The AlphaNumeric Principle
Understanding the Deeper Philosophy of Karma (Alpha) and Revisiting the Biblical Principle of Sow and Reap (12656-Numeric).
  
Chapter 126, verses 5-6 is for me personally the most important teaching or gospel in the Bible. It talks about actions and I would like you to join me in exploring further and deeper this beautiful biblical teaching. Let us try also to relate this biblical and Western principle with that of the Eastern principle and philosophy of Karma. I am not presenting this topic to challenge the reader to a debate. What I want you to know is that I am writing it only to openly share with you some of my little knowledge about these laws and principles. I will not and I will never engage myself or anyone in any futile discussion about this topic because everything in here is on a take it or leave it basis. However, if it will benefit you and your life and that of your loved ones, great and if not, it is still good and beneficial.

One of the most popular titles which I have been using for the past seven years in sharing this topic with other people is The Secret of Happy, Healthy, Peaceful and Fortunate Life. When I learned about the teachings of these Laws, I stopped blaming myself, other people, the time, the government, the community, the country, the world, my religion and God. In the process, I became more accepting of whatever is happening around me.  As a result I started to attract the blessings from time, nature and God. This is the beauty of these laws.

Karma-The Game of Good, Better and Best
When we hear the word Karma, the first thing that comes to our mind is bad Karma. The word Karma is derived from the Sanskrit word which simply means ‘to do or to act’. It is not a curse, as others think it is. Karma simply confirms the biblical principle that what you sow is what you reap.  We only get back from life what we put into it.

There are three (3) types of Karma. The first one is Bad Karma which, I firmly believed, because of our innate goodness as human beings, is merely 10% of what we are doing and acting out.  The second one is Neutral Karma, or necessary actions like eating, sleeping, drinking, reading, singing, etc. which is probably 20% of what we do everyday. The rest of the 70% is our Good Karma.

So take a deep breath and have a sigh of relief because 70% of what we do is still considered good Karma and that is the reason why you are still holding or reading a copy of this article. The fact that you are very much still alive and kicking means that you have an excellent karma and therefore, you have nothing to worry about.  Maybe, it is time for you to change your bad idea, perception and impression about Karma. It is still 70% good.

We should always remember that for as long as we are here on earth, in the field of action and we are doing good deeds, still alive and perfectly fine, we are creating excellent Karma. So do not worry. We are still part of the majority and we are not alone because ¾ of 75% of the world’s population still believes and subscribes to these laws.

The Newtonian Principle
For every action, there is an opposite or equal reaction.

We have to balance spiritual laws with the law of silence because it is said that: Science without Spirituality is blind and Spirituality without Science is lame. Sometimes and for some of us, Silence is still a better alternative than Science.  For the last hundreds years, Science has provided us so much comfort, but by the law of Karma, we have to pay also the price for its success.  Science is inspiring gifted people to destroy the world and kill its inhabitants because of greed. To maximize benefits, Science and Spirituality need each other and the proponents have to work harder in order to clear people’s minds, and untangle the web in their intellects for a much better understanding of these two very controversial but very beautiful principles.

The Golden Rule
When we were kids, do you still remember our teachers who always emphasized to us the value of the Golden Rule? Do you also know that the all major religions in the world have their own versions of these beautiful and meaningful teachings?  This proves the universality of these laws.

1. Judaism - What is hateful to you, do not do to your fellowman. That is the entire law and all the rest is commentary.
2. Islam - No one of you is a believer until he desires for his brothers that which he desires for himself.
3. Buddhism - Hurt not others in ways that you yourself will find it hurtful.
4. Christianity - Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
5. Bahai’ Faith - Blessed is he who preferreth his before himself.

Peace – the Original Religion of the Soul and Spirit
These universal laws probably prove that before, there was only one religion, the original religion of the spirit, the religion of the soul which is peace. The truth is that peace is the original religion of the world. Religions are supposed to unite their followers and the people of the world to this one idea. But it is ironic, unfortunate and sad to note that as of today, there are approximately 36 wars in the world and 27 of these are either caused by ethnic differences or religious strife.
   
