Karma

Karma is a very misunderstood concept in Buddhism. The common conception is that Karma represents some invisible law that punishes the wicked and rewards the good. The ultimate “what goes around comes around” is a pretty flawed way of looking at it. Since this is such a deeply held misconception, let’s have a few examples.

Wrong: Stanley walks into a bar, bumping into Xavier on his way out. He sneers and yells “Watch where you’re going” and slides up to the bar. Soon after his advances are rejected by an exceedingly beautiful woman, Maribel. Charles, who witnessed the whole scene, sneers back at him and says “that’s karma for you.”

This pretty much fits most people’s idea of karma, where one “bad” action is later punished by an unrelated “bad” event. This could not be farther from the truth. Another example.

Melisa strolls into a Saks Fifth Avenue, her heart racing nervously. She strolls past a counter, taking all her will to not look over at the saleswoman hocking jewelry. She takes a few minutes to look at clothing before closing on the perfume counter. She picks up a vial of expensive perfume, turns as though looking at something behind her, and slips it into her pocket. She shops around for a few more moment to make sure no one saw her, and then exits the store; her heart racing with exhilaration at her success.

Conventional wisdom would tell us that Melisa got away scot-free. Lots of karma believers would say that she will pay for it in the end, but the truth is that she has already paid for it. The “consequences” of karmic action are not real-world consequences, nor are they pie-in-the-sky consequences. The karmic consequence of theft is that you are now a thief. Having stolen something intentionally, a person’s concept of law is forever tainted, and theft becomes a viable option in future problem-solving processes.

Karma, which is always “bad,” is related to the attractiveness of the familiar. When theft is familiar, it becomes option number one. The same applies to gambling, lying, or religious justification. In a lot of situations where a conventional religion might simply claim that justice will come in the end, Buddhist karma strikes immediately, and is not by any means justice. Essentially, karma is the negative force that the world struggles against for enlightenment.

Even “good” karma is still ultimately bad. That’s not to say that you should avoid donating to charity, but the motivations need examining. Donating to charity can be an addictive behavior too, keyed to relieve your personal guilt for other actions in your life. Handing over money does not, under any circumstances, make you a better person. If you give for any other reason than the sheer kindness of your heart, you are accumulating bad karma just as much as any common thief. Even saving a life can be little more than an ego-stroking god-complex behavior. Nobody is saying that you shouldn’t save lives, only that you should get over yourself if you do.

A prime example of this is the sometimes neurotic tendencies of career doctors and scientists. No doubt they are doing their level best to help out humanity, but over time they can downright lose their direction. Some do, some don’t.

When someone criticizes someone’s beliefs, takes a pain pill that they don’t really, really need, or artfully dodges a speeding ticket, their problem is not the consequences it may have on them later. The issue is what it does to their character, and remember that karma is just an internal part of a human being, not something enforced by an exterior entity.

The consequence of being rude is simply that you become an asshole, and isn’t that punishment enough?

Photo by Daffydus