Karma, Nighmares & Reframing the Puzzle of Life Experiences by Gerald W. Vest, LISW/LMT, Community Organizer with National Injured Warrior Alliance (NIWA)
Refuting the erroneous view that "whatsoever fortune or misfortune experienced is all due to some previous action", the Buddha said:
"So, then, according to this view, owing to previous action men will become murderers, thieves, unchaste, liars, slanderers, covetous, malicious and perverts. Thus, for those who fall back on the former deeds as the essential reason, there is neither the desire to do, nor effort to do, nor necessity to do this deed, or abstain from this deed." [link]
I appreciate this article on the "politics of fear" that has put us in the quagmire we are in today. I suspect we also have the politics of ignorance and prejudice, but then, these human inhabitants have always been with us as far back as I can recall. [link]
I question the concept of Karma as most of our soldiers and general population understand it as what comes around, goes around. I took a poll in my trauma groups and most of our Warriors believed that if they kill a child or someone in war, they will also experience a similar loss with their family or friends. Many will put detection devices around their homes and will sleep with one eye open to protect their loved ones. Obviously, this lack of sleep only prolongs their stress, anxiety and depression (PTSd). Furthermore, they are given sleep meds that rarely work and several dangerous antipsychotic drugs are added to their treatment by the sick care system & network.
I suggest to my injured warriors that Karma only continues to haunt them because they have not learned from their life or War experiences that Nature is always teaching us without judgment and if we are not mindful or aware of this opportunity, we will continue to suffer. Thus, we must work to discover the Truth-Laws of Nature behind the trauma events. Together we will discover, reframe and resolve this fear and belief, put our lives and relationships into a new context, and observe and witness reality as it truly exists while our life experiences unfold. [link]
At first, this experience of reframing is like putting a puzzle together while not having all of the parts to complete our program or project. It's interesting to me that durng the soldier's expressive arts session, many warriors will work on very complex puzzles and it never fails, someone will take a piece out of it, usually in the middle, to represent that it will not be fully completed. However, it can be completed enough so we can clearly witness or see the gestalt and clarify, transform and learn from every experience--without judgment.
Furthermore, I have observed many warriors transcend and transform these missing links once they reframe and learn that they are not responsible for their brothers and sisters losing their lives and it is only their beliefs keeping their Egos in the State of Fear. Breaking the illusion of fear is a great video to share with our injured warriors, families and friends. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SipVykiE6mY&;feature=youtu.be