Buddhism

KarmaandReincarnation

by
KathrynMcNally

POS205ComparativeWorldReligions
WendyBryant
November20,2007

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Inthewesternworld,aprevailingbeliefisthatafterlife,apersonssoulgoestoaplace
ofeternalbliss,heaven,oraplaceofeverlastingdamnation,hell.ToBuddhists,thisperception
isnotthecustom.Buddhistsbelievethatiftheydonotachievenirvanaapersonreincarnates
into another life form, either human or animal. The life form a person comes back as is
determined by the persons karma. The concept of karma affects not only reincarnation, but
also what path a persons life takes. While much of the concept of karma is plausible and
understandablebyapersonofanydenomination,someaspectsaredependentuponabeliefin
reincarnationandthatapersonwillbepunishedforhissinsorrewardedforhisgooddeeds;
eitherinthislifeorthenext.Atthesametime,inordertobelieveinhowreincarnationworks,
apersonmustunderstandtheideaofkarma.
In South Asia, it is widely accepted that a persons action determines his or her own
personaldestiny.Thisideathatactionshaverepercussionsinlifeiskarma.Karmaasdefinedby
theAmericanHeritageDictionaryis,thetotaleffectofaperson'sactionsandconductduring
thesuccessivephasesoftheperson'sexistence,regardedasdeterminingtheperson'sdestiny.
(karma) The Tibetan word for karma is las, which means action or work. (Burke) Karma
oftenappearsinafullerformintheTibetan,aslas.rgyu.'bras,whichmeansaction,(intermsof
both) cause and effect." (Keyes 232). If a person performs a good action in life, Tibetan
Buddhistsbelievethatgoodthingswilloccurlateroninlifeasaresult,andtheyanticipatethe
reverseforbadactions.Byunderstandingthisconceptandtryingtolivealifegovernedbythe
rulesofKarma,onecanhopetolivealifefilledwithhappiness.
The basic idea of karma is comparable to the Golden Rule of Christianity, do unto
othersasyouwouldhavethemdountoyou(paraphraseMatthew7:12)Ifapersonispolite

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andaccommodatingtoothers,otherswillbepoliteinreturn,andthatpersonwillliveahappier
life. While, on the other hand, if a person is mean towards others, they will not treat that
personwellinreturn,makingthatpersonlesshappy.WhiletheGoldenRuleofChristianityis
very simple, karma extends beyond correct behavior towards others and extends into the
relationshipbetweenapersonssoulandtheworldaroundhim.
In Buddhism, Karma has two forms mental karma and deed karma (Encyclopedia of
Religion266).Thetwoformsbothabidebythebeliefthatgoodorbad actionsyieldgood or
badresults.Mentalkarmahasadirectrelationshiptowhatapersonthinks.Ifapersonthinks
impure or malicious thoughts, they will build up bad karma during his life, and for pure
thoughts, good karma builds up. Deed karma refers to the actions performed physically by a
person. As with mental karma, deed karma is the culmination of good karma and bad karma
resultingfromonesactions.
Inconsideringkarma,therearethreemainelements;cetana,samudacara,andvasana
and samskara. The first element, cetana, refers to the state of mind a person is in when he
begins to perform an act. Did they have good or bad intentions? This will determine the
repercussionsthatcomeforthatpersonsthoughts.Thesecondelement,samudacara,refers
totheactualactionitself,whetheritcausedhappinesstoallorcausedsufferingtosomeother
than the individual performing the action. The final element, composed of vasana and
samskara, refers to the lasting effects a persons action and deeds have. Vasana means
impressionorresidualeffectandsamskarameanshabit(EncyclopediaofReligion266).From
thedefinitionsofvasanaandsamskara,itcanbeinferredthatapersonsactionshavelasting
effects;wheretheeffectsofkarma,whichisdeterminedbyapersonsactions,iswhatshapes

