It's also worth reminding yourself that people who aren't happy are not that way out of a deliberate first choice - The 'New Agers' have got it wrong there. Instead, samsara as a whole is characterised by the false belief that conditions are in and of themselves the causes of happiness or suffering, and the human realm (in particular) features a further irrational belief that the mere absence or deviation of positive conditions observed elsewhere constitutes a negative set of conditions. Thus, a being who observes that most of his or her conditions (and/or absences/variations of conditions) are generally considered to result in suffering may inadvertently choose suffering (and therefore negative actions of mind) by grasping onto other conditions (generally considered to result in happiness) that are not currently-ripening effects of that being's past karma. Conversely, if a being finds potential positive conditions beginning to ripen, then he or she may perform negative actions of body'or of speech out of impatience.Johnny Dangerous wrote:Padma, you are lucky to wake up happy, or have the good karma for it, or whatever.
@Padma: What I've read elsewhere seems to supports a view that your repeated take on positive and negative karma relates more to merit and enlightenment -the cessation of karma- than to karma itself. A focus on one's negative or "missing" conditions would seem to result from a prime motivator for negative actions (the ignorant grasping of reified conditions as bringing happiness or suffering to a reified self) and lead to a greater risk of performing those actions, rather than being the heinous and blameworthy Original Sin that you appear to me to view it as. There's probably a misunderstanding, but perhaps your greater experience of happiness is reflected in your emphases.
While many people atleast claim, conversely, to disregard negatives in favour of positives, these are often those with either fewer negative conditions or less insight into their negative conditions (partial knowledge being a dangerous thing), rather than beings who find that their level of positive conditioning is well below average for their environment and who -through dharma practice and realisation- rightly treat that fact as inconsequential.