What is Karma exactly?
In everyday life and in this field of actions, every time we act and move, without us knowing it, we either settle or accumulate Karmic accounts and bondages. The whole day, from bed to our workplace and back, we continue settling or accumulating Karmic accounts. And as with any regular bank transaction, this giving and taking is the same as taking a loan and making a deposit or payment plus interest.

Karma – the interest-bearing Spiritual Bank Account or SBA
When we do good deeds, we get some extra bonus from that.  The same thing happens when we perform not so good things. We also get the return plus interest. I would say that it is much better to have Karmic accounts with either things or nature because between these two, it is still better than having it with human beings.  To have karmic accounts or bondages with people is more difficult and complicated, as it involves relationships.

When we cause sorrow and pain to other people, expect that it will be returned to the sender, with all the freebies!  On the other hand, if we have done good deeds which make other people happy and peaceful, then we can expect these good deeds to be repaid also either by the very same person, by other people, or by God Himself in the form of material, physical and spiritual blessings.

No one can escape Karma
The law is absolute and immutable. We will never know when we will reap the fruits of our actions. The seed of a certain action, however, sometimes brings instantaneous results, but some may take years or even a lifetime. We will not always know when we will receive the dividends or when we have to “pay up front”.  It is always much better to “pay it forward”. The effect can be experienced instantly but it can also manifest later, maybe one day, one week, one month or one year but definitely, it will come back to us 101%.

While you are walking and strolling in the park and somebody slaps you in the face, and you do not know the person who slaps you, if you think that it is a simple case of mistaken identity, it is not. Consider it as your payment. If we slap a person in the face and that person did not do anything and just left us wondering, other people will do it to us in behalf of that person as a return to what we have done to him. It does not have to be the very same person. It could be another person, in another time and another place. I suggest that you just do good things so that the return would also be good or even better.  It is safer and more entertaining.

Thoughts are Seeds of Actions
Before every action is done, there is first a thought whether it is positive or negative. It is impossible to perform an action without a thought. Thoughts are seeds that grow in every action.  We should always remember that before we act, we should think first because our thoughts are very powerful. Thoughts can kill, so we should take extra precautions before we decide to act on it. I suggest that we sit down and consider that if it is not giving us good results, probably, we should stop doing things that hurt others.

Six (6) Main Types of Thoughts
1. Ordinary (work, play sleep)
2. Necessary (eat, drink, sleep)
3. Positive (love, peace happiness)
4. Wasteful (worry, past, accidents)
5. Negative (gossip, back biting)
6. Elevated (good wishes, good intentions)

We create good Karma when we entertain positive thoughts in our minds and do positive actions.  While we are relatively safe when we entertain and do ordinary and necessary thoughts and actions, if we become careless, without us knowing it, we still accumulate minimal Karmic accounts.  However, what we should be cautious and careful of is when we entertain wasteful and negative thoughts. Even as simple as thinking of bad things about a person is already a bad action because this is mental gossiping-- we create Karmic account and commit sin against that person.  What makes it worse is because the person does not have a slight idea what we are thinking about him or her. This is how we commit extra sins.
     
Destiny and Destination
They say that we are what think and what we think we become. It is also said that our last thoughts will lead us to our final destination.  If we do not believe in destiny, it is better to make extra effort to at least know our destination.  If we are fully aware that our final destination is with God, in His abode, then, Karmic principle can be an excellent guide to lead and bring us to our final spiritual destination.  That means, we have to increase the percentage of our good Karmic accounts from 70% to 90% or best 100% in order for us to pass with honors and be with God in the end.

