Hey friends, welcome to your Daily Mindful. You know, few concepts are as misunderstood as the concept of karma. It's often perceived as this kind of reward and punishment system that's, you know, woven into the fabric of the universe. So people might assume that the more good deeds they do, the more there'll be rewarded with good fortune. Some people might witness somebody going through something painful and say, it's just their karma.

They must've created this situation. It's their fate. So, you know, there's often this feeling that the universe is judging, condemning or elevating us for good or bad deeds, but that's not quite it. The word karma means action. So it's a core concept in both Hinduism and Buddhism that invites us to recognize that all of our actions produce effects.

Now the understanding of karma really helps us to become aware that every the choice we make has an effect, it leads to an outcome. So when we dwell on a thought, play out an emotion, indulge in a desire, or take a particular action. It has a ripple effect. We set in motion a cause that will have an effect in our lives and in the lives of those around us and in some way our every action ripples out and touches everything. So in his book, The Wise Heart: A Guide to the Teachings of Buddhist Psychology, Jack Kornfield writes this, "A good way to begin to understand karma is by observing our own habit patterns." So when we look at habit and conditioning, we see and sense how our brain and consciousness create these repeating patterns.

If we practice tennis enough, we'll eventually be able to anticipate our next hit as soon as the ball leaves the other players racket. If we practice being angry all the time, eventually the slightest insult will trigger our rage. These patterns are like a rewriteable CD. And when they're burned in repeatedly, the pattern becomes our regular response. So, you know, modern neuroscience has demonstrated this quite convincingly that our repeated patterns of thought and action actually change our nervous system and our brain.

Now in the Buddhist teachings on karma, the intention behind our actions is of the utmost importance. Actions taken with virtuous intentions grow the seeds of happiness and love in our lives. Whereas actions that come from intentions to harm or from greed or hatred or selfishness will likely move us and others towards suffering. And again, all of our actions, whether the virtuous or not, will ripple out and affect everything around us. So mindfulness enables us to choose our intentions and our actions really wisely and the inspirational message of the teachings on karma is that we're all connected, that our actions and choices are a powerful force, not only shaping our own lives, but also helping to shape life itself.

All of our actions matter. And the invitation of this teaching is for us to take responsibility for our actions and the quality of our lives, to be custodians of our bodies, our minds, and the planet, and to keep choosing to follow a path that can lead to kindness, connection and genuine happiness and freedom.