laws of karma

[eshwaar101]

what does the law of karma say about people who are born mentally retarded.......what did they do in there previous lives to be born that way??????

[Beggar]

 

what does the law of karma say about people who are born mentally retarded.......what did they do in there previous lives to be born that way??????

Just thinking about that makes we wonder if I sometimes misuse my intellectual ability to harm others?

[bhaktajan]

 

Originally Posted by eshwaar101

what does the law of karma say about people who are born mentally retarded.......what did they do in there previous lives to be born that way??????

 

 

 

Just thinking about that makes we wonder if I sometimes misuse my intellectual ability to harm others?

 

All living entities are God's children --but, bad karma is always meant to assist in reconciling "what is what".

 

All common daily occurances contain innate lessons that point to enlightenment.

 

Night-vision cameras pick-up subtle traces of heat that read as if there was daylight shining--simularly bad karma sends a message that we have passed a roadmark in life that guides the direction of our paths--but we must be interested in solving the repeated occurance of the same in the future.

 

When someone doubts the existence of God due to this thought:

"If God exists why does he allow suffering?" --this is bogus logic!

Suffering reminds us that God is more important than us.

 

When a noble man suffers an indignity he is being taught the greatest lesson because The noble man is the best student --in contrast to reprobates for whom a human birth is a short lived phenomenon.

 

We would not opt to be born retarded, but, in this regard, there is a lesson being learnt by all concerns.

 

The good news is that life times in hell are just a flash of time compared to life in Heaven where their is no "Time".

 

The Eternal soul is a reflection of that person who's persona is the one and only possessor of all energies entoto and also all personal traits entoto unlimitedly--and that person is Krishna, the "Absolute Truth".

 

We are in danger at every step in the material world and we must be on-guard of wasting our opportunity to seek enlightenment, lest we fall victim to funky-karma and/or mass-catastrophic losses enmass or alone.

 

Each day we read, in the Newspapers, about countless people suffering in a myriad of ways, and so, in most cases people die in shamefull, embarassing, and stupid ways that point to lessons that most people care nothing for --yet the lessons show that the mysteries of life are not to be found in a life of frivolity.

 

does this make any sense?

Bhaktajan

[xexon]

Just as you take a handicap in sports, you take a handicap in life for the same reason. Equalization.

 

Suffering burns off bad karma faster. It gives you a faster way to pay down the account. So when you watch the evening news and all the suffering masses you see there, they too are are paying off their accounts faster, and they are also teaching those that watch them and those that assist them, the fine art of compassion.

 

The road to God is paved with compassion.

 

 

x

[Shivaduta]

a world where every human was exactly like any other human... in intelligence, looks, physical attributes, opportunities and background would be a world of robots and clones... and god doesnt believe in such a simplistic world... God doesnt believe in a world made by Intel and microsoft

 

god loves to play dice... and individuality has its own unque flavour in gods creation... love this world with all its inequalities...

 

Well one explaination is that each one of us is everything in one of his/her lives, a worm, a bug , a fish, a turtle, a bird, a pig, a handicapped person and a fully healthy human.... etc etc....

[cbrahma]

Yes but the karma philosophy can also justify indifference to suffering on the basis that all suffering is deserved. brrrrrr.....

[Pretender]

Dear eshwaar101,

 

Why do you ask? I'm the parent of a severely autistic/retarded 16 year old daughter who's 24/7 caregiving consumes our life. It has transformed our lives in a very severe but special way relying on the verse from the Bhagavat tat te nukumpam. That is, when difficulty comes my way I must learn to harmonize it as not only not a difficulty but a boon sent by the Divine Will as my real inner necessity in order to help me make inner progress in a genuine way. Following this line we have learned much about surrender and the utter futility of material existence. Our understanding was superficial before this experience. Mere intellectual philosophical theory breaks down as we are forced to exist at a much deeper level of functional awareness. For her expert lessons we are most grateful to our daughter, our teacher sent to us by God's Grace.

[eshwaar101]

 

Dear eshwaar101,

 

Why do you ask? I'm the parent of a severely autistic/retarded 16 year old daughter who's 24/7 caregiving consumes our life. It has transformed our lives in a very severe but special way relying on the verse from the Bhagavat tat te nukumpam. That is, when difficulty comes my way I must learn to harmonize it as not only not a difficulty but a boon sent by the Divine Will as my real inner necessity in order to help me make inner progress in a genuine way. Following this line we have learned much about surrender and the utter futility of material existence. Our understanding was superficial before this experience. Mere intellectual philosophical theory breaks down as we are forced to exist at a much deeper level of functional awareness. For her expert lessons we are most grateful to our daughter, our teacher sent to us by God's Grace.

well i ask this question because my mother works with childern who is autistic/retarded childeren, i have some what of an understanding of how to deal with them.....but when i see them i feel very sad for them, i wish i could do somthin for the....but also i ask myself why were they born like that in the first place......surley they must have done somthin in there previous birth to be born like that...im just curious thats all

[xexon]

A part of them is immersed in the acting role they play on this earth, but the higher self sits and watches the show.

