The Truth About Karma

Someone raised the subject of karma, and whether we should consider it a factor in the way our life unfolds. In other words, should we think of negative conditions as karmic payback for something negative we may have done in the past? This is a good subject to explore, for a fair number of people in the West have adopted this Eastern concept. Mainstream Christianity's version of karma is the sin and punishment model: “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” (Jn. 9:2).

That which has the greatest impact on the quality of our life is that which occupies our mind at this moment. Whether we embrace the concept of karma, or the more traditional sin and punishment model, it is our faith in either of these ideas that make them seem true to us. In the case of the man born blind, Jesus drew attention to the importance of that which occupies our mind in the moment: “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be made manifest in him" (Jn. 9:3). How we use our mind in the present has more impact than how we used it in the past.

We do not want to sidestep the consequences of past actions. There may be a bit of cleanup required. But suppose Jesus had answered the question by naming the sinner as the man, or the parents of the man. We would know where to point the finger of blame, but we would have no solution to the man’s condition of blindness.

If you are a hiker, you will occasionally find yourself walking over rocky ground. You know how important it is to be mindful of every step. Likewise, when you walk over the rocky terrain of a life condition, be mindful of every mental and emotional step you take. You know how you got on your rocky patch of trail. You wanted the hike. How did you get to this rocky patch in your life? You wanted to live. You did nothing wrong; this is simply a stretch of the path you are on. This is your opportunity to see the works of God manifest.

When you think about it, you can only take one step at a time. Lay down any baggage of karma you may be carrying and take your next step mindfully and gratefully.