The 5 W’s Of Karma

Karma is all around. We see it. We hear it. We create it. We are it.

Karma is a central concept in Eastern religions like Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism and Jainism. The word "karma" has its roots in the Sanskrit word "karman," which means "act."

It is believed that actions affect the quality of life and the quality of future lives or the totality of one's acts in each state of one's existence. Karma literally means action. In Buddhism however, karma mainly refers to one's intention or motivation while doing an action.

Think of karma as a circle. Good deeds create good karma and evil deeds create negative karma. Karma's effect can manifest instantly, later or after multiple lifetimes. Some religions view karma as the law that governs reincarnation.

People claim to know about karma, yet very few fully understand it’s significance or it’s un-mitigating power. Some who don’t understand it brush it off as, “new age,” while others who think they understand it, think of it as revenge.

Karma is neither new, nor new age. It has been here since before time. It has walked with dinosaurs, lived with cavemen, fought with gladiators, sailed the seas with explorers, discovered foreign lands and even walked on the moon. It is here now and it will be here long after we are gone.

Karma is busy working 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It not only works in our lives, but it has even found it’s way into films, (13 films listed on IMDb with the title Karma and 47 with Karma in the title) and people’s names, (most popular girl's name of 2006 and 61 men and women with the name Karma listed on IMDb.)

Then there are the pop songs, (Instant Karma by John Lennon; Karma Chameleon by Culture Club; Karma by Alicia Keys; Karma Police by Radiohead); pop culture (phrases such as, “Bad karma,” “Instant karma” and “What goes around comes around”) and social networking, (Facebook has an application to send good karma.)

Whichever way we look at it, one thing is certain - karma is here to stay, however there is still a mystery surrounding it. There is more to karma than meets the eye and more to see than an eye for an eye.

Karma is not something that happens to you, it's something that you create. You are karma. In an attempt to demystify karma, I have applied the journalism maxim of the Five W’s.

The Five Ws (also known as the Five Ws and one H) are Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How. It is a concept in news style, research, and in police investigations that many professionals use to get the full story.

The Five W’s Of Karma

Who is karma?

You, me, your spouse, neighbor, your boss, employee, postman, your favorite actor, singer, dancer, artist. Everyone is karma. Everyone.

What is karma?

An action of what you do, what you did, what you are going to do and what you are meant to do. The measure of your actions and how they are measured against your spiritual accountability.

Where is karma?

Everywhere. In every action. In all lifetimes - past, present and future. It’s in front of you. It’s on the side of you. It’s on top of you. It’s behind you. It’s inside of you.

When is karma?

Now. Then. Today. Tomorrow. Next week. Last year. This year. This lifetime. Next lifetime. When is it not karma? Never.

Why is karma?

It is just the way that we were meant to learn certain lessons that we need to unfold spiritually and eventually be free of all matter that holds us back from shedding illusions and expanding our consciousness.

How is karma?

We are measured by a system of checks and balances in which we have no choice but to abide, unless we want to keep reincarnating and doing the things over and over again.

Karma is nothing to fear unless we are creating something to warrant it. We are what we create. Be love and love will be you. Be kind and kindness will be you. Be good and goodness will be you. See above.

Karma is really not complicated once you understand it. To some karma is just like algebra or calculus - it’s hard to comprehend. To others, they see it clearly and understand its meaning.

Earlier this year in March on the sidelines of the Cannes Film Festival, Sharon Stone was asked about the earthquake that devastated the Sichuan Province of China.

Stone was quoted as saying, "When you are not nice, bad things happen to you," referring to Beijing policy in Tibet.

That comment caused a media firestorm. Most of the mainstream media just printed the above which immediately put a negative karmic spin on it. I am not defending Sharon Stone, however I did find it interesting how the media took a snippet of her entire conversation and slammed her.

Sharon Stone, a convert to Buddhism, was heavily criticized for her comments. Following is her entire quote. You be the judge.

"Well you know it was very interesting because at first, you know, I am not happy about the ways the Chinese were treating the Tibetans because I don’t think anyone should be unkind to anyone else.

And so I have been very concerned about how to think and what to do about that because I don’t like that. And all these earthquake and stuff happened and I thought: Is that karma, when you are not nice that bad things happen to you?

I got a letter, from the Tibetan Foundation that they want to go and be helpful. And that made me cry. And they ask me if I would write a quote about that and I said, 'I would.' And it was a big lesson to me, that sometimes you have to learn to put your head down and be of service even to people who are not nice to you."

So you see, karma is often misunderstood, misquoted, misjudged, misread and mysterious. The best thing to do is to understand it and work with it, not against it. Karma is a very exacting law of the universe.

What do you think of karma? Do you find it hard to understand? Do you think the media has misjudged Sharon Stone? Was her quote taken out of context? Was it appropriate? Was she perpetuating karmic stereotypes? Should she have kept her mouth closed? (You don't have to answer all of these.)

Next post: Four Types Of Karma.