Greetings my faithful readers!

I just received this quote from one of my correspondences and I thought I might share it with all of you; it goes out especially to those of you new to the Dharma who are a bit shaky on some of the concepts related to karma. Soon I’ll be featuring a few articles all about karma, its relationship to events in your life and how one can improve their karmic relationships with all sentient beings.  That being said, here’s something to meditate on:

“We are what we think.
All that we are arises with our thoughts.
With our thoughts we make the world.
Speak or act with an impure mind
And trouble will follow you
As the wheel follows the ox that draws the cart.”
(Byrom, “Dhammapada”)

Karma is, when stated simply cause and effect.  It is neither good, nor bad or even neutral it describes for Buddhists the relationship between a cause (speech, action or thought) and its effect (be it good, bad or indifferent) on one’s life and situation.  Buddhists refer to speech, action and thought as the Three Doors to the Self.  All things are inexorably linked in an ever-changing chain of cause and effect.  Deeply learned Buddhist scholars who specialize in karmic philosophy can even explain why one “sees” the wood grain pattern that they do, and how that is related to their karma.  Karma in some senses can even been looked at as the lens through which one experiences the world.

Karma will be more deeply explored this week as our featured topic, check back often for postings, teachings, even videos from various Lamas on the subject all week!