Pure Mountain Tao

Instant karma sometimes results in good decision making. For example, we see a hot stove. We know that if we put our hand on the stove, we are going to feel pain immediately. So we make the wise decision not to place our hand on the stove. Sometimes it may not be so good. We yell at our spouse and he/she becomes upset with us. The point is that we get a quick response to what we do, somewhat like an actor in a live play. If he is good, he hears applause at the end of the show that night. If he is not so good, he may hear boos. The feedback is quick.

Delayed reaction sometimes complicates things. We decide to smoke. We are told that there are serious health effects. However, we think “Oh, that’s so far away, I’m not going to worry about it now!” So we smoke, and we do not see any immediate consequences and we think we are all right. Later, we suffer from health issues from smoking. The karma took a long time to come, no? however, it did come and we are now paying the price.

The longer the time frame between cause and effect, the harder it is for most people to make a good decision. It is wise to see the short and long term karma ramifications. Sometimes karma in the short term may not be so good, but the long term karma may be beneficial. So then we must muddle through the short term.

Sometimes the short term seems very appealing, but if we look at the long term, we may be wise to make a different decision. Sex when you are young can seem exciting and fun, but eighteen years of responsibility if you have a child may be more than you bargained for. So you make the wise decision to wait. You give up something now, but chances are the karma will be better later.

So remember to think about long-term and short-term karma when making decisions and you will have a better chance of having good karma coming to visit you.