The science of karma, a case study

Fresco of a young woman, Pompeii

Karma recognizes a cause-and-effect relationship between intent, thoughts, and actions (cause) and an individual's future (effect). It is part of major religious beliefs and forms the essence of the just-world hypothesis. Good intent and good deeds contribute to good karma and future happiness, while an evil plan and bad acts contribute to bad karma and future suffering. 

Because actions and even thoughts always have a two-fold effect, karma has psychological support. Doing your best is a generosity of effort that tends to earn the respect of colleagues, clients, and friends. Likewise, diligence and care bring the satisfaction and contentment of a job well done, but sloppy, careless work erodes trust. Reliable people, good workers, trust not only themselves but also others. People keep a distance from those who are not reliable. 

Distrust infects a careless person's judgment. When the carpenter does inferior, sloppy, negligent work, he will not want to move into the house he built; the tailor will not want to wear the suit; and the shoemaker will not like the shoes. He who cheats will be afraid of being cheated. This occurs because everything is connected to everything else. Happiness makes everything seem easy and carefree; bad news, on the other hand, overshadows every aspect of the mind with an unhappy tint. For this reason, anxiety, regret, and worry are involuntary. For example, individuals with depression may want to stop themselves from ruminating but are often unable to deviate from their negative thoughts. Further, it can be shown that the difficulty of controlling thoughts is true not only in the depressed state but in any other highly charged emotional state.

Meditation is usually a prime example of controlling one’s thoughts. However, meditation always occurs in a resting mental state or close to it. A resting state is a neutral state of mind, which is relatively emotion-free, permitting considerable conscious control of thinking. Imagine this as a ball on a hill. The emotional state represents a tilted ground, where the ball's path is deterministic. On the flat ground (an emotion-free mental state), manipulating the ball's movement in either direction requires little effort. 

An emotionally charged mind (in energy imbalance) is hard to control. For example, a joyful event, danger, or a sudden, significant personal change can exert substantial control over one's thoughts. However, gently encouraging your thoughts toward stability and acceptance via meditation and prayer does reduce stress; it mitigates sadness, anxiety, or other disturbances.

Related post: Karma, the long-term consequences of behavior

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Copyright © 2017 by Eva Deli

Karma, the long term consequences of behavior

The brain evolves in interaction with the physical world. In its operation, the mind becomes similar to material systems. This symmetry leads to an intuition, which allows us to move without falling over or to catch a falling ball. In a previous post, I argued that the mind forms relationships analogous to gravity. 

According to Einstein, gravity is positive spatial curvature. The material world cannot be insulated from gravity, and gravity (as well as field curvature) increases toward the center of large objects. The social world is symmetric to the physical world, but its functions and relationships depend on time and temporal curvature. For example, the social (temporal) curvature layers represent access to time. Because the most significant pressure on a planet or star is in its center, stress represents the lack of time. A lack of time corresponds to a constant search for survival, which affects the dispossessed the most (Figure 1). Only the outer layers provide a wealth of time. In other words, the time pressure comes from a time transfer from the poor to the rich. In practice, access to time manifests as money. 

Because emotional gravity is a positive curvature temporal field, social existence requires a selfish mind to protect our interests against others and advertisement pressures. The temporal field curvature differences lead to social hierarchy. In hierarchic societies, rigid and impassable class differences largely spare the rich from the consequences of unwise actions. It also makes advancement nearly impossible for those belonging to the lower classes. However, modern democratic societies are highly dynamic, allowing and even facilitating social mobility: the movement between field curvature layers. 

Figure 1. The temporal curvature layers of society

As matter cannot be insulated from gravity, the mind cannot be insulated from the effects of stress (i.e., temporal gravity). The conservation of the temporal field leads to field effects, called karma, which accumulate over time. Cheating and corruption form distrust and anxiety in the mind and initiate specific actions, which lead to adverse consequences over the long term. Moving to another city cannot erase the consequences of cheating or selfish actions, which enclose the mind by limiting possibilities and making life more difficult. Therefore, emotional gravity causes insecurity. Anxiety and guilt lead to distrust and enhanced dependence on things and people. Ultimately, they inhibit social mobility and predispose people to lower social status. 

How can you create a successful and happy life? The first step is to strive toward emotional stability because only a calm mind can make decisions based on a non-partial view. Positive emotional states are the success generators of the mental universe. Success feeds on trust, which is decency exhibited even when no one is looking. People who work toward the betterment of others and themselves maintain a youthful, active, and dynamic life into old age. Want to know more? Read my post, 'The science of karma, a case study.'

Related post: The Science of Karma, a case study

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Copyright © 2017 by Eva Deli