Our Thoughts become our Feelings.
Our Feelings become our Emotion.
Our Emotion becomes our Attitude
Our Attitude becomes our Action
Our Action becomes our Habit
Our Habit becomes our Character.
Our Character becomes our Destiny.
Our Destiny leads us to Eternity.
                                A. Cohen

We always encourage or suggest that our final or last thought should always be the thought of God so that we can be with Him when we die or when or leave our body. Our soul will have difficulty leaving the body if our thoughts will be with our family, with our spouse, children, relatives, or with our or possessions. We will continue to suffer probably inside the ICU of one of the hospitals nearby because of too much attachment to our family and our possessions. It will take time for our soul to leave the body and we will have to suffer physically, emotionally, psychologically and most of all, financially.

May I remind you again, always remember that your last thought leads you to your final destination and if you are victorious in doing this, thank God and be with Him when you die.    I have been training myself for the past nine years how to die or leave my body with dignity, definitely not in a hospital but in a place which is more spiritual. I would rather be with God, my Father, than stay and suffer in the hands of human beings in this dirty, noisy, chaotic, war ravaged, poverty stricken and calamity and disaster prone world.  I may be crazy in entertaining this in my mind but for me, it is truly a great dream that I would like to make into a reality.

Dualities in Life
Here on earth, we all live in a life of duality. The fruits of these seeds or thoughts may result in suffering or pleasure, pain and sorrow, our joy and our grief, our tears and laughter, our fame and defamation. Dualities in life all constitute the philosophy of karma. 

Every experience is a teacher. It teaches us for free of what life is and how to peacefully and happily live it. Therefore, let us all take the benefit and accept everything here as a life of duality and we experience both sides with happiness.  While we accept this concept of duality, the challenge is how we can sustain the experience of peace and happiness for a much longer period, regardless of what situation we are in. This is equanimity, to remain stable in my happiness and self-respect in any and all situations, good or bad.

Karma
The Ultimate Justice
At this time, we all find ourselves with emotional, physical, material and spiritual debts to settle. We are faced with these debts which we have accumulated in the past and we still have to deal with and settle in the present. These prevent us from finding true freedom and are always interrupting our happiness and peace of mind.

If we are weak, experiencing pain and sorrow, or we do not have much money or we are experiencing some unhappiness, let us try to go back to our past and see whether we can be enlightened in seeing the situation we are in. Because by the law of Karma, probably we have done something in the past that make us deserve where we are in the present.

For example, if we lost a case because we do not have a good lawyer, or probably the judge’s decision was biased, let us not worry. If we do not get the justice we deserve in this world, time, nature and God will give it to us. Justice which has been denied to us by the human court will definitely be rendered to us by the spiritual court, granted to us by God. We must always remember that there is another court of justice where God, nature and time will serve to our benefit. These three (3) will surely cooperate with us and give us the justice we truly deserve because it is the ultimate justice.

Haunted House Syndrome
If someone or something keeps coming back to our minds to disturb our peace and concentration, or triggers feelings of frustration and depression, then, it means that we still have some Karmic accounts to settle with this person or thing.  If we do not want to be haunted by that thing or by that person, we should make extra effort and muster enough courage to face it and settle our karmic accounts at all cost for our own freedom and peace of mind.

Just a Food for Thought on Real Peace and Happiness   
They say that happiness is not a choice. It is a decision that we have to make.  If we experience emotions that swing us from the heights of joy to the depths of sorrow, then that is not real happiness. It is an experience of temporary pleasure.  However, if we experience constant happiness daily without fluctuation, that is called bliss. If we experience constant peace, it is called peace of mind.
 