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an individuals personality. It is through experiences in life that an individual personality is

determined, whether through good experiences or bad. If a person performs a certain action
and the repercussions are positive, it is considered a good thing in that persons mind. If the
repercussions for an action are good or not clear, then that action will be considered a good
thing and that it is all right to behave in that way over and over. Early Buddhist teachings
considered that samskara and vasana shapes ones character, constitution, and general
personality(EncyclopediaofReligion266).
Tibetan Buddhists believe that the type of accumulated karma is what effects later
experiences in a persons life. According to early Buddhist thinkers, the more good karma a
person accumulates, the happier he or she will become and the better recompense he will
receive(EncyclopediaofReligion266).Thisstatementexplainskarmacontrolshappiness.No
onewantstobeunhappyinlife,asshownbythemillionsofpeoplewhoseekprofessionalsto
help deal with issues in life that cause them unhappiness. Everyone wants to be happy, and
karmacanbeaguidetojudgewhatactionswillcausehappiness.
In life, people strive to be happy and make the most of the world they live in, and
TibetanBuddhistslivetheirlivesaccordingtoasimilarideal.TheTibetanwordforhappinessis
skyidpo, which means the negation of sdugbsngal, or unhappiness (Keyes 228). Skyidpo,
with its basic meaning, shows that Tibetans think about how to obtain happiness in simple
terms. They believe if you eliminate everything that causes unhappiness, there is nothing to
keepapersonfrombeinghappy.Asstatedbyahighlevelpriest,thebestthingapersoncando
would be to learn ethics: by which he meant karma and how to tell virtue from sin (Keyes

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224).Inlearningwhatconstitutessins,whichcauseunhappiness,apersonwouldthenbeable
todeterminewhatactionstotakeinlifetoavoidunhappiness.
InBuddhism,theideaofsinrelatestomorality,whichhasadefinedsetofactionsthat
constitutesin.AssaidbyHisHolinesstheDalaiLama(TenzinGyatso),thebasicfoundationof
thepracticeofmoralityistorefrainfromthetenunwholesomeactions(p.18).Thebasicnon
virtuesthatheistalkingaboutarekilling,stealing,adultery,lying,divisiveness,harshspeech,
senseless speech, covetousness, harmful intent, and wrong view. The first three elements of
morality relate to physical actions; taking another life, taking what belongs to others, and
engaginginsexualrelationsoutsideofmarriage.InlookingatTibetanBuddhists,itisclearthat
theyholdalltypesoflifeinthehighestregard.ThisattitudeisrevealedinSevenYearsinTibet.
WhentryingtobuildabuildingusingTibetanlabor,thespeedofworkslowedbecauseofsifting
through every shovel full of dirt to remove living creatures so that they might be spared.
Tibetan Buddhists also practice the ideal that materialism is undesirable, so that the idea of
stealingwouldnotcrosstheirmind.Thethoughtofadulterypertainstophysicalpleasuresof
theflesh.
Thenextfourelementsrefertospeech:lying,divisiveness,harshspeech,andsenseless
speech.Lyingcausespeopletothinkincorrectthoughts,whichareharmfulwhenthetruthis
revealed.Asaresult,theybecomeupsetatthepersonwholiedtothem,aswellasthereason
for the lie.Divisiveness refers to actions thatcause others to disagree or disagree more than
they already do. Harsh speech is verbal abuse, cursing and slandering of others. Finally,
senselessspeech,asdefinedbyTenzinGyatso,istalkoffoolishthingsmotivatedbydesireand

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soforth(p.18).Byabstainingfromthesefourspeechorientednonvirtues,peoplewouldbe
civiltowardseachother,astheywouldneversayanythingbadaboutorlietooneanother.
The final three elements of the ten nonvirtues are acts controlled by the mind.
Covetousness,desiringwhatanotherpersonpossesses,causesjealousy,whicheventuallycan
cause a person to be unhappy, if he doesnt get what he wants. Harmful intent, desiring to
harm others, is caused by anger, which causes unhappiness. Lastly, wrong view, which is
definedbytheDalaiLamaasnotbelievinginrebirth,thelawofcauseandeffect,andthethree
jewels. Which are the Buddha jewel, the enlightened teacher, or ones own future state of
enlightenment; the Dharma jewel, the teachings and realizations that lead to happiness,
liberation and enlightenment; and the Sangha jewel, the spiritual community of those well
establishedontheBuddhistpath(p.158).Thesefinalthreeelementsallleadtoanignorant
mind that will guide one to a life of unhappiness. Thus, by abstaining from them, a life of
happinesscanbefound.
Bylearningthedifferencebetweensinandvirtue,peoplewouldbeabletocontroltheir
actionsinordertoleadhappierlives.Ifeveryoneabstainedfromthetenbasicnonvirtues,the
worldwouldbeamuchmorepeacefulplacewithcivilityandhappinessforall.Therewouldbe
nowars,sinceallwarsarebasedonthedesireforgeneralwealthordisagreementofthought.
Noliveswouldbetakeninwar,sincepeoplewouldseethatthewaytosettlemattersisnot
withbloodshed.Inindividualrelationships,peoplewouldbepolitetowardsoneanother,they
wouldnottalkbehindeachothersback,lieaboutpeopletheymaynotgetalongwith,ortryto
pitoneanotheragainsteachother,allfactorswhichcauseindividualstobeangrytowardsone
another.Finally,peoplewouldhavemoresoundminds,withoutdesireforotherspossessions,

