Karma I

Karma can be a slippery subject and somewhat difficult to elucidate. So, first let me try to address the idea of past and future lifetimes, because a basic understanding of this is essential to a discussion of karma as the Buddha taught it.

Let me start off by saying that the more life experience I gain, the more things fall into the category of those that I neither believe nor disbelieve. Ghosts, UFOs, the efficacy of prayer, and past and future lives all fall into this group. For one thing, some perfectly reasonable people seem to have strong faith in these, which makes them more difficult to dismiss. And in the case of past lives, people like the Dalai Lama (an honest man if I've ever encountered one) recounted, even as a child, details of former lives he could not have known any other way. Hmm.... These things make me shake my head in wonder and admit that I just don't know. So, I can't say if I have had lives before this one; I certainly don't recall any. But the concept of karma as taught by the Buddha assumes this. And though this is helpful to a complete understanding of karma, it is not essential.

So what is this karma stuff anyway? Does it matter? Is it merely an ancient and antiquated beleif? I will start this conversation by mentioning a few things about what karma is not, and tomorrow I will give you my impression of what it is.

The most important thing that karma is not is a system of punishment for past offenses. This is the most common misconception. What this idea assumes is that there is some entity outside the realm of human knowledge deciding what is sinful and meting out penalties. This is not karma. Similarly, karma is not a system of reward for past good deeds, for the same reason. To attribute either good or bad fortune, especially in someone else, as due to karma is, quite simply, misguided. Karma is not a score-keeping and score-settling concept at all. This is a very Judeo-Christian perspective and does not gibe with the teachings of the Buddha.

And finally, no, karma is not merely an ancient and antiquated belief. An understanding of karma lies at the core of the dharma. I will devote tomorrow's post to what I believe karma to be.