What is Karma?

The idea of karma is one that goes way back. The Buddhists use it as a way of saying that all occurrences have a cause and effect, and that we are all caught up in this interdependent chain reaction. The New Agers tend to think of it as a metaphysical stockpile of good and bad deeds, and the more "good" karma you accumulate, the more "good" things will happen to you, and the more "bad" things you do, the more you will suffer. I agree with a (somewhat) different interpretation of karma - though it has similar implications.

I see karma as our conditioning - the tendency to act or react in a particular way. Many people view karma as "what goes around comes around," and in a sense, this is true. When we act from the ego-mind, we are adding fuel to the sense of separation - the illusion that we are not One. The popular idea of karma tends to portray some actions as "good" or "bad", but these are both relative terms that allow the mind to adhere to the illusion of duality. In Oneness, things are neither good nor bad - they just are. These labels also allow us to judge ourselves as good or bad by the types of deeds we do.

Since the popular idea of karma can tend to lead people to believe a thought-based, concept-oriented version of truth (and thusly false, as Ultimate Truth does not lie in the realm of the mind), I find it helpful to think of karma in terms of how more or less conditioned we are. The greater your adherence to the separate sense of self, which springs from the mind, the more you empower and solidify its existence. It is from this separate self that dishonest, cruel, selfish, and "sinful" acts - those you would say generate bad karma - originate. It is only when we fail to see that we are One that we commit acts lacking in compassion. When we recognize that others are the same as us, the natural inclination is to relieve suffering, for the suffering of one is seen to be the suffering of One - the suffering of all. This is what compassion IS - in empathizing with others, we become inclined to relieve the suffering of others, knowing that we are relieving our own suffering as well.

When we fail to see this, we perpetuate the egoic sense of self - our karmic conditioning. The more separate and alone we feel, the more likely we are to view others as completely separate. This allows us to distance ourselves from them emotionally, leading to a lack of empathy and compassion. Without compassion, we seek only what we consider to be our own gain and disregard the suffering it causes others. This causes our own internal suffering (we do have a conscience after all - it is the voice of the soul, the part of you that knows you are One), and the cycle repeats. If this cycle perpetuates itself for too long, a human can become so conditioned in the sense of separation that even taking another human life does not trigger any sort of emotional response in the body. When this happens, the voice of the conscience becomes so small that it is unheard, and the most inhumane of actions become acceptable.

The good news is, nobody can remain completely stuck in the illusion forever! At some point (in this life or the next), the pain of upholding the separate sense of self becomes too much to bear, and truth is seen. Compassion is felt, and the cycle repeats. When we commit selfless acts (ones that would be said to generate "good" karma), we invite others to realize - through us - that we are truly One. When this happens, the ego becomes a little softer, and the person becomes a little more open and loving. From this springs happiness. When the ego becomes attached to this feeling of happiness, and tries to get more of it by being more selfless, this should not be seen as a bad thing. Some people tend to see all egoic desire as bad - and indeed it must be overcome if one is to be Enlightened - however when one's egoic desire for happiness is aligned with the truth of Oneness, and this is where the greatest happiness is felt, it is a sign of spiritual maturation. The person has realized that it is for the benefit of all to be selfless. It is often through compassionate acts that awakening occurs, because they involve a conscious decision to express some aspect of Oneness, initiating a chain reaction of awakening: the One always seeks to experience itself more fully. It is between these two cycles to and from the sense of separation that compose most of human life.

I prefer this way of looking at karma because it allows for a conceivable endpoint - Enlightenment - at which a person is no longer a follower of his or her unconscious conditioning. The popular interpretation of karma seems to drive people to feel the need to "work off" bad karma, and do good things so that they will get good things in return. This model still empowers the ego by making it feel as if it must do something (work off bad karma) to be worthy or happy, and by encouraging the notion that the happiness stemming from ego gratification (the good things that will happen to you if you do good deeds) is desirable - it implies a resistance to the present circumstance or situation. The interpretation of karma as mental conditioning also can allow one to view their own natural inclination to do compassionate, selfless deeds as a barometer for how far along one is in his or her spiritual maturation.

Namaste,

Justin