Karma or Mission?

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Karma or Mission?

• By Sayaka Hashiguchi Ryan Motoyama

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What is Karma to you?
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Common Ideas of Karma

• Its meant to be.
• Not ours to question.
• Destiny.
• What goes around comes around.
• Fate.
• Horoscope.
• Whatever we choose to believe, anxiety is caused
  by uncertainty about the future.

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True definition of Karma

• The Sanskrit (ancient Indian writings) karma
  originally meant action which in Buddhism was
  interpreted to mean mental, verbal, and physical
  action, that is thoughts, words, and deeds.
• In short, karma is an accumulation of cause
  effect.

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Am I able to change my Karma?
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• Answer
• Yes!!
• Nichiren Daishonin writes
• If you want to understand the causes that
  existed in the past, look at the results as they
  are manifested in the present. And if you want
  to understand what results will be manifested in
  the future, look at the causes that exist in the
  present.

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What is the quickest way of changing ones Karma?

• Creating positive causes creates positive
  effects.
• Creating negative causes creates negative
  effects.
• Not giving in to ones negativity.
• Awakening to ones Buddha nature.
• The concept of karma is based on the
  understanding that life is eternal.
  Circumstances of birth (The environment were
  born in.) are therefore determined by causes made
  in previous lifetimes.

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Karma is an Opportunity for Change!!

• Facing and overcoming our negative karma opens
  the door to the unlimited potential within us.
• By chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo we tap into the
  wisdom of understanding cause and effect.
• Bringing forth our Buddhahood makes it possible
  for us to change our karma.

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High Life Condition

• Allows us to face karma rather then avoid or run
  away (which only postpone the whole process of
  changing ones karma).
• Allows us to move forward with life even if you
  have created bad karma in the past.
• Allows us to believe that From this moment on, I
  will make nothing but positive causes.

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Karma Turns to Mission through our Buddha Nature

• Simultaneity of cause and effect We can change
  karma at any given moment.
• When we realized our karma exist within our lives
  and know that we cant avoid it, we summon up the
  courage to change our karma. This action becomes
  ones mission.

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Discussion Questions

• Do you feel, or have you ever felt impossibly
  trapped in the chains of fate?
• In your own experience, does viewing your karma
  as part of your mission change how you live your
  life? How does it change?