Karma Philosophy in Layman’s Terms

1. As you Sow, so you shall Reap
2. The Law of Cause and Effect
3. The Golden Rule
4. As you give, so you shall receive (but you can’t give what you don’t have)
5. For every action, there is always an opposite or equal reaction

Karma and its Manifestations

1. Health – good and bad
2. Wealth – rich or poor
3. Relationship – good and broken marriages
4. Intelligence – morons and geniuses
5. Nature – beauties, bounties and calamities (What we saw, we raped…)

Some simple manifestations of karma are:

1. When we abuse our body -- which we know is the temple of the spirit -- through drinking alcohol, smoking or taking illegal drugs, we get sick and our health suffers. 
2. When we misuse our wealth, specifically our money, in gambling or betting in illegal number games, we become poorer in more ways than one. 
3. Similarly, when engaging in an illicit relationship, we could eventually separate ways with our spouse, and our innocent children suffer the consequence of a broken marriage.
4. When instead of attending classes in schools, we keep on skipping them to play the game of pool, we fail in our subjects and stop studying and we become dull and morons. 
5. Finally, when we rape our Mother Nature, we also suffer her wrath through natural calamities and disasters. 

However, if we do the good, opposite side of all of these negative actions, we get the reward of happiness and calm that come from a peaceful conscience, plus the bonus of good wishes from the people whom we benefit and uplift in the process.

We Are Responsible For Our Own Actions
The whole world is tied up by Karma and no one can live without it.  From birth to death, Karma continues to affect each and every activity of human life.  Health, wealth, happiness, relationships and sorrow during the span of a lifetime are determined by one’s Karma.

If we really understand this principle, we will stop blaming other people, nature and God for what is happening to our life, to our country  and to the whole world  We will also learn to be more accepting of whatever fate brings us and we will experience peace and happiness, regardless of what is happening around.  God’s will is good will.  Acts of God are all good.  Anything that is not good is not His.  Whatever is good is God's and whatever is God's is good.   God is God. He only creates good things and not bad things for us.

Nature – Our Caring and Nurturing Mother
Nature has its own intelligence.  She will do her part and play her role.  She will continue to show her beauty and give her bounty.  But if humans destroy her, she will fight back and show her wrath through disasters and calamities, where God cannot intervene.  God is a Lawgiver, not a Lawbreaker.  God’s gift of freewill is expressed through the Law of Karma and the Law of Entropy.

By God’s grand design, Nature is one of His great helpers.  Originally, her role is to give humanity bounties and not calamities.  But humans, because of greed, tinkered with her beauty and destroyed her original grand design and purpose. She is now fighting back to restore and recover what she has lost and there is no stopping her anymore. 

But we can still do something to benefit nature, which will redound to our own benefit and that of the next generations to come.  Let us show Mother Nature that we are sincere in helping her by doing what we can still do to protect her.

Say Hello and Welcome to our own Karma
Actions produce unpredictable consequences, inescapable results, but alterable effects. Karma simply adjusts its effects to its rightful consequences.  Punishments and rewards do not apply in this law.  It is simply a “meet your own self” situation, where I meet the consequences of my actions, in this lifetime or in the next.

This shows that Karmic principle is very accurate. Physically and scientifically, we can say that it is balanced but not fair, and it is fair but not balanced, because the effects are not less, but always more than its causes. We can only understand this spiritually. If we want to appreciate its beauty and maximize its benefits, all we need to do is accept wholeheartedly and lovingly its consequences, good or not so good. The truth is that, Karma is our very own shadow. It is not behind us but in front of us. Due to our lack of better understanding of these laws, the light in the lamppost on the path of enlightenment is always at our back, following us everywhere we go.

The 3D Mirror Technique
With reference to individual human life, if we want to understand the causes that began in the past, let us look at their effects as they appear in the present.  Likewise, if we want to know what results will appear in the future, let us look at the causes we are making now.

By just reading this, we do not need to go to a fortune teller to tell us our future.  By merely understanding this principle, we can become the real fortune tellers.  Who needs them anyway?  For me, when I do something wrong, I can now smile while patiently waiting for the consequence of my wrong action to appear. I am ready to face it squarely without fear, but with full of understanding and acceptance. The more I am responsible and cautious about my actions now, the better I am prepared to face anything of the future.

