This question is always showing up when people from different world-views talk about it. There are the Hindus with their theory, the Buddhists with a somewhat similar, still original view, other Oriental philosophy fanatics and also the newage dizzies. By now, the Karma meme is present in Western minds, so many people have heard of it and believe in it. My guess is that you also have your version of Karma theory yourself, which you might consider sharing here. But for now here is mine.

” … according to your like or dislike”

What I know for sure is that etymologically it has its roots in the Sanskrit verb ‘to act’. Then the definition as ‘the fruits of your past actions’ seems to stand. Actually this is about the nature of circumstances in your life that show up in time, one after another. And then according to your like or dislike, those circumstances are said to be good or bad, herein

• ‘good karma’, or
• ‘bad karma’.

Indian philosophy states that non-acting is impossible. We are acting even when we are in a complete passive state, relaxing, resting, even when practicing some form of meditation to stop the flow of thoughts. We are always doing something. Thus, when talking about karma as ‘the fruits of our previous actions’ we seem to think in a way that resembles the law of cause and effect. So, if we always act in an obvious or subtle way, then we are always causing future effects to occur.

“Every good deed you do will someday come back to you”

How then good and bad karma shows up? This is where we start to touch a new area, the area of morality. Morality intervenes as the factor of promise and hope here. By acting properly, according to moral laws, we will cause similar kind of effects to manifest. Every good deed you do will someday come back to you - goes the saying. Nevertheless, the bad ones too. But then the question of morality gives birth to endless other ones. What is considered good or bad? What is truly a good deed?

Original sin as collective karma

Then there is also what is called ‘collective karma’. Just a quick example. What is known to us as ‘original sin’ is in fact the pack of thoughts, desires, compulsions and deeds waiting for the proper moment to manifest. All these left to us as inheritance from our ancestors. So whether we are aware of it or not, we are carrying all those, laying there repressed in some form in the collective unconscious. The scale here is extensible from the small family to the wider categories of society your are part of.

“Why now? Why me?”

The next outstanding factor in importance here is time. The necessary reactions to our actions are recorded somewhere in the unconscious, waiting for the proper circumstances to show up and manifest. Regarding the timing of their occurrence there must be some sort of priorities. At this point is when you say: “Why now?”. Followed shortly by: “Why me?” (sic!).

But don’t we have our own concept of destiny?! What’s with all this karma stuff? The Western concept of destiny goes like this: you are predestined to this (live like this, act like this, be like this). Predestined by who? By God. God’s ways are hidden to you, just believe that he knows better what is good for you. The essence of authoritarian morals so scorned and repudiated. Which repudiation gave birth to relativism in terms of morals. “None shall tell me what is good or bad for me, I will figure it out for myself!” And by now there is barely any kind of morality left us here.

You are the only one responsible here

Now take a look at the Indian way of handling this complexity. Karma is your destiny, your are predestined to face its effects, but who predestined you to them? You yourself. And their religion accepts this, even more, makes this a cornerstone.

We are not the kind of people here to live like that. We need some sort of realism based on pure descriptive factuality. Our religion is now called science. Whatever. But I can give you a way to look at the karma concept that might fit for some of you into the Westerner way of thinking. I like to define Karma as the permeability of the unconscious.

Karma as the permeabilty of the unconscious.

Changing our lives to the better is an essential drive for us. Succeeding in doing that varies though at each of us. Why is that? I say it is because of the permeability of our unconscious. Some of us get a happier love life than others. Some get richer easier than others. Some learn things easier than others. But this can be turned to our benefit for sure. It is called self-knowledge. Herein learning in which ways your unconscious is permeable and where is more thick.

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