10 Ways to Build Good Karma

You can't escape from your karma. It's always with you and you're the only person who is responsible for it. All negative things that happen to you usually come from delusions or resistance. Good things happen only if your actions make others benefit.

Of course, there are lots of ways to build good karma. Many of them are religious, like reading mantras, reciting names of the 35 Buddhas or writing sutras in gold ink in a special book. But if you're not a Buddhist, then you can follow other principles, that are more secular, and practice them everyday.

#1 Forgive. We're upset with many people and things in our live, but living with negative thoughts brings us only more negative events. Forgive people for the bad things they once did to you. It will help you spread good karma.

#2 Follow the rule of three R's. It's a very simple and at the same time powerful way to get good karma. Always Respect yourself, Respect others and be Responsible for all your actions.

#3 Don't be upset, if you don't get what you want. Good things shouldn't happen to you everytime you do something beneficial for others. Don't expect your karma “work” immediately. And if you don't get what you want, then it's just a wonderful stroke of luck.

#4 Take care of the earth. Our planet is our home, and by taking care of nature and every living being you build good karma. Don't direct your good actions to people only, everything around you deserves to be treated well.

#5 Practice compassion. Compassion is a very powerful virtue and practicing will make others happy. By the way, practicing compassion will also make you happy.

#6 Make your neighborhood clean. If you see some litter in your neighborhood, then pick it up. Don't wait till cleaners do it for you. Making the neighborhood cleaner, especially if it's park or woods, will make our planet healthier.

#7 Pray. You don't have to learn Buddhist mantras to pray. Prayer may come in any words, but it must be directed to something good. Don't pray for something that you need, instead of it pray for every single creature on our planet. Do it as often as possible, and even now.

#8 Don't lie. Every person usually lies at least 7 times a day. Try to spend as many days as possible without uttering lie.

#9 Help people. Whenever someone asks you for help, agree. You can also offer your help to people who don't ask for it. For instance, help someone cross the road today or any day. Old ladies would really appreciate it. In fact, you can find many people around you who might need your help.

#10 Repeat the same good action. Repetition is a good way to build powerful karma. So if you want to have good karma, repeat some good action as many times as possible. Beware of repeating bad actions, because they also build karma, but it'll be negative one.