Is this life a punishment?

As you may have already guessed by the layout of my blog background, I am growing increasingly interested in the Buddhist culture. The first thing I need to know, or anyone needs to know about Buddhism for that matter, is that I do not know nearly enough about the beliefs, cultural traditions or history of Buddhism to claim to be an expert on Buddhism. I do know that I may live to be 200 years old, reading all day every day of my life and still not come close to fully understanding this system of beliefs. This is because more and more pieces of religious scriptures and doctrines are constantly being written. And even if one were able to fully keep up with this reading, there are still literally thousands of texts that were destroyed by the Chinese invasion into Tibet in the mid-twentieth century. With that being said, all I can say is that what I have learned has helped me greatly in dealing with everyday stress as well as improvement on my depressed state!

One of the things that I have learned from Buddhism is that the belief of karma, or the balance of the universe in order to instill morally enlightening understanding by counteracting negative moral behavior in order to achieve personal gain with negative circumstances almost as a punishment, has the ability to not only affect this lifetime, but the next lifetime as well after reincarnation. Now, we all know there has been one point and time in all our lives where we feel like we're being punished. Most of these thoughts occur simply after a bad day where nothing seems to go right or just an enormous amount of bad luck. But with that said, I can honestly say that my entire life has seemed that I have not been properly equipped with basic tools that most others have in order to function normally in everything from social settings to simple independent tasks. So I honestly have wondered on an almost daily basis if I am being punished for actions in a previous life. Although this at first was extremely frustrating for me, believing I was being punished as well as wondering what I was being punished for knowing I would never have answers, with the new knowledge I have received from the books I have read on Buddhism I am now filled with an immense feeling of hope and encouragement!

One of the major teachings I have read that has helped me with this belief is this: although karma may affect your current life based on actions from a previous one, there is still nothing within the laws of karma that states your life must continue to be filled with anguish for the rest of this life! To put it in simpler terms, if you learn your lesson, your punishment in this life is over. Karma is also designed where you are never meant to know the origin of the punishment or any actions related to it. This also is supported by a major teaching of Buddhism that states the past is never to be viewed in a negative way that causes either regret or guilt. Without the knowledge of previous events that has caused your punishment, your mind is free of distractions and more able to understand the full capabilities of how your soul can make the proper adjustments to be closer to achieving peace and positive energy.

Imagine for just one moment that someone who has been convicted of driving under the influence and vehicular manslaughter has been sentenced to one year of hard physical labor. Now imagine that the complete event of what happened the night he drove drunk and killed someone has been entirely erased from his memory. If all he knew is that he had done something terrible but didn't know what and he also knew that no one was able to tell him what he had done, how different that year of hard labor would be?! Without the specificity of the guilt lingering in his mind and clouding his thoughts, after that year he would be much more grateful for the opportunity to live without the burden of punishment and feel more emotionally and spiritually refreshed! This whole scenario I believe is accurately predicted because of one simple and powerful fact: the most difficult part of overcoming a negative experience you caused is FORGIVING YOURSELF!!! Believe me on this one, I'm talking from experience! If you disagree, please feel free to let me know! One more powerful teaching from Buddhism is the main idea that your mind is and always will be constantly expanding. If anyone offers a different opinion on the matter, I am more than open and willing to hear it! Collaboration leads to the birth of new and exciting ideas!!

Well, I still don't know if anyone is reading this, but if you are then thank you!

Bye for now!
-Justin

Been Awhile

Well, I'm not even sure if anyone is following my blog, but if they were followers, I'm sure they're gone now. I have recently been inspired that the true objectivity behind art is the pure form of expression...not the interpretation. With that being said, to anyone who does indeed read this, please know that it is in no way meant to disrespect how or what you interpret from my writing. I am simply stating that I am writing as a form of self-therapeutic measure if anything else. I would very much enjoy feedback, comments, suggestions or even criticism from anyone who does read this, which is hopefully on a more frequent basis. Thank you very much in advance!


-Justin