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wishofmaliciousactions,andknowingthatthethreejewels,existtherewouldbenoreasonfor
theirmindsnottobeatrest.
While one can try as hard as he or she wants to refrain from sin, some sins are
unavoidableorunintentional.Everypersoncommitsthegreatestsin,whichistakingthelifeof
another, without even knowing it. When walking, insectsunderfoot are crushed,but it is not
intentional.Whilesuchanactseemstrivial,sincetherearetrillionsofinsectsintheworld,toa
Buddhist,alllifeisprecious.Aswillbediscussedlater,thebeliefinreincarnationstatesthata
soul could be reincarnated as either human or animal form, so that an insect that is crushed
couldbethereincarnationofapastrelative.
Therearedifferentlevelsofsins,andthustherearedifferentlevelsofbadkarma.Asin
thatiscommittedintentionallyorwithpleasurehastheworstkarmiceffect.Inthereverse,a
sinthatiscommittedunintentionallyhastheleastnegativekarmiceffect.Allthesegoodand
badkarmiceffectsareaccumulatedoverlife,anditisbelievedbyBuddhistphilosophers,for
the most part, that a persons present circumstances in life are determined by ones past
actions, the fruits of which are inevitably experienced until that person uses up all of his
acquiredkarman(karma)andthelawofcausationhasrunitscourse(EncyclopediaofReligion
267).
It is believed that certain virtues can erase the bad karma that has built up. Some of
these virtues are putting up prayer flags, reciting mantras, avoiding sinful actions, receiving
blessings from a lama, counting beads, and being charitable towards those that are less
fortunate. It is believed in Tibet (that) the recitation of certain mantras could wipe out the
karmaofahundredyears(Murray45).Suchabeliefshowsthestrongbeliefintheimportance

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ofdailyritualsperformedbydevoutTibetanBuddhists.ThisissimilartotheCatholicbeliefthat
onecanrepentforsinsthroughconfessions,sayingtherosary,andrepetitiveprayer.
InBuddhism,therearethreewaystoalleviatebadkarmacausedbyanykindofsin.One
wayistorepentpersonallyforpastsinscommitted.Thesecondway,inadditiontoapersons
own virtuous action, is to have a relative, monk or nun recite mantras or hold a religious
ceremony for the sake of relieving that persons bad karma. The third way is similar to the
second,butisdonepostmortem,withthehopethatitwilllessenthebadkarmabroughtinto
thenextlife.
IntheTibetanBuddhistviewoflife,mosthappinesscausesunhappiness.Toawesterner
thisideasoundsridiculousatfirst.Howcanhappinesscauseunhappiness?Thefactorthatmust
be understood in Tibetan Buddhism is that the smallest action can make a difference. What
causeshappinessinlifeistemporaryorimpermanent.Bybeingimpermanent,itdoesnotlast
and when it no longer exists, that absence of that thing that brought happiness causes
unhappiness. For example, if a person builds a house, the house brings happiness, but in
buildingthehouse,muchunhappinessisincurred.Indiggingthefoundationofthehouse,many
insectsareinadvertentlykilled,forthelumberusedinthestructure,manybirdsarethenleft
withoutaplacetonest,and,eventually,thehousewillstarttofallapart,andthatwillcause
unhappiness. Each action that causes happiness can be thought of in terms of how it also
causesunhappiness.Theonlygooddeedsthatcausepurehappinessareprayerandmeditation,
deedsthatdonothavephysicaleffectonthesurroundings.
Things that cause happiness are considered goods, and most goods are temporary.
Examples of some goods are health, wealth, friendship and love. In the reverse, things that

