Quote:


In my opinion a better definition would be that your past actions limit your future possibilities.



The best definition I've heard is from my yoga teacher (many years past)--"the law of cause and effect." As I understand karma (and note, there are many other views), it's not a "limiting" law at all.

In some cases, karma can actually mean something quite grand. In astrology, when you see a chart with lots of trines and sextiles (especially involving certain planets), the astrologer knows or at least suspects that in one or more past lives, the person racked up some great karma. This life, then, is likely to seem "easy" or "lucky."

But it need not involve reincarnation, not in every case. Sometimes we hear the phrase, "instant karma"--and again, being a law of cause and effect, it will be pleasant or not depending on the act that brought it about. Once, I gave away my last $5 to a "bum" I felt really needed it more than I did (last $5, but I still had a home and food in the fridge--and payday was just a few days away). That evening on my way home, I noticed an odd looking piece of crumpled up paper by my gate, picked it up, and it was a $50 bill!

Generosity and a compassionate heart often generates very good karma, if not in this life, then in another. It's one of the reasons I tend to think (along with a lot of other people) that compassion is one of the major components required for attracting prosperity.

Jeanne