Dean Bowen

Dr. Paul

PHL 244

28 October 2019

Karma and Its Implications

Karma is possibly the most misunderstood teaching within Buddhism, and often becomes

muddled and misused in current societal thought. It is a misunderstanding to believe it to be a

kind of judgement for one’s actions, as that is not the case. As stated by Rahula, “Karma,

whether good or bad, has one force as its effect: force to continue—to continue in a good or bad

direction” (Rahula 32). It is not a judgement, but it is a force that continues the path of action

that one can set themselves upon with certain actions. If one does good things, they will continue

in a good direction, and vice versa. As such, it is a worthwhile idea to keep in mind for our own

lives, as any rational person would seek to avoid bad outcomes for the actions and circumstances

within their lives.

Karma as a concept is inextricably tied to the flawed idea of having a “self”. Seeing how

our idea of “self” is impermanent and shaped by the world around us as we go about our lives,

bad actions willingly done by an individual will shape their “self” in a negative way and set them

down the wrong path. However, it is essential that one understands the true workings of karma. It

is not something to be pared down to a simple equation of good deeds versus bad deeds to

determine one’s future. This misconception is often repeated, and leads to a misunderstanding

that there is some being making decisions about a person’s life depending on how they act. This

idea must be avoided in order for understanding to be reached, as karma is not some kind of
worldly justice or a reward vs punishment case. It is a natural law of cause and effect, requiring

no justice figure or executor of punishment.

With this definition of the true nature of karma in mind, the actual “real life” application

of it can be called into question. I believe that it is an excellent principle to adopt in a person’s

decision making, as it holds the individual accountable for any intentional negative actions on

the basis that these actions will lead to future issues for the individual. It is important to not

overly complicate the idea of karma for ourselves, and view it for what it really is; A natural law

of cause and effect that leads to the continuation of any courses of action that we set ourselves

upon. The displacement of consequences for our actions to some kind of supreme being does

nothing but remove accountability from the individual, making it easier for someone to justify

morally bereft actions. It is also important to note the emphasis on actions needing to be

intentional in order for karma to be a factor in what happens after said action. If one accidentally

does harm to another being or to the world as a whole, they are not necessarily setting

themselves up for a life of harm and bad outcomes. Even if a person intentionally commits an

action that leads to harm, it does not necessarily mean that they are forever irredeemable and

cannot ever do good again. However, holding to the prior definition of karma being a law of

cause and effect, if a harmful act is committed one must deal with the effects of it as positively as

possible and move forward in a more positive and beneficial manner.

It is possible for this interpretation to be seen as an oversimplification. While Karma

obviously has many facets and conflicting views associated with it, I find that the above

explanation is the least complicated interpretation of karma and how it can be integrated into our

lives. I do not doubt that there are other possible parts of the idea of karma that I have neglected,
however for something to be integrated into our lives in a way that will work it cannot be overly

complicated as a practice. This simpler interpretation does perhaps leave some smaller facets out,

but if followed correctly can allow one to understand karma and how it can be used to shape our

actions and future outcomes.

 Works Cited

RAHULA, WALPOLA. WHAT THE BUDDHA TAUGHT. MOTILAL BANARSIDASS,

2017.

Laumakis, Stephen J. An Introduction to Buddhist Philosophy. Cambridge University Press,

2009.