01-20-2005, 03:36 AM
Another thing which has been mentioned repeatedly is the 'karma of the brahmins'. Apparently brahmins deserve a karmic retributions for past caste discriminations by other brahmins.
There is a fallacy in this line of thinking.
If we follow the doctrine of Karma, a jIva can take birth in any yoni and caste. It is not necessary that a present day 'brahmin' was a brahmin in his previous birth or even an Indian. How is that person supposed to be carrying the brahmin community's karma?
karma is carried individually by each jIva. It is interesting to extend this idea to communities too. But unless a jIva is forced to take rebirth in his/her community again and again, this tying up of a jIva's karma with the communities karma doesn't make sense.
So if you see a brahmin suffering today, it may have nothing to do with 'brahmin community's karma', it may just be his individual karma. Since there is no way to know which is which, claiming that a person's present suffering is due to the sins of his community is an exercize in bigotry. Hitler justified his persecution of Jews because of Jews community' role in crucifixion of Christ. One can if needed, justify any persecution by going sufficiently back in history and digging up that community's karma. And where do you stop? Is there a karma of Brahmins, of Indians, of men, of humans..... Does it even stand to reason that I should support a person x's persecution because x is a human, and humans obviously have a huge load of karma to carry?
There is a fallacy in this line of thinking.
If we follow the doctrine of Karma, a jIva can take birth in any yoni and caste. It is not necessary that a present day 'brahmin' was a brahmin in his previous birth or even an Indian. How is that person supposed to be carrying the brahmin community's karma?
karma is carried individually by each jIva. It is interesting to extend this idea to communities too. But unless a jIva is forced to take rebirth in his/her community again and again, this tying up of a jIva's karma with the communities karma doesn't make sense.
So if you see a brahmin suffering today, it may have nothing to do with 'brahmin community's karma', it may just be his individual karma. Since there is no way to know which is which, claiming that a person's present suffering is due to the sins of his community is an exercize in bigotry. Hitler justified his persecution of Jews because of Jews community' role in crucifixion of Christ. One can if needed, justify any persecution by going sufficiently back in history and digging up that community's karma. And where do you stop? Is there a karma of Brahmins, of Indians, of men, of humans..... Does it even stand to reason that I should support a person x's persecution because x is a human, and humans obviously have a huge load of karma to carry?