 

You must learn to see both together instead of one or the other.

 

This is only possible when you expand compassion, because compassion illuminates what it touches and reveals the true nature of things.

 

 

x

[Pretender]

I've also had to ask myself why? First why me God? That was before I had to throw self-pity completely away as the most useless of human emotions. Then it becomes why not me? Karma is the answer of course. For instance, my daughter has no speech and likely never will. I cannot perceive with accuracy the specific cause of her reaction, but have considered the possibility that's she's so impaired because she misused her speaking ability in a previous human birth, possibly the immediate past life. Regardless of her condition or it's cause, we love her dearly and could not hardly bare not being allowed to serve her as parents. Whatever God does is for my good.

[eshwaar101]

I've also had to ask myself why? First why me God? That was before I had to throw self-pity completely away as the most useless of human emotions. Then it becomes why not me? Karma is the answer of course. For instance, my daughter has no speech and likely never will. I cannot perceive with accuracy the specific cause of her reaction, but have considered the possibility that's she's so impaired because she misused her speaking ability in a previous human birth, possibly the immediate past life. Regardless of her condition or it's cause, we love her dearly and could not hardly bare not being allowed to serve her as parents. Whatever God does is for my good.

the love of a disalbled child is somthin very special...it very unconditional......but at the same time i fel so bad for them.... btu i guess your right alot of it has to do with karma

[Pretender]

She has skillfully taught me things about unconditional affection which I could have never learned from just a book.

[yogesh]

 

Dear eshwaar101,

 

Why do you ask? I'm the parent of a severely autistic/retarded 16 year old daughter who's 24/7 caregiving consumes our life. It has transformed our lives in a very severe but special way relying on the verse from the Bhagavat tat te nukumpam. That is, when difficulty comes my way I must learn to harmonize it as not only not a difficulty but a boon sent by the Divine Will as my real inner necessity in order to help me make inner progress in a genuine way. Following this line we have learned much about surrender and the utter futility of material existence. Our understanding was superficial before this experience. Mere intellectual philosophical theory breaks down as we are forced to exist at a much deeper level of functional awareness. For her expert lessons we are most grateful to our daughter, our teacher sent to us by God's Grace.

 

The soul that is trapped in such a body is actualy burning up their bad karma of their past life/lives

 

If you look at it from the above angle Just see the mercy of the Lord that even though the child may be mentaly handicaped she has received parents who can help her progress very rapidly in her spiritual life. This can be done by just reading to her from Srimad Bhagavad Gita / Bhagavatam / Chanting singing Lord Krsna's name and feeding her prasadam to her because remember the soul is not handicapped it is the vehicle that is handicapped.

 

 

Lord Krsna's mercy is such that even if you are able to progress only 2% spiritually in this life, there is no loss in your effort and in your next life you are given the chance to continue with your spiritual progress starting at 3% in your next life.

 

Just see the mercy that Lord Krsna has bestowed on her by giving her loving parents who are definately not "Pretenders" and giving her a chance to advance her spiritual life.

 

May all children be so fortunate to have parents (Like the "Pretenders")who can help them progress spiritually.

 

Hare Krsna/Krishna

 

Jay Sirla Prabhupada

[bija]

Mere intellectual philosophical theory breaks down as we are forced to exist at a much deeper level of functional awareness. by pretender

That is so so true. I think we can only understand the depth of this realization if we have experienced in some way. I am 38 y.o. now, and the decade of my 20's was experienced with a very serious health condition. So basically the foundation years of my beginning adulthood was a different encounter than the norm. The illness impacted my life greatly on so many levels, and the recovery is still ongoing now.

 

The more basic philosophical explanations of this encounter were helpful to a degree. But deep within the soul experience there is much more than any philosophy. I even find that corresponds to my devotional life and encounter. The journey as a spirit/soul.

 

The mind boggles to think of all the why's in life. And my early 30's was very boggled. But now the depth of what love of God is; of what God actually is, and the depths that involves; and the ability in us as sparks of God to embrace that same depth boggles in a new way now.

 

This light is something which I feel gratitude for, and yearning to discover more of. So I am grateful for Srila Prabhupada's books and the Holy Name, without which I dont know how thinngs would be today. And I am even more grateful that God lives in our heart, and if we open that heart he will come to us and talk to us, and share with us the deeper mysteries of who and what he actually is.

