Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Karma in the Sermon on the Mount

Below is a quote from Emmit Fox's 'The Sermon on the Mount.'

Judge not, that ye be not judged.
 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?
 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.
The plain fact is that it is the Law of Life that, as we think, and speak, and act toward others, so will others think, and speak, and act toward us. Whatever sort of conduct we give out, that we are inevitably bound to get back. Anything and everything that we do to others will sooner or later be done to us by someone, somewhere. The good that we do to others we shall receive back in like measure. And the evil that we do to others in like manner we shall receive back too. This does not in the least mean that the same people whom we treat well or ill will be the actual ones to return the action. . . For every unkind word that you speak to or about another person, an unkind word will be spoken to or about you. For every time that you cheat, you will be cheated. For every time you deceive, you will be deceived. . . . For every time that you neglect a duty, or evade a responsibility, or misuse authority over other people, you are doing something for which you will inevitably have to pay by suffering a like injury yourself. With what measure you mete, it shall be measured unto you again.

2 comments:

Joe said...

The Sermon on the Mount is a plethora of truth by the one who described Himself as Truth.

S.logan said...

"This not in the least mean that the same people whom we treat well or ill will be the actual ones to return the action. . ."

Grasping this may be the key to letting go of bitterness over a sense of "justice" unobtained.

A sobering reminder. Thanks.