Karma and sexual orientation

Charles Shahar explains how our sanskaras the mental impressions from our past lives—can determine our sexual preferences and behaviour in our present life

- Charles Shahar

One of the key elements of most Eastern philosophies is the concept of karma, and by extension, the process of reincarnation. Applying these concepts to sexual identification and orientation is a fascinating topic that may shed light on the LGBTQ community in ways that very few people consider.

First, let’s examine the concept of karma and its impact more closely. What is karma? Basically, it can be described as the law of cause and effect. Your actions in past incarnations impact your current dispositions and conditions. This influence may be subtle or direct, depending on the intensity of your past life experiences. It is perhaps surprising for some people to know that much of our personality and the choices we make in life are influenced by karmic predispositions.

According to Eastern philosophy, we have all incarnated many times before. Previous to our human incarnations, we lived an earthly life as lower forms of consciousness, such as plants and animals. With each incarnation, our consciousness has evolved, and it is still evolving. Each lifetime brings new lessons and insights. In each lifetime, we have special work to do.

Every significant person in your life represents a karmic connection. You usually have a karmic link with your parents, children, significant relatives and friends, important teachers, and so on. You may also have it with a business partner or a next-door neighbour. Not only do you have a karmic link with them, but your connection continues to evolve. Thus, you may be perpetuating karmic trends started in a past life or, perhaps, starting new ones in this lifetime.