Karma WheelGuest WriterBill Walz, Consciousness Columns At its simplest, karma means the law of cause and effect, and it is wise to be mindful that what we do always has effects. My concern, however, is with karma at a subtler level, at the level of the evolution of consciousness. The cause and effect to be considered here is with the relationship between mind and behavior. Not so difficult to understand. As we construct the world in our minds, so we act in the world, and as we act in the world, so we reinforce the ideas we have about the world. This can be a way of understanding what Buddhism refers to as "The Karma Wheel." 
Staying for the moment at the level of the most obvious, it is not hard to understand that if you bring strife and violence of attitude or action into the world, you will be surrounded by strife and violence, and this can never be a peaceful or friendly way to live. You may be the victimizer rather than the victim, but the quality of your life is one of strife and violence, and often, the victimizer eventually must pay as violence then is visited upon them in retribution. Returning to the violent person, as they construct a violent world in their minds, so they behave, and in that behavior and people's responses, they justify that the world is a violent place, and so their violence is justified, even required. So it is with a fearful mind, that finds reason for fear in the world, and the angry mind that finds reasons for anger in the world, and the depressed mind that finds reasons for unhappiness.
And so the Karma Wheel turns, but it is only spinning, stuck in the mud of our problematic thoughts and reactive behaviors.
By sitting, we are stopping. Then, in our posture, we are settling into a dedication to balance, stillness and solidity in these moments. Shifting into breath consciousness, we create some calmness, subtlety and spaciousness to our awareness. Then, we notice the arising of our thoughts, and as we are noticing them, we are not caught inside them. We realize this thought is inside me, not I am inside the thought. Then, we notice the qualities of the thought. Is it angry? Is it fearful? Is it unhappy? Then we experience the pull of the thought to carry us with it, but instead we return to awareness of our breathing and the balanced stillness of our sitting and we have stopped the Karma Wheel. 
We discover that we are not caught pursuing the impulses of our thoughts, but rather are calm, subtle and spaciously present, able to make calm, subtle and creative responses to our life situations. With this practice, we begin to evolve, that is to expand, our consciousness of the possibilities for who we are and what life is about. From our meditation experience, we can then begin to be more mindful in the world, replicating the inner experience of meditation in our outer actions and responses. We begin to resolve, to evolve, our Karma, moving from fearful, reactive separateness to a more spacious, inclusive connection with life as it is. We are able to forgive ourselves and others for past harms, to find what there is in life to experience in gratitude, and begin to be increasingly responsible in our personal conduct. This grows us spiritually and psychologically. The Karma Wheel now turns steadily and surely - advancing us towards a healthier and more fulfilling life.
I hope you enjoyed reading this article by guest writer Bill Walz. You can find more of his thoughts on his website: Just click on his byline above. What response did Bill's words evoke in you? Does this article help you understand how the Karma Wheel can be effected by the choices you make in your daily life? Have you struggled with the issues of anger, fear, or unhappiness? Where are you on the Karma Wheel? Please add your thoughts to the Karma Wheel discussion in the box below.
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