In Buddhist and Hindu philosophy, a person’s destiny in his next incarnation is determined by his actions. Everything he does will influence his future lives or reincarnations. Conscious actions carry more weight than the unconscious ones.
According to Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda, we create karma in four ways.
- through thoughts
- through words
- through actions that we perform ourselves
- through actions others do under our instructions
While I don’t know whether incarnations or past lives exist, I do believe in karma. All actions have effects, positive or negative, instant, gradual or delayed. Broadly named the universal law of cause and effect, Karma essentially means that good things will happen to you if you do good things, and bad things will happen to you if you do bad things. Nothing complicated. What you contribute to the world and the lives of others comes back to you in some way.
Words and actions
I have said incredibly mean and hurtful things to people close to me, especially as a teenager, but I’ve learnt as I’ve matured to act more respectful and less selfish. I’m pretty sure most of us have said or done things we’re not especially proud of. While I’ve never had any problems with saying exactly what I think, I am incapable of lying. If I realize I’ve said something not entirely true I need to correct myself afterwards.
When it comes to not paying for something, I’ve failed once — in London in 2007. Afterwards I got such bad conscience that I promised myself to return the next time I visited London to pay. If I recall correctly I had spent the day in Chelsea and was heading towards Victoria Station. As I walked along Elizabeth Street in Belgravia I caught sight of The Chocolate Society and couldn’t resist the temptation. Ten minutes and one chocolate smoothie later I glanced at the bill in front of me. £3.95. I looked around. Crowded. Almost ten people waiting in line. Only one employee. I can just walk out of here and leave the unpaid bill on the table and no one will ever notice. And that’s exactly what I did. I don’t know why I did it, but when I next travel to London I won’t leave without having stopped by The Chocolate Society to confess.
All celebrities don’t want attention
Regardless of how big or small, or seemingly insignificant, our actions all play a role in karma. I remember one summer evening in Parga, Greece, about ten years ago. As we strolled along a cobble stoned street, far from the hustle and bustle by the harbor, I saw someone familiar in a nearby outdoor restaurant. A very famous Swedish actor. Engaged in a conversation with a beautiful woman, he appeared oblivious of his surroundings. A week or so earlier I had read in a gossip magazine that you can send them your photos, which, depending on their importance, can earn you hundreds of dollars. Hence, a moment later I held my camera, ready to perpetuate my first paparazzi shot. OMG!! I’m gonna earn so much on this!! Two seconds later. This is not especially nice. If he wanted people to recognize him, would he have picked this restaurant? He’s on vacation and obviously wants time away from the crowds. I doubt he’d be especially glad if he saw a picture of himself in Sweden’s leading gossip paper once he returned home. Even though I knew it was the right thing to do, I somewhat reluctantly put away my camera.
We’re all equal
Karma when traveling is also about not having prejudices about people, staying away from any uncalled for judgmental behavior, not taking anyone or anything for granted, and treating everyone kindly. Regardless of who you are, what you work with, who you know, where you’ve been, and where you’re going, you’re worth precisely the same as everyone else. None of us are more important than the other.
Reminds me of a story I read in a newsletter by Bob Burg:
It seems a formal and very fancy black-tie affair was being held at a major hotel which included a number of dignitaries. One of them, a United States Senator noticed that at his table setting there was only a single pat of butter next to his roll.
Dismissively, and with a wag of his index finger, he summoned the waiter. “Young man, bring me another pat of butter.”
A bit taken aback but having to feign politeness, the waiter replied, “I’m sorry sir, it’s only one pat of butter per setting.”
Annoyed, the important guest said, “I would like another one anyway; bring me another pat of butter.”
“I’m sorry” countered the waiter, “We’re a bit short tonight; it’s just one pat of butter per setting.”
Now totally put off and offended, the VIP demanded, “Young man, do you know who I am? I happen to be the senior senator from the state of New Jersey.”
To which, the waiter replied, “And, do you know who I am? I’m the guy who controls the butter.”
Helping those in need
While we’re all equal, some people are less fortunate than others. In a perfect world, everyone would live in peace and happiness but that’s not the case (obviously). You don’t need to donate thousands of dollars to charities and non-profits to make a difference. As I wrote in Blog Action Day Against Poverty from last year, you can help in many ways. Adopt/sponsor a child through Compassion International. Click on the link to feed the hungry on The Hunger Site every day. Play on freerice.com. Avoid overconsumption. Gather your friends to go door-to-door collecting canned foods for a soup kitchen. Publish pictures or videos about poverty on the Web to help fight ignorance. Volunteer at your local soup kitchen, or in a shelter for homeless. Volunteer abroad. (The possibilities for volunteering around the world are endless.) Support a charity organization in your country.
