What Do You Want Out of Religion?

[kage no neko]

I'm still not even sure if I have a religion at all. I have my own set of beliefs.. I finally have my own deity, but I don't follow any religion. If my beliefs make up my own sort of religion, then I guess I do, but other than that.. I guess I'm just spiritual?  

[X-Yami-no-Ko-X]

Morgandria

3) What you think of as karma may not be. Karma does not directly respond to our actions - it neither rewards nor punishes. Eastern religions that involve karma also involved dharma, and understand the two concepts as inseparable. A person may be a genocidal maniac - and if that is his dharma within their current lifetime, their karma will reflect that they are pursuing the correct action their dharma has indicated. In effect, following one's dharma is correct, a natural law and order, and is moral - whether or not we percieve it to be from outside that individual.

Western new-age thinking has separated karma from dharma, and effectively watered the concept down to a 'like earns like' - 'do unto others' sort of concept, likely in response to leaving heavily-dogmatic varieties of Judeo-Christian religions. Karma does not directly respond to our actions - it neither rewards nor punishes.

So question since I'm kinda confused. If someone is acting against their dharma then they are acting their karma?
Using the example of the genocidal manic that you used. Killing would be said person's dharma but if they were to go against that and do something kind for someone or even save a life then that would be said person acting out karma?  

[Sanguina Cruenta]

X-Yami-no-Ko-X

Morgandria

3) What you think of as karma may not be. Karma does not directly respond to our actions - it neither rewards nor punishes. Eastern religions that involve karma also involved dharma, and understand the two concepts as inseparable. A person may be a genocidal maniac - and if that is his dharma within their current lifetime, their karma will reflect that they are pursuing the correct action their dharma has indicated. In effect, following one's dharma is correct, a natural law and order, and is moral - whether or not we percieve it to be from outside that individual.

Western new-age thinking has separated karma from dharma, and effectively watered the concept down to a 'like earns like' - 'do unto others' sort of concept, likely in response to leaving heavily-dogmatic varieties of Judeo-Christian religions. Karma does not directly respond to our actions - it neither rewards nor punishes.

So question since I'm kinda confused. If someone is acting against their dharma then they are acting their karma?
Using the example of the genocidal manic that you used. Killing would be said person's dharma but if they were to go against that and do something kind for someone or even save a life then that would be said person acting out karma?

Karma is like a weight that pulls you down the ladder of reincarnation, or the ladder to nirvana or whatever. You accrue karma when you act counter to your dharma.  

[X-Yami-no-Ko-X]

Sanguina Cruenta

Karma is like a weight that pulls you down the ladder of reincarnation, or the ladder to nirvana or whatever. You accrue karma when you act counter to your dharma.

Ok. That's somewhat what I thought but then when Morg was explaining it I was like wait a second. So the more you act upon your dharma the better your karma and the better your next life or if you reach enlightment you go to nirvana. The more you go against your dharma the worse your karma and the worse your next life is. Can going against your dharma actually keep you from enlightment and therefore nirvana in that sense?  

[Sanguina Cruenta]

X-Yami-no-Ko-X

Ok. That's somewhat what I thought but then when Morg was explaining it I was like wait a second. So the more you act upon your dharma the better your karma and the better your next life or if you reach enlightment you go to nirvana. The more you go against your dharma the worse your karma and the worse your next life is. Can going against your dharma actually keep you from enlightment and therefore nirvana in that sense?

No no no - there's only one kind of karma, and you don't want it. If you go with your dharma, karma fades away. Or at least, you don't gain any. If you act counter to your dharma, you accrue it. It makes it a lot more difficult to end the cycle of reincarnation.

That's my understanding anyway.  

[X-Yami-no-Ko-X]

Sanguina Cruenta

No no no - there's only one kind of karma, and you don't want it. If you go with your dharma, karma fades away. Or at least, you don't gain any. If you act counter to your dharma, you accrue it. It makes it a lot more difficult to end the cycle of reincarnation.

That's my understanding anyway.

Ok so all karma is bad. Got it.
I always thought there was good karma when I first learned about it. But thanks for clearing that up. Now I have a better definition for gathering my path variations.  

[Bad Quality Serena]

MidnightLetter

Do you even consider your practices to be a religion?

I really used to believe so, but now I'm not so sure. When ever I cast a spell or whatever, I never really pray to a specific deity. Sometimes I speak, but it's not so much praying to a god or goddess. It's more like I am clarifying the purpose of my spell to the universe. I don't know, I'm not really explaining this well.

Right now I'm really just searching my beliefs, so it could change.