Simultaneously accumulating Karma

[IcyCosmic]

Is it possible to simultaneously incur negative/positive karma at the same time?

For example, say if I had to be studying but I'm procrastinating (in the mode of ignorance) but in that period of long procrastination, I'm studying I don't know the Gita or hinduism or something - then would I simultaneously incur both karmas into their respective bank(s)?

Or, if I had to go to a job tommorow, and if I didn't arrive there (its geographical immobility) according to economics because I had to give a speech to kids, that will help them for their exams, but in its place I went and donated money to the temple and did volunteer work at a homeless place.
Would I simultaneously incur both karmas?

Just a thought.

[devotee]

Understanding "how Karmas work" is difficult. Actually, our way of understanding Karmas as +ve or -ve is only relative in sense. If you didn't attend a job interview, you may lose a job but that may not be due to your present Karma alone ... it may be that you were destined not to get that job due to your previous Karmas. The present Karmas of doing something good instead of attending the job interview would generate further good chances when the time is ripe.

OM

[Eastern Mind]

Vannakkam: an extension to Devotee's comment ... or the better job is the one you get next week, so it's 'good' karma not to get the job.

Just as all people, hold some 'positive' traits, and some 'negative' traits, so too with karma. I think its a clearer perspective to get rid of the good/bad altogether.

Aum Namasivaya

[ZarryT]

There appear to be so many ways of understanding Karma. The question you ask i think serves to demonstrate that the "good / bad thing now = good / bad thing in future" model really isn't enough.

The view i currently hold is something like this:

Karma is not subject to linear time in the way described above. Rather than thinking of Karma as a reward / punishment system, I see it as stage directions, dramatic tropes. An individual's karma determines the character that they play in the world. There is no causality within an individual's karma, rather the karma causes the individual's character to be how it is, and thus defines their actions, and whether or not they will have positive or negative experiences.

In this understanding, Karma isn't accumulated at all, but rather is the ever-present sum total of possibility for an individual character. Since the individual experiences time linearly, they also experience differences in their karma linearly; but the Karma isn't changing as such, it's just that they're at a different line in a later act in the play than they were previously, so the relevant karma of their character is different.


This might be a little obscure or unconventional. I'm happy to explain further if you like.

[johans]

Is it possible to simultaneously incur negative/positive karma at the same time?

For example, say if I had to be studying but I'm procrastinating (in the mode of ignorance) but in that period of long procrastination, I'm studying I don't know the Gita or hinduism or something - then would I simultaneously incur both karmas into their respective bank(s)?

Or, if I had to go to a job tommorow, and if I didn't arrive there (its geographical immobility) according to economics because I had to give a speech to kids, that will help them for their exams, but in its place I went and donated money to the temple and did volunteer work at a homeless place.
Would I simultaneously incur both karmas?

Just a thought.

To procrastinate and deny yourself the knowledge you need to pass is its own karmic cycle, you will either fail or have limited your achievement. If you fail and it hurts so bad that your will becomes strong, you tear through those books and pass like a master, is this good karma? Was watching dancing pets on the internet rather than studying a wise decision in light of this? Did you really learn anything new?

If you give the greatest speech England's ever seen on Geography and 10 students are playing with their phones while you speak, is your karma dependant on how many succeed or the gesture of offering your wisdom, regardless? What if you were unable to make the speech, but your advice would have been misguiding? You are presuming the concepts of "good/bad" are inherent in these things.

If you are running to and from each side of the scale dropping pennies to preserve balance what else do you know other than this pursuit? If karma is as you understand it, surely you should do the good you can along the journey and you will inevitably learn from your mistakes, if you do wrong when you consciously know better then perhaps the spider in your bed should be no surprise .