KARMA-The free will Vs VIDHI-The fate

[P_R]

Heaven and Hell, IMHO, are constructions which labour to give meaning to lives in 'this' world. Karma goes a step further by introducing several cycles in this world. Apart from fulfilling the carrot-stick structure, the theory also aims to explain the suffering in this world. My cursory reading of the Gita, in this regard, was not very convincing.

All theories of fate seem to be based on a strong assumption that there is a meaning, an order, a scheme of things in life. Once this assumption is made, then we try to rationalize each occurrence as determined (by fate) and/or earned (by Karma).

Why are we making that assumption in the first place ? Is it so scary to come to terms with the statement that there is no order or meaning to lives ? I don't find it scary and the simplicity of this is so enchanting.
Q: "Why do badd things happen to good people"
A: No reason whatsoever

[crazy]

rachel..............GOD is not cruel............we cant blame God........for what we doing or how we r living...........its all our karma

Dear crazy,
What you say is really well and good, but when and where did one's karma begin? If you really can understand this question and provide us a sensible answer, I will really be very grateful to you and will be very pleased. Please, enlighten us all with your Craziest knowledge. Thank you.

Dear Rohit,
well according to my craziest knowledge...............the karma begins in the very first jenmam , i guess! f.ins. i was born as an ant in my first birth..........i was a bad ant and did bad stuffs so from there on .............my karma begins its game, it follow me to the next birth and so on and so on. Now iam a human who cant understand why certain things happens to me and to other ppl.............so what i do is trying to blame in vidhi or karma...........which i cant see, neither understand.

ok let me be a bit serious, Dear, i dont know............why in the first place God chose me to live, why i was born as an ant or a human or whatever, but what i know is things happen without any reason, reason which i cant find, which i cant understand.............i DONT want to blame God or Evilness or whatever, so i simply blame myself and my karma.............in that way i try to be a better person, a person who tries to accept things the way they r, a person who tries to console herself with her CRAZIEST knowledge.

there is only one thing i want to see.........no matter why u born or what u gonna do in this life or what u did in previous life, the fact is that u r living, u r a person.................SO BE A GOOD HUMAN BEING...............how? by helping others, by not doing any evil or bad to others, be kind, be etc etc.

it doesnt matter whether u believe in karma or vidhi or god.............what matter is How u r living or how useful ur life is to others

[thamizhvaanan]

there is only one thing i want to see.........no matter why u born or what u gonna do in this life or what u did in previous life, the fact is that u r living, u r a person.................SO BE A GOOD HUMAN BEING...............how? by helping others, by not doing any evil or bad to others, be kind, be etc etc.

it doesnt matter whether u believe in karma or vidhi or god.............what matter is How u r living or how useful ur life is to others Rolling Eyes Smile

my goodness!!! this is as good a philosophy i have heard in my entire life . Actually the meaning of life is as simple as this. no need for the sophisticated "soul searching" stuff and "understanding oneself" blah blah. we are here for some reasong beyond our comprehension. why not spend it being of some use, if not, not being a trouble, to others.

[rachel]

there is only one thing i want to see.........no matter why u born or what u gonna do in this life or what u did in previous life, the fact is that u r living, u r a person.................SO BE A GOOD HUMAN BEING...............how? by helping others, by not doing any evil or bad to others, be kind, be etc etc.

it doesnt matter whether u believe in karma or vidhi or god.............what matter is How u r living or how useful ur life is to others Rolling Eyes Smile

by not cursing others like "ketta vaarthayaala thaandee unna thittanum saniyane...... olinju pooo."
or
by not threatening like "i'll make sure you won't login to the hub again."

[Badri]

DISCLAIMER: THIS IS A JOKE. IF YOU ARE OF THE KIND THAT ATTEMPTS TO SERIOUSLY INTERPRET JOKES, THEN PLEASE DO NOT READ THIS.

Why are we making that assumption in the first place ? Is it so scary to come to terms with the statement that there is no order or meaning to lives ? I don't find it scary and the simplicity of this is so enchanting.
Q: "Why do badd things happen to good people"
A: No reason whatsoever

You are much closer to the truth than you know it, PR! Much closer at any rate than a lot of people who've read the Bhagawad Gita all their life!

