11-08-2006, 02:03 AM
Nice post Sandeep.
<!--QuoteBegin-Bodhi+Nov 4 2006, 09:00 PM-->QUOTE(Bodhi @ Nov 4 2006, 09:00 PM)<!--QuoteEBegin-->One of the founding principles of all the Eastern religions is the Principle of Karma.Â
While an indidual accumulates Karma - do nations, cultures, soceities accumulate collective Karma too? What do our religions Buddhism, Jainism, Hinduism, Sikhism say?
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Bodhi,
The principle of karma-phala is intimately tied up with the idea of reincarnation. A transmigrating-being (jiva) is responsible for all its karma and has to face the results of those karmas either in present birth or later births.
Nations, cultures, societies etc do not have a transmigrating-soul (jiva), and strictly speaking the karma-phala principle doesn't apply to them.
Lets say a brahmin who does bad things in this life may get reborn as a dog (say in Europe <!--emo&
--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wink.gif' /><!--endemo-->). He is facing his karmas accordingly. What do brahmins as a group or dogs as a group have to do with this.
If one says that brahmins as a group have to endure the karma of the past acts of other brahmins, then one is making an implicit assumption that only brahmins get reborn as brahmins. Which is absurd, as countless counterexamples are given in puranas etc. In fact an evil acting brahmin is likely to be reborn in a much less privileged position/group/caste/society etc than his/her past one.
So, this idea of groups carrying around the karma of their indivdual members is absurd, and is not supported by the karma-phala principle.
<!--QuoteBegin-Bodhi+Nov 4 2006, 09:00 PM-->QUOTE(Bodhi @ Nov 4 2006, 09:00 PM)<!--QuoteEBegin-->One of the founding principles of all the Eastern religions is the Principle of Karma.Â
While an indidual accumulates Karma - do nations, cultures, soceities accumulate collective Karma too? What do our religions Buddhism, Jainism, Hinduism, Sikhism say?
[right][snapback]60356[/snapback][/right]
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Bodhi,
The principle of karma-phala is intimately tied up with the idea of reincarnation. A transmigrating-being (jiva) is responsible for all its karma and has to face the results of those karmas either in present birth or later births.
Nations, cultures, societies etc do not have a transmigrating-soul (jiva), and strictly speaking the karma-phala principle doesn't apply to them.
Lets say a brahmin who does bad things in this life may get reborn as a dog (say in Europe <!--emo&
--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wink.gif' /><!--endemo-->). He is facing his karmas accordingly. What do brahmins as a group or dogs as a group have to do with this.If one says that brahmins as a group have to endure the karma of the past acts of other brahmins, then one is making an implicit assumption that only brahmins get reborn as brahmins. Which is absurd, as countless counterexamples are given in puranas etc. In fact an evil acting brahmin is likely to be reborn in a much less privileged position/group/caste/society etc than his/her past one.
So, this idea of groups carrying around the karma of their indivdual members is absurd, and is not supported by the karma-phala principle.