Even within Asia, where the concept of karma has a long history
and has been incorporated in a wide range of cultures, it is often
misunderstood. Viewed from a negative, backward-looking
perspective, karma has been used to encourage the disadvantaged
members of society to accept their situation in life as being of
their own making. Present suffering is attributed to negative
causes made in the past.
Considering themselves to blame for their situation, some people
have fallen prey to a sense of powerlessness. This is, however, a
distortion of the original meaning of karma as it is used in the
Buddhist tradition. To accept the idea of karma does not mean to
live under a cloud of guilt and vague anxiety, not knowing what bad
causes we may have made in the past. Rather, it means to be
confident that our destiny is in our own hands and that we have the
power to transform it for the better at any moment.
In the simplest terms, karma, which means actions, indicates the
universal operation of a principle of causation, similar to that
upheld by modern science. Science assures us that everything in the
universe exists within the framework of cause and effect. "For
every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction," is a
familiar principle. The difference between the materialistic
causality of science and the Buddhist principle of karma is that
the latter is not limited to those things that can be seen or
measured. Rather, it includes the unseen or spiritual aspects of
life, such as the sensation or experience of happiness or misery,
kindness or cruelty. In an address delivered in 1993, SGI President
Ikeda described these different approaches. The Buddhist concept of
causal relations, he wrote:
. . . differs fundamentally from the kind of mechanistic causation
which, according to modern science, holds sway over the objective
natural world--a world divorced from subjective human concerns.
Causation, in the Buddhist view, spans a more broadly defined
nature, one that embraces human existence. To illustrate, let us
assume that an accident or disaster has occurred. A mechanistic
theory of causation can be used to pursue and identify how the
accident occurred, but is silent regarding the question of why
certain individuals should find themselves caught up in the tragic
event. Indeed, the mechanistic view of nature requires the
deliberate forestalling of such existential questionings.
In contrast, the Buddhist understanding of causation seeks to
directly address these poignant "whys?"
Originally, the Sanskrit word karma meant work or office, and was
related to verbs that mean simply "do" or "make." According to
Buddhism, we create karma on three levels: through thoughts, words
and actions. Acts of course have a greater impact than mere words.
Likewise, when we verbalize our ideas, this creates more karma than
merely thinking them. However, since both words and deeds originate
in thoughts, the contents of our hearts--our thoughts--are also of
crucial importance.
Karma can be thought of as our core personality, the profound
tendencies that have been impressed into the deepest levels of our
lives. The deepest cycles of cause and effect extend beyond the
present existence; they shape the manner in which we start this
life--our particular circumstances from the moment of birth--and
will continue beyond our deaths. The purpose of Buddhist practice
is to transform our basic life tendency in order to realize our
total human potential in this lifetime and beyond.
As one of the ancient Buddhist texts states: "If you want to
understand the causes that existed in the past, look at the results
as they are manifested in the present. And if you want to
understand what results will be manifested in the future, look at
the causes that exist in the present."
Karma is thus, like everything, in constant flux. We create our own
present and future by the choices we make in each moment.
Understood in this light, the teaching of karma does not encourage
resignation, but empowers us to become the protagonists in the
unfolding drama of our lives.
