Karma & Foreclosures

[Koda]

I hope this is the right section, I am new to all the different Eastern philosophies but generally try to treat others as incarnates of myself... which brings me to my query; buying a foreclosed house.

 

I currently am looking to get my first place. I currently live at home, and have been working from home for the past few years trying to save up enough to either rent or buy a house. The oppurtunities for rental seem like a scam, so much money & time just thrown out the window. I would love to buy a non-foreclosed house, but that is not in the cards, nor will the bank give me a loan. Nor do I want a loan that large...

 

But I have been saving up, and just today I found a local website that sells houses & foreclosed houses for cheap! Some as low as 5,000$, others, in better condition as low as $30,000. Being a business man, this screams at me! BUY BUY BUY! But trying to follow karma, and recently switching to a vegan diet for the very such reason, tells me to be cautious with my actions, as I could in effect be supporting an industry that survives by taking away the house of those who were unfortunate enough to not be able to keep up with the bills. Lots of things can happen, I can't blame these people for irresponsibility, the loss could have been an act of God for all I know.

But I am not directly making them leave their house, but if people were to refuse to buy foreclosed houses, then the banks may be less likely to foreclose on people... Kind of like supporting the meat industry, if no one buys meat, no animals will be slaughtered...

 

So what do I do? Or rather, what would the Buddha recommend? What is karmic? Is there a such thing as a sacrifice to ones karma, to meet ones needs, to be made up at a later time, should purchasing a foreclosed house lead to bad karma?

 

I guess the real question is, am I indirectly hurting anyone by doing this? And if so, could this be made up for, if I put the house to good use, and make up for the hurt by doing more good?

 

Thank you bums!

[Seeker of Wisdom]

If people refused to buy foreclosed houses the banks would still have to foreclose people, since they have to make money - only, less of these houses would be built and owned, as the banks wouldn't be making as much money from this business. Business will always adjust to supply and demand.

 

So I don't think buying a foreclosed house is supporting harming anyone, people who can't afford it are foreclosed anyway - go for it. If anything, this means your parents won't have to house you.

 

It's wonderful that you are trying so hard to do the right thing, most people wouldn't even pause to think about it.

[silent thunder]

Duality involves loss and gain.

The Tao is entirely neutral.

[Koda]

Thanks! My intuition still tells me it is wrong on some level... like buying a knowingly stolen bicycle. I can't just assume the person who it was stolen from had it stolen because of their own karma. I found some houses that I do not believe are being foreclosed on that are only a few thousand more than the foreclosures. I think I might try to get one of those instead.

 

 

silent thunder, although you've barely spoken, your words intrigue me, can you explain?

Edited October 29, 2013 by Koda

[Brian]

Why do you assume a foreclosed-upon house was "stolen?"

[silent thunder]

Thanks! My intuition still tells me it is wrong on some level... like buying a knowingly stolen bicycle. I can't just assume the person who it was stolen from had it stolen because of their own karma. I found some houses that I do not believe are being foreclosed on that are only a few thousand more than the foreclosures. I think I might try to get one of those instead.

 

 

silent thunder, although you've barely spoken, your words intrigue me, can you explain?

I have a tendency to get very wordy, which can be counter-productive to good concise communication of a simple idea; so I often strive to use as few words as possible to explain an idea.

 

My comment that duality involves loss and gain and that the Tao is neutral was meant to convey that there is no need for guilt in this situation (from my perspective reading it here and not knowing you).

 

As we live in this world, the natural conditions form situations where by our perception, we will experience gain and loss according to our actions and reactions and the conditions of life. It is an entirely natural process and whether or not we feel we have gained or lost something is usually created within ourselves and not imposed upon us externally.

 

You experiencing a gain (in buying a house that was foreclosed) is not claiming responsibility for another person's loss. You are experiencing conditions in your life where you have an opportunity that you feel drawn to act upon.

 

The Tao being neutral, treats all as straw dogs (not to say treats them with contempt). The sun shines on the sinner and the saint equally and the rain falls on the murderer and the healer without considering their motives or the results of their actions.

 

When I am blessed enough to be conscious of my intentions and find conditions in life supporting my intention, I am encouraged to pursue that action. In times like these, life often seems effortless as I am moving with the natural flow.

 

Our perception of gain and loss is personally manufactured (barring the intrusive conditioning of parents and society which seems inescapable), but ultimately has little to do with the conditions of life.

 

I would follow my instincts and if I found a great opportunity that fit my intentions, I would express gratitude for the opportunity by taking action and let the guilt drop like a heavy bag of garbage.

 

On a personal note, I've decided to not purchase a house so far in this life, as I enjoy the freedom of renting and having no obligations for upkeep and less drama involved in being attached to a house that I need to improve or protect. That kind of attachment to me, feels more like a prison and stifles me in my daily thought-life. I know many friends who have the opposite experience and find a mortgage and home to give them a sense of freedom through a sense of security.

 

Basically, find where you are comfortable and then occupy that place fully with no guilt, whichever way you go.

 

Life is short.

Worry less.

Live now.

[Koda]

Thank you for the wisdom, that eases my mind quite a bit. No, not a stolen bicycle, I just feel sorry for those who lost their houses due to the predatory nature of the lenders in the past years, which is somewhat like theft. Perhaps my inhibition to purchase such a house is not neccesarally karmic, but other things that are telling me to be cautious with how I proceed, unrelated yet related to my personal life more so.

 

I need to read more of this forum. Does anyone here see 'signs'?

[Brian]

While there have been many cases of unethical lending/foreclosure practices, especially in recent years, most people who have been foreclosed upon had either overextended themselves or met with unforeseen circumstances that put them in an overextended position.

 

Some gas stations sell stolen gas (its part of a current scam). While you may have legitimate karmic or environmental qualms about using gasoline, it probably isn't because the gas might have been stolen, right?

[Koda]

No, I didn't know that. We need gas to survive in this current society though. Even if we do not drive, purchasing things requires the gas to transport them... So much to think about when it comes to our individual & collective footprints! Geeze!

[zanshin]

They give people who are using it as primary residence first chance to get at the low price. It is to help the neighborhood since residents may make better neighbors than investors who will rent the place out. So, I would think if you approach from attitude of being a good neighbor and transforming your home from a negative to a positive spot for the community it would be very good karma for you.

 

I would want to do very good physical and energetic cleansing upon moving in though.

[Koda]

I have lots of white sage I am getting excited about this... hmm maybe time to go speak to my banker about a small loan.