Why should tragic death come due to ‘sin’ only (and hence decided by law of karma)? It could come even if you have no sin baggage if you fail to be fit enough to face a tough situation. Is it your mistake if I shoot you? What if I’m an insane person, then I don’t even get karma by killing you. I’m like a calamity of nature here. It is your call to play your battle of survival. And if you fail to overcome me, you die no matter how ‘pure’ you are. You see, you will relaize this becomes a battle of survival, not a game that goes by law of karma. I’m not saying you can’t escape me, but your escaping requires action from your part and even your good karmas can’t save you if you are not fit enough for them to operate through.
Also the very consideration of karma comes into picture only when you view tragic death as a ‘punishment’. But considering the sheer violent nature of volcanos, hurricanes, tsunamis, earthquakes, big cometets, terrorist organizations it appears that death just ‘happens’ not necessarily as a punishment decided by law of karma. It is decided by law of Survival of Fittest.
Keep in mind that I am defending something here that I am not committed to believing. But I’ll have a go at defending it anyway.
Why should tragic death come due to ‘sin’ only (and hence decided by law of karma)? It could come even if you have no sin baggage if you fail to be fit enough to face a tough situation. Is it your mistake if I shoot you?
The answer to the last question you asked is crucial. The answer is simply, from the point of view of the teaching of karma, ‘probably yes’. Though your mistake could have occurred in a past life.
Did you get the point I made about karma putting you in bad situations?
BTW, I personally don’t mind doing self-defense. I don’t agree with pacifist absolutists. And there are those who say, self-defense is acceptable karmically. It’s certainly all very complex – if it is true. 
Looks like the Law of Karma doesn’t take into account, ‘justice delayed is justice denied’. It is one of the most difficult laws to come to terms with.
But I’ve come across this about the action-reaction phenomena, and the time taken for the reaction, or the magnitude of the reaction depends on the seed sown and the kind of soil. The kind of karma has it’s own gestation period, like a mustard seed versus a coconut seed.
And the soil metaphor is the being. A being vibrating at a higher frequency is very fertile soil… the effect of the karma sown by such a being bears results much faster than one vibrating at a grosser frequency. The latter is not conducive for quick germination.
Whether that is fair or not is another question which would lead to another… what makes a being grosser, or subtler… karmas? What makes a being do karmas of a sort… the frequency? The egg, or the bird?
But this is all, I suppose, as Yogani would say, under the hood. Though someone has to become the manufacturers and mechanics if everyone has to keep driving.
I was speaking to someone about this recently and their comment was that they seemed to have less of a choice about how to live their life. It is like the more you get into this stuff the more you are obliged to “do the right thing”. The consequences are too immediate and too upsetting if you don’t.
Personally I feel this is probably true. The more aware we become and the further we develop our practice the higher the stakes.
I’m going through a small rough patch at the moment and it had occured to me that rather being a self pacing issue it might mean that I have to get my act together in how I am living my life, as in how honest I am, my diet, the clutter in my office etc.
Way off thread here, but would welcome some feedback.
Hi Louis,
I agree, the further we go along the more it “hurts” or doesn’t feel good to be out of alignment with the “flow of life”. The moments where we are out of alignment become more noticeable and it also becomes easier to correct the thoughts that are leading us to be out of alignment.
I also have observed the further we go along the more freedom we have to act in ways we may not have been prepared to in the past. I observe myself being more free with who I am and what I am about.
Louis said:
I’m going through a small rough patch at the moment and it had occured to me that rather being a self pacing issue it might mean that I have to get my act together in how I am living my life, as in how honest I am, my diet, the clutter in my office etc.
In my time I have definitely made the mistake at times of relying too much on practices for correcting imbalances, or on practice-based interpretations of imbalances, when they would have been better approached or fixed by more conventional, non-yoga means. So it’s definitely a mistake that can be made.
Hi David, Louis,
Well I have mentioned before about relying solely on practices to get where you want to be and this is exactly the point.Living a good life, honest and helping others is all part of the path.
L&L
Dave
Thanks for the replies,
Have started a new thread on this, titled Self Pacing - peace.
Thanks
Louis