Biblical Parallelism
St. Isidore said that “only in this life can we do good deed because what awaits us in the next life is not the opportunity to do good but the rewards for having done good deeds in our previous life”.
                                                           A text message from a friend
                                                           20 July 2003/08:55:59am                   

We cannot postpone doing good deeds without suffering the consequences of delay.  When we do charitable works and we expect us and our efforts to be praised, recognized and appreciated here on earth, then, we should not expect the same deeds to be recognized by God in heaven in the form of Godly rewards.  We must always remember that there is no such a thing as charitable ego on earth, as it is in heaven. Being charitable and feeding our ego at the same time can not exist together when we do service or expressing our utmost sense of generosity by giving and/or donating to the least fortunate ones or in doing noble endeavors. However, doing the same things without attaching our ego to our actions is what we call altruism in practical form and application. That means, when we give, we should not expect any type of return, because goodness is already its own reward.


The Principle of Cause and Effect
Karma is sometimes referred to us as the Law of Cause and Effect. Some people subscribe to the Law of Causality. That means that when we move even our smallest finger, it has an incognito but very significant effect to the atmosphere through its energy and vibrations. A saying goes that even the flutter of a butterfly’s wings can cause a movement in another part of the world. No act, however small, can ever go unnoticed. And there are no secrets that cannot be revealed. No matter how we cover up, every act we have done will manifest itself in one form or another.   

Karma and Reincarnation – The Twin Towers of Spiritual Power
It is amazing to note that people from the East and 75 % of the world population subscribe and firmly believe in reincarnation, from both scientific and spiritual viewpoints. But for those of us who do not, it is also nice and safe to just learn something about it, even just out of curiosity.  In so doing, we can appreciate more the depths and significance of the Law of Karma.  Just like Batman and Robin, Mutt and Jeff, Malakas and Maganda, you cannot separate the key ideas of karma and reincarnation. 

Reincarnation or Re-imagination – The Choice is yours.

1. Reincarnation is a Karmic consequence.
2. Belief in Reincarnation is older than recorded history.
3. Reincarnation is accepted by 2/3 of the world population.
4. Reincarnation is to humans as Transmigration is to animals.
5. Re-incarnation is re-imagination of future or next life.
    
Some Verses in The Bible Which Are Indicative Of Reincarnation

1. Job 1:21   
2. Mark 9:11   
3. Mathew 2:14       
4. John 9:2
 
Heaven or Hell, the Choice is ours
Human beings go to heaven, no doubt about it. But some don’t. The big question is, what would be our status in Heaven? The answer is, it all depends on what we did in the past and what we are doing here on earth now.  Heaven also recognizes the Karmic accounts of all of its inhabitants.

Wholesale Absolution and God’s Return Policy
We continue to commit sins because of the false belief that God will just absolve and forgive all of them when we die. That we and God will simply call it “quits”.  If we believe that God will erase all our sins of one lifetime with a flick of His finger without us making effort to rectify and repent from all our mistakes, then, probably, we are talking of two different gods here. Honestly and sincerely, fair and wholesale, at what price are we going to sell to God all the sins we have committed in retail before we declare total spiritual bankruptcy?  If we die, what kind of life would we lead if God tells us to return to Earth?  I suggest we use our imagination.

Creation and Salvation
Blessing is only through purity, not through authority. Salvation is only through the Creator, not by His creation. Through purity, everyone can give blessings with or without authority, because the foundation of authority is purity.  Salvation is only through God, the Father.  Human beings can only show and guide us towards the path to salvation but they can never give us salvation. Only God, the Father can.
 
The Scenes and the Sins
From birth, the sins we have committed since we were 7 years, 7 months and 7 days old until our death at the age of 77 years, 77 months and 77 days old, can not be absolved, pardoned or forgiven in just 77 hours, 77 minutes and 77 seconds of our last breath in our death bed.  The word "instant" is only for noodles and not for forgiveness and absolution because these require conscious effort and spiritual process.

Cheating and Stealing
If we are using God’s time in doing something other than its intended purposes, that is cheating.  On the other hand, if we take God’s resources without the permission and knowledge of His appointed instruments, trustees and stewards, that is stealing. Texting, internet surfing or whiling away your time during office hours is still cheating.  Using office supplies for personal purposes without permission is stealing.