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causeunhappinessarebad,suchaswork,busyness,andstinginess.Ofthegoodsgiven,health
andwealtharetemporary,andcanhaveabadside.Whenhealthisbad,itcausesunhappiness,
andwealthcanalsohaveabadsidebycausinggreed,whichviolatesoneofthetenbasicnon
virtues.AsexplainedbyKeyes,youcannottakeyourwealthwithyouwhenyoudie,oryour
body,butthebestoflifelongfriendscangotohelltogether(p.229).
Anothermajorquestionaboutkarmaishowtoexplainwhyaperson,wholeadsagood
life,withminimalsin,cansuddenlyhavehislifetakeaturnfortheworse?Thisisaresultof
whatisknownasrkyen,orcooperatingcauses(Keyes238).Rkyenisanaspectofkarma,butit
iskarmathatisdelayed.Itisdependentuponastrongbeliefinreincarnation,whichishardto
grasp.Theideaisthatwhenasiniscommitted,theeffectsofthatsindonothavetooccurin
the near future, or in a persons lifetime, but could affect one of the persons later
reincarnations.
Karmic effects can be delayed by rlungrta, which is the state of a persons worldly
luck(Keyes240).Rlungrtaisameasureofapersonsshorttermgooddeeds,whilekarmaisa
measureofgooddeedsovereternity.If,inashortperiodoftime,apersondoesmanygood
acts,theywillhavehighrlungrta,whichcandelaythebadeffectsofbadactions.Rlungrtacan
vary from year to year, where one year it could be high and the next drop down. By having
constantly high rlungrta, a person can delay the bad effects of karma for an entire lifetime,
leavingittotakeeffectononeoftheirlaterlives,whenrlungrtaislowandcannotdelaybad
karmaanymore.Inthisway,itcanbeunderstoodhowrkyenworks.Thebadeventsonrkyen
are the results of actions committed long ago, whether in this life or even a past life. While

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theseaspectsofkarmahavespecificnamesthatdifferentiatethem,theyareallstillallruledby
thelawofcauseandeffect.
Rkyencannotbefullycomprehendedwithoutabeliefinreincarnation.Ifapersondoes
notbelieveinreincarnation,thenitisnotcomprehendiblethatthestrongbadluckassociated
withrkyeniscausedbyabadactioninapastlife.Atthesametime,forafullcomprehensionof
the Buddhist idea of reincarnation, one needs to understand how karma works. So the two
ideasofkarmaandreincarnationarebothdependentupononeanother.
In Tibetan Buddhism, reincarnation is understood as the endless cycle of continuous
consciousness. The idea of consciousness is a difficult one to grasp, because there is no
scientificexplanationastohowitworks.Howthehumanbodyevolved,howlivingcellswork,
andhowinteractionsbetweenmoleculesworkcanallbeexplained,butnothowitisthatwe
areconsciousandabletothink.Insomereligions,suchasJudaismandChristianity,thisisall
explained through the idea of a creator, a supreme being, who through his or her immense
powercreatedeverythingthatweknowtoexist,theplanetweliveon,thesunwhichwarms
theearth,thestars,thelakes,rivers,valleys,mountainsandplains,rightdowntoeveryliving
creature.JudeoChristiantraditionassumesfromsuchstoriesofcreation,thatconsciousnessis
neverquestioned,itwasjustcreated.Astimehaspassedandsciencehasdiscoveredhowmuch
oftheearthandlifeevolvedtowhatitistoday,muchofthecreationmythhasbeenexplained
anddisproved.Butevenscienceandreligiondoesnotexplainconsciousnessandhowitstarts.
ForTibetanBuddhists,consciousnessiscontinuousandispassedfromonelifetothenext.As
stated by the Dalai Lama, any instance of consciousness requires a substantial cause in the

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form of another preceding moment of consciousness. Because of this, we maintain that

consciousnessisinfiniteandbeginningless(p.49)
The idea of reincarnation and continuous consciousness are hard to grasp to non
believers, because it is difficult to give them definite proof. They will want it to be proven
scientifically with hard evidence and will not be able to comprehend being reborn over and
over.But,inthesamewaythatpeopleacceptthecreationmythwithouthardevidence,just
faith,itmustbebelievedforreincarnation.Atonetime,thepeopleoftheworldthoughtthe
earthwasflatandthattherewasonlyonelargelandmassthatstretchedfromEuropetoAsia
anddowntoAfrica;butsomepeopletheorizedthattheearthwasactuallyroundandspherical.
People didnt want to accept such a heinous idea; they couldnt believe it because it was so
foreign.ItwasnotuntilColumbusdiscoveredtheAmericasthatscientistsandtheologianswere
convincedtheworldwasround.Theideaofreincarnationisthesamekindofbelief.AsVoltaire
oncesaid,itisnomoresurprisingtobeborntwicethanitistobebornonce(Rinpoche83).
If consciousness were not continuous, then where does it come from? Each person is
born has his or her own conscious mind. However, where the worlds population used to
numberinmillions,therearenowoverfourbillionpeopleontheearth.Theexplanationofhow
somanypeoplecanhavetheirownconsciousmindliesinthebeliefthatreincarnationdoesnot
extend only to humans. It is believed that people can be reincarnated into animals, humans,
andasanenlightenedbeinginheaven.So,eachnewpersonthatisbornisnotnecessarilythe
reincarnationofanotherhuman,butcouldbeananimalreincarnatedasahuman.Eachinsect
isalsoareincarnation,soafewbillionhumansincomparisonwiththenumberoflivingbeings