 

I wonder Yogesh what I would do if I found a 'pot of gold' under my cowshed;) Sometimes I dream of helping others....and suffering has given a deepr sense of compassion. But still I dont know what pure compassion is? what drives such compassion? and how to attain it?

 

The main activity of a Vaisnava is to incline living entities toward serving Lord Krsna. Whenever curing diseases or satisfying the body's hunger becomes the main objective, it is to be understood that there is a lack of Vaisnavism there. This is because by such activities, the living entities receive only temporary relief, not eternal relief. Whenever such activities are directed to help the living entities inclination towards Krsna, however, the Vaisnavas take pleasure in them. (Sajjana Tosanl 4/8) BVT

When a person takes shelter of bhakti; mercy towards all living entities is a natural quality. Compassion does not have separate existence from bhakti. This quality when offered to the Lord is called bhakti or prema. It becomes friendship, compassion and indifference when directed towards other living beings. This feeling is inherent in the eternal soul. In the spiritual realm, this quality manifests only as friendship, but in the material world, it manifests as friendship towards devotees, mercy towards the innocent, and indifference towards the offenders. These are but different aspects of the same compassion. In the conditioned state, this compassion is stunted. It starts with one's own body, and then widens to include one's household, then one's caste, then one's fellow citizens. Expanding, it includes the human beings of the whole world. A materialist's compassion becomes complete when it is directed towards all living entities. Patriotism is but an aspect of this sentiment in relation to one's country, and it is philanthropy when directed towards all humanity. The Vaisnava is not limited by these sentiments. He is compassionate to all living entities, regardless of caste, creed, nationality, mental, or physical condition. (Caitanya-siksamrta 3/3) BVT

Until a living entity's good fortune has been awakened, his propensity to serve Krsna does not arise. Helping the living entities awaken their good fortune is the only proof of a Vaisnava's compassion toward them. (Sajjana Tosanl 4/8) BVT

the full link is here-compassion toward living entities BVT

[cbrahma]

karma is as much a reason for compassion as it is for indifference. In fact it is more of a reason for indifference to suffering.

[Beggar]

 

karma is as much a reason for compassion as it is for indifference. In fact it is more of a reason for indifference to suffering.

But what is reality? If karma is a reality, then reality "is more of a reason for indifference to suffering." Then where did what we call reality come from? We could then say that the Source of everything [reality] is the source of all "indifference to suffering?" And isn't it Krsna Himself who says in Bhagavad Gita, "he who is wise laments neither for the living nor the dead"? Yes, the modern general interpretation of the New Testament Christ offers a less detached and more activist view of helping our fellow man with his material needs but so do all materialistic ideologies, including Communism. So we end up rejecting the concept of karma and accepting materialistic religion, which appears to be, what you are promoting.

[bija]

Yes Beggar. This indifference is something I question alot lately. Is Krsna's transcendental non-attachment indifference? Or is this non-attachment something much more profound than our perverted indifference? And our apparent non-attachment?

 

Could it be that pure transcendence experiences the full depth of being...I mean the full depth? Nothing to do with negation! Really really seeing the sum total of things for what it is in truth.

 

Glimpses of this within bring realization of Krsna to new levels for me....a Krsna who is very close...very human like...full of feelings and emotions...very intimate. Not some unaffected God in the sky in all majesty.

 

I feel that this vision is possible in the human form also. And is vastly different to ideas of transcendental indifference. I feel a human being who has experienced some degrees of suffering may understand that depth somewhat.

 

Can't put it into words that well...hope you all can understand a little of what I am trying to express.

[Pretender]

Bija Prabhu,

 

What you say is true words often fail in conveying an experienced idea to an unsympathetic audience. And the philosophy of karma and so-called transcendental detachment has been misused to intellectually validate people turning away from the suffering of others. I hear you fine Prabhu, you express yourself well in conveying your own sincere feeling based upon your own unique experience. What more can anyone do but sincerely express their real heart in a genuine way?

 

Compassion can be simply defined when the real concern about the suffering of others eclipses my own selfish concerns thereby causing the false ego to literally evaporate. Like fog in the Sun. And our daughter who we named Gita is very attached to hearing Srimad Bhagavad-gita and the sacred sound vibration created by the Supreme Personality of Sri Hari Nam Prabhu. She is the devotee and I am merely her flawed servant. I can only hope my flawed service is not too much of a disappointment to her Graciousness.

 

Yogesh Prabhu. Thank you so much for your kind encouragement! Your previous post made my wife cry at your sweetness.

 

Beggar Prabhu, Please!!!! Your points are well made but you carry a grudge too far. From past experience you confine him and leave no room for change as if you've built an entire universe from a single instance. Leave Cbrahma Prabhu alone. His comments in this thread are much more relevant than your own. Or shall we abuse philosophy like a club to beat others into submission about our viewpoint?

 

With great affection,

 

Your old friend...