Originally published at Elegant Plus in 2006 by an eye-witness to the World Trade Center bombing, we are re-posting this inspirational piece as the country prepares to remember 9-11 and the events at Ground Zero.

Karma Trouble?

by Elegant Plus Magazine Inspirational Living Columnist, Rev. ReBecca Ames Sala

On the way home from a Mission Heritage trip in New York City in mid-October, I was staring out the window of the bus as we drove up 1^st Avenue and noticed a big red sign with the word “Karma”. It must have been one of the many restaurants or clubs in the city. And, right next to it was an ACME Hardware store with the word “TROUBLE?” written in big red letters. 

Karma Trouble? I burst out laughing when I saw the signs. And then I thought how perfectly fitting to see those words at an end of an incredibly emotional day as I integrated my past and present together. 

Karma

According to Wikipedia, Karma comes from the Sanskrit, meaning “to do” or action, effect, destiny and is generally taken as a term that comprises the entire cycle of cause and effect. Karma is a sum of all that an individual has done, is currently doing and will do. Karma is not about retribution, vengeance, punishment or reward. Karma simply deals with what is. The effects of all deeds actively create past, present and future experiences, thus making one responsible for one’s own life, and the pain and joy it brings to others. In religions that incorporate re-incarnation, karma extends through one’s present life and all past and future lives as well.

Personally, I experience karma trouble when I stop the process of meshing all the experiences of my life together. Have you ever done that? Locked painful memories in a neat, separate little box inside your head and hope that you lose the key? Just like car trouble, you can ignore the sound that the engine is making, or the brakes that squeal, but eventually you will end up stranded on the side of the road wondering, what happened? 

All of us are made up of the experiences, both good and bad, that have happened to us. It is an extraordinary gift to be able to see and to hold the positive value of every experience and how it has shaped our lives. 

Ground Zero

One unexpected part of the mission bus itinerary that took me completely unawares was a visit to Ground Zero, the site of the World Trade Center. Back in 2001, I worked a very short distance from the World Trade Center and was an eye-witness to some of the horrific events that unfolded on that fateful and tragic day as I got off the subway on my way to work. A few months after 9/11 happened, I passed the site  and saw people laughing, taking pictures and then asking each other if they wanted to go to Macy’s next? Just like nothing mind-numbingly awful had happened just three months before. Seeing that lack of gravity and respect from visitors was so upsetting to me, I decided I couldn’t go back to the site….. E-V-E-R. 

And there the experience and raging emotion and anger stayed locked, in its nice, tight little box… except, of course, when it leaked.

When I found out the bus would be going to Ground Zero, it gave me pause. And then I looked around at my fellow mission travelers and realized this visit was a pilgrimage for me. It was a part of my karma, a way to integrate the life I led in the fast paced financial world five years ago with the one I have now, living my spiritual call as a chaplain and ordained minister. Individuals who were deeply spiritual and compassionate surrounded me. Their supportive presence allowed me to visit the site and move through and come to an acceptance of what is - both past and present - in my own way to become whole in the future. The experience was moving, surreal and the crowds somehow seemed to me much more respectful then they had been five years ago, although in reality they were probably just the same. It became a pilgrimage of reverence and remembrance of that day, and all the days after. This act of re-visitation, reflection and release allowed me to make peace with a city that I love and had called home for many years. 

The Karmic Healing Process

Just before I sat down to finish writing this column, I was watching the nightly news and heard that the Amish families who lost their little girls to another traumatic act of violence had received over a million dollars in donations. Even more extra-ordinary is that they have decided to share that money with the widow and children of the man who had taken the lives of their own children. I am moved beyond words by their act of forgiveness and grace in the midst of such suffering. Although Christian, they are exemplifying the concept of a karmic life by embracing the reality of what is, simple and immutable, in a way that won’t cripple their own souls in the future or continue the cycle of damage from what is already done. Even though “karma” as a word is Eastern, it is a concept found in many world religions and teachings. Through the example of the Amish, we can all learn a thing or two about faith and forgiveness as taught in our own traditions. 

As we approach the holiday of Thanksgiving, take a moment to reflect on what pasts you are holding on to… wrongs you have not forgiven … pain that you have neglected….. your own assortment of karma troubles. And then, find a way to embrace them, hold them and integrate them into your life as it is now. I realize that what I am suggesting is difficult and painful, but I invite us all to take that first step to healing, even if it is a baby step. Try it out and see how it feels. Buddhism teaches that while pain is inevitable, suffering is optional because it is in how we handle the difficult situations in our life that defines us. Each and every past and present experience - good or bad - is valid and authentic and is to be woven into the tapestry of your life. The manner in which  these shape your future life depends on how well you embrace and integrate them.

It is appropriate, even necessary to celebrate the role that karma plays out in our daily lives, no matter what our religious affiliations. By intentionally listening to ourselves and others, positively acting on and embracing in the present what is done and beyond our control in the past, we can prevent our own future break-downs and suffering on the road called Life.

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