Re: Karma and the personal path
Jun 17, 1997 04:37 PM
by Tom Robertson
On Tue, 17 Jun 1997 18:38:06 -0400 (EDT) "Einar Adalsteinsson & A.S.B."
<annasb@ismennt.is> writes:
>I feel that the discussion of good or bad karma is rather elusive. My
>old mentor used to say; "There exists no virtue in the world, that has
>not some time or some place been looked upon as vice - and vice >versa".
Good or bad is a matter of opinion, or rather, a matter of value.
That people disagree about what is good and what is bad does not mean
that they do not objectively exist. If good and bad are not regarded to
exist objectively, then perception of them should be dismissed as
arbitrary. Good may be elusive, as is truth, but if they are merely
imaginary, then seeking them would be a complete waste of time and
effort. Fortunately, it is impossible for there to be no objective
truth, at least, since if there was, _that_ would be an objective,
absolute truth.
>If by good or bad we mean painful or pleasant we are at least closer
>to the "learning phase" of the karmic principle. But I would like to
point
>out the fact (I think!) that there is no relation between "pain and
>pleasure" and "good and bad". As a matter of fact, from most spiritual
>point of valuing, pain may be looked upon as "the most valuable and
>benificial thimg there is", and pleasure as "the most dangerous and
>malacious temptation of all"!!
As means to ends, pleasure can be bad and pain good, but if there is no
relation between the good and the bad that the individual does and
benefit or loss to the individual, what would motivate the preference for
good over bad? And if there is no preference for good over bad, why
exist?
>So then, don't we have any absolute means of valuing karma? Well, >we
should at least be very careful in condemning the deeds of others, >let
alone the doers.
Careful, yes, but regard good and bad as purely arbitrary, no.
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