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ontheearthisaminisculeamount.ToTibetanBuddhistskillinganimalsandinsectsislooked
downuponbecausetheanimalcouldbeareincarnationofapastrelativeorfriend.
Anotherquestiontobeaskedaboutcontinuousconsciousnessiswhyarentpastlives
rememberedifwelivedthem?Buddhisttheologyexplainsthislapse.Wedoindeedremember
pastlives.OneexampleistheFourteenthDalaiLama,whoearlyinlifewastestedastowhether
he was the true reincarnation of the thirteenth Dalai Lama. Certain tests were given, one of
whichwastoidentifyobjectsthathadbelongedtothepreviousDalaiLama.Multipleobjectsof
thesamekindweregiven,suchaswalkingsticks,glasses,andprayerdrums,ofwhichonlyone
ofeachtypebelongedtothepreviousDalaiLama.ThefourteenthDalaiLama,atthetimeof
discovery,wasabletoidentifythecorrectobjecteverytime.InthemovieKundun,whenthe
fourteenth Dalai Lama went into the room of the previous Dalai Lama for the first time, he
pointedtoacabinetandsaidthathisteethwereinthere.Tothisallthemonksaccompanying
him were perplexed, and upon opening the cabinet, discovered that the dentures of the
thirteenthDalaiLamawereinside.Buddhistbelievesucheventsprovideevidenceofmemoryof
pastlives,butdonotexplainwhypastlivesarenotremembered.Earlyoninlife,itisbelieved,
past lives can be remembered, but as a person grows older, those memories fade. Just the
same as a grown person cannot recall his childhood completely, a person is not able to
rememberpastlives.
What kind of reincarnation a person is reborn as is determined in the intermediary
world,orhell?Towesterners,thevisionofhellisaplaceofendlesstortureandpain,whereevil
peoplespendeternitybeingpunishedfortheirwrongdoingsinlife.ForTibetanBuddhist,thisis
notthecase.Hellislookeduponasamiddleworld,wherepeoplearesentbetweenlivestobe

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judged upon their merit. It is in this middle world that karma matters in reincarnation, by
determining a persons reincarnation form. In Karma, hell is like acourt of law, with a judge,
prosecutor,anddefenseattorney.TheultimatejudgeisDharmaraja,thelordofthedead,who
weighs a persons good deeds and bad deeds with a black stone for bad deeds, and a white
stonefromgooddeeds.Theprosecutorisademonthatsitsonthepersonsleftshoulder,who
recallshisbaddeeds,puttinginablackstoneforeach.Thedefenseattorneyisagodsittingon
thepersonsleftshoulder,which,likewise,recallshisgooddeedsandthrowsinawhitestone
foreach.Ifthegooddeedsoutweighthebaddeeds,apersonisgivenagoodreincarnation,or
couldevenbegivenenlightenmentifenoughmerithasbeenearned.Onthereverse,ifthebad
deedsoutweighthegooddeeds,abadreincarnationisgranted.
Of all possible reincarnations, human existence is viewed as the highest pleasure.
Human existence is better than animal existence, because it is believed that animals are
miserable,mainlybecauseoftheirdumbness,anideawhichisbasedontheideathatdumb
creatures have no choice about what they do (Keyes 229230). To some this idea could be
shocking. How could they make a decision like that without studying animals? To Tibetans,
animalsleadameagerlifefilledwithsins,suchaskillingotheranimalsforfood.Whileitcould
bearguedthatthisisthewayofsurvivalforanimals,toTibetans,animalscommitthesesins
withoutchanceofrepentance,ataskwhichseemsonlyavailabletohumans.Domesticanimals
are ordered around their whole lives with no chance to make their own decisions. They live
theirliveswiththeintentionofeventuallybeingslaughteredforfood.Itcouldbearguedthat
humansarethesameintheirlevelofsinbykillinganimals,buthumansrepentandsayprayers

