"Speak the truth."
This is what I heard at a talk by Lama Marut around 10 years ago. Recently, this talk has been coming to mind quite often. Though I can't remember the rest of the talk very well, there were two life-changing lessons that were carved into my mind and changed my world view since then.
The first lesson was on karma.
When karma is spoken of or seen on social media, it is often with reference to someone else along the lines of "they got what they deserved" or "karma bites". If someone we dislike is punished, this person was suffering retribution. If something unpleasant happens to us, it is the fault of something or someone else. But karma is really just action.
However, if one decides to believe in the concept of karma, then it has to be absolute and not selective according to one's preferences.
For example, say a colleague who has hurt a lot of people wins a coveted promotion. One may think it isn't fair since this person has done bad things. However, what we don't know is this person may have accumulated good karma before to warrant this promotion. However, in the process of harming others, this person also accumulates negative karma for an equivalent return in future. The same can be applied to ourselves. It can be hard to accept but if one decides to believe in karma, then one needs to be ready to accept both sides of it. Otherwise, it may be better to adopt another world view.
What we do not receive today may not be ours to have but it may also well be there are more suitable things down the road that are meant for us. The good you do today may return to you in a way you didn't plan for on a day you didn't expect. You may not even realise it at all.
The teachings in Bhagavad Gita and Buddism also emphasise on focusing on the actions and process instead of the results one would get out of it. Do it not because there's something to gain. Do it because it's the right thing to do. The results will take care of itself.
Hence, what we need to pay attention is what we want to devote our energy to and what kind of seeds we want to sow.
That brings me to the second lesson: how to get what you want.
Wouldn't it be nice if what you dream of and desire for comes true? In order for that to happen, speak the truth.
How is speaking the truth related to what you want?
Thinking back to what was shared before, one can thinking of it as a cause and effect relationship. Call it law of attraction, manifestation or karma but if one only speaks the truth, then one day all that emerges from your mouth will only be the truth.
It is hard but with practice, it will become harder and harder to speak things that aren't true. As a human being, I will fail too but I will remember this lesson and try again. Slowly, I noticed more thoughts that will come to mind to guide me to beneficial things as well as thoughts and ideas that come true for myself. Whenever that happens, somehow this lesson comes to mind.
So the next time you face a moral dilemma or a situation that requires a difficult decision, it may help to remember : It may happen immediately or it may take a while but what goes around will come around.