Dharma, Karma and one’s individual Heaven and Hell

 From my study of Sanatan scriptures, this is the pithy summary of dharma and karma:

1. Dharma is the scale of measure to decide whether an ‘action’ is right or wrong. 
   
2. A ‘thought’ can also be evaluated similarly as actions using dharma but carry much much less weightage as it remains at a different plane (mental) than action (which is physical).
3. A ‘word’ is closer to ‘action’ than ‘thought’ and is also aligned to right or wrong based on dharma. But it’s weightage is comparatively lesser than action.
4. Karma is accrued to an individual from her thoughts, words, and actions; for the good ones the person accrues good karma, and she accrues bad karma for the bad ones. Good and bad karma do not get mutually cancelled; rather both good and bad karma remain accrued in one individual’s account to be annulled by their ‘consequence’.
5. Heaven and hell are not places one goes to after death; they are states of our existence right here in the current life as a consequence for good and bad karma respectively.
6. One goes to these states based on two things - one’s karmic account in the current life and residual remnants of unsettled karma from past lives.

Based on the above paradigm, each of us can assess our thoughts, words and actions in this life, and get an idea of our karmic account accrued therefrom. As one is unaware of karmic account of past lives, it is best to not bother about it but have that understanding in the back of one’s mind to make sense of fortune and misfortune that occurs irrelevant to one’s thoughts, words and actions in the current life.

It is completely pointless to focus on others’ karmic accounts; the only thing it achieves is making one oblivious of one’s current state of existence (heavenish or hellish) leading to continued lack of understanding of the concept of dharma and karma, and perpetuating the cycle of rebirth for one’s SELF. 

Remaining focused only on one’s own karmic account takes one to higher levels of awareness where one starts to recognize one’s state of existence (heavenish or hellish), and one tries to reduce bad karma by internalizing dharma. 

How do you assess your karmic account? While you analyze, remember to focus ONLY ON YOURSELF:

1.  Can you truthfully, dispassionately and objectively summarize the rights and wrongs in your thoughts, words and actions using a dharmic scale?
2. Can you associate your states of existence in your life thus far to the accumulated good and bad karma in your karmic account from your right and wrong thoughts, words and actions?
3. Do you find more heavenish or hellish experiences in your life thus far? 
4. Take a moment to take ownership for your state of existence thus far.
5. Acknowledge that the control on your quality of life lies in your own hands in terms of your thoughts, words and actions. 
6. Proceed with caution to make a positive difference to your thoughts, words and actions form this moment onward, and become proficient in using the dharmic scale to assess each thought, word and action.
7. If your quality of life remains hellish, leave it as it is while understanding that it is a consequence of your past karma.