A single act of compassion may seem insignificant in the long run, but everything counts. Better to do something than not doing anything at all.
Mindful spending
Just like helping others can give you good karma, how you spend your money also plays a part. And the more money you earn, the greater impact you can have by making positive contributions to support life on earth.
The chart below from the 7 Principles of Mindful Wealth by Mike Adams shows that you can spend and earn your money in two ways:
MindLESS Spending MindFUL Spending MindFUL Earning You take positive dollars and transform them into negative consumption. You are in complete harmony with wealth. A powerful, positive force on the planet. MindLESSEarning You are a destructive, selfish force on the planet that contributes to harming life on our planet. You try to compensate for the negative way you make money by giving a small amount of it away to “good causes.”
As you can see from this chart, true harmony with “mindful wealth” is only acheived if you both EARN and SPEND your money in a mindful way that protects and supports sustainable life. Covering just one side of this equation doesn’t cut it.
Organic and vegan living
If you want to support life on earth and bring good karma into your life, I fully believe that eating organic and vegan is the optimal choice. The nature is least affected by a vegan diet, which gives the lowest amount of nitrogen, methane and ammoniac, and requires the smallest amount of energy to produce. The statistic that it takes ten times more fossil fuel to produce a meat-based diet than a plant-based one led the United Nations to declare “Raising animals for food generates more greenhouse gases than all the cars and trucks in the world combined.” Eating meat leads to a waste of resources, a larger energy consumption, water pollution, and forest devastation.
To produce 1 kg wheat in the Western world, about 250 liter water is required. 1kg soya protein requires 2000 liter water.1 kg meat requires 25,000 liter water. And 1 kg beef protein requires 100,000 liter water.
While I don’t think everyone would ever only eat vegan, it would undoubtedly be better for the environment. If you eat organic as well, you’ll avoid food sprayed with chemicals, which are damaging to the atmosphere, the soil, and our bodies. Before turning 14, I had no idea about all this. I loved meat. Grilled beef steak with potato wedges and béarnaise sauce was the best food I knew. Or spaghetti with minced meat sauce. Or spiced lamb steak. Or bacon and fried eggs. Or mashed potatoes with meatballs and lingonberry jam. Or hotdogs with ketchup and mustard. Or fried codfish with cooked potatoes. Or spaghetti carbonara. Or chicken thighs. If I would listen to nothing more than my sense of taste I would keep eating animal flesh.
At 13 or so I started questioning everything I ate. Until then I didn’t think of meat as dead animals. I thought of it as food. Everyone ate it. It was natural. Tradition. Culture. But when I started learning more about the food industry and how cruel we treat animals, I couldn’t help but feeling sorry for them. I didn’t want to contribute to the suffering and exploitation of other beings, to the most violent industry in the world.
If animals have legs, they want to walk. If they have wings, they want to fly. If they would have had a choice, they wouldn’t choose to end up on our dinner plates. They would want to live. Pigs, for example, are slaughtered at six months. Their natural lifespan is 6-15 years. Chickens are slaughtered at six weeks. Their natural lifespan is seven years. Factory-farmed dairy cows live 5-6 years. Their natural lifespan is 20 years.
I’ve been a vegan on and off since 2002 and haven’t drunken cow milk more than a few times in the last two to three years. I can’t deny that I like the taste of diary products. Especially Brie cheese (on sandwiches), Feta cheese (in salads) and whipped cream (on chocolate cake). But when I started listening to the Vegetarian Food for Thought podcast by vegan and animal activist Colleen Patrick-Goudreau, I realized I no longer want to eat diary, partly because hardly any animals raised for human consumption — whether for their eggs or milk — escape the horrors of slaughter.
I can’t promiseI will be 100% vegan at all times, but it’s my intention to only eat vegan. I want to put ethics and love before my taste buds and tradition. I obviously don’t expect everyone to understand or agree with my food choices, but this is my truth and I want to live by it.
I’ve often been asked whether vegan food really gives you enough vitamins. Of course, just look at professional triathlete and vegan Brendan Brazier. When I eat vegan food I actually feel healthier. My skin gets clearer and I have more energy and mental clarity. And I don’t feel like I’m missing out on anything because there are so many vegan substitutes available, like tofu, tempeh and non diary cheese. And whoever said good vegan cakes or desserts don’t exist, has probably never heard about Babycakes or Pure Food and Wine in NYC.
