12 ways to create good karma

World-renowned feng shui expert Lillian Too has written more than eighty books on the subject – and she also publishes the excellent bi-monthly Feng Shui World magazine. Recently she extended her publishing enterprise with the first issue of Mahayana, a magazine which offers the wisdom of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, as the tagline says, “for the benefit of all sentient beings.” Mahayana was a crowd pleaser at major events in her home town of Singapore late last year, and we thank Lillian for allowing us to reprint an excerpt from an article in Mahayana on how to create good karma, which will form the basis of a book called 108 Ways to Create Good Karma to be published next year. [Some of these suggestions below are also a preview from the book.]

According to Buddhist teachings, the law of karma explains that for every event that occurs there will follow another event, the existence of which was caused by the first, and this second event will be pleasant or unpleasant according to whether its cause was beneficial or harmful, to others and oneself. A beneficial event is motivated by the thought of benefiting others while craving, resistance or delusions usually motivate a harmful event. Events are not beneficial in themselves, but become so by virtue of the mental thoughts that accompany the action.

The law of karma teaches that responsibility for harmful actions lies with the person who commits them. Karma thus has to do with cause and effect. Every action you take creates the cause for events to happen to you. This means that everything, every single thing that happens to you – good and bad – is in truth caused by you, yourself, your own actions and your own thoughts. There is no escape from one’s karma. There are many ways to create good karma. Here are some of them …

1. MAKE KINDNESS YOUR RELIGION
Creating good karma is not about being religious. One need not even be a Buddhist or belong to any religious faith to create good karma. What you do need is to develop a kind attitude toward others. As His Holiness the Dalai Lama repeatedly says, “My religion is kindness.” So creating good karma is simply about being kind. Not just for a moment but always, throughout one’s life, in every aspect of our living, in every relationship, in the way we conduct our business, in all our interactions – when you approach everything you do motivated by an attitude of kindness you are creating a great deal of good karma, the kind that creates the cause for others to be kind to you. It is the surest way of developing a life where aggravations simply dissipate.

2. CHANT A MANTRA
Chanting mantras is the easiest way of getting started on the road toward opening new horizons for the mind. To start with, it is a very powerful way to purify the negative karmic imprints we all bring into the world with us. Negative imprints linger in everyone’s consciousness, the mind-stream that we carry from one lifetime to the next. Start with the most famous mantra in the world, the mantra of the Compassionate Buddha: om mani padme hum – Hail to the jewel in the lotus.

While reciting the mantra, try to concentrate on its sound and allow it to penetrate deep into your inner consciousness and, eventually, into your subconscious mind. Always chant it with the thought of benefiting others.It will not take you long to sense wonderful benefits permeating through your consciousness. In no time at all you will feel yourself becoming kinder, more tolerant, and less prone to getting upset.

Many high lamas say that reciting om mani padme hum can bring us all to enlightenment, simple and easy though it seems. This mantra is certainly one of the most powerful mantras you can recite….

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