As you sow so shall you reap

One of the biggest realizations in my studies of spirituality and religion is in the understanding of Law of Karma, “As you sow so shall you reap”.

The simplest understanding of the law is:
Whatever you focus on grows.

In other words,
Whatever you think about, you attract in your life.

This is also called Power of Thoughts and The Law of Attraction.

How do you sow?
By paying attention or directing your consciousness (towards a thing/aspect of a thing/situation/circumstance/person).

How do you reap?
In terms of circumstances in your life, including opportunities in life, what kind of people you meet, how those people react to you etc.

In simple terms, it means that if you focus on positive things, you’ll reap positive circumstances in life. And if you focus on negative things, you’ll attract negative circumstances in life.

I somehow believed that all the teachings of religions are for our own benefit. And Gurbani very strongly preaches inculcation of virtues and abdication of vices. In the light of this understanding of the Karmic law,it is easy to see the message of Gurbani is for own benefit. Gurbani says:

Be compassionate with others.
Love others while ignoring their wrongdoings.
Don’t slander.
Speak sweetly and humbly with others.
Don’t be angry at others.
Be respectful of others.

Inculcation of these virtues are for our own benefit because we are going to reap what we sow. Obviously, we’ll benefit others (who will come in touch with us) when we inculcate these virtues. Therefore, this understanding of the law also tells us that all benefits are mutual/universal. No true benefit can happen at the cost of another person.

Another biggest revelation coming out of this understanding of the Karmic law is:
If you focus on things that you have, you attract wealth and abundance in life.
If you focus on things that you don’t have, you attract scarcity in life.
If you focus on positive aspects of the people, you attract positive people and positive behavior from people.
If you focus on negative aspects of the people, you attract negative people and negative behavior from people.

Therefore, gratitude is one of the easiest ways to attract abundance in life. Instead of focusing on problems in life, focusing on the good things in life will serve us much more. Therefore, it is said that “get yourself out of your own way”. By focusing overly on the problems, we don’t solve them, rather make them stay.

This law is universal and impacts all aspects of our life.The law has been emphasized in Gurbani, Bhagvad Gita, Buddhism, and many other spiritual and religious systems.

This is how life works. Let’s use this understanding for our own benefit.