Yes, I definitely believe in it.
First, let's look at what we did in this life to encounter others who treat us poorly. How did we get into this situation? What did we do that aggravated the other person and made him act this way towards us? We must be very honest with ourselves. Maybe we really weren't so innocent. Maybe we were trying to manipulate the other person and he didn't fall for it. He got upset and so we play hurt and offended. But in fact, our own behaviour brought the situation about.
By being introspective, we'll notice our faults and can correct them. The we won't find ourselves in such unpleasant situations in the future.
This means we take responsibility for being in that situation, regardless of whether or not the other person is making an indue fuss. By acknowledging our mistakes or wrong motivations, we'll become aware of how our behaviour affects other people. By avoiding destructive behaviour in the future, we won't activate others to harm us.
That's looking at what we did in this lifetime to trigger the event. Let's now look from a broader viewpoint, over the course of many lifetimes. This brings in the topic of karma, which is the intentional actions. Our actions leave imprints on our consciousness. These imprints later ripen and influence our experiences.
What we experiences now is a result of what we have done in previous lifetimes...I can tell that not many of you who are reading this believe in this isn't it? Let's say someone is beating is, this signifies that in previous lives we have harmed others. To experience that effect now, we must have done something previously. Karma- action and its result is like a boomerang. We throw it out and it comes back to us. Similarly, if we treat others in a certain way, we put that energy into the universe- and it comes back to us later.
Understanding this allows us to accept responsibility for the situation.
