by Gary Zalben

Created on: October 23, 2008

Eastern Versus Western Karma-Actions are preceded by thought and that is actually when the karmic cycle starts and it is because thoughts are much more important than your actions. Actions are instigated by thoughts. Those who have not yet developed intuition and do not listen to that small voice within themselves which is their own conscience whispering to them are subject to the consequences of their actions. Bad or negative thoughts lure or entice some to actions that will be regretted. Positive thoughts have the opposite effect and lead one to perform actions with positive results.

There are two ways to study karma, the Eastern and the Western way. In the West your thoughts are not considered evil unless someone commits evil actions. But Eastern ethics tell us otherwise. When our thoughts and feelings are evil, that alone is considered evil. You have freedom before you act and the results of that action will be with you whether you like it or not. That is the law of cause and effect.

You can use this as an example. If what you are reading in a book awakens wrong tendencies in you and you realize that what you are reading is bad for you, you will still reap the consequences from reading that book. Remember this all your life. When you let yourself be tempted you have imprisoned your wisdom. The fastest way to avoid temptation is just to say "no" and remove yourself from that environment as fast as you can. Later on when you are calm and your wisdom is freed up you can reason it out. Now if you are weak and your willpower is not developed, you will have to learn how to evolve your willpower. You may say "man, I haven't got that kind of willpower." How do you get this willpower? First you have to know what willpower is.

From the moment a newborn baby cries it is the awakening of willpower. The feeling of discomfort causes the baby to cry as it is painful when the lungs open for the first time. This is "automatic-physiological willpower." As the baby begins to talk it follows the desires of its mother which is called "thoughtless will." As the baby begins to grow older it starts thinking for himself; and when it is denied something from its mother that it wants he starts to show stubbornness by resisting. This is the first stage of evolving willpower. This inflexibility is "blind willpower." What does that mean? It means someone wearing blinders and can not see. Blind willpower is willpower without wisdom. The youth of today uses this unstable or hot-blooded will

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