[pavalamani pragasam]

All people are not endowed with a strong spirit. Many are finding it hard to grapple with harsh realities of life like death, pain, failure, disappointment, accident and all such unpleasant phinomena. They need some moral force to goad them on in the rough, tough path of life.

Their easy frustrations need some sort of pacification, explanation and comforting. Whatever they cant understand, whenever they cant accept what has happened they quickly conclude it is a cruel force called fate which is the cause for everything untoward.

Mainly it is a concept for moral boosting. People with grit, perception, stoicism will know with quiet acceptance that death is finite, that pain is relative & temporary, that suffering is unavoidable, that time the healer will take care of past wounds.

People with patience & wisdom will have faith in Providence, belief in the fundamental goodness, kindness in the general scheme of things.

The very basic concept of pain & suffering varies from person to person. All people do not react in the same manner, to the same degree of intensity to adversity. People are endowed with different stamina for enduring pain & misfortune. So many factors go to define what is a suffering: age, sex, backround etc.

The tiny tot cries his heart out on his first days to school. Separation from mom & home is the most painful experience for him.

Death is painful, but less so when it provides relief for a terminally ill, tormented person. One girl takes out her life after eveteasing, another gulps down rape/incest & marches on. Different levels of tolerance, different strengths nurtured by different faiths.

It is all relative, the reactions, resistance & acceptance. We see people of different calibres around us. The magnitude of private & public happenings have varying impact, meaning & repercussion.

In all situations the easiest prop & remedy is the concept of Fate, imagined by well-meaning ancestors to help weak-minded humanity find the going less tough.

[thamizhvaanan]

what an explanation!!! your analysis of people is very very true. I concur with most of ur views, as this is wat i observe to be true. May be yes... the concept of fate was invented as a moral support.

So wat do u say. is there anything called fate or karma in this world? or do u see it as a mere human invention?

[pavalamani pragasam]

Thiruvalluvar's "oozaiyum uppakkam kaaNpar thaazaathu ulaivinri unjaRRupavar" is my favourite kuRal.

The concept of fate should not be a handicap . We should continue to aspire to higher & higher standards of living as human beings. Fate can't be used as an excuse for not making our most sincere efforts for achievement of our goals. Many people are doing this.

Fate should not deter us from striving towards not only our noble ambitions, even from performing our basic duties. If we did it will then be a sign of cowardice & laziness.

We should not let the concept of fate sap/drain our energies by instilling a sense of despair & helplessness. It is the duty of those strong people who don't need the crutches of the fate concept to help the weak-souled people act with self-confidence & purposeful meaning.

[Rohit]

ok let me be a bit serious, Dear, i dont know............why in the first place God chose me to live, why i was born as an ant or a human or whatever, but what i know is things happen without any reason, reason which i cant find, which i cant understand..............

it doesnt matter whether u believe in karma or vidhi or god.............what matter is How u r living or how useful ur life is to others

Dear Crazy, your reply clearly shows your pragmatic approach towards life, which is really admirable. Also, your honest acceptance of not knowing the answers to the questions I posed is not at all as crazy as expected.

[Rohit]

Why are we making that assumption in the first place ? Is it so scary to come to terms with the statement that there is no order or meaning to lives ? I don't find it scary and the simplicity of this is so enchanting.
Q: "Why do badd things happen to good people"
A: No reason whatsoever

You are much closer to the truth than you know it, PR! Much closer at any rate than a lot of people who've read the Bhagawad Gita all their life!

Truth! I really don’t understand what exactly people wish to covey by including such an elusive term in their propositions, whose significance exclusively rests on the meaning of 'truth', which itself remains undefined.

Dear Badri,

May I kindly request you to provide a comprehensive definition of 'truth'; and then tell us how close do you really believe one can get to know the 'truth' as defined, in the context of your above statement. Also, please tell us whether your definition of 'truth' is known universally or not.