Religion and Devotion, Prayer and Meditation
Religion is devotion, an organized expression of people’s faith. Spirituality is based on the knowledge of the truth. It is based on faith in the innate goodness of every soul, regardless of one’s belief or religion. One can be both religious and spiritual, but it does not necessarily follow that if a person is religious, he is spiritual. Spirituality is religion put into real form and practical application.  The Bible is a sacred scripture.  When read, its essence must be put in our hearts and minds, not in between our armpits. On the other hand, prayer is when we talk to God. In meditation, we are silent and so we can listen to the quiet whisper of God in our hearts.

The Pyramid of Forgiving
If we have committed sins or have done something wrong to a person, let us forgive first ourselves, ask God for mercy, compassion, courage and guidance and not for forgiveness because He does not forgive, go and face the person we have wronged and sincerely ask for forgiveness. If the person does not want to forgive us, we can leave with a smile in our heart because we are already forgiven.  We should not feel guilty if we did not get their forgiveness.  We must free and liberate ourselves from the burden of guilt so that we may be able live happily and peacefully.

On Giving and Donating 
There is no such thing as giving or donating, only an act of returning what rightfully belongs to God who simply entrusted all these things to us. Sharing God’s blessings is more appropriate because we can never give anything which is not ours. Before any act of giving and donating is blessed, it has to satisfy the following criteria:

1. The Giver must be a worthy giver.
2. The Item given must be a worthy thing.
3. The Receiver must be a worthy receiver.

This simply means that if the source of giving is questionable and dirty, the act of giving is not blessed.  Likewise, if the sources and resources in acquiring the item are also dirty and questionable, the item will also not be blessed.  Similarly, if the beneficiary is not worthy to be given the item because he or she will just use the item for wrong intentions, like gambling, drinking, smoking or worst, buying illegal drugs, both the recipient and the giver will not be blessed.

By the principle of Karmic Chain, the giver is equally responsible as the recipient. If one of these criteria is missing, no blessings can be gained from our acts of giving and donating.

The Culture of Taking
Our world has become a world of takers.  Through time, people develop a culture of taking.  Taking comes in many forms. The desire for physical things such as name, fame, possessions; and even for subtle things like respect, attention, and recognition—these are all forms of taking. Expectations of others are also a very subtle form of taking in terms of relationships. By taking, we deprive ourselves of God's blessings because our actions are already tainted by desire. Desire robs our actions of purity.

When we ask for or take something we already have, that is greed.  When we receive something from someone and give the same to somebody else, that is merely an act of transferring -- we do not receive God's blessing from doing such act.  When we give something in the form of donation that is helping.  When we donate something valuable that is still important and useful to us, that is sharing. When we share our positive thoughts and vibrations with others or when we give good wishes and express our pure feelings to other people, that is bestowing--the greatest and most elevated act of giving.

The Greatest Irony
Most of us tend to give our first impression rather than our initial trust to a person whom we hardly know or who is a complete stranger to us.  Each time we do this, we create Karmic accounts with this person by our limited judgment.  Since we do not know that person yet, it is not only logical but also highly spiritual to first trust his or her goodness as a soul. He is a spiritual being like us.  It is better to take the risk by trusting the person than creating or accumulating a Karmic account with this person. 

The Great Karmic Reminder
You might like to print and post the following message conspicuously in your place of work, especially in front of government offices:

This establishment is a God’s workplace.  It believes in the Biblical Law of Sow and Reap and subscribes to the Principles and Philosophy of Karma.  The people here serve with sincerity, work with honesty and earn with dignity.  Please cooperate by believing and subscribing to the very same laws, principles and philosophy in dealing and/or transacting your business with us. Thank you for you kind cooperation and kind understanding.  God Bless us all.  As the Brahma Kumaris slogan goes, “When we change, the world changes.”