KARMA IS NOT A BUSINESS INVESTMENT

When it comes to intention and expectations, there are three types of people. The selfless, the selfish (and self-centred), and the in-betweeners – a combination of above mentioned, depending on the situation and their wants and needs. Generally, we are the latter – depending on our disposition.

People are driven by the “returns” of an action, rather than the intention of their actions. Some will only consider doing something good if it brings about a reward they can reap. Or else, it is a waste of effort.

Karma is a term that has been used, misused, understood and misunderstood many times. It is important to remember that karma is a spiritual term, it is a consequence of your actions in your current and previous lives – it is a cycle of cause and effect. Actions are a combination of your intention, expectation, thought patters, belief systems, behaviours and literal actions.

I have met many people who, when asked their reasoning for doing something good for someone, say that they did it so they could receive “good karma”. Not because they were selfless and just wanted to genuinely help someone. In other words, they committed to the deed in order to reap a benefit from the universe.

It is almost as if receiving good karma was a business investment and the actions reflected that.

The above sounds a bit crazy, doesn’t it? It’s not. It’s quite simple, really.

Let me tell you: good karma is not a business investment.

Now let me explain why.

When you invest in a business, you are investing your time, energy, resources, effort and money. You invest because you see potential and expect a return on your investment. Returns such as monetisation, fame or profits.

By the same token, there are some people who invest their time, energy, resources, effort and money (in karmic terms: do good deeds), to reap rewards (in karmic terms: receive good karma). It’s as if the sole intention of their action was to receive “brownie points” from the universe to increase their karmic account with good deeds.

If your intention is not pure, your actions are not pure. The universe can recognise this. Just like karma is natural law recognised and ruled by the universe, so are your actual thoughts. You cannot expect to be paid in the form of “good karma” if your intention was not pure from the start. Thus, be prepared for your expectations to not be fulfilled.

The bottom line: your intention and expectation play the biggest role in the karma you experience. Doing a “good” deed with the sole purpose of receiving good karma gives you negative a result, because subconsciously, your thought process is self-centred one. Selfish intentions and self-fulfilling prophecies can never be rewarded.

Before you agree to helping someone next time, ask yourself, and I mean, really ask yourself: what is my real reason for doing this? Am I expecting a universal reward, or do I genuinely want to help?

Shalina Lodhia