Question:

Is it okay to think negative about someone but not really do any action to hurt them? The negative thought was planted in me by another friend. I keep thinking about the negativity again and again, but I am not doing or saying negative in turn. Do I still create Karma?

Answer:

Yes, of course, you create Karma:

• • just by your agreement to indulge in the negativity,
  • by constantly allowing the mind to wallow in the pus of negativity,
  • by not protecting your mind from negativity,
  • by giving priority to impure thoughts rather than purity,
  • by your intention [devoid of action] of ill-will,

There is a doha/2-liner by S.N. Goenka, the founder of Vipassana. It is originally in Hindi:

Kudrat ka kanoon hai,

is se bacha na koi,

maila man vyakul rahe,

nirmal sukhiya hoe.

In English:

There is a law of Nature

that spares no one.

The impure mind shall by law remain restless.

The pure mind shall by law experience happiness.

When you are young [not in physical age but spiritual age], you do not see this Truth clearly. You see that everyone indulges in negativity and yet have happy pictures on social media so they must be happy. Follow the herd! You suffer through the trials and tribulations of life because of your negativity, relentlessly seeking happiness, that always plays hide & seek with you. You just cannot figure out why you cannot find happiness despite all the chasing & achieving.

Then one fine day, someone more mature [spiritually, may or may not be physically] comes along and shows you the Truth. Truth is – The more impure your mind is, the less happy you will be. Happiness is not in external things/situations/people that you have achieved. It simply lies in the state of ‘non-agitation/non-restlessness/non-feverishness’.

This state of ‘non-agitation/non-restlessness/non-feverishness’ can be attained ONLY BY KEEPING THE MIND PURE AT ALL COSTS. There is no other short-cut. If you still choose to continue with your negativity, go on and suffer some more, maybe that is the only way for your mind to realize and give up its futile search for happiness amidst negativity.

If you are smart enough to get this, then start your journey with the Buddha’s path that emphasizes on VIRTUOUSNESS as a pre-requisite for attaining a peaceful meditative mind. Remind yourself again and again – The state of ‘non-agitation/non-restlessness/non-feverishness’ can be attained ONLY BY KEEPING THE MIND PURE AT ALL COSTS.