified and equally as shallow as the dogmatists. Pick your poison.