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for their sins. Animals are not given room for selfimprovement in their lives, and for that
reasonarelesserreincarnations.
Human existence is also considered by some to be better than reincarnation into
heavenasagod.Whilegodshaveattainedthelevelofenlightenment,andhaveeveryneedat
theirdisposal,theydonothavetoworktogainanythinginlife.Bynothavingtodoanywork,
theydonthavetomakeanydecisions,decisionswhichinlifegainkarma.Intheend,godsend
up falling from their high stature, just as bad karma only lasts until you have been duly
punishedforbadactions,havingexhaustedthestoreofmeritwhichearnedthemheavenin
thefirstplace,theseetheiraurasgrowdim,theysmelltheirownsweat,andtheexperience
thehorridanticipationoftheirownimminentfall(Keyes230).Forthisreason,whilethelifeof
agodiseasyandpeaceful,itisnotidealinthemindofmostTibetans.
Human existence is deemed the highest pleasure because as a human, life can be
controlled. People have interactions with one another, a pleasure that is shown in how
friendship is valued so greatly. A person with bad karma can do deeds that raise his karma,
showing room for improvement. As Keyes observed, Tibetans seem to concern themselves
with avoiding present suffering, hell, and rebirth as an animal rather than with attaining
heaven (p. 228). While this statement suggests that Tibetans may be overly fearful of bad
karma, they are also not so concerned with reaching the next level. They are distracted by
findinghumanexistencetobeapleasure.Eveninsuffering,theyfindthatsuffering,asahuman
isbetterthansufferingasananimal.
Atdeath,thetypeofreincarnationassignedisdependentupontheindividualskarma.
Animallifeisassignedtopeoplewithgenerallybadkarma,althoughnotinvariablyallthetime.

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Ifapersonhasgenerallybadkarma,hecouldbegrantedahumanexistencewithalifetimeof
suffering, which is better than being reincarnated as an animal, and leaves room for
improvement,sothatlifecouldbemadebetterinthenextreincarnation.Humanexistence,if
not designated as a lifetime of suffering, is granted to the fortunate few who have generally
good karma, as decided by the scales of Dharmaraja, the lord of the dead. If the scales are
predominantly tipping toward good deeds, a person can be granted enlightenment. Thus, a
centralconcernofBuddhism,astoldbyaTibetanlayman,istoaccumulatemerit,apotential
to facilitate the process of gaining liberation (Neufeldt 180). The next question is what
happenswhenliberated?
There are two beliefs on the issue of reincarnation after liberation, or enlightenment.
When a person reaches enlightenment, some believe that the soul stops reincarnating and
reachesthelevelofagod.Thisprospect,inwhichthegodslivealifeofluxury,doesnotappeal
toeveryone.Theotherbeliefisthatenlightenedonescancontroltheirreincarnationandcome
back as humans. In this way, enlightened ones come back to guide others on the path to
enlightenment,sotheyarenotjustenlightenedthemselves,butbecomepatronsofcharityby
showingotherstheway.AsMurrayexplained,theTibetansbelievethatsomehumanbeings,
thehighestlamas,arealwaysimmediatelyrebornashumans,thoselamasbeingtheoneswho
haveattainedenlightenment,suchastheDalaiLamaandthePanchenLama.
Through the ideas of karma and reincarnation, Tibetan Buddhists have been able to
explainhowonesownactionscontrollife,notanothers,andthatthoseactionsnotonlyaffect
apersonduringtheirlifetime,butcarryoverintothenext.Peopleareendlesslylookingfora
waytolivehappierlives,whichcanbediscoveredthroughstudying Buddhistideasonkarma

M c N a l l y |16

andreincarnation.WhileapersondoesnothavetobecomeaBuddhist,acceptingtheideaof
karma and reincarnation can help explain much of life and give guidance on how to live a
happier life. By considering how an action affects not only the individual, but also others, a
personcansavehimselffromunhappinessbyseeingthatwhileanactionmaybringtemporary
happiness,itmaynotbringhappinesstoall.Theideaofreincarnationhelpsexplainnotjustbad
timesinlife,butalsobringsreassurancethatthroughthecycleoflife,thatexistenceisendless.

M c N a l l y |17

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