The Law of Karma Is Always Fair (English Version)

By Benjawan Poomsan Becker

Revenge! Don’t worry about revenge. Karma will do a far better job at revenge than you could ever do.
This book will teach you how karma works.
"The Law of Karma Is Always Fair" is a work of fiction written by a bestselling author Benjawan Poomsan, a Thai writer who is also a translator and interpreter.

Benjawan is living in the San Francisco Bay Area, California. She is originally from Yasothon Province, Thailand. After working on thousands of legal cases as a Thai and Lao interpreter for over 20 years, she came to realize that people are able to bend, and even ignore the laws of the society for their own benefits. On the other hand, she also realized that, sooner or later, it is never possible to escape the law of karma.

Using the U.S. court system as a background, she tells a number of stories from the perspective of an interpreter, featuring characters that go through physical and emotional traumas, as they serve their time on the Wheel of Karma.

This book of fiction is written especially for readers who are interested in
- The life of Thai immigrants in the U.S.
- Thai-Western relationships
- The law of karma
- The work of legal interpreters and the U.S. legal system
- Time travel, past lives and parallel worlds
- An informative, didactic and compelling book

After reading it, you will understand that you don't have to get back at anyone. Karma will do the job for you.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Benjawan Poomsan Becker
• Release date: Sep 7, 2019
• ISBN: 9781887521949

Benjawan Poomsan Becker

Benjawan Poomsan Becker was born in Bangkok and spent her childhood in Yasothon, a small province in Northeast Thailand. Her family is ethnic Laotian, so she grew up speaking both Thai and Lao. She recevied a B.A. in English with first class honor from Khon Kaen University, Thailand. While obtaining her M.A. in Japan, she gained extensive experience teaching Thai to foreigners at the Japan Thailand Trade Association and the Berlitz Language School. In the United States, she taught Thai language at Stanford University, at several Thai temples, and in private classes. She operated a successful Thai and Lao translation business and is a registered Thai and Lao court interpreter in the state of California. She now resides in Berkeley, California where she continues to write and publish the leading learning books on the Thai and Lao languages.

Book preview

The Law of Society May Not be Fair…But

THE LAW OF KARMA IS ALWAYS FAIR

กฎหมายอาจไม่ยุติธรรม แต่กฎแห่งกรรมยุติธรรมเสมอ

Copyright ©2019 by Paiboon Publishing

Written and Translated by Benjawan Poomsan

Printed in Thailand

All rights reserved สงวนลิขสิทธิ์

We believe that the reader of this book understands that the karma of pirating intellectual property could result in civil and criminal penalty and bad karma.

Paiboon Publishing

PMB 256, 1442A Walnut Street

Berkeley, California 94709 USA

Email: [e-mail]

Website: www.paiboonpublishing.com

Cover design by Natawoot Chastanachai

Graphic design by Adissapong Praphantanathorn

English Version Edited by Nicholas Terlecky and Rich Baker

English Version Proofread by Katherine Lamyong Rickert

ISBN: 978-1887521-91-8

This book is a work of fiction. It is not a substitute for advice from a knowledgeable lawyer, doctor, financial adviser, or other trained professional. Paiboon Publishing and its author accept no responsibility for any loss, injury, dispute, or inconvenience caused by using this book.

To my mother, my father, my gurus, Nicholas and my fellow translators

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Title Page

Introduction

Chapter 1: Beyond Our Radar Screen

Chapter 2: Sleeping With The Enemy

Chapter 3: The Scapegoat

Chapter 4: I Really Love You, But…

Chapter 5: Payback Time

Chapter 6: Wrong Speech

Chapter 7: Shackles

Chapter 8: What Goes Around Comes Around

Chapter 9: The Other Dimensions

Chapter 10: Parallel Worlds

Chapter 11: End Of Suffering

Glossary

List Of Characters

Thai & Lao Language Services

INTRODUCTION

As an interpreter in court cases, I have come to realize that people are able to bend and even ignore the laws of society for their own benefit. I have also come to realize that it is never possible to avoid the law of karma. This book is the result of my years of working as an interpreter in legal cases, and my renewed interest in Buddhist dharma – the teachings of Lord Buddha.

These short stories feature people who live through physical and emotional trauma along their life journey on the Wheel of Karma. With the U.S. court system as the background, we follow the current, past, and alternate lives of interesting characters. We find out how the choices they have made affect their current observable universe, and how these choices create parallel universes.

We travel, using supernatural powers, with our special guide, Kanjana, to explore multiple dimensions, reincarnations, and pastlife revelations. Along the way, we see how the American legal system operates, in cases of defamation, exploitation of restaurant workers, domestic abuse, marriage fraud, prenuptial agreements, juvenile detention, murder, sexual harassment and other situations, seen firsthand by this Thai interpreter.

Although the supernatural experiences described in this book are fictional, and the characters are each an amalgamation of a number of people, the legal settings and procedures described, including the work of an interpreter, are the same as they would be in real life. This book will provide insight into the lives of Thai people in America, the situations they find themselves in, and the difficult decisions they need to make.

