When will we ever have an answer to the phrase

 “What is Karma?”  Not until I find an answer for whether or not it was it Karma or a pure act of  randomness that left my skull beaten and bloody on a Saturday morning surf sesh? What was it that sent me to urgent care as soon as the waves started delivering? Karma or randomness, that ended me up with a couple staples in my head and the news of being out of the water for 10 days. Was this an ancient Buddhist tradition or disloyalty that made me a believer in “what goes around comes around?

After researching the ancient tradition of Karma, I’ve come to terms with myself and completely blame myself for the event that transpired that last Saturday morning. The Saturday morning that started off so great; Breakfast, coffee and good weather was all I needed to enjoy the morning. The only thing missing was a little surf session. Driving towards the open ocean, the only thing that was coming to mind was how refreshing and meditational this early morning sesh would be. The waves weren’t too big and the water was nice and warm. Perfect combination for a minor hangover accumulated from work the night before. It was just about to reach high tide and the sets were giving it their best. The waves were giving themselves enough time for one or two turns until heaving themselves onto the two foot deep shoreline. It should have made for a fun, and possibly, board breaking day.

Twenty minutes into the paddle out, a set wave started forming and I’m already seeing my “wave of the day.” I got my two turns in and, instant prediction, as the wave threw itself onto the sand heaving me forward towards the shallow depths below. Except, this time something went wrong and I lost my balance, flying awkwardly. Laughing while airborne I didn’t expect what was about to go down. A blow to the back of my head so intensified that it left me seeing stars. For a split second in my mind I was riding unicorns on an ancient marry-go-round in an 18^th century medieval renaissance fair.

“What the hell was that?” I bellowed.

My board had hit the back of my head. Not the type of blow that you just shake off when you’re done. But the type that leaves you wondering, “am I really ok? Or did I just fuck myself” Trying to be the free spirited, free-willed person that I am I tried to shake it off. While paddling back out the blood started dripping down my neck and down my arm and I knew that instant, “Karma!”

According to the tradition Buddhist doctrine, the ancient theory says, “In this world nothing happens to a person that he [or she] does not for some reason or other deserve.” ²  Had I deserved this? Had I deserved a blunt force trauma to my head and the humiliation of a soon to be nice sized bald impression on the back of my skull? I couldn’t describe the events that had just accumulated. I go through life priding myself on the fact of being a good person. I’m the “nice guy” that lends a helping hand or a piece of advice when needed. But then again last night, it finally hit me how this minor confusion made its way into my reality. At work, the night before, I was talking shit about some guys in the bar. Not directly too them, obviously, a nice guy wouldn’t do this, but to myself under my breath. The reasoning behind my rudeness is that they were chatting it up about surfing, when it was clear that none of them had ever tried a layback snap, or a cutback, or even a turn, at that, let alone landed one.  They proceeded to talk about how they borrowed friend’s boards to surf, and how they love surfing on their days off. These guys are the soul reasoning behind most of my frustration on chaotic Saturday and Sunday mornings. Then out of nowhere one of them mentioned something that was hard to bare.

“I don’t get why surfer’s get so much credit for what they do anyways! I mean it’s not like it’s a dangerous sport. You can’t even get injured surfing.”

I felt like running up to the guy and shaking the bullshit right out of his skinny little clean cut head, but I was afraid of messing up the pink polo that he and two of his other colleges were wearing. So the under-the-breath murmuring continued. And this is where Karma’s saying, “In one sense, we are the result of what we are.” ² Up to that point I was the result of all my good deeds and good intentions. That was Friday night, and Saturday morning I had fallen victim to this wonderful theory of Karma.

Got to love it, without it we would be so humble.

So the next time you snake someone,  whether in water, land, or snow,  think of this story and think of what is to come if you just so happen to make the wrong decision. And definitely make sure it’s not me that you’re snaking because I am firsthand experience that Karma takes full effect in this insanely cynical world that we live in today.                

Notes

² Sayadaw, Mahasi. "Basic Buddhism: The Theory of Karma." BuddhaNet - Worldwide Buddhist Information and Education Network. 2008. Web. 09 Oct. 2009.<http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/karma.htm>.