Karma Isn’t Punishment & You Can’t Have Karma Without Reinca ation

The concept of karma is often misunderstood. It's not aboutnpunishment. That would imply there's a judging God and wendon't believe that, nor do other experts in the field, such as
Brad Steiger, Richard Sutphen, Dr. Ian Stevenson, Dr.
Raymond Moody, Dr. Leo R. Sprinkle, and numerous others.

Whenever you feel that something in your life is unfair, keepnasking why until you perceive the situation more clearly andnunderstand the root reasons. Not the surface reasons, but thendeeper and past life reasons; what started it all. Keep asking,nand meditate on why.

For example, a family member refuses to respect your basicnhuman rights, to the point of blatant abuse on a consistentnbasis. You forgive her, you express tolerance, but she stillncontinues, frequently disturbing your peace of mind andntossing in additional challenge in your already demandingndaily routine.

Why? You think to yourself that you’ve never treated anyonenthis way in your life (this one, at least), and that you can’tnimagine acting that way to her or anyone else. However,nknow that one’s personality in this life is not the same asnpersonalities in prior lives. A “saint” in this life couldnvery well have been the opposite in prior lives, beforenlea
ing the value of honesty and respecting others, fornexample.

Initially you get zero insight about the matter, but thennimpressions slowly start to form through meditation. Younintuit that it could be one, or both, of two different notions:nyou dished out a similar challenge to her in previous livesnand, or you agreed to this circumstance before inca
ating tonhelp you develop your level of compassion and acceptance.
Does this awareness make it go away? No, but it allows younto further understand the matter and therefore garner morenforgiveness, for yourself and others.

It's not about what happened to you, it's about why. Whennyou understand why you (yes you, on a soul, not personalitynlevel) chose to experience the situations, conditions and thenlessons involved, it becomes much easier to handle. Withnawareness comes compassion, and compassion leads tonforgiveness. Taking full responsibility for all circumstancesnin your life and forgiving yourself and others will set younfree.

Copyright © 2007 Scott Petullo, Stephen Petullo