Karma’s most popular interpretation is Newton’s law of cause and effect. But Karma as a concept in Hinduism is much deeper than that! The cause and effect aspect is just one small part of it. In Sanskrit ‘Karma’ means action.
So Karma is what you do. An important aspect of this action is also the energy that you carry with the action. The energy in terms of your thoughts, feelings, and words.
But to truly understand the depth of Karma, you need to know the 12 laws of Karma. These laws can be your guide to live a life that is healthy at all four levels – physical, mental, emotional and spiritual.
So if you’re somebody who’s trying to wrap their head around Karma, let this article show you the path.
1. The Great Law
Most of us are familiar with this one. The Great Law of cause and effect. If you’re aware of “What goes around comes around” and “As you sow, so shall you reap” you know what we’re talking about.
Going by this law, if you want more reliable friends in your life, you’ve to learn to be that reliable friend first. It also implies that you need to embody the feeling of having things before you have them. First BE and then you can HAVE.
If you sincerely put out the right energy, it will always find its way back to you.
2. The Law of Creation
The law of creation states that you can’t be passive in your life’s unfolding. You need to be the co-creator. Can you simply glide your way to the top of the mountain? Of course not! You need to put in the effort to climb it.
This law, therefore, thwarts wishful thinking, teaching us to take responsibility for our lives. So through Karma in the form of feeling, thought or action, you can create your own reality.
3. The Law of Humility
The law of Humility is the law of acceptance. In order for you to change something in your life, you need to accept it as is. In your journey from point A to point B, acknowledging and accepting point A is the first step.
Change without grounding yourself is impossible. You must be able to see yourself from an objective point of view. Self-reflection is the first way to understand the profundity of life. When this happens you automatically vibrate at a higher frequency.
4. The Law of Growth
If you want to change the world, change yourself. This law embodies this eternal truth.
We have control only over ourselves. Our perception of the world is created by who we are. So if you’re always focussing on the negative, there is a part of you that is negative and is getting attracted to it.
There is no point holding onto your negative thought patterns. And there is no point in trying to change others when we can’t change our own thoughts. The circumstances, the people and eventually the results will be better if we can change our intent first. In other words, growth happens only when you change.
5. The Law of Responsibility
If there is something wrong in your external world then there is something wrong in your internal world.
So you are responsible for creating your life. If your life is incredible, pat yourself on the back and make it better. If it is miserable, take a step back, introspect and see what is going wrong. Observe, recognize and responsibly change yourself for the better.
You have the power of creation. So it is on you to be responsible enough to create it wisely. With great power comes great responsibility.
6. The Law of Connection
Everything in the universe is interconnected. Nothing is separate from one another. Different, yes. Separate, no. The past has created your present and your present will create your future. Every moment is pregnant with the next.
So start by taking control of the things that are in your control right now.
The law states that when you take care of the smaller things in your life, the bigger things follow suit.
7. The Law of Focus
This is one of the most important laws that aid in success in any field. According to this law, multitasking will leave you susceptible to negative thoughts because your energy has multiple channels.
When energy has so many channels then there is no single channel that works with 100% efficiency. So direct all your energy towards one task at a time in a linear manner so that your focus is streamlined. Also, when you’re focussed on achieving the greater things in life, your vibration will touch higher frequencies.
8. The Law of Giving and Hospitality
The law of giving and hospitality states that whatever you claim to believe must manifest into your actions. Implying that, there will come a time where you will have to prove the congruence of your beliefs and actions. And when your thoughts and actions are aligned, you’re at peace with yourself.
This law talks about your actions representing your inner beliefs. So when you believe in something, the intention manifests into results through your actions.
9. The Law of Here and Now
The present moment is all we have in our control. And we must realize that we are wasting it away by thinking about our past or our future. If you’re sad then you’re living in the past, if you’re anxious, you’re living in the future, but if you’re at peace, you’re living in the present.
When you live in either the future or the past you don’t give yourself the opportunity to experience the beauty of the present.
10. The Law of Change
History keeps repeating until there is a change. Simply put, your life goes through a continuous loop of patterns sometimes.
You might feel that you’re stuck and that things are not working out for you. In this case, most people get frustrated and won’t go through the change required to grow through the situation.
At this stage, if you don’t recognize this and consciously change yourself, your life will continue to be the same. The universe keeps repeating the same lessons until you have learned from it.
11. The Law of Patience and Reward
There is no success without hard work and patience. You cannot expect results immediately after you put in the work. It is a process. A process of growth. And a process that you need to fall in love with. And you need to fall in love with it because it is a constant thing. You have to constantly put in energy for results to come your way.
But only when you are detached from the result and attached to your work, the result will automatically show. The entire universe helps you in your journey towards your goal when you’re detached from the result of it.
12. The Law of Significance and Inspiration
This is the law for the bigger picture. Meaning that all that you put out into the world should somehow benefit the world. It will have no value if it means nothing to the world.
If all your contributions to the world are made out of love, then you have made this world a better place to live in.