ASC and attracting married women

[Shannon]

But it seems to me that karma is always a "bad" consequence. I mean, what about good ones? What about people who are born into wealth and luxury? A reward? I don't like that way of thinking because it hinders you from further aspiring to greatness. It suggests that the material realm (this world) is something of merit in that it can be rewarding or not. Whereas I believe that everything is insignificant compared to the universe (god) or, as I like to call it, our true self.

Being born into wealth and luxury is something that allows one to experience things from that point of view. It might be a reward, a life of play and rest instead of learning, or maybe there is a lesson to be learned in it. I have seen a lot of people born into wealth suffer because they have no real understanding of the value of love, or what love really is. They think everything has a price, and no idea how to get something that only works when it's given away - like love. In this sense, it can be a curse and a very difficult and painful lesson. It may also be intended to teach the person that the truly valuable and important things in life are not money or things or wealth, but trust, love, gratitude and the other things that lead to genuine happiness and fulfillment.

People who are born into the lap of luxury surely have the choice to aspire to greatness in any way they wish, as Siddhartha did and many others have as well.

Karma can reward as well as make you suffer. When you take the initiative to learn a lesson before being forced to, when the time comes that you would otherwise be forced to, you would be rewarded instead. There is nothing there to learn, so the scales are flipped and instead of suffering, you would be able to benefit.

In one way, there is no difference in the significance of anything, in my view, because ultimately, all things are united. There is no separation. The separation is an illusion created to focus our attention in specific directions so we can learn.

In another way, significance depends on what we are focused on and trying to learn. The material world is intended to act as a stage upon which we learn to be truly wise. How rewarding it is, or not, depends on what you are looking to gain from experiencing it and whether or not you do what it takes. It is always up to the individual as to how important a lifetime is toward their ultimate learning goals (sometimes you just need to take a break and have fun), and how seriously they apply themselves to doing what is necessary to achieve their stated goals each time.