It’s not always easy to accept that what is, is. But if we can learn to be content with our life as it stands, there are lessons to be learned from both the good and bad. We must accept our karma and learn from it before we can make any changes for ourselves. Contentment is the key to happiness.

We must always try to understand karma and learn from it before we can make any changes for ourselves. Accepting karma is the best way to be content with our lives as they stand. We must accept what karma has given us without complaint, knowing that peace will come when all karma is accepted.

What is ‘Karma’?

Karma is the sum of a person’s actions in this and previous states of existence, viewed as deciding their fate in future existences. Karma-vipaka, represent the ripened effects of karma, which must be experienced either in this life or in a future rebirth. Karma-vipaka can be both more and less than the cause. When our deeds are positive and skillful, they “ripen” as happiness and well-being. When our actions are negative and unskillful, they ripen as pain and suffering.

The karma we create does not disappear without being experienced. The only way karma disappears is through purification. To be purified, karma must be repaid or “discharged.” Only karma that has been paid for with positive, skillful karma can be discharged so it no longer has to ripen. Since karma is tied together with actions, karma-vipaka are the results of our karma that have already been experienced.

Past lives

Karma is volition, intention or will. Karma may be viewed as a type of force that carries us from one life to another, creating our next life situation just by the potency of karma alone.  Karma is not fate, karma does not control our lives; rather karma operates by presenting us with alternatives, thus creating the causes of our future. A karma-vipakacandra is a person who has karma ripening for them at any given time. Karma may be negative or positive based on whether it ripens.

Present lives

In karma theory, karma is primarily seen as having effects in this very lifetime rather than future rebirths. Karma primarily affects the being whose karma it is. However, beings are all interconnected; what affects one of us affects all of us in different ways depending on our relationship to it.

Karma in this life

Karma that produces results at once, i.e., in the same life, or very quickly, due to its potency or strength, is called karma with visible result. For example, a karma may ripen when a person is dying, causing suffering or pain to the dying person. Such karma calls for an immediate response to eliminate the karma-produced suffering.

Seeds of karma produce their results over time, usually in future rebirths. These are karmic actions that have no visible result.

The five types of karma with results

Some types of Karma produce results in this lifetime, called karma in this life and others produce results in the next life.

The five karma with results are:

1) karma producing suffering immediately

2) karma producing moderate suffering when reborn or continuing existing

3) karma that produces no visible result until its conditions are complete

4) karma producing a fortunate rebirth due to positive actions in past lives

5) karma producing an unfortunate rebirth due to negative karma in past lives

What is karma-vipaka?

It is the ripened effects of karma. The term karma-vipaka also applies to the experience itself, in contrast to the actions which produced the experience.

Karma-vipaka is karma with a visible result. Karma does not perpetuate itself; it needs to be activated by our own volition and will. The karma we created in the past has ripened; karma-vipaka is karma about to produce a result that we can see or feel now.

In karma-vipaka, karma is here and now, that is a result that will occur within this lifetime. These results can include happiness and unhappiness resulting from our karma that still remains to be experienced. In this life, the karma ripens in accordance with the karma-vipakacandra that was present at a previous death.

Our karma, much like a seed, contains within it the potency of future fruit, future circumstance, or future experience. If this karma-candra is negative and has not been purified, it will ripen as pain and suffering in the next life.

There are karma ripening in this lifetime that we feel now, karma that ripens into experiences in the next life and karma from previous lives. This karma that has been accumulated carries us from one life to another creating the situations that we experience.

We should accept our karma as it is, not as we wish it was, and try to see the lessons that karma has brought us. It may not always be easy to digest karma but if we learn from our experinces and actions, karma can show us the way in life. The lessons are harsh at times because karma is supposed to remind us of past karmic actions and the need to change – for better or for worse.

We may have to struggle. We may have to be in pain. We probably won’t get what we want, we will get what we need. And sometimes that need is a lesson in living calmly, serenely, and without causing harm to others.

Accept your Karma and be content.

And finally…

Thanks for reading! I hope you’ve liked today’s article. Don’t forget to follow this happy human on Twitter, remember to subscribe, and leave comments. I’d love to know what you think!

All the best,

Matt The Happy Human