Yoga philosophy tells us that how we acted in our previous lives created the blueprint for our current life. And how we act in this life is creating the blueprint for our future lives.
This progression of ongoing actions and reactions is known as the law of karma.
But is the idea of karma just a convenient way to rationalize indifference to the suffering of others?
Yoga wisdom describes karma as nature’s law of cosmic justice. But our response to the law of karma is guided by the values of yoga, the first and foremost of which is compassion.
Rather than judging whether or not someone is deserving of their happiness or distress, a yogi puts karmic considerations aside and sees the happiness or distress of all beings as if it were their own.
So when we see other people experiencing misfortune, we don’t just shrug it off and say, “Well, I guess that’s just their karma” because the values of yoga compel us to do whatever we can to bend justice in the direction of mercy.
When it comes to karma, we’re not in the justice business; we’re in the mercy business.
Does this resonate with you? Let me know in the comments.