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Karma is simply The Law of Cause and Effect.
For Hindus and Buddhists the idea includes inheriting effects resulting from thoughts, words and deeds done in past lifetimes - the greater the emotional energy attached to the source-cause, the greater the karma or effect that follows from it.
But if one takes the simple law of cause and effect from physics, and applies it as a principle in how we live, it has vast impact.
It means that if we accept 100% responsibility for our own observations, feelings, thoughts, needs, words and actions - we have the best chance to lead a life with honesty, compassion, ethics and integrity - and hence have a much happier life.
Fate is generally thought of as the development of events outside a person's control. This could be thought of as happening purely on a mundane level. For instance, the laws of micro, macro and Newtonian physics mean that if we could know all the variables, the results would be predictable and unavoidable - hence fate. Because the variables are so incomprehensibly infinite, what happens or evolves seems random relative to the tiny scales of our perception and the brevity of our lives.
If we add to the meaning of fate the common belief that all that happens is predetermined by a supernatural power, it radically changes the meaning and moral consequences of the idea of fate. It creates a logical chain reaction which, if sincerely believed, would probably strongly affect the believer's behavior.
Destiny refers to the events that will necessarily happen to a particular person or thing in the future. This is clearly affected by how we think, speak and behave, by our habits and decisions, and by persistence of effort or lack thereof.
If the concept of destiny includes the idea of a hidden power believed to control future events, and if truly believed, I wonder how many of us would live passive lives, trusting entirely in the Divine Being for food, cloth, shelter, peace and all else.
When people say "God helps those who help themselves," I wonder if they say it cynically.
I wonder how deeply they think about what the saying really implies.
For Hindus and Buddhists the idea includes inheriting effects resulting from thoughts, words and deeds done in past lifetimes - the greater the emotional energy attached to the source-cause, the greater the karma or effect that follows from it.
But if one takes the simple law of cause and effect from physics, and applies it as a principle in how we live, it has vast impact.
It means that if we accept 100% responsibility for our own observations, feelings, thoughts, needs, words and actions - we have the best chance to lead a life with honesty, compassion, ethics and integrity - and hence have a much happier life.
Fate is generally thought of as the development of events outside a person's control. This could be thought of as happening purely on a mundane level. For instance, the laws of micro, macro and Newtonian physics mean that if we could know all the variables, the results would be predictable and unavoidable - hence fate. Because the variables are so incomprehensibly infinite, what happens or evolves seems random relative to the tiny scales of our perception and the brevity of our lives.
If we add to the meaning of fate the common belief that all that happens is predetermined by a supernatural power, it radically changes the meaning and moral consequences of the idea of fate. It creates a logical chain reaction which, if sincerely believed, would probably strongly affect the believer's behavior.
Destiny refers to the events that will necessarily happen to a particular person or thing in the future. This is clearly affected by how we think, speak and behave, by our habits and decisions, and by persistence of effort or lack thereof.
If the concept of destiny includes the idea of a hidden power believed to control future events, and if truly believed, I wonder how many of us would live passive lives, trusting entirely in the Divine Being for food, cloth, shelter, peace and all else.
When people say "God helps those who help themselves," I wonder if they say it cynically.
I wonder how deeply they think about what the saying really implies.