Is telling someone that 'their karma will get them' a threat?

[Feanorcurufinwe]

[JohnKleeb]

1. other- dont know

gimme the context.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

3. The context

would be criticizing someone's actions, and telling them that eventually their karma will catch up with them.

For example, if I were to say George Bush is a liar who will eventually be brought down by his own lies -- did I threaten the President?

[JohnKleeb]

6. not really a threat, just sayin

keep it up, you will get what is comin.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

2. its kinda like telling someone that they will go to hell

plus karma does not work like that

[Feanorcurufinwe]

5. Doesn't work like what?

I understand karma to be "for every event that occurs, there will follow another event whose existence was caused by the first, and this second event will be pleasant or unpleasant according as its cause was skillful or unskillful."

[La Lioness Priyanka]

8. yes but ones karma is tied up with the karma of the particular

society and the times in general...so our karma is tied up in bushs karma...thereby i cant threaten bush with his karma..it isnt as simple as YOUR karma..and MY karma

[kiahzero]

16. Technically, no

In Hindu tradition, karma is always bad, and never pleasant. "Good karma" is nonexistant.

Karma is literally translated as action, and the goal of Hinduism (at least the variant that I studied) is to have yoga (discipline) to stop acting and therefore be free of samsara.

[VelmaD]

4. Depends on how you tell them

I've seen people try to use that kind of statement as a threat. I think maybe they need to focus on their own karma instead of other people's.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

7. Does predicting

that something bad will happen to someone because of their own actions constitute a threat?

Wouldn't a threat have to involve the person uttering it performing or causing some action?

[VelmaD]

17. From reading your other posts in this thread...

it seems like you want a blanket statement of absolution...to be told that "No" it is not a threat...and none of us can do that without knowing the totality of the situation. The fact that you are at least asking about it and thinking about it speaks well for you though.

It may well be that the person you were talking to was merely reacting out of defensiveness. It may be a situation where they felt threatened even through that was not your intention. However, you may also have been speaking to them from a place of irritation or anger with them over their behavior and could have been more forceful than you thought when you said it...which might have led to the perception of a threat. Those are just a couple of possibilities off the top of my head.

Like I said, that you are thinking about what happened is good for your own karma. And that's what we should all be worried about...our own karma.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

18. I'll give you a hint --

whenever you think you know what I'm thinking, and it's not what I said, you're probably wrong.


I don't believe in absolution. I don't want a blanket statement of absolution. I just wanted to know what other DUers thought about this question.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

9. Why are you asking?

I think it depends on the manner in which the statement is delivered and how many other things the individual has said.

I also think that if someone tells someone that karma will get them but has a history of predatory behavior with the individual it takes on a quite different meaning than if for instance an Indian Sikh expresses to a student of hinduism that karma will be with them.

Mark David Chapman and John Hinkley made some similar comments regarding Lennon and Jodie Foster and they weren't attempting to be spiritual advisors as history proved so...context matters.

As far as predicting something bad will happen to a person...one can predict then cause it to come true...so yes, it CAN be a threat when combined with the totality of one's actions.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

12. Because

I told someone that eventually their actions would rebound to them and they would learn that all our actions have consequences, and they accused me of threatening them.

Obviously, as you state, if I had some kind of 'history of predatory behavior' with that person, it could be seen as a threat. I'm not talking about that, I'm talking about simply telling someone they can't escape their karma.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

14. I had someone say that to me but their actions do amount to predatory

behavior..

If you said that to someone and do have a history of seeking their personal information and sending them other threatening notes after they have asked you to leave them alone, then yes it could be construed as a threat. When viewed in context, many statements can be considered threats that otherwise wouldn't.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

15. Yeah you said that already

obviously if someone has a history of threatening behavior, it's a different story.

[cliss]

10. No, unless you plan to be a part of

that karma.

[freetobegay]

11. The masked bashing I have seen here recently

Seems like talking about their Karma would be nothing

[mouse7]

13. You might want to use "what comes around, goes around" instead

It's the same concept. The "what comes around..." is better understood by everyone in this society. Some freepers might think "Karma is gonna get them" is a threat to run someone over with a Korean manufactured sub-compact.

[Moderator]

19. Locking.

Please take this up with the Administrators. Thank you.