KARMA #4
Judgment and having Joy, the other factors that determine our karma
Judgment
Never judge in a condemnatory way, never with disavowing and lack of love.
You must support emotionally without condoning.
The judgment of the 99 neither validates nor invalidates the worth of the one.
The many and the few do not speak to value – only to popularity.
Popularity is not to be equated with value.
With social media, popularity is now evaluated by how many “friends” one has and how many “likes” one gets, when many have not even met these friends – good or bad. Some are getting depressed and are even suicidal about the opinions of others that; “cannot even find the door to their own lives.”
“When you talk to people do not "weigh," a soul that weighs suffers harm.” Talmud
When you no longer need to be right, the purity of your soul will shine through.
Slander and gossip are a toxic consequence of judgment. The Talmud adds that when you slander you “kill” (the souls) of three people; yourself, the one (or ones) that are listening and whoever is getting character assassinated.
There is a story about a rabbi in a small ghetto in Eastern Europe who one day was seen taking groceries from a stall in the market. The attendant was not there and an observer noted that he left without paying. He spread the rumor to the community that their rabbi was a thief. The rabbi was removed from his position and from that time on had to earn a subsistence living, cutting and delivering wood. On one occasion the person who spread the rumor saw the rabbi burdened under a load of wood and felt sympathy for him. He went to the hovel that was now his home to make amends. When the rabbi opened the door, he told him that he was sorry for what had happened and related the story of the unpaid groceries. The rabbi was upset that he had not come first to tell him what he had seen. He explained that the stall belonged to his son in law who gave him permission to take food whenever he wanted.
The congregant felt terrible and asked what could he do to reverse the damage. The rabbi suggested he write a letter about the mistake and take it to a nearby hill on a windy day, tear it into as many pieces as he could and then throw it into the wind. The congregant was exuberant and thanked the rabbi profusely. The rabbi then added; “But, I am not finished. Now you need to go and pick up every piece of paper and then the damage will be repaired.”
Sometimes the judgments we make that cause harm will have karmic consequences that are onerous that we cannot even imagine. The rules of accountability beyond the veil are much more severe than on the earth plane.
“Judge not that you not be judged, for what measure you judge, you will be judged,
and for what measure you mete, it will be measured to you again.” Matthew
This man would be responsible to the extent of the measure that he had meted out to his rabbi with all its implications.
When we judge we may gossip, slander and character assassinate or covet what someone else has. Covetousness may lead one to want what someone else has or prevent them from getting what they want or even destroy what they already have. Hence the commandment; “do not covet your neighbor or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
Witchcraft and Sorcery arise from a heart of envy and are the ultimate evil rendered by covetousness.
“Never judge another human until you have walked a mile in his moccasins.” Native American proverb
“Actions arise from conditions. Do not judge then the former until the latter is well understood. If you have eaten what the judged one has eaten, and worn his clothes, and thought his thoughts, and felt both his joy and pain then you may say you have stood in his place but only briefly compared to the length of his stay. So still you may not know the past or present plights that plague him.
Our judgments are frequently fraught with error and usually tainted with arrogance. Compassion and love are our salvation and joy.” Hillel
We would not be able to see fault in another unless it was already part of our own shadow.
“When you see a worthy person endeavor to emulate him, when you see an unworthy person then examine your inner self.” Confucius
It is challenging not to judge – discernment and discrimination may help us to take our judgments to a sweeter level. The Ancestors teach us to "sweeten our judgments." It is very difficult not to judge. We should judge the action and not the person. We all have the potential for the divinity within us. Maybe we can temper our judgments with kinder words such as he is different, she is intense ...
Joy
Sometimes I go about pitying myself and all the time I am being carried on great winds across the sky.” Ojibway
Joy has a different flavor to it than happiness. Joy is an exuberant, sometimes almost ecstatic feeling found in the present moment. Some folks are naturally joyful, most of us, not so much except, in special circumstances.
Cleanse the lens, adjust the focus, rid what clutters and impedes.
Shed and shie what keeps the soul from joy.
Remember that you are made not for brokenness and sorrow but for wholeness and for joy.
“In the song of the rushing torrent hold onto the joyful assurance: I will become the sea. And this is not a vain supposition, it is absolute humility because it is the truth.” Tagore
“A truly wise person is always joyful. The best way to live joyfully is to believe that life was given for joy. When joy disappears, look for your mistake.”
Tolstoy
We need to find equanimity in amongst the play of light and dark.
Father Toomy teaches that serenity means being active and aware. It is something that requires our attention and our effort. Rare are those who live in joy, for most of us it is about serenity et al...
“Serenity is not a passive condition but an undisturbed peace of mind, active and aware. This can also be quiet joy, sometimes ecstatic joy, always deep within spirit and light of heart.” Father Toomy
We need to be able to coexist with the profane around us without being discouraged. The temptation is to give up hope and be influenced by the challenges in the ebb and flow of life which may seem to be getting worse day by day. We must resist going to the dark side when there is just as much and even more light around us – if we look for it. The dark side is more vocal, so it has the appearance of being in the majority which is not always true. Sometimes they "doth protest too much" because the dark does not want to be overwhelmed by the sacred.
Avoid too much social media, T.V. and toxic movies. A regular meaningful spiritual practice, done almost daily and also whenever needed is essential for maintaining harmony and balance in today's world.
“Indifference to the sublime wonder of living is the root of sin“
Joshua Heschel
We need to be able to savor the moments between the evil and good, the light and the dark, striving to coexist with the negative or profane but not to assimilate it. It is not easy, spiritual practice can save us.
“Savor! Give yourselves to savoring, even the doubting, even the struggling. Savor it all. You are only to savor it to be worthy of it. It is the way of actualizing.” Father Toomey
Be careful of what you touch, what touches you, and where you immerse.
We are given the gift of being in a sensory body which we lose when the soul travels to the light after death. We need to appreciate, have gratitude and be responsible for that special gift which is temporary.
Ingratitude; “a, horrible and unnatural
crime...” David Hume
“Gratitude is the moral memory of humankind.” G. Simmel
Gratitude is synonymous with happiness and is a form of prayer.
Attend to your well-being especially happiness which is
sometimes found in hidden recesses always in
gratitude.
Your gifts are only gifts if you find them thus to be – your heart makes them so. Be grateful and you will be happy. Happiness leads to great empowerment.
Spacious mind is about gratitude and joy. Narrow mind is about acquisitiveness.
There is no joy as transforming as the joy of gratitude.
Where there is gratitude there is light.
Next week we will talk about the last essential karmic requirement - Love
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