Is karma set in stone?

Sometimes we hear people midst conversation talking something about a prominent person, ”It’s his destiny to become the President of that nation” or “to become a religious leader” or “to be a founder of an altruistic Movement”. Is this really a Divine providence or fate? Or is it a result of their dreams and ambitions, wills, burning desires and hard works to get what they want in life? How about a person who met tragic accident or a group of people who were taken as hostages by criminal elements or the victims of the September 11 attack by the terrorists? Are these incidents inevitable?

As explained before, fate or karma is a result of human creation. The saying, “the future is what you make it” is often true. However, karma is also the out-picturing of Cosmic Law drawing on the records stored in the soul’s memory body as a result of its thoughts, desires and actions in the past or past lives. In addition, what you think, desire/feel, say and do in the here and now can also have bearing in the out-picturing of Cosmic Law. Divine intervention in response to proper prayers, dynamic decrees, and meditations as well as positive attitudes and actions, and doing altruistic activities in the here and now can often postpone, mitigate or change the impending negative karma. Fate, which connotes an event in the future, can therefore be changed for the better or worse depending on what we desire, think, say and do in the present prior to its supposed occurrence. In other words, fate, karma, or prophecy is not final.

To my mind, a prophecy can be likened to what’s going to happen in a particular position on the chessboard. Based on the present position, it can be foreseen (if you are a Chess Master), everything that can happen on the chessboard. You know when one of the players is in advantageous position if he will just consistently make the right moves. If one of the players is in a disadvantageous position, you know if there is still a way out to bring about a better position because you can see all the correct moves. You can also see a move that can be fatal. You also know if the position is loosing no matter which pieces to move and it came about because of the number of wrong moves in the past; In this case, you can also see which move is most correct though it is already loosing. In short, from among all the various possibilities in a given position, what will actually happen on the chessboard will depend on which moves the player choose.

Likewise, in our life, we have made past actions – thoughts/feelings, words, and deeds including those in our past lives/incarnations - that are stored in our memory body, which led to our present situation in life. However, we do not know these past records nor do we foresee future events. The key, then, is to have daily spiritual practices of prayers, meditations, and dynamic decrees; rely on the power, wisdom and love of the God Presence; and to maintain positive thoughts, feelings and actions under all circumstances. Keeping these best moves and strategies, we can have an assurance that whatever is happening to us is better than what could have been. We can assume that any misfortune that befell could have been worse or this is the best life or karma that is happening to us.

I would like to explain that to maintain positive feelings does not mean always being happy outwardly under any circumstances. There are trying times in our life – the pain and sufferings that we experience as a result of karmic return - that we need to assess and ponder, perhaps a time for repentance, prayers and profound reverence for God. Failing grade in school for example is not a cause to be happy. It should rather serve as a lesson to be learned to make it good the next time. In that way, we progress in our spiritual path or we miss the lessons to be learned.

I would like to mention that a mere manifestation of negative emotion and attitude in your world like a sudden burst of anger or hatred against another can already make a big mess in your otherwise bright future. It could make a dramatic change in the course of your life in an unpleasant way. Thus, awareness and guarding our thoughts and emotions as practiced in Buddhism is very helpful as a spiritual discipline. On the other hand, there is such a thing as righteous anger but this involves principle and not person. Even the Master Jesus manifested anger when he overturned the tables of the moneychangers in Jerusalem temple. Anger in a positive way can sometimes be a force for good. It was anger due to negative experience in society that propelled Mahatma Ghandi to pursue non-violence form of strike.

According to some Buddhist concepts and practices, there are certain ways to mitigate the effects of negative karma. One of the known ways is doing some altruistic activities. According to Dalai Lama, one of the practices that can diminish the effects of misdeeds or negative karma is “to undertake virtuous activities specifically for the sake of counteracting the impact of that misdeed, by engaging in charity or any other virtuous activity as long as it is aimed at undermining the effects of the ill deed. These virtuous can be as wide-ranging as supporting schools or medical facilities, reading texts on wisdom, or expressing compassionate wishes for others. Cultivation of love and compassion are particularly effective at purifying ill deeds.”(Becoming Enlightened, p. 108). If for example in your ignorance you have committed a sin of abortion or supported this ill-kind of practice, you can diminish the impact of your karma by supporting or engaging actively in some PRO-LIFE Movements which various activities are basically anti-abortion.

I would like to explain further that we cannot judge what is happening in the outer world of an individual because we do not know the past life records of its incarnations. A person maybe a prince or princess in this life but he/she would still be far towards his Ascension; He/she could even be a pauper in the next lifetime. Another person maybe suffering heavily in this life but this could be his last life on earth to experience once and for all the glory of Ascended Master’s realm. This could happen because the individual maybe reaping karma (good or bad) from the remote past embodiments perhaps ten or a hundred embodiment ago. Moreover, the experience of a person may not be part of karma such as the crucifixion of Jesus and possibly the beheading of John the Baptist. It is possible that an advance soul from etheric plane can volunteer to undergo a certain painful experience in her re-embodiment on earth to take part in the divine plan. Unbeknownst to us, what seem to be a severe and distressful experience in the world even of a common person could very well be according to divine plan that will contribute for the raising up of planetary evolution. Of course, it is very inspiring to see men and women of good character and integrity who have less karma, who serve as role model for the multitudes.

If you are looking for a biblical support explaining that prophecy can be changed, let me tell you about the story of Prophet Jonah. Jonah was instructed by God to go to the city of Nineveh and warn its people that a calamity will befall upon them if they continue in their wicked ways. Prophet Jonah disobeyed God, went aboard the ship and headed instead to Tarshish to flee away from the Lord. It is implied in the story that Jonah knew that should the people be warned and then repented and turned from their evil ways, the impending calamity will not come to pass for he also knew the graciousness and compassion of God; he does not want to be called later as a false prophet for a prophecy that did not come true. That was actually what happened when Jonah obeyed God later, when he was returned into the land after his ordeal inside the belly of the whale for three days and nights.

Nobody on earth at present time is free from negative karma. We all fell short of the perfection that God intended from the beginning of creation. Thus, all of us will experience karma to a certain degree in one way or another. Nations have karma. Our world has karma. But God has provided an “I AM” way to mitigate our negative karma. The Ascended Master’s students know the science of invocation (dynamic decrees I mentioned earlier) by calling the name of God I AM THAT I AM and the Violet Flame to transmute personal and planetary karma.