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Summary of Question:The Beginning Of Karma
Category:General Q's from Non-Sikhs
Date Posted:Friday, 5/23/2003 4:54 PM MDT

I've decided not to accept my parent's religion (Sikhism) before researching and analyzing the teachings. I think this is a very serious matter and very individual, and I do not want to blindly accept what my mom thinks.

Through my mother's gurudwara I've come to know about the conscept of "Karm(a)" which means that if you do bad to someone (sin: which always affects another being), then you would have to suffer the consequences in the current or future life.

When I was thinking about this, It really didn't make sense because it had to start somewhere. Lets pretend that God created a new soul, or a new bunches of souls to put on earth. Someone first HAS to do something bad to someone for the whole evil deal to start. My question is, why is the victim of this first act punished? What did he do... he didn't have a past life.
If not, the life has to go back infinitely in time...which doesn't make sense and disregards the concept of time.

I'm sorry if Im confusing you guys.. Im trying my best to explain the way I think...
Thank you!
Jazlin.

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REPLY
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Sat Siri Akaal. I appreciate that you are taking the choice of spiritual path very seriously. Our parents faith is not necessarily our own!

First of all, true victims are not punished. If someone has experienced something that they didn't truly earn or somehow 'magnetize' to him/herself, then they are faultless, and have chosen to experience that 'event' for some other reason. There are souls who are willing to serve others as teachers in this way, though. That said, I can't speak for 'the beginning'. I do know that everything we do has consequences, good & bad, depending on the action. The law of karma is universal and is replicated in physics: for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Humans learn and grow through polarities: good/bad, male/female, fear/love, action/reaction, gurmukh/manmukh. If our karma is not completed (so that we don't 'owe' anymore for our past actions), then we are released from the cycle of reincarnation.

What lifts us above polarities and karma is GURU and Naam Simran. "Reading and studying, one becomes confused, and suffers punishment. By great cleverness, one is consigned to coming and going in reincarnation. One who chants the Naam, the Name of the Lord, and eats the food of the Fear of God becomes Gurmukh, the Lord's servant, and remains absorbed in the Lord." (Dhanasaree, 1st Guru, p. 686). What this means is that the one meditating on God can erase karma(s) that we owe. For some this is a lifetime, for others countless lifetimes. Live your dharma or live your karma. Remain devoted to God and chant his name, and your affairs will be arranged and your karma completed. "The Jewel of the Lord is deep within my heart, but I do not have any knowledge of Him. O servant Nanak, without vibrating, meditating on the Lord God, human life is uselessly wasted and lost. ||2 ||1 ||"
(Jaitsiree, 9th Guru, p. 702)
I hope this helps. Guru ang sang,
-DKK



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