The Power of Karma (part five)

We experience the effects of and participate in group karma in many different ways. Because every country has a government that mandates laws such as traffic laws or civil responsibilities, we must conform to the rules or suffer the consequences. In addition, we participate in national or regional reputations for similar likes and dislikes, our shared accent, or being of a rough or gentle nature, simply by being born in a particular place. We are treated as a group rather than as individuals.

Group karma might also include being treated well or badly according to our gender, or race, something that we have no control over in our participation. In addition, all humans alive at this particular time experience their world together under the sun and stars of astrological influence or cosmic events. They also suffer calamities and natural disasters as groups without regard to personal collections of virtue and non-virtue that might make them immune to harm as individuals.

Tibetans sadly acknowledge that their situation in Tibet was due mostly to group karma. There were inner causes of interactive dynamics as well as conditions that came together or ripened, for example, the voracious Chinese habit of invading other countries. We Tibetans used many methods to prevent all of the causes and conditions from coagulating so that the terrible events that were prophesied could not occur. In that way, we were able to hold away the final ripening of this group karma for many years. Did you know that? There were many, many rituals done for years to prevent the loss of Tibet to China from occurring. However, toward the end, we could only defer it. We could not stop it because the causes and conditions were that powerful. They just kept coming together and coming together.

In situations such as Tibet, we looked at it with a Buddhist perspective as objectively as possible, and said, "We Tibetans had the karma to lose our country." You know, in my just previous, I was Tibetan. I know I do not presently appear that way as I am in an American form now, but it has not been that long since I was Tibetan. However, we Tibetans do not really want to be blamed for the loss of our country. It is not even fair to be blamed for gathering the causes and conditions on an individual basis for a group result.

Group karma arises by other mechanisms. Therefore, it is complex to track the energetic arisal of a group karmic event, so you cannot truly say that Tibetans had the karma to lose their country. That would logically follow that each Tibetan produced individual karma that gathered into a complexity that caused us to lose our country. This is not nice, and it is not true. It is also not very nice to say that losing Tibet was a good thing because now Buddhism is so many places in the world. Various Western people told me this in my just previous life to cheer me up when I felt so sad for the Tibetan situation that was still happening. It was painful to think that so much suffering would come about for the good luck for others to enjoy the dharma.

We do not blame others for their suffering karmic consequences, whether we judge that to be non-virtuous karma, neutral karma or group karma. Of course, it is possible to gain enough inner development to discern how karma works, but it is not that easy to fully understand the intricacies and interconnectedness. However, it is very easy, requiring no education or meditation skills to judge and condemn others. For example, Lousy Yogi sees someone behaving badly and pronounces, "Oh, that one has such bad karma. This and this is going to happen to him after he dies!" This wrong thinking person would not actually go so far as to curse him, but does not feel shy to acknowledge that fellow will probably go to hell. This is not a good thing to do! We must instead make effort to acknowledge that people can change. To be continued….