Locals of Santa Monica and Venice Beach on what organic means to them
If you eat vegan, good. If you eat organic as well, all the better. And keep in mind to choose local, family-run restaurants rather than fast food chains whenever possible. Apart from this, you can do lots of other things to bring good karma into your life when traveling.
Lending a hand to other travelers
Let’s say you’re walking in a city you’re fairly familiar with when you spot a tourist who can’t seem to find his way, despite his large, unfolded map. What to do? Help him of course. Same thing if someone asks you for directions. Even if you’re new to the city or a certain neighborhood, take a good look at their map and give it your best shot.
If you’re out sightseeing when it suddenly starts raining, offer your spare umbrella to someone who needs it. If someone gets to a parking spot at the same time as you do, let them have it. If you notice that a parking meter has run out of time, put a quarter or two in. When you travel by bus, subway or train, give up your seat to someone elderly. If you see a group of young students taking pictures, suggest taking their group photo. When you’ve finished reading your newspaper or magazine on the bus/subway/train/plane, offer it to someone nearby. If someone in the store has fewer groceries than you, or seems to be in a hurry, let them go in front of you in line. When you catch sight of someone with a really nice jacket/scarf/hair cut/, give him, or her, a sincere compliment.
If all else fails, a smile often goes a long way.
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Update, June 15th: To me, apart from all the above points, traveling with good karma also means boycotting products tested on animals and only using natural products that are good for you and the environment. So I always buy natural toothpaste (love aloe vera toothpaste from urtekram.dk), and natural deodorant, sunscreen, lotion, cleaning products and washing powder. You are what you eat, but also what you wear and use.
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Great thoughts (and actions), Erica. My husband and I were recently faced with a temptation to walk off a 33-Euro bill at a bar in Barcelona. It was busy, they restaurant was being filmed by a local tv crew, etc. After numerous attempts to pay the bill, we could have easily walked off without anyone noticing because of the hoopla around us. But we didn’t. We toyed with a “what-if we just walked out” situation and joked about it, but we knew in our hearts that it was a cruel thing to do.
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Thanks for your comment, Jen. You did the right thing. I totally understand that you joked about doing it, though!
This is an excellent post. Kharma is real, and it is the guiding light for everything I do. As my mother always said, “what goes around comes around.” Traveling has always been my teacher for so many of life’s lessons, and you summed the main points up perfectly. Treat everyone (including animals) with respect no matter thier background, race, status, or income. Thank you for sharing such beautiful wisdom.
Melissa’s last blog post..A Dreamy Giveaway
Thanks, Melissa. “What goes around comes around.” That’s true indeed. And traveling is probably one of the best teachers there is.
Excellent, insightful post! While I’m on the other end of the eating lifestyle spectrum (pretty new carnivorous), I do understand and respect your reasoning in terms of eating all organic/vegan
Lola’s last blog post..Postcard: Hide Or Seek
Thanks, Lola! I do understand and respect your choice as well, since I have been carnivorous myself at one time. Everyone has to find their own truth; do what feels right to them.
Hi Erica,
Its kinda strange for someone like me who grew up as a vegetarian to switch to eating meat at the age of 25. I still can’t manage to eat if the meat has bones in it (feels very carnivorous)! But, as you point out, there are several ways to regulate your karma and vegetarianism is one of them, albeit an important one.
I like your last line. The world around you does change if you approach it with a smile.
Priyank
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Hi Priyank,
Yes, that does sound a bit strange. Often it’s the other way around. If you don’t mind my asking, what made you start eating meat?
Superb post! personally I really need to focus on the mindful spending. Yes we are all equal, but too often some of us out there forget this and either treat others badly or let others treat them badly.
Really insightful stuff here thanks for writing and sharing it.
Cate’s last blog post..Forbidden no more – Beijing’s city within
Thanks, Cate. Mindful spending is something I need to concentrate on myself. Am glad I found that 7 Principle’s of Mindful Wealth report. There’s a lot of insightful stuff there as well.
What a great read! I agree with you on much of this – what you put into the world through thoughts and actions does come back to you. And I must say, as a traveller I have benefitted from so many small acts of kindness by locals and other travelers alike. It is touching. Great blog by the way – I came here by way of Wendy’s escape from New York – will be back! kristine
Thanks Kristine. I agree with you that it’s touching when locals and travelers make an effort to help out. I often found this to be the case in New York. Thanks for stopping by!
your new share!
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