KARMA: EXTRACTS

RINGU TULKU RINPOCHE

रिन्गु तुल्कू रिन्पोचे

KARMA

कार्म़ा

[Transcribed by Albert Harris]

"It's your karma" is a phrase often heard whenever something good or bad happens, especially the latter. But a question often brought to my mind is: Can we apply this phrase collectively, as in the case of victims of an earthquake or of those who suffered during the holocaust; and individually, when an innocent person dies of starvation or is incarcerated in a torture state because of their beliefs?

Questioner:
What about Jewish people? How do you explain [in the context of karma]? What could they have done to have come to such a situation? The last person who asked that to me, I could not answer this question. So, can you help with this question, please?

Ringu Tulku Rinpoche:

That's why I say that karma is not really a kind of punishment and reward. Karma is as you become and as you are. What happened to Jewish people, what happened to Tibetan people, what happens to you, to me, everything that happens, what happens today, what happens tomorrow-everything happens for many reasons.

There are long-term karmic reasons; there are short-term conditions also...I think this is a very wrong way to understand this. This is the main problem. Every time, however much we think, as soon as we talk about something like karma, it always goes back to this punishment and reward way of thinking. That's very difficult for people to...what can you say?...get rid of this. Thereby, it comes down to that way of thinking.

It's karma, everything that happens to us is karma, but it is not like I have done something and there is this result. It's not necessarily like that, I think. I read recently on one of the teachings given by, I don't quite remember, maybe Karmapa, a long time before, it is said that the situation in the world is predicted as a degeneration time...a time of conflict. A conflicting time means that everybody's negative emotions are very raw, very sensitive: therefore. they're very angry, very greedy. They become aggressive very easily so things are generally said to be like this.

But it is also said that if people want, they can reverse this situation. It is possible to reverse this situation....It's like this also for the Tibetans. Guru Sambhava predicted-he gave lots of predictions-for the future of Tibetans because the King of Tibet at that time asked, "What will happen to the Tibetans? What will happen to the dharma? What will happen to the monastries?...And then Guru Sambhava gave and answer.

"If you do this, something good will happen and if you do that something bad will happen... and if you do this it will be ok and if you don't do this it will be bad. Then the Tibetans did not do a single thing right.

To begin with, Guru Padma Sambhava said, "This year, I think you should not observe the Tibetan new year."

And the King said, "OK," and went back

All his ministers said, "That''s impossible. How is it possible we don't observe our new year which has been observed every year? We must observe it whatever this wanderer, this useless fellow says."

The king went back to Guru Padma Sambhava and said, "We have to observe our new year."

Guru Sambhava said, "OK, you observe your new year but please don't participate in any of the contests."

The King went back and he did participate. He went horse riding and he fell down from the horse and he died.

Everything that happens has it's causes and conditions. When things occur, we can see a little bit how it's occurring. Sometimes, if you look a little bit far with events, one [event] leads to another. Most of the time, hatred begets hatred. This is very simple. This we all know. More violence begets more violence and if you create things that would create distrust by the people, that kind of thing becomes stronger and I think it can be changed. This is the understanding. It can be changed if you want to.But that also needs lots of strength, lots of resolution, lots of co-operation, lost of wisdom, lots of people to do this.