What is Karma?

by Paul Brunton

Karma is a household word by now. Often spoken with sarcasm or heard with scorn in intelligent circles. Especially by energetic self-actualizers, who associate it with passivity or hear it as an excuse for laziness or fear of responsibility. Sometimes sighed in real or affected resignation to "God's will." The term “karma” in its original reference includes mental actions. Karma is simply a power of the Universal Mind to effect adjustment, to restore equilibrium, and to bring about compensatory balance. In the sphere of human conduct the result is that somehow, somewhere, whatever we do is ultimately reflected back to us. No deed is exhausted in the doing of it; eventually it will bear fruit which will return enexorable to the doer. Karma is a self-moving force. Nobody, human or superhuman, has to operate it.

Paul Brunton is widely recognized as one of the twentieth century's most perceptive students of ancient wisdom. This little book presents, in condensed and concentrated form, what he learned about karma from a long and richly varied lifetime: from personal research, relentless trial and error, and intimate association with wise men and women from sacred traditions throughout the world. These pithy gems are drawn from a broad span of his writing, ranging from as early as the mid- 1940s to shortly before his death in 1981. They concisely present the essence, and many of the details, of the teachings of karma as they appear throughout the world's wisdom traditions.

Genres: Spirituality

144 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Paul Brunton was a British philosopher, researcher, mystic, and adventurer. He left a journalistic career to live among yogis, mystics, and holy men, and studied a wide variety of Eastern and Western esoteric teachings. With his entire life dedicated to the spiritual quest, Brunton felt charged with the task of communicating his knowledge and experiences in layperson's terms. He was one of the first persons to write accounts of what he learned about spirituality in the East, and his works have had a major influence on the spread of Eastern philosophy and mysticism to the West. Paul Brunton continued to write after his final publication in 1952, and a significant portion of his large archive of original writings was posthumously published by Larson Publications as "The Notebooks of Paul Brunton" (in 16 volumes). The entire archive will soon be housed at a university (2017) and available to read online (2019).

Reviews

[Ana Rita · Rating 5 out of 5]

✨ Paul Brunton foi um dos estudiosos mais reconhecidos do século XX que se debruçou sobre o Karma.
Ao longo das suas pesquisas Brunton compreendeu que o Karma é simplesmente um poder da Mente Universal e a lei que torna cada um de nós responsável pelas suas próprias ações. Não é uma força exterior. Não é uma espécie de vingança da vida sobre nós.
E "na esfera da conduta humana, o resultado é que, de alguma forma, em algum lugar e em algum momento, tudo o que fazemos (pensamos, sentimos ou outra forma de manifestação de energia de que se lembrem), será refletido de volta para nós".
Inexoravelmente.
Porque as leis universais nos conduzem ao equilíbrio (pessoal e coletivo) e não ao assim-assim.
Às vezes temos a benção da Graça.
Quando nos esforçamos e trabalhamos por corrigir e mitigar, pelas nossas ações e pensamentos, os 10% que falhámos em relação ao objetivo.
Leia-se que isso não acontece porque estamos com 90% do objetivo completo. Significa sim que nos esforçámos e trabalhámos nos 10% que nos faltaram 😉
🎀 Valeu a pena ler Paul Brunton 🎀

©️ana.naturalhealth

[Mark Bodenstein · Rating 5 out of 5]

This added considerably to my understanding of karma, and helped put the idea of Grace in context. Both are to benefit our development and progress. Karma operating in the realm of the manifest, and Grace from the realm of the unmanifest. We create our own karma, good and bad, and we invite Grace, or don't. Brunton explains both in a very natural, understandable way. Highly recommend, especially to those that wish to consciously assist their own progress and spiritual growth.