Good thought about the Consequences of our Actions!

This thought I receieved from Eknath is another great thought that we all know every well--consequences. Many times we know that if we do something, something will happen as a result. Unfortunately, in the world today, we sometimes think about ourselves first, so we forget about others. By thinking about ourselves first, we tend to hurt others unintentionally or intentionally (sometimes physically and mentally). As for those people who are hurt, the only thing they can think of is to take the hurtful experiences as a good lesson to learn. As for those who hurt others, they should acknowledge that it's not right to do so. Thus, they should keep in mind that the mistakes they have made should not be repeated. If they could do this, they will certainly be able to break off the chain of consequences and feel better about themselves. I do believe that we all have "a capacity to learn, to change, and to grow"

human being fashions his consequences as surely as he fashions his goods or his dwelling. Nothing that he says, thinks, or does is without consequences.
– Norman Cousins


The Hindu and Buddhist scriptures give us the same truth in what is called the law of karma, which is the psychological equivalent to the physical law that every action has a reaction equal and opposite to it. The Buddha says we can fly higher than the heavens or hide in the depths of the earth, but we will not be able to escape the consequences of our actions. Though we drive to another city or fly to another country, though we change our job or our name, our mistakes will pursue us wherever we go.

Paradoxically, the only way we can begin to escape from the consequences of our actions is to stop running from them and to face them with fortitude. In this sense, every difficult situation is a precious opportunity. When we find ourselves in some situation where we always make the same mistake, if we can manage not to make that mistake, the chain can be broken. Often, if we face it squarely, that situation will not come up again.