KARMIC RETRIBUTION

Q: Sir, your child had asked me to ask a question on her behalf. I was telling her about an incident where a person has gone and defrauded so many people. Even resulting in some of them committing suicide because of their situation. And she was extremely angry that you that we believe in karma, that this was a contract that they had undertaken…She was very keen that I ask this question. She was very extremely upset.

Now let us take this man’s example. With your definition, yes, an evil man. Do we say that there is a contract? In this particular situation, yes and no. Let us look at both. Son, those who cause their own deaths, because of what this one man did, had come into this world, into this embodiment, with one express desire. To learn how to face upsets. Am I clear up to now? Now this one man, my son, has caused the same harm and even greater to others. But those others have not committed suicide. So this man cannot take the responsibility for the death of those who have. Yes, but in this there was no contract. He had not contracted with these to help them to learn their lesson. Are you with me? Because this is a totally different situation. This man’s lesson was to learn how to be good. Whether he has passed or failed in that test we are not here to sit in judgement. That was his lesson. That was a very broad contract. So you see, when I said yes and no, my son, there was a contract, yes. In that broad sense, my son, there is a contract with everything and everyone that you encounter. That contract, is not a personal contract between two souls. That is a contract that your higher self has made with nature. To give you experiences that you desire. In the course of these experiences will come others who have also made broad contracts with nature. If the two broad contracts dovetail, that encounter will take place.

In this case if this man had made a personal contract with the other, there would have been no karma. Is that understood? But he did not. His was a general blueprint of leading a life of good. Theirs were a general blueprint of trying to meet life’s battles with strength and courage. Now do you see where they dovetailed? So why is there karma? And what is karma? My children, you still have not understood and that is why this child is so angry. This child still, in spite of all our training, still thinks of karma as a punishment. And that is why she is angry with us when we talk of karma. Because according to her, wrong must be met with wrong. That is her personality. However much knowledge this child has, this personality trait is deep rooted. For her, wrong must be met with wrong.

So, there is karma with this man. But karma is nothing else but a cause-and-effect situation. Because he did not have a contract, but still caused, what is seen as harm, to another there is a cause and effect situation that has arisen which you term “kar-ma”. It might be better if you actually erased that word. Because it has so sadly been given such a wrong meaning by various writers and philosophers in the past. Karma is not retribution, it is not repentance, it is not punishment, it is not wrong for wrong, it is not an eye for an eye. None of this is karma. Because none of this can exist in the realm of love. It is only cause and effect. If I were to push this child, she would naturally fall on to the other side. Cause and effect. Is that karma? You have seen an example of karma. Now this man had a lesson to learn. We don’t say that he has failed, because this man is still alive. And nature will put before this man several, several, several other experiences. So he has not learnt the lesson till this present time. Now, the effect of moving away from your lesson: We will take for the purpose of discussion, an assumption that this man does not learn this lesson at all in this embodiment. So he has built up a lot of karma. Are you all with me?  When he comes on to our side, he, and no one else, he will decide whether he has been successful or not. For all those experiences for which he feels there has been failure, he will take steps to work through them. Karma.

No one punishes him, no one tells him to repent, and no one gives him a path of retribution. No one, no one, will tell him that he has done wrong. He will do all that and more, for himself. Because he will enter the realm of love. In that realm of love he will understand the error of his ways. So when he takes a next embodiment he will look at all these errors that he has committed. And that is where, comes in, what you call “karmic retribution”. Do you understand?  Now this man will see for himself the harm he caused to ten. Now he has a choice. He may decide that ‘the only way I can feel comfortable as a soul is if I in turn, do some thing good for them’. That is one choice. He may, in turn, also decide that ‘because I have generally caused harm, I will now generally do good’. So you see karma is not an eye for an eye. He may also decide that ‘in spite of my trying so hard, I am not able to let go of this one path. So, may be, what will help me is to lead a life where others cause me harm, so that I understand what another goes through’. All three will be termed by you as “karmic retribution”. Do you understand, my children? And now do you understand now why you all have debated so wrongly on this one issue?

Q: Sir, we have read about phrases and sentences that if you face your difficulties and learn lessons from them, we are able to work through your karmas… What does that mean?

Nothing!  Son, it only means one thing. Let me take your own example, my son, with your landlord. Do you recall that we had told you of a karmic link?  Yes. Now, if you are facing this one difficult situation, my son, and you have been helped by us by telling you that there is a karmic link, it may only be a karmic link with him specifically. It may be what you have undertaken to experience as a difficulty so that you experience what you might have done to another in the past. There is also another explanation. If you have undertaken a personal karmic link working out with him, you may have decided that ‘in order to understand what I did to him, I will allow him to do the same to me. But I will face that difficulty seeing the God within him’. Then, my son, there is no karma because you have reached a moment of God-realization. On the other hand, my son, you might have no karmic link with him personally at all. But nature has, by your command, given you an experience which you decided to take because of some karma, some cause-and-effect which you knew best. Do you now understand?

Q: Sir, do you think it is the same thing with me and my landlord?

Child, it is the same with you and anyone. It is the same with you and anyone. Please my children; do not think of this as wrong for wrong. Do not think that. And why do you always think of karma when someone does something bad? Why don’t you think of this when someone does something good?  Now you will understand that cause and effect can occur when there is good and bad. But you may wonder why, for good there should be a cause and effect. It has been explained earlier, but I will do it. If you (pointing to one), my child, do good to this child (pointing to another) for a reason other than God-realization, there is cause-and-effect.

Q: Because of the expectancy, Sir?

That’s right. When there is God-realization, there is no expectancy. But, my children believe me when I say, that these moments in your life are rare. And that is what you need to work on. But that does not mean that you all stop doing good. It only means that you continue doing good, knowing that you still have not reached the moment of God-realization. That is all. And just as when you have harmed someone, there is a cause and effect, when you do good and come on to our side and you see the reason why you did what you did, again the effect will be that you will undertake to have an experience that will bring you closer to God-realization. And that is where karma will come into play.

Q: Sir, I’m a little confused about God-realization. For example, what NS does for her dogs, I don’t see how she could do this with any expectation.

She expects love from her dogs. She expects comfort and courage, all of which she gets. Let a dog treat her with contempt. Let a dog not acknowledge her…

NS: I’d die, Sir.

Have you got your answer, my son?

Yes, Sir.

Q: Sir, when we come over to your side, is it that our life is flashed before our eyes...

All lives. Because this is only a minute. What would you look at in only a minute?

Q: Sir, is it possible for a soul to take on the characteristics of its physical embodiment, e.g. if I’ve been stubborn all my life …

Completely. But you have got the question wrong. It is not that the soul takes on the characteristic of the physical embodiment. The physical embodiment takes on the characteristics of the soul.

Q: So, Sir, the soul remains the same throughout …

Yes.

Q: Sir, if am a very stubborn soul, then when I am shown all my lifetimes when I am on your side, what if I am biased again as to what my decision is going to be in my next embodiment?

You have that freedom. We explained the last time, when you were not here, my son, how a soul decides what he wants to be when he returns. And this is exactly what comes in.