I’m ethnic Laotian Thai, born in Bangkok and raised in the northeast of Thailand near the border with Laos. I am trilingual, able to communicate proficiently in Lao, Thai, and English.

My love of the English language was so intense that it became my college major when I received my bachelor’s degree from Khon Kaen University, Thailand. I could read, write, and speak English well when I moved to the U.S. in 1994 to marry my American husband.

My love of the English language was so intense that it became my college major when I received my bachelor’s degree from Khon Kaen University, Thailand. I could read, write, and speak English well when I moved to the U.S. in 1994 to marry my American husband.

Along with millions of other immigrants, I moved to the U.S. to seek a better life, and to pursue the American dream.

I love living in the U.S. because of its freedom of expression, equal opportunities for people to advance, the right to vote, to run for office, and non-discrimination when applying for jobs. People are also free to marry, regardless of their sexual orientation. The laws are applied more strictly than in Thailand, and I like the concept that no one is above the law.

When I first came to the U.S., I believed that all Americans were intelligent and happy, and that they were rich and enjoyed a comfortable lifestyle. I quickly realized that I was wearing rose-colored glasses. Some of the Americans I met were just as unhappy as some of the Thai people back home, even though they lived in the land of plenty.

After only one year living in the U.S., I passed a vigorous exam and became a registered interpreter with the Judicial Council of California, in both the Thai and Lao languages. I have worked extensively as a legal and medical interpreter for the last 24 years. Because there are few, if any, Thai and Lao language interpreters in many of the counties in California, or the neighboring states, I have the opportunity to travel and interpret in a variety of cases, in both civil and criminal matters. I also interpret in conferences and take assignments from governmental agencies.

In law offices, jails, clinics, and hospitals, I have seen how people, both rich and poor, suffer because of their problems, and I have seen faces filled with worry, anger, and sorrow. My work often involves people who are afflicted with physical and mental illnesses.

As a result of these contacts with my clients and their feelings of desperation and hopelessness, I gradually absorbed the pain and distress they experienced, as vicarious trauma. I also realized that my personal life was being negatively affected because of my career choice, even though I love being an interpreter. This, along with other issues in my personal life, caused me to have feelings of hopelessness and depression. I realized that I would have to do something about it.

During my own struggles with this negativity, I noticed that many of my American friends and my fellow Thai immigrants were not truly happy. Many Thai people come to the U.S. with dreams of becoming wealthy from their restaurant businesses, not understanding that wealth does not equal happiness. Some Thai women marry rich American men, but end up being abused and forced to live according to the whims and desires of their husbands.

I began a quest for real happiness in my life, and to heal myself physically, mentally, and spiritually. I sought numerous ways to find the answers, such as talking to a fortune teller and a psychologist, attending the Thai temple, going to a church, hanging out with my Thai friends, and reading many books, but nothing seemed to help.

Three years ago, after numerous dead ends, I found the answers to my questions in the teachings of Lord Buddha, when I finally came to understood about dharma and karma. As my husband would say, I became a born-again Buddhist.

Although more than 90 percent of the people in Thailand identify as belonging to the Theravada school of Buddhism, not all Thais understand and practice the teachings of Lord Buddha.

When I was young, I avoided going to the temple because I was not fond of the ceremonies and rituals, and I didn’t understand the chanting, which was not in Thai. It wasn’t that I was against it; I just didn’t have a strong feeling for the ritual. I also was not fond of the fact that people would go to the temple to ask for wealth, good luck, and winning lottery numbers. Many Buddhist ceremonies and rituals are actually Brahman. Thai Buddhism includes elements of animism, which was ingrained into Thai culture long before Buddhism arrived in Southeast Asia.

I saw the ritual, but did not understand the dharma and the teachings. There is a Thai saying, "You see suffering, you see dharma." That’s absolutely true. When I experienced suffering, and saw people suffering around me, I decided to scrutinize the teachings of Lord Buddha.

In addition to tending to the spiritual needs of people, most Thai temples overseas serve many purposes. They are gathering places for social activities, teaching and learning, especially about Thai culture and the Thai language. I attend events and socialize at local temples here in the U.S., and I also do volunteer work. It was at these temples and monasteries that I met my gurus, who have provided me with guidance and enlightenment on the law of karma.

My inspiration for writing this book came from my study of dharma.

Dharma can be summarized as two things: dukkha and the cessation of dukkha. The word dukkha can be translated as suffering – the suffering of the body and mind. But it also means a chronic sense of incompleteness of experience or, in other words, a lack of true happiness.

I found myself happier after I started to understand the Four Noble Truths and the law of karma. I started to practice makka, the path to the cessation of suffering. Now I understand that the law of karma is always fair, just, and does not discriminate.

Karma means action – an intention, or the moral dimension of the law of cause and effect – and is seen as bringing upon oneself inevitable results, good or bad, either in this life, or in the next life. These actions relate to anything we say, do, feel, and think. Karma also influences what we say, do, feel, and think. In short, good actions equate to good results, and bad actions equate to bad results.

The results of karma, whether good or bad, may or may not manifest right away. It may happen in the same lifetime, or in a future life. We may even receive both positive and negative reactions at the same time. I will explain and give many examples of the law of karma in the pages of this book.

This is my favorite quote about the law of karma:

You harm yourself as dust thrown against the wind comes back to the thrower. – Lord Buddha

These are some quotes describing karma.

As you sow, so shall you reap.

What goes around comes around.

Karma is the law of cause and effect.

The mind is programmed by karma; bad programming will lead to bad life experiences.

The full title of this book is The Law of Society May Not Be Fair But, The Law of Karma Is Always Fair because, working as a legal interpreter, I have seen many injustices perpetrated under the laws of society. I have seen people being dishonest, and cheat by hook or by crook, under the laws of society – and get away with it. In this book, I will tell stories of karma from the perspective of a legal interpreter. I will also tell stories that people can relate to in their own personal experiences, and how the law of karma is always fair, even if you circumvent the laws of society.

As I have noted previously, the supernatural experiences described in this book are fictional, and the characters are each an amalgamation of a number of people. None of the stories are directly from cases in which I have served as an interpreter. All of the names and settings are imaginary, and do not depict real people. Any similarity to a name, character, or history of any entity or person is entirely unintentional and coincidental. I chose the San Francisco Bay Area as the location of my stories, because I live here and it is the most familiar place to me in America.

This book is written for entertainment but, ultimately, it is also meant to be educational and didactic. Although it is written for Thais living in America and Thailand who are interested in the subject matter, I hope others will find it interesting to learn about the life of Thai immigrants and the law of karma.

I hope you will enjoy reading the book as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Benjawan Poomsan

May 2019

CHAPTER 1

BEYOND OUR RADAR SCREEN

There is a saying in Thai that we are a frog in a coconut shell because we have a limited understanding of the possibilities in life. Even after working in thousands of legal cases, it took me a long time to get out of my coconut shell. I finally realized that my knowledge of the universe was minuscule. I learned that the universe has infinite possibilities and that everything is connected and, most of all, that the law of karma does exist.

That’s not fair to me! I’m going to fight the case.

You will hear from my lawyer soon. I’ll see you in court!

I will get back at you, no matter how much it costs me.

I hope that he will be damned and totally screwed.

It’s my mistake; I should not have married him.

No matter how many years have passed, I still hear the same statements over and over uttered by Thai people whom I interpret for in legal matters in the United States. People that end up in court are filled with emotional distress. Therefore, I’m constantly exposed to their pain and resentment, their desire for vengeance, their sadness, hatred, feelings of inferiority, and other negative emotions.

Virtually everyone who goes to court or experiences litigation, either civil or criminal, complains that either the judgment was unfair or the law is not fair, when the ruling did not go in their favor or according to their expectations.

Their emotions are intense and even excessive, but they are genuine. I see, hear, and experience their emotions and what they want to convey, and over the years the accumulation of all this negative energy affected me dramatically. I started to suffer along with these people. Some cases were so intense that the emotions lingered in me for years.

I sometimes wondered why Thai people who have traveled halfway across the globe to the U.S. to make a living or to settle down with their families in the land of plenty had to face such difficulties. If they knew it was going to be that bad, they would have been better off not leaving home. Thailand is a great country where there is an abundance of food, and most people are able to live comfortably if they work diligently, are frugal, and do not live ostentatiously.

I realized that I was getting as depressed as my clients, just by interpreting for them. Consequently, I looked for ways to alleviate these stressful feelings. I wanted to know how I could totally rid myself of them.

I read many books and consulted knowledgeable professionals, but did not get answers that were actually helpful to me. I found that the professionals I consulted were filled with their own troubles.

Well, where there is a will, there is a way. Finally, I found two people who were able to help me eradicate the negative emotions and thoughts that had taken over my soul, and to have these emotions removed permanently. They taught me how to release the undesirable feelings that I absorbed as a result of my work. This knowledge eventually allowed me to escape out of the coconut shell.

My first guide took me through different dimensions and helped me understand the law of karma thoroughly, and instilled in me the will to not do any bad deeds anymore.

One day, on Facebook, I saw a link, written in Thai, that a friend of mine had shared. Are you sure you cannot go back in time and correct your mistakes? You can, if you stand out of time. I can take you there.

This instantly caught my attention, so I checked this person’s personal page to read her other posts.

I can heal any wounds in your heart - the wound that you have now or any other lifetime.

Traveling through dimensions, with a high level of spirituality can be automatic, and for some people, can be done without meditation.

In a higher world, when you look down to see what happens on earth, you don’t judge. For you there is no right or wrong.

No experiences are bad. They are equally just as good because you will learn from them and keep learning until you get it.

This person’s words were like medicine for my heart. I spent many more hours reading her posts and comments online. However, not everyone appreciated what she had written.