karma and reinforcing mental pathways

understanding karma has to do with the quality of mind in the very moment of action. 

When we experience a mind state of love, there comes naturally, along with it,

 a feeling of openness and love that is its immediate fruit; similarly, 

when there are moments of greed or hatred, in addition to whatever future results 

will come, we also experience the painful energies that arise with those states.

 Our direct awareness of how the karmic law is working in each moment 

can be a strong motivation to develop skillful states of mind that create happiness

 for us in the moment, as well as produce the fruit of well-being in the future.


Another dimension of the law of karma helps in understanding 

how individual personalities develop. While it is true that there is no enduring entity, 

no unchanging self that can be called “I,” it is also quite obvious that each of us

 is a uniquely changing and recognizable pattern of elements. This comes about

 because each of us has in our own way, both consciously and unconsciously,

 cultivated different mind states. If we cultivate lovingkindness, we experience 

its taste in the moment and at the same time are strengthening it as a force

 in the mind, making it easier for it to arise again. When we are angry, 

we experience the suffering of that anger as present karma and are also strengthening 

that particular pattern of mind. Just as we condition our bodies in different ways 

through exercise or lack of it, so we also condition our minds. Every mind state, 

thought, or emotion that we experience repeatedly becomes stronger 

and more habituated. Who we are as personalities is a collection of all

 the tendencies of mind that have been developed, the particular energy

 configurations we have cultivated


We tend not to pay attention to this conditioning factor of our experience, 

thinking instead that once an experience has passed it is gone without residue or result. 

That would be like dropping a stone in water without creating any ripples. 

Each mind state that we experience further conditions and strengthens it.



People sometimes wonder whether reflecting upon the law of karma 

will lead to feelings of guilt for past unwholesome actions. Guilt is a

 manifestation of condemnation or aversion toward oneself, which does not

 understand the changing transformative quality of mind. It solidifies a sense

 of self by being nonforgiving. Understanding the law of karma leads us

 to reflect wisely on the skillfulness or unskillfulness of our actions.

 In the infinite time of our births, through all the realms of existence, 

we have done so many different kinds of actions, wholesome and unwholesome.

 In view of karmic law, guilt is an inappropriate feeling, and a rather useless burden. 

It simply creates more unwholesome results. Coming to an understanding

 of karma is the basis for a very straightforward development of the wisdom

 to know whether our actions will lead to happiness and freedom,

 or to further suffering. When we understand this, it allows us to take responsibility

 for past actions with an attitude of compassion, appreciating that a particular act

 may have been unwholesome or harmful, and strongly determining

 not to repeat it. Guilt is a manifestation of condemnation, wisdom an expression

 of sensitivity and forgiveness. . 



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~ Joseph Goldstein
from Cause and Effect - Reflecting on the law of karma 

printed in Tricycle

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