Do bad thoughts create bad Karma?

Most of us worry about bad thoughts. We believe that a bad thought is a bad Karma. But this is not true. A bad thought is not a bad Karma. It is only a thought. As long as it does not become an action or Karma, it cannot affect our life. However, there has been so much hype about how bad thoughts can create bad Karma that we believe it. Even though we do not want bad thoughts in our head, we may still have evil thoughts, perhaps out of anger or jealousy. What can we do about it? While there are many ways to control thoughts, to believe bad thought is bad Karma isn't correct. In fact, we should not worry so much about our thoughts. The more we worry about our thoughts and our mind, the more we empower them to control our life. We must learn to control thoughts.

How do we control thoughts? One method is to silence the monkey mind, cut the tail – EY that is Ever Yelling and Ever Yearning and make the monkey into a monk. A simple way to do this is to practice silence and meditation. But you can be sure the monkey mind will continue its monkey tricks and produce bad thoughts. The enlightened ones realize that a bad thought is not bad action, and thus, work towards controlling thoughts that become feelings, and lead us to actions that if left uncontrolled, can become our habits, our character, and our destiny.

Why is a bad thought not so bad? While we cannot control the arrival of a bad thought, we can control it from becoming a bad action. While thoughts create feelings, we can feed our mind with positive emotions to create positive thoughts. While it is good to have positive thoughts and emotions, the Realization of the Truth is a better way to live.

Those who realize that bad thoughts are not bad Karma, work towards reducing their mental junk and make the monkey mind a monk. However, when a bad thought arises, they use their intellect to shoot it down. Every time the intellect shoots down a bad thought, we are strengthening our willpower and making our intellect the master of the mind. Once the thought is shot, it does not become action. If there is no action, then there is no Karma. Then why worry about a bad thought?

Those who Realize the Truth, pay a lot of attention to their power of discrimination and choice of action. While they spend time in meditation to silence the mind and its bad thoughts, they accept the fact that as long as they are alive, their mind, triggered by their senses, can create any bad thought at any time. Being the master of their life, they do not let the thought translate into action and are thus free from bad Karma. A few enlightened ones, go further in their quest and realize that their mind itself is an illusion. In their search for the mind, where it is, they cannot find! This leads them further to the ultimate Realization